3rd Wildlife Viewing & Nature Tourism Academy

A 2017 study, titled “The Nature of Americans,” identified back yards as a key place for people to connect with nature. For this reason, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission embarked on a campaign to connect people to our natural lands in Florida by first connecting them to their back yards. For over a year, staff in FWC’s Public Access Services Office gave workshops on the benefits of creating backyard habitat, set-up iNaturalist projects to facilitate people making species observations in their yards and partnered with many local organizations to spread the message throughout the Tallahassee region. This ambitious campaign met with many successes and some challenges as it sought to transition people from connecting with nature in their back yards to encouraging them to explore nature “beyond” just their yards. Judy Gillan, a section leader within the Public Access Services Office, will describe the program and offer tips for those seeking to do something similar in their regions.