OSPREY, FL (March 23, 2022) Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast and presenting sponsor Elizabeth Moore are excited to host Dr. Jack Longino, award-winning naturalist and biologist, for the program Where Have All The Praying Mantises Gone? This engaging nature lecture and luncheon will take place at 11:30 am on Wednesday, April 20, at Michael’s On East.
A Sarasota native, Dr. Jack Longino is a Professor of Biology at the University of Utah. He specializes in tropical insect diversity and has coordinated large-scale biodiversity inventory projects in Central America. In 2006, he was awarded the E. O. Wilson Naturalist Award from the American Society of Naturalists. He holds a Ph.D. from The University of Texas, Austin, and a B.S. from Duke University.
Longino is a passionate supporter of land conservation. He witnessed on his own family’s 8,732-acre Longino Ranch, how land conservation helps to mitigate human’s negative impact on biodiversity. Spectacular for its size, abundant wildlife, and connectivity with other protected land, Sarasota County purchased a conservation agreement on Longino Ranch in 2010 as part of a larger effort to create a continuous corridor of natural land, stretching from Arcadia to Sarasota, from the Peace River to Myakka River. Conservation Foundation, acting as Sarasota County’s negotiator, worked closely with the Longino family to forever protect the ranch’s beautiful woods, wetlands, and pastures, while at the same time allowing the family to continue their ranching heritage.
During what promises to be a captivating program, Longino will give his personal reflection of Sarasota ranchlands, describing how the animals and plants of the Longino Ranch inspired his career in the natural sciences, how the landscape has changed over his lifetime, and how conservation efforts need to be persistent and long-term.
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities available at conservationfoundation.com/jacklongino.