What is the Gulf Coast Conservancy?
The GCC is a not-for-profit local land trust which promotes natural resource preservation through public education and acquisition of sensitive areas by public agencies. It was founded in 1992 by residents of the Gulf coastal counties of Hernando and Pasco in west central Florida. Their unifying concern was the increasing destruction of Florida's natural environment due to the dramatic rate of growth and development. Working in partnership with government, business, and private interests, the GCC strives to preserve habitat which is crucial to the survival of native plant and animal species.

The GCC believes the best way to protect environmentally sensitive land from the negative impact of increasing urbanization is through public acquisition and protective management.

To accomplish its goals, the GCC coordinates efforts to secure funding from public agencies and private sources, which are used to purchase tracts of land where the fragile natural ecosystems remain essentially intact.

The Gulf Coast Conservancy is a strong and vocal advocate for the creation of wildlife and greenway corridors. Large, contiguous preserved areas are essential to provide a viable habitat for "umbrella species" such as the Florida black bear, as well as support for a wide variety of native wildlife and vegetation.

The GCC supports and encourages all preservation efforts but focuses on the area west of U.S. Highway 19 between the Homosassa River in Citrus County and the town of Hudson in Pasco County. Click here to see a map.

The Opportunity
The citizens of Florida have a unique chance to create a model wildlife corridor from the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Citrus County to the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Pasco County. At the Gulf Coast Conservancy we call this the Nature Coast Greenway and Wildlife Corridor.

As shown on the map, portions of the corridor have already been preserved. Placing the remaining parcels under protective management will provide a greenway with plenty of room for the natural Florida to flourish. The Nature Coast can offer residents and visitors a spectacularly beautiful natural environment where humans and wildlife can live in harmony.