Cypress Cove Conservancy aims to educate local kids about nature

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Florida Panther
FILE: The Florida panther via a file photo from the U.S. Geological Survey/ photo by Larry Richardson/FILE.

Bobby Lee Davenport and Jo Vaccarino are two women on a mission.

Together, they run Cypress Cove Conservancy, and are working to purchase a huge plot of land once owned by a man named Dr. Robert Gore who used it for educational purposes.

The goal is to buy the land and turn it into a home for many of Florida’s most threatened species.

However, a lot of work needs to be done on the land before their dream can become a reality.

The plan is to keep Dr. Gore’s legacy going and to use the land to educate school kids of all ages.

“Kids are on their phones. They’re so into technology. We want to get them out here with nature,” Vaccarino said.

Cypress Cove is still in the process of securing funding through grants and artwork donations. They say every dollar helps, because they’re the only chance this property has.

“If we don’t start preserving land and putting it into private ownership, it will be gone,” Davenport said.

They hope to have purchased all the land by December, and open it next spring.

The trails and events will be open by reservation only, and they have a caretaker to constantly watch over the grounds.

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