About South Florida Wildlands
South Florida Wildlands Association (SFWA) was founded in March of 2010 to protect the unparalleled beauty and biodiversity of the greater Everglades. For over 10,000 years the home of diverse groups of native Americans including the Calusa, Tequesta, Mayaimi and the Seminole and Miccosukee, South Florida has seen waves of newcomers come and go. Spain, England, the United States, and the Confederate States, have all staked claims here. In the modern era massive migrations from all directions have created a cultural melting pot of incredible richness and vitality.
But the conversion of natural lands to intensive agriculture plus the urban population explosion in the Southeast Florida Metropolitan Area (Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties), Southwest Florida (Collier and Lee Counties), and Central Florida (Orlando and the "I-4 Corridor"), have come with a heavy price. Most of South Florida’s native ecosystems have been completely transformed by drainage for agriculture, and commercial, industrial and residential development. Even its most protected natural areas - four units of the National Park Service (Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades, Dry Tortugas, and Biscayne National Parks) containing a mix of habitats and wildlife found nowhere else on earth - have not escaped environmental degradation. As a result of outside pollution, reductions in the flows of freshwater, loss and degradation of rural buffer lands, and effects of high-impact motorized recreation, Florida's National Park units and many other public lands struggle to maintain the high levels of biodiversity they once supported.
In our nearly 10 years of operations, South Florida Wildlands has gained recognition as a powerful local voice for the protection of wildlife and habitat in the Greater Everglades.
But the conversion of natural lands to intensive agriculture plus the urban population explosion in the Southeast Florida Metropolitan Area (Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties), Southwest Florida (Collier and Lee Counties), and Central Florida (Orlando and the "I-4 Corridor"), have come with a heavy price. Most of South Florida’s native ecosystems have been completely transformed by drainage for agriculture, and commercial, industrial and residential development. Even its most protected natural areas - four units of the National Park Service (Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades, Dry Tortugas, and Biscayne National Parks) containing a mix of habitats and wildlife found nowhere else on earth - have not escaped environmental degradation. As a result of outside pollution, reductions in the flows of freshwater, loss and degradation of rural buffer lands, and effects of high-impact motorized recreation, Florida's National Park units and many other public lands struggle to maintain the high levels of biodiversity they once supported.
In our nearly 10 years of operations, South Florida Wildlands has gained recognition as a powerful local voice for the protection of wildlife and habitat in the Greater Everglades.
Meet our board and staff below:
Brion Blackwelder, President. Brion has played an active role in environmental organizations for over 40 years. In 1979, he became one of the founders of the Environmental Coalition of Broward County where he played a key role in preservation of wetlands, pollution control, and the establishment of parks and nature centers, including the Ann Kolb Nature Center. Brion has served on many governmental committees such as the Water Advisory Board of Broward County and the Broward County Climate Change Task Force. For the past 20 years, Brion has been a law professor at Nova Southeastern University where he teaches ocean and coastal law and directs a legal clinic on family law. He received the Sierra Club Joseph LeConte Award for efforts that led to the creation of Congaree National Park in South Carolina.
Patrick Kerr, Secretary. Patrick is an Assistant Outings Leader with the Sierra Club, and regularly conducts trail maintenance with the Florida Trail Association. He is an avid hiker, photographer, and Everglades naturalist. A surfer for over 40 years, Patrick is also a member of the Surfrider Foundation. Patrick was born in Miami, and attended Miami-Dade Community College and Florida State University. He received a Master in Social Work from Barry University in Miami Shores. For more than 30 years Patrick has worked with children, adolescents and families in private practice and in various hospitals in south Florida. He retired in 2010 and now devotes much of his time to environmental advocacy and promoting outdoor recreation.
Mara Shlackman, Legal Director. A lifelong resident of South Florida, Mara received her bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Miami. She has been the Legal Chair of the Broward Group of the Sierra Club since 2006, and previously served as co-chair of the Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club’s Legal Committee. A committed environmentalist, Mara has been active in local clean energy issues as well as growth management and sprawl, public lands management, and the protection of wildlife habitat and endangered species. Mara has a strong interest in sustainable agricultural practices, and the impact of toxic substances in our environment. She has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1993, and is a sole practitioner in the areas of civil appeals and constitutional litigation.
Matt Schwartz, Executive Director. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Matt has made his home in South Florida since the mid-nineties. His environmental work began in 2005 with various volunteer positions with the Sierra Club before founding SFWA in 2010. Matt holds master’s degrees in counseling and sociology and has worked as an educator, researcher and counselor. During 15 years of environmental activism, Matt has achieved a number of local environmental victories. Those include reducing the number of damaging off-road vehicle trails in portions of the Big Cypress National Preserve and aiding in the implementation of “poll and troll” (no motor zones) in Florida Bay and the creation of a 10-000-acre marine reserve for Biscayne National Park. He has aggressively fought the expansion of oil drilling in the Greater Everglades and his advocacy and lawsuit led to the cancellation of a 115 thousand-acre oil lease in Southwest Florida. He continues that work now - working to prevent proposed oil exploration in the Everglades of Broward County. His focus on habitat and endangered species protection played a role in the cancellation of Florida’s black bear hunt and the blocking of several major developments inside sensitive wildlife habitats. Matt writes and speaks frequently on Everglades topics and his conservation work has been featured in many local and national newspapers, as well as radio and television. He is also known for guiding “swampwalks,” bicycle trips, and kayak expeditions to many of South Florida’s public lands.