Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape
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Florida
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Established 2016
About
Located in south central Florida between Orlando and Lake Okeechobee. The landscape is anchored by the Avon Park Air Force Range (AFR), the U.S. Air Force’s largest air-to-ground primary training range east of the Mississippi River. Avon Park AFR is a world-class military training venue with over 106,638-acres of ground range and 12 million acres of airspace.
The sentinel landscape contains a large portion of the Florida Wildlife Corridor and the headwaters of the Everglades, containing some of the oldest natural habitats and most biodiverse lands in Florida. It includes numerous private ranches, the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, and Lake Wales Ridge—a globally unique ecosystem home to many rare and endangered plant and animal species and an aquifer supplying water to more than 1 million people. The sentinel landscape also supports some of the last remaining grassland and longleaf pine savanna ecosystems in Eastern North America.
Local partners formed the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape in 2016 to strengthen military readiness, protect the region’s natural resources, and support agricultural working lands, all while contributing to Florida’s economy. These efforts to support land use compatible with military missions allow Avon Park AFR to maintain existing capabilities and keep pace with the increasing requirements of new aircraft. Limiting potential incompatible development also decreases noise complaints as well as light pollution that may impact night training. Overall, such landscape-scale protection in this region of Florida provides opportunities to better align Federal resources and strengthen locally led conservation initiatives.
Florida Grasshopper Sparrow Documentary
Total Funding by Partner
| Partner | FY2015 | FY2016 | FY2017 | FY2018 | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USDA | $0.92M | $0.57M | $1.47M | $1.58M | $13.32M | $0.00M | $3.41M | $0.98M | $3.96M |
| DoD | $1.50M | $6.60M | $1.00M | $1.20M | $2.00M | $2.85M | $5.99M | $2.50M | $8.61M |
| DOI | $3.15M | $7.24M | $2.80M | $3.10M | $2.08M | $0.00M | $0.04M | $0.12M | $0.00M |
| State | $1.64M | $7.42M | $6.70M | $4.32M | $39.49M | $1.24M | $14.23M | $9.69M | $23.69M |
| Local | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.56M | $0.60M | $0.69M | $0.50M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $0.00M |
| Private | $0.65M | $0.00M | $0.00M | $1.44M | $1.82M | $0.00M | $0.14M | $0.00M | $0.18M |
Total Acres Protected and Enrolled
| Acres Protected (Since Designation) | 74802 |
|---|---|
| Acres Enrolled (During FY23) | 144893 |
Our Partners
Federal Partners
- Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area
- Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency (FSA)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
- U.S. Department of Defense, Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI)
- U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
State Partners
- Central Florida Regional Planning Council
- Division of State Lands
- Enterprise Florida
- Florida Defense Alliance
- Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- Florida Department of Commerce
- Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- Florida Department of Transportation
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- Florida Forest Service
- South Florida Water Management District
- Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS)
- Southwest Florida Water Management District
- The Florida Defense Support Task Force
- University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning
- University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Resources
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Avon Park Sentinel Landscape Profile
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The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow: Connecting a Sentinel Landscape
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Path of the Panther Official Trailer
Meet the Coordinator
Sheila McNamara
Sheila McNamara serves as the Coordinator for the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape working to protect continuity of military missions, working agricultural lands, and protection of wildlife and natural resources by empowering private landowners. She also serves as the Regional Resiliency Manager for the Central Florida Regional Planning Council, where she works with members of the Heartland Regional Resiliency Coalition and community partners on vulnerability assessments, nature-based solutions, and regional resiliency planning efforts.
Sheila has more than 25 years of service leadership experience in strategic planning and implementation, land and water management, agriculture and environmental stewardship, sustainability and resiliency, and education focused on proactively protecting and sustaining historical, cultural, and ecological significance while balancing economic needs. Prior to coming to CFRPC, Sheila led the Sustainability Office for Hillsborough County, FL and the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act Agricultural & Silvicultural Program in Virginia. Sheila firmly believes that sound science and education drive collaboration, leading to opportunities for collaboration and mutual gains.
Hannah Quenga (Resilience Specialist)
Hannah joined the Avon Park AFR Sentinel Landscape team in June of 2024. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science with a concentration in Geospatial Analysis, complemented by a minor in Public Health. In her role as the APAFRSL Resilience Specialist, she supports the Sentinel Landscape Coordinator and partners by providing outreach and technical assistance and helps to identify, implement, and accelerate collaborative projects aimed at enhancing resilience. Previously, while working with the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Hannah examined historical land use and urban development practices for the Brevard Sea Grant project, using Geographic Information Systems to highlight the importance of preserving open spaces. At Volusia County Environmental Management, she identified and compiled Best Management Practices to develop a comprehensive Low Impact Development Technical Manual and an incentive matrix to encourage sustainable development practices. Hannah is passionate about crafting a future where resilience and sustainability thrive hand in hand.