Conservancy breaks ground on $25M nature experience

Earth Day carried added significance this year at Conservancy of Southwest Florida, which paired its annual celebration with a ceremonial groundbreaking for its reimagined Naples campus. 

During the April 18 Earth Day Festival, Conservancy officials joined benefactors John and Carol Walter in a shovel-turning ceremony marking the start of construction on the John & Carol Walter Nature Experience at the organization’s 22-acre campus off Goodlette-Frank Road. 

The project is funded by a $25 million grant from the John & Carol Walter Family Foundation. Construction is set to begin May 1, with completion expected in early 2028. 

Conservancy President and CEO Rob Moher told an audience of about 100 that the Walters’ commitment creates “an opportunity to change this part of the world for the better.” 

“We’re going to do that change by building a state-of-the-art, immersive, nature-based experience that will attract, educate and inspire a much broader audience to become part of the Conservancy in our efforts to protect our water, our land, our wildlife and our future,” Moher said. 

Moher said the initiative comes at a time of significant population growth in Collier County and across Southwest Florida. 

The need is more pressing than ever as that growth continues to accelerate, he said, noting that while it brings economic opportunity, it must be managed thoughtfully to preserve the quality of life that attracted residents in the first place. 

Continued development also is placing increasing pressure on environmentally sensitive lands, he added. 

John and Carol Walter, Chicago-based philanthropists who have been involved with the Conservancy since relocating to Naples about 11 years ago, said their gift reflects a shared commitment to conservation. 

“You hear that a lot, but we have to preserve what we have and protect what we have, because everything around us is changing, and if we’re not willing to make the investment both in our time and our resources, it will change,” John Walter said. 

He added that the project also is designed to engage visitors. 

“What we’re trying to create here is fun, an environment that is fun, interesting, educational, sensitive and really leading the charge of what we’re trying to do,” he said. 

Moher recognized project partners including general contractor Stevens Construction, Parker Mudgett Smith Architects, civil engineers Quattrone & Associates, Coastal Vista Landscape Design, Sugarlift Art Consultants, and interpretive designers Museum EXP & Mainstreet Design. 

Nature Experience expands mission 

Plans call for a half-acre stormwater lake in front of a new 7,000-square-foot welcome center featuring interactive exhibits and educational programming. 

Other elements include an expanded outdoor deck for traveling nature-based exhibits, a covered amphitheater for educational programming and events, increased capacity for electric boat tours along the Gordon River, shaded picnic areas with food truck space and a two-story parking garage with solar panels and native plant screening. 

A half-mile boardwalk also is planned through the Christopher B. Smith Preserve, which Moher described as “the most sensitive habitat in Florida” and a key habitat for gopher tortoises. 

“This is a biodiversity hotspot, and for the first time, thanks to (the Walters’) generosity, we’re going to build a sustainably-built boardwalk all the way through, so visitors will be able to experience that scrub habitat for the first time,” Moher said. 

The Walters also contributed an additional $1.5 million for the upland preserve trail and boardwalk, which will be “built by hand in a very, very thin corridor” to minimize environmental impact. 

Educational programming to continue 

During the campus transformation, environmental education programs will continue at various locations, including local parks, libraries and through the Conservancy’s mobile learning bus. 

Moher said that while the campus is closed to the public, the organization is expanding its off-site education efforts through partnerships with Collier County Parks and Recreation and the county’s library system. He said all of the programs will be free to ensure the public continues to have access during construction. 

Beginning May 1, the campus will close to the public, except for injured animal drop-offs at the von Arx Wildlife Hospital. Administrative offices will remain open during construction, and there will be no staffing cuts, said Reneé Stoll, director of communications and marketing. 

“In fact, we’re starting business planning for the number of positions we will need to add when we become The Nature Experience,” Stoll said in an email, adding there is no estimate for that number at this time. 

A calendar of off-campus events that will start in May can be found at conservancy.org/events/. 

Nature brings tourists 

Conservancy hopes that the expanded nature experience will attract not just more year-round residents, but additional seasonal visitors, as well. 

Jay Tusa, tourism director for the Naples, Marco Island and Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the expanded Conservancy experience will be a strong draw for both residents and tourists. 

“People obviously come here for the beaches, but they come here also for the nature,” Tusa said. “We have all these tremendous opportunities in our destination. It’s going to be very exciting in a couple of years when this new experience opens and all of our visitors and residents alike can come here and learn about and partake in nature. That’s what is really important about this.”