Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a 13,000-acre nature sanctuary in Southwest Florida. It includes 2.25 miles of boardwalk, the Blair Audubon Center, Nature Store and Gallery Café, as well as education, research and resource management programs. More than 100,000 people visit Corkscrew each year and the Sanctuary enjoys the support of a dedicated sustainability board and many volunteers. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary serves as an anchor for Audubon Florida’s policy advocacy in the Western Everglades and is a living laboratory for the study and restoration of Southwest Florida’s freshwater wetlands. The Sanctuary is currently conducting a capital campaign to implement our reimagined campus and staff have raised $6M with a capital goal of $12M.
The Senior Director, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, will be responsible for advancing Audubon’s science-based conservation mission protecting the Sanctuary and its watershed. Working in partnership with the Audubon Florida’s Executive Director, they will set the strategic direction for the center and sanctuary and will play an important role in carrying out the mission of Audubon Florida and the National Audubon Society. In conjunction with relevant stakeholders, they will work to develop programming that includes elements of Audubon’s core approaches to conservation—science, education, public policy and direct habitat management.
The Senior Director will be responsible for maintaining and expanding Corkscrew’s facilities, staff and programming, while simultaneously restoring and protecting the ecology of the Sanctuary. To ensure the Sanctuary’s financial stability and continued expansion, the Senior Director will work closely with Audubon Florida’s development team to identify, cultivate and solicit donors, and with center staff to maximize earned income and manage expenses.
The Sanctuary Director is a key Audubon spokesperson for the conservation of the Western Everglades, and works closely with Audubon Florida’s Director of Everglades Policy, state Director of Policy, and Corkscrew Leadership Team to achieve Audubon’s conservation goals in the region.
This role reports to the Executive Director for Audubon Florida and has five direct reports including several senior-level positions leading research, land management, center operations and maintenance. Overall, the Sanctuary employs 25 regular staff and has an annual operating budget of about $2 million.