The Nature Conservancy has announced a $3 million gift from former Florida chapter board chair Joseph Hixon and his wife, Renate, to establish an environmental stewardship program and preserve vulnerable lands in the state.

The Hixon Environmental Stewardship Program will fund new programs at TNC's flagship preserves in Florida and will support the organization's Center for Conservation Initiatives, a network of campuses — currently in development — focused on education, training, science, stewardship, and public outreach. The gift also will support ongoing habitat management and restoration on TNC-owned and -managed lands and internships for students embarking on a conservation career.

"For over forty years, my family and I have witnessed the need to restore, protect, and conserve Florida's natural lands, a mission that is at the core of our environmental advocacy across the state and central to our relationship with the Nature Conservancy," said Joseph Hixon, who joined TNC's Florida chapter as a trustee in 1984 and chaired its board from 1996 to 1999. "This gift is our family's contribution to future generations of Floridians to ensure that many will reap the benefits of our environment and become careful stewards of our state's natural wonders. It is our hope that this contribution will spark and inspire more donations and support for the critical work of protecting Florida's lands, a mission we can all unite behind."

(Photo credit: Nature Conservancy)