This makes the story of Sanibel Island even more remarkable, as the barrier island is defined by the nearly seventy percent of its land that has been protected for conservation since the 1970s.
A massive swathe of this land includes the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, which covers more than 6,400 acres of mangrove estuary, freshwater wetlands, and shoreline dunes, among other important ecosystems. 2,600 acres of this land is also designated as wilderness by Congress.
When I first visited the refuge in 2014 on a family trip to Sanibel, I was immediately fascinated by what seemed to be a window into a world that no longer existed, a world that had largely been lost to the increasing development and privatization of Florida’s coastlines over the past century.
For the past several years, I’ve spent time documenting the work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service rangers, biologists, law enforcement, interns, and volunteers responsible for conservation at the refuge.
I found a world of passionate individuals working to do everything from surveying birds and other wildlife, to maintaining trails and educating visitors. These stories opened my eyes to what conservation means, the role we play in itt, and why it’s important to preserve our past so we can better understand our future.






















