The Live Wildly Foundation, in collaboration with the Sing Out Loud Festival and with the support of more than 27,000 music enthusiasts, managed to raise over $160,000 last weekend for land conservation in St. Johns County, FL. The funds were generated from a portion of the ticket sales from the Live Wildly Showcase, a two-day music concert held on Sept. 21-22 in historic downtown St. Augustine, FL. The proceeds from the ticket sales will be evenly distributed between the City of St. Augustine’s Conservation Program and St. Johns County’s Land Acquisition Management Program, specifically for the acquisition of conserved lands within St. Johns County. In addition to enjoying performances by headliners Noah Kahan, Eric Church, Norah Jones, Ryan Bingham, JJ Grey & Mofro, and others, festival attendees had the opportunity to explore Live Wildly’s immersive showcase tent, which provided an experience of the sights and sounds of wild Florida.
Nearly 1,500 concertgoers signed Live Wildly’s “Join the Movement” pledge to be a guardian of Florida’s wild soul. For every pledge signed, Live Wildly is donating $1 toward land and water conservation. Since the pledge launched on May 1st, 11,377 people have signed, including musician and NE Florida native JJ Grey, who encouraged his fanbase to “join the movement to protect wild Florida.”
“Florida holds a special place in my heart, and I am deeply passionate about protecting its wild spaces for future generations,” Grey stated on social media. “Through this partnership with Live Wildly, I am honored to join forces with like-minded individuals and organizations to ensure that our state’s natural heritage remains intact in the face of rapid growth and development.”
“It was amazing to tap into the passion and energy of music lovers, to help them learn more about wild Florida, and to inspire them to take action to save it,” said Lisa Shipley, Live Wildly’s CEO. “Music and nature are so compatible. They feed our souls and inspire us to see ourselves within a bigger picture. The more you immerse yourself in them, the more you love them and understand how important they are in your daily life.”
Live Wildly’s partnership with Sing Out Loud Festival is part of the non-profit’s ongoing work to engage communities and support on-the-ground conservation action.
“There are hundreds of music festivals, but only one that pairs a stellar lineup with the message of protecting Florida’s natural lands,” said Gabe Pellicer, CEO & President of SJC Cultural Events, Inc., the 501c3 organization behind Sing Out Loud Festival. “Hosting more than 25,000 music fans while raising awareness and funds for land conservation in our community is what makes Sing Out Loud Festival truly unique. It’s a testament to the power of live music. I’m still beaming from the incredible sense of unity we felt, and we’re truly honored to be a part of it.”
Live Wildly’s main focus is to ensure the ongoing protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, which is an 18-million-acre network of interconnected lands and waters extending from the Everglades to the Panhandle. Established in 2021, the Florida Wildlife Corridor represents the largest statewide conservation effort in the country. It provides habitat for nearly 2,000 different species, including the iconic Florida panther, manatees, and the Gopher tortoise. Moreover, the Corridor’s lands and waters also sustain over 100,000 jobs and contribute $30 billion in annual revenue to the state through various industries such as recreation, tourism, agriculture, and forestry. However, only about half of the Corridor is currently legally protected, leaving the remaining areas susceptible to threats of subdivision or unsustainable development.
“Thriving communities and economies go hand-in-hand with healthy lands and waters,” said Shipley. “People protect the places they love. That’s why Live Wildly is dedicated to helping people fall in love with the wild places around them.”
Over the past year, Live Wildly has partnered with such organizations as the Florida State Parks Foundation, Florida Bicycle Association, and the Florida Trails Association to organize events that drive people outside, connect them to nature, and inspire them to take action to save it.
In addition to Sing Out Loud’s Live Wildly Showcase, Live Wildly partnered with Flagler College students on a river cleanup along the San Sebastian River and hosted a screening and panel discussion of the award-winning film Path of the Panther at Ringhaver Student Center at Flagler College.
Elsewhere in St. Augustine, Live Wildly sponsored the creation of a massive outdoor mural painted by local artist Brook Page in St. Augustine Beach that will feature species from the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
