Wildlands Lands $10 Million Federal Grant for Ridge
A federal grant and matching county and state funds aim to permanently protect about 3,500 acres along the Lake Wales Ridge.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Environmental
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Wildlands Conservation Inc., a Tampa-based environmental nonprofit, received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service. County and state land protection programs will match the federal award with a similar amount.
Why it matters
Citrus greening and rising development pressure threaten the region's agricultural economy and natural lands. The partnership gives landowners an alternative to selling their property for development.
The federal award is funded through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program and supports a five-year project scheduled to begin in 2027. Per-acre cost and parcel-level enrollment details have not been released.
The players
Wildlands Conservation Inc.
An environmental nonprofit based in Tampa that received the federal grant to lead land conservation work on the Lake Wales Ridge.
Natural Resources Conservation Service
The U.S. Department of Agriculture agency that awarded the $10 million grant through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
The state agency that runs the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, which is leveraged to fund the partnership.
The details
Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit development while keeping land in private ownership, allowing compatible farming, ranching, and forestry to continue. The project area spans southeastern Polk, Marion, Lake, and Highlands counties on the Lake Wales Ridge, an ancient dune system supporting citrus groves, ranchlands, forests, and wildlife habitat.
Timeline
2027: Five-year conservation project scheduled to begin
Five years: Duration of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program project
Seasonal Patterns
Unlike the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program that Florida has used statewide, this partnership pools federal Regional Conservation Partnership Program money with county funds across four Central Florida counties. The arrangement follows the same easement-based model that keeps working farms and ranches in private hands.
Landowners in Polk, Marion, Lake, and Highlands counties who want to explore conservation easements can contact county land protection programs to learn about enrollment. Residents across Florida benefit from protected ridge habitat that keeps working citrus and ranch lands intact.
The takeaway
Permanent conservation easements let landowners keep farming or ranching their land while removing the pressure to sell for development, a model this partnership is designed to scale across Central Florida.
Further reading
Explore more in Environmental coverage across the state of Florida.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Ledger.
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