Conservation Lands
Acquisition of environmentally sensitive lands has been a major goal of the City and its partners, the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). An amazing 67% of the island is now protected as conservation land. In 2003, a major landmark was reached with the completion of a 20-year effort to purchase the Sanibel Gardens Preserve. Started in 1969 by SCCF, the purchase of these lands prevented the planned construction of 1200 houses in the unique interior freshwater wetlands along the Sanibel River. The project also removed several miles of fill roads from these wetlands and restored the historic oxbows and flow patterns of the river.
