Award Highlights Sanctuary Director’s Efforts to Protect Water Quality
Congratulations to Keith Laakkonen, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary director, for being selected as one of six Defenders of the Gulf for 2025 by Gulfshore Life Magazine. For its April “sustainability” issue, the publication chooses visionaries working across different fields to safeguard paradise along the Gulf shore.
When challenges threaten what makes Southwest Florida special, these local leaders step forward— not just with bold solutions, but with a commitment to protect what matters most.
From the article: “Keith’s love of the region’s wildlife and wild spaces extends well beyond spectatorship…The environmentalist understands that protecting wetlands extends far beyond Corkscrew’s 13,000 acres—it demands strategic partnerships across the region.”