New $10 million grant aims to protect Lake Wales Ridge from development

As development continues across Polk County, a new $10 million federal grant aims to protect thousands of acres of environmentally important land along the Lake Wales Ridge.

Wildlands Conservation Inc., an environmental nonprofit, received the federal grant to help preserve land along the ridge, which is home to some of Florida's rarest plants and wildlife.

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The $10 million award will match a similar amount from county and state land protection programs. Collectively, there will be over $20 million in funding and resources dedicated by the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

The five-year conservation effort aims to protect between 3,500 and 5,000 acres.

For Diane Starling, protecting the land is personal. Her family has raised cattle on her property for generations, and she wants to make sure it remains undeveloped.

"I want to just save everything we can save. I dont want developers coming in here and building on this lake, and I know thats what theyll do," Starling said.

Starling said she's been working for three years to place her property and nearby land under a conservation easement, which can permanently restrict development while allowing landowners to retain ownership.

She has also encouraged her neighbors and friends to consider ways to help preserve the area.

"I talk to my neighbors, I talk to my friends. If we can do something, each person, if you can just do a little something to try to save it," Starling said.

Wildlands Conservation Executive Director Dave Sumpter said the Lake Wales Ridge is home to a unique collection of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world.

"The Lake Wales Ridge, it is completely unique on the planet and has a unique assembly of plants and animals that occur nowhere else on the planet," Sumpter said.

As development expands, conservationists are working to protect natural habitats and maintain connections between properties so wildlife can continue moving through the region.

Preserving the land also plays an important role in protecting Florida's water resources.

"This whole Lake Wales Ridge system is a recharge area for the Everglades, which is critical to the health and sustenance of Florida's hydrology and water quality," Sumpter said.

The conservation effort is expected to begin in 2027 and will focus on identifying priority properties for protection.