Wildlands Conservation associates have designed and overseen construction of numerous wetland and upland habitat restoration projects including several regional projects that have earned top awards for environmental excellence. Many of these projects have been accomplished through public-private partnerships Wildlands Conservation helped to facilitate.

At Newman Branch in southeast Hillsborough County, a partnership between Tampa Electric Company (TECO) and the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program resulted in the restoration of 12 acres of coastal wetland habitat including rare saltern and low-salinity ecosystems. Wildlands Conservation successfully secured three separate grants (from NOAA, Pinellas County Environmental Fund (PCEF) and SWIM, together with commitments from volunteer groups to assist with project plantings.

At Wolf Branch Creek on Tampa Bay, Wildlands Conservation received funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and PCEF for a habitat restoration project to create approximately 5 acres of ephemeral freshwater wetlands (or frog ponds). These small coastal freshwater marshes, which provide critical foraging habitat for the white ibis and other avifaunal species, have all but vanished from the landscape as a result of development.

Both projects were spearheaded by one of the region’s top wetland biologists, Tom Ries who has led numerous successful habitat restoration projects involving multiple community and government partners. One of his recent projects – a partnership between a private landowner and public entities – resulted in the restoration of seven acres of coastal wetlands along the Manatee River and won first place in the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council “Future of the Region” awards.