Audubon of Southwest Florida

11/05/2026

Shorebird Stewardship will be at Bunche Beach this Sunday November 8, 8 am.
See you there!

Photo by Arno Loessner

10/29/2026

Shorebird Stewardship will be at Lovers Key SP this Sunday, November 1, 8 am.
See you there!

Photo by Arno Loessner

10/27/2026

Some more info on the window project at the Slough!

LCEC Grant Protects Birds At Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Audubon of Southwest Florida (ASWF) thanks LCEC for a $2500 2026 Environmental Funding Award to make the Slough’s Interpretive Center bird-friendly. The project, in partnership with the Friends of Six Cypress Slough Preserve, is now underway.
The project will make the windows and doors at the Interpretive Center “bird-friendly” by installing microdot nature-imaged film and rows of clear CollidEscape dots at two-inch intervals on windows. Both products are science-based proven solutions that prevent fatal bird-glass collisions, which have been documented at the Center. Transparent and reflective glass produce the illusion of space—sky, foliage, etc.—thus the collisions.

The latest research emphasizes the importance of reducing the threats of the built environment to birds. Both reflective and transparent glass kill an estimated 1.28 to 3.6 billion birds each year. A 2019 study found that North America has lost more than 1 in 4 birds in the last 50 years—both threatened and common species. (www.audubon.org)

The Slough is a jewel in Lee County’s Conservation 20/20 program, a land acquisition and stewardship program designed to protect natural areas for the benefit of everyone in Southwest Florida.

Addressing the glass hazard will make the education building truly “green” and will serve as an educational exhibit for years to come.
The Slough joins other local parks that have updated their building exteriors to be more bird-friendly, including the bird-safe film installations at the Lovers Key State Park Discovery Center and at the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. The new Fort Myers Police Headquarters will feature bird-friendly glass, as will Florida Gulf Coast University’s Academic Building 10.

For information on preventing collisions at your home or business, visit the American Bird Conservancy’s collision page or the Bird Collision Prevention Alliance.

Here is a link to the clear dots we used
https://shop.collidescape.org/product/spiderweb-clear-dot-pattern-single-row-tape-tf13-20/

And a big thank you to our friends at Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

10/27/2026

Bird Friendly window dots are going up at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Interpretive Center!
Audubon of Southwest Florida was awarded a Environmental Award this fall to fund the first portion of window film and dots to make the windows of the Interpretive Center more bird friendly. Slough Volunteers wasted no time in getting the first round of dots installed. Big thanks to the for partnering with us on this project🐦

10/23/2026

Shorebird Stewardship will be at Bunche Beach this weekend on Sunday October 25, 8 am. See you there!

Photo by Vivian Cardoso

10/22/2026

We need new route leaders for the Estero Bay CBC! Please share, and get in touch if you are interested in leading or joining a route this year.
[email protected]

Save the date for this year's Estero Bay CBC- Saturday Dec 26, 2026.

We were short handed last year and had a few routes that went un-counted, so if you know anyone else who can do a route, please let me know!

Routes that I anticipate needing a new person:
Mound House and Fort Myers Beach Junkanoo to Newton park
Koreshan State Park
Southern Fort Myers Beach / LEICWA / Carlos Point
Bonita Springs Community Park / riverside area
Estero River Park / Happehatchee

10/04/2026

Our first Winter Shorebird session of the season was a great success! Join us next Sunday morning at Bunche Beach, 8 am.

Photos by Rick Weber

10/01/2026

🚨SCHEDULE UPDATE🚨 Bowditch Point Park has begun construction that overlaps our stewarding season. The beach and parking will be closed until next summer. We are changing all dates from Bowditch to Lover’s Key SP.

Thank you
- Winter Stewards

09/28/2026

Corkscrew Watershed Needs Your Voice: Support Alternative 3 in Comments to Big Cypress Basin Board

The Big Cypress Basin Board's Corkscrew Watershed Initiative (CWI) is a bold plan to improve natural water flows through the CREW watershed with Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary at its heart.

The Basin Board and South Florida Water Management District are choosing a restoration plan now, and looking for public input.

Background

Launched in 2024, CWI focuses on the broader Corkscrew watershed, including Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Bird Rookery Swamp, and Flint Pen Strand. Its goal is to improve how water moves through this connected landscape.

What’s happening now?

The District is asking for public input as it selects a plan. Audubon's science supports Alternative 3 because it offers the best balance: healthier wetlands, better connected water flows for wildlands that need them, reduced flood risk for Bonita Springs, and a reliable water supply for people.

Help power Audubon's work across the country — from our nation's capital, to your state, and in your local community.

09/13/2026

A Plan to Repeal the Roadless Rule Threatens Prime Habitat in National Forests.
A public comment period on the proposal is now open through October 6.

Nearly 45 million acres of the nation’s most intact forests—an area larger than Oklahoma—could soon open to logging and road building under a proposal from the U.S. Forest Service. The plan, announced last month, would rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, or the Roadless Rule as it’s generally known. The rule has protected vital watersheds and wildlife habitat for a quarter-century, and many conservation groups have come out strongly against scrapping it.

Public lands advocates urge Americans to speak out against a proposal to open millions of acres to new roads and logging.