Summer Naturalist 2026 Letters from Julie Wraithmell and Carol Timmis

Julie Wraithmell, Executive Director 

After an intense Florida fire season, exacerbated by widespread drought, summer rains have come to the Sunshine State as a welcome relief. Raging wildfires remind us that our environment is still in need of balance, not only by continuing to restore water flow to the Everglades but also the consistent application of prescribed fire to the landscape to rejuvenate ecosystems and reduce fuel for future wildfires (page 8). 

It’s not just water and fire that flow across our Florida landscape—it's also migratory birds, many of which nest here in the summer months (page 4). It’s storm systems that we watch with trepidation as the Gulf heats up each year. It’s also our team! Recently, the policy team flew to D.C. to meet with elected officials and their staff to advocate for additional Everglades funding (page 20). Bryant Dossman, PhD, has “flown” into the Keys to take his new role as director and principal scientist for the Everglades Research Station, while McKee Gray has made a short-distance hop to become our Everglades senior policy manager (page 6). With more than 80 staff members spread out across Florida, we can always flock to the places that need us most. 

Thank you for your support so far this year advocating for birds and the places they need, from Florida Forever funding (page 13), to our beaches, and so much more. Cheers to a restful and bird-filled summer!

Carol Timmis, Board Chair

Ihave big news. Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is less than $3 million away from our $20 million campus transformation campaign goal. These funds will transform our campus into a cutting-edge conservation hub and a leader in Southwest Florida land management (showcased in our recent Corkscrew Watershed Science Forum, page 9). We’ve already finished our long-awaited and exciting refresh of the exhibits inside the new Spurlino Foundation Discovery Center, and shovels are in the ground for new LEED-certified buildings. Thank you to the donors, grantors, staff, and volunteers who have made this happen. 

These aren’t the only changes we’ve welcomed this year. We’ve changed the name of the Everglades Science Center to the more descriptive Everglades Research Station, still committed to the long-term monitoring that has informed Everglades restoration policy for nearly 100 years (page 6). Plus, we constantly adapt to changing state and federal policies and legislative sessions, making sure laws and regulations that make us more resilient now and into the future are top of mind. 

It may be hot and humid out there, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying Florida’s natural wonders this summer. Check out the new aviary at the Center for Birds of Prey, take a shaded walk along Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary’s boardwalk, or explore new public lands in the Panhandle. Happy birding!