Dawn

"Dawn"
Early morning on Paynes Prairie...a nice place to be with a hot cup of coffee!

Scott Hiestand

CTF Fall Round Up

Mark Your Calendar
Sunday, November 6, 2011

Hans and Debbie Tanzler's Cypress Grove Farm
Waldo, Alachua County, Florida
See horse and carriage demonstrations, kid friendly activities, hayrides with a horse and carriage. Painters from "6 Artists, 6 Prairies" will be creating art live at this event.

Invitations will be mailed to members and partners soon! To receive yours, and support land conservation, Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Support the event and appear in the program. Shhhh!  There will be a silent auction to benefit the CTF.Need directions? Get Directions Here and meet some event sponsors.
Thank you so much to Darleen Randall and Take Away Gourmet for donating the catering for the Fall Round UP! Please show your support by patronizing her business. Visit www.TakeAwayGourmet4u.com

Conservation Trust For Florida Fall RoundUP

Chicken Run


"Chicken Run"
24" x 30"
Acrylic

   Having painting in and around Paynes Prairie a number of time, I was taken by the amount of small farms, houses and even business that line the prairie rim. I wondered how much of a problem the local wildlife has caused for these residence. Rats, mice, racoons, snakes, fox and even coyotes, I'm sure must rely on a home or business garbage cans.
   We all know the importance of not feeding wildlife, but having a chicken coop makes for a tempting meal for the Florida Red Fox. "Chicken Run" is my latest acrylic painting for Six Artist Six Prairies.

Scott Hiestand

Accessing These Beautiful Prairies

One of the increasing challenges we have as landscape painters is accessing pristine land, as so much of it is privately owned and fenced or difficult to reach through the overgrown vegetation.  During this project you will hear us asking around for help in getting to vantage points where we can paint and photograph these beautiful  prairies.  We so appreciate the offers of help from our conservation partners, friends and the public!  This past weekend friends took me to the farm of a kind, retired professor.  His property abuts Kanapaha Prairie. After walking under majestic overhanging oaks and dangling vines we reached the fence line.  How thrilling to stand there gazing at the panorama that opened before my eyes!  That part of the prairie is being grazed by cattle and is also home to countless birds. I made some new friends along the way, as you can see from these photos!  (I also learned that perhaps I should not have worn a green shirt around the goats...)
~ Mary Jane Volkmann

Welcome to Conservation Trust for Florida

We are proud to partner with

 Conservation Trust for Florida

 CTF works with private landowners on a voluntary basis to help them address their concerns and provide viable land conservation options which allow families to maintain their farm or ranch business and protect the rural and natural character of the land, as well. Many landowners feel pressured to sell their land due to encroaching urban sprawl, rising land prices, and taxes. Since 1999, CTF has successfully protected approximately 9,100 of rural landscapes through publicly funded land conservation programs and privately donated conservation easements. In cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection / Office of Greenways and Trails CTF initiated the Camp Blanding to Osceola National Forest Ecological Greenway. This greenway is part of a documented Florida black bear wildlife corridor that connects the Ocala National Forest to the Osceola National Forest Greenway (O2O).

I will be the Six Artists Six Prairies representative to Conservation Trust for Florida for the duration of this project.

Linda Blondheim