Tori Linder

The front line of conservation is not an exotic wilderness across the globe. It is the new shopping center going in down the street from a sprawling subdivision. . This is what an urban development boundary, the division line where our green and grey infrastructure collide, looks like in Broward. Here buffer zones were neglected. . Tonight Miami Dade County Commissioners approved new greenfield development in an agricultural area bordering the Everglades in Homestead. This will be our future. . I’m truly at a loss as to how this happens in the wake of a catastrophic category 4 hurricane hitting our state and in the face of the impending collapse of Florida’s residential insurance market. (That means you won’t be able to get mortgages for those flood prone homes, folks!) . What I do know is that we the people have an opportunity to act! The facts are clear. Bipartisan local, state and federal leaders oppose this decision. It is willful negligence. Make your voice heard by casting your vote at the polls. While you’re at it, urge @mayordlc to veto and continue writing the commissioners! (Elected officials tagged above.) . Follow @miamiwaterkeeper @miamiwaterkeeper_rachel to keep up with action alerts! They are doing great work to hold our policymakers accountable. . Miami is not alone in this issue. It’s playing out everyday in county commission meetings across our state as we gain 1,000 residents a day. To learn more about the protection of green space across our state, follow @pathofthepanther . #holdthelinemiami

Five years ago this week I left African conservation. I moved home to Florida to join friends in telling a story and hopefully starting a movement. Years of intense field production, a comprehensive campaign and a feature documentary with a rockstar team later, I’m so excited to finally share the story of my home and my heroes with the world. This is a hopeful environmental film about hard working people who are putting one foot in front of another. I hope you enjoy it and find yourself inspired to take action in your own backyard… — This is wild Florida’s last stand. Announcing the official trailer for PATH OF THE PANTHER - a thrilling tale of the endangered Florida panther, the last big cat surviving in the eastern United States, and the fight to save its Everglades home. See PATH OF THE PANTHER (@pathofthepanther ) first in theaters across the entire state of Florida starting February 24. Learn more and get involved at pathofthepanther.com. (Link in bio.) Coming this spring to National Geographic and Disney+. From executive producers @LeonardoDiCaprio , Jennifer Davisson, Howard G. Buffett, Ted Haddock, Janet Vissering, and Sigrid Tiedtke.  A FILM BY: @grizzlycreekfilms @wildpath Appian Way Common Pictures DIRECTED BY: @bendicci PRODUCED BY: @carltonward @thomaswinston_gcf @torilinder @bendicci EDITED BY: @andrewhbrown @bendicci @jeffreedfilm ORIGINAL MUSIC BY: @kevinmatley  CONSULTING PRODUCERS: @avelagrenier Shasta Winston @danny_schmidt CINEMATOGRAPHY: @carltonward @danny_schmidt @3bearsmedia   @jeffreedfilm   @bendicci @ricksmith_media @thomaswinston_gcf @ktbryden ADDITIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY & SUPPORT: @maliabyrtus @saraofthewild @nlosin @alexofthewild   @leyoho @georgemckenziejr ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: @ashleysiana @leyoho IMPACT PRODUCER: Tori Linder SOUND EDITOR & MIX: @imagesinsound COLORIST: @scottsterling FEATURING: @carltonward @bettylosceola Elton Langford Dr. Lara Cusack Dr. Jen Korn @be_the_kreature Dr. Dave Onorato

Yesterday, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act went into effect after being signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 29, 2021. The legislation was passed with unanimous support by the Florida State Senate and House this spring providing a bipartisan vision of sustainable development. Additionally, the legislature committed $300 M to conservation of lands within the corridor via the Florida Forever Program marking an exciting turning point for the protection of Florida’s land and water resources. . Moments like this happen because of the actions of hundreds people. Over the last decades dedicated artists, conservationists, explorers, farmers, fishermen, map makers, ranchers, policy makers, scientists and storytellers have worked tirelessly to see this vision realized furthering Florida’s rich legacy of conservation. Please visit the link in my bio to read @douglas_main ’s @natgeo coverage of the historic moment and watch a film by the National Geographic Society Impact Media team featuring a few of these individuals. . This is only the beginning. The conservation movement needs all hands on deck. Each and every one of us has a role to play in the protection of our own backyard no matter what corner of the world we call home. . I am so very proud of and grateful for the colleagues, policy makers and supporters who’ve worked to safeguard ours. Tagging a handful below though there are dozens more off Instagram: @carltonward @mallorydimmitt @joeguthrie8 , Dr. Tom Hoctor, @jalauritsen @malia_byrtus @lisabaylorartworks @leyoho @ktbryden @alexofthewild @danny_schmidt @morth_photo @ricksmith_media @bendicci @angelinenm @viv_leigh_7 @nikki_bcc @theonlyfrogboy @jeffreedfilm @sharerika @3bearsmedia @john.cline.photo @maureenvicaria @naturebreak @sarahjfilms @dustinjsylvia @sydneyguthrie @sctoft @swamp_lantern @merrherr @traci_deen @adamstrangbass @pathofthepanther @insidenatgeo @fl_wild @fl_wildcorridor @archboldstation . #FloridaWildlifeCorridor #KeepFLWild #Conservation #florida #pathofthepanther #floridapanther #floridablackbear #exploreflorida #realflorida #pureflorida #explorida #nature #wildernessculture #optoutside

Wet season is almost upon us restoring the slow flow of tannic water south across the Florida Everglades 🐊

Last weekend I joined some of my favorite conservationists to celebrate @gabrielleraymondmcgee ’s @futurewaveshq at @manateelagoon ! This organization is doing incredible work to empower the next generation of leaders through environmental education and entrepreneurship. (I shared in my last post why @futurewaveshq matters so much to me.) I only wish it existed when I was a kid growing up in Florida! @carleejackson_ @lucamartinez.fl @jacklighton @anasamoylova Professional photo by: @tiffany_sage

2025, a reminder to love thy neighbor, ground in the Earth and anchor in progress

WE DID IT! The Path of the Panther team took home the Emmy for Outstanding Nature Documentary! This marked the culmination of a six year journey made possible thanks to the hard work of dozens and generous support of countless individuals. I only wish they were all in the room last night. Though this recognition from our peers is truly humbling, our greatest achievement lies in the impact of this project. The Florida Wildlife Corridor Act was passed with bipartisan, unanimous support and over $2 B of state funding has been committed to protecting land within the Florida Wildlife Corridor thanks in part to the panther’s story. The best news is we’re not done yet. This story will be coming to classrooms around the country thanks to K-12 educational curriculum developed by the Mountain to Sea Education team with generous support from Disney Conservation Fund and the Edward E. Haddock Family Foundation. Never underestimate the power of a well told story... A massive thank you to @natgeotv ! Stream the film now on @disneyplus and @hulu Executive producers @LeonardoDiCaprio , Jennifer Davisson, Howard G. Buffett, Ted Haddock, Janet Vissering, and Sigrid Tiedtke.  A FILM BY: @grizzlycreekfilms @wildpath Appian Way Common Pictures DIRECTED BY: @bendicci PRODUCED BY: @carltonward @thomaswinston_gcf @torilinder @bendicci EDITED BY: @andrewhbrown @bendicci @jeffreedfilm ORIGINAL MUSIC BY: @kevinmatley  CONSULTING PRODUCERS: @avelagrenier Shasta Winston @danny_schmidt CINEMATOGRAPHY: @carltonward @danny_schmidt @3bearsmedia   @jeffreedfilm   @bendicci @ricksmith_media @thomaswinston_gcf @ktbryden ADDITIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY & SUPPORT: @maliabyrtus @saraofthewild @nlosin @alexofthewild   @leyoho @georgemckenziejr ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: @ashleysiana @leyoho IMPACT PRODUCER: Tori Linder SOUND EDITOR & MIX: @imagesinsound COLORIST: @scottsterling FEATURING: @carltonward @bettylosceola Elton Langford Dr. Lara Cusack Dr. Jen Korn @be_the_kreature Dr. Dave Onorato

Another trip around the sun spent exploring with the people (and bears) I love most! Infinite gratitude for this wild life ✨

Late spring in Montana has mostly been spent slowing down to count elk

N 44° 52' 6.4632", W 110° 10' 28.5204" Aurora borealis pulsing across the night sky as seen in the company of Buffalo from the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park. What an awe inspiring start to a summer in Montana! A massive thank you to @morth_photo for jumping in the car last minute and scrambling down to the park from Bozeman to see this humbling display. #shotoniphone #yellowstone #northernlights

California provides; a week abundant in inspiration and learnings. The calm before the atmospheric river in Bolinas with two and four legged friends. Spawning herring and Harbour seals in Sausalito. Reconnecting with old friends and making new ones @ilcp_photographers . Celebrating the mighty accomplishments of mentors @sharon.guynup and @stevewinterphoto at National Geographic Storytellers Summit. Premiere of @natgeotv first female led natural history series ‘Queens’ at the Academy of Motion Pictures executive produced by @planette_janet . The @p22mountainlion wildlife crossing going up and fast in Agoura Hills thanks to @yosemitebethy and team. Not pictured: 10-course homemade Thai dinner, visit to UC Berkeley, post rain hike in the Oakland Hills with @sampownow , late night lychee, a convening of wildlife crossing experts and tribal leaders from California, Florida, and Texas, a screening of Path of the Panther, my first earthquake.

2023 was quite the year! We released the @pathofthepanther book and film with @natgeo . We had powerful conversations and met so many wonderful people who supported the cause. I ate popcorn for dinner during film screenings more times than I can count. We celebrated as the state legislature committed an additional $1 billion to conserving the Florida Wildlife Corridor. I took a sabbatical. I saw the Great Migration in the Serengeti. I drove across the country learning all about other wildlife corridor efforts from tribal leaders, scientists and storytellers. I reconnected with old friends and made new ones along the way. I swam in kelp forests, hiked mountains, watched the moonrise over Joshua Trees and jumped into a cenote in the middle of the desert. I completed 600 allergy and immune shots. My lungs fully recovered! I spent time, real time, with my family (especially my little nieces in the last photo.) I rested and rediscovered parts of myself I’d forgotten. I got back to work with a renewed passion for protecting our last wild places. It was a very good year. Thank you to everyone who made it so special!