Live Wildly Welcomes 2025 With Year-Round Opportunities to Discover the Wild Side of Florida

From Music Festivals to Volunteer Events, Live Wildly Helps People Connect With Nature

TAMPA, FLORIDA / ACCESS Newswire / January 22, 2025 / Live Wildly, a non-profit working to advance conservation of Florida's Wildlife Corridor and beyond, today announced a 2025 calendar of events that will inspire Floridians and others to get outdoors and learn about the important role nature plays in their daily lives.

"One of the best New Year's resolutions you can make in 2025 is to get outside and explore wild Florida," said Lisa Shipley, CEO of Live Wildly. "We can sometimes forget about the wild lands and waters that surround us. But Florida offers countless opportunities to be inspired by nature."

Live Wildly will kick off the year with Unseen Florida, a campaign that will help people - regardless of where they live - discover the hidden side of Florida's wildlife. Collaborating with Moultrie Mobile, the fStop Foundation, the Archbold Biological Station, and others, Live Wildly will highlight photos, film, and stories of wildlife captured through camera traps placed in remote areas across Florida.

"Camera traps play an important role in conservation by helping researchers study wild animals, their movements, eating habits, and other valuable information," Shipley said. "Camera traps also are just a lot of fun, allowing all of us to get a glimpse into the secret lives of animals."

For some "groovy" fun this year, Live Wildly is the title sponsor of the Peace, Love & Vans vanlife meetup and industry expo March 7-10 at the Withlacoochee River Park in Pasco County. The park, surrounded by ancient oak trees with miles of hiking and biking trails, fishing, camping, and other outdoor activities, will provide meetup attendees the perfect opportunity to connect with nature as they enjoy live music, food trucks, workshops, and other activities that highlight camping and travel in wild Florida. Single-day tickets will be available for the event, and Live Wildly will be on-site highlighting the countless ways to explore Florida's wild places on four wheels.

Also in March, Floridians will have the chance to celebrate their award-winning state parks. Live Wildly is working with the Florida State Parks Foundation and Florida lawmakers to officially designate March 19 as the second annual Florida State Parks Day, honoring these amazing outdoor destinations that draw nearly 30 million visitors each year and generate more than $3 billion in annual revenue.

Live Wildly and the Florida State Parks Foundation also are partnering this year to host the second annual "Explore the Corridor Week" from April 26 through May 3. This public volunteering drive will be held at 20 state parks located inside the Florida Wildlife Corridor - 18 million acres of wild and working lands that stretch from the Panhandle to the Everglades. The event will give volunteers the opportunity to support the diverse wildlife, plants species, and habitats of the Corridor, the nation's largest conservation initiative of its kind that was established by state lawmakers in 2021. Last year, the event drew more than 300 volunteers who contributed 1,200 hours of their time removing invasive plants, restoring hiking trails, collecting data on wildlife, and other activities. Live Wildly will share more information in the coming weeks on how people can participate in this event.

For music fans, Live Wildly this year offers several opportunities to enjoy some of the nation's top musical groups while getting outdoors. Award-winning musician and Florida-native JJ Grey will continue his partnership with Live Wildly as a conservation ambassador to raise awareness for protecting threatened lands and waters across the state and elsewhere. Live Wildly will sponsor JJ's Blackwater Sol Revue held at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre May 24-25. Tickets go on sale January 24.

And in September, Live Wildly will once again partner with Sing Out Loud Festival to grow support for conserving wild Florida. During the Live Wildly Showcase, the music festival's two-day marquee event, Live Wildly will create an immersive experience that will allow concert goers to experience Florida's unique landscapes. For every ticket sold to the festival, a portion of the proceeds will go towards conservation.

Throughout 2025, Live Wildly also will work to sign up 10,000 new members for its Join the Movement Campaign, which helps people learn more about the important role Florida's lands and waters play in their daily lives. For every person who signs the Join the Movement pledge to honor and protect wild Florida, Live Wildly will donate a dollar to conservation.

"Live Wildly believes that people will protect what they love," Shipley said. "That's why Live Wildly is helping people fall in love with wild Florida and inspiring them to take action to save it."

SOURCE: Live Wildly Foundation