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Monthly ‘Conserveza’ Sparks

Conservation Collaboration

On the first Friday of most months, conservationists from across Southwest Florida gather at the
Naples Botanical Garden to share ideas, build relationships and strengthen
the region’s conservation community.

hat started as a simple networking idea has Collier, working in land acquisition and management. At a Conserveza
grown into “Conserveza” — a clever mash-up of last spring, she was part of a small group discussing upcoming burns.
conservation and “cerveza,” the Spanish word for Trained professionals conduct burns under specific weather
W beer. Over refreshments, professionals and students conditions to ensure safety and effectiveness. New professionals rely
in the conservation field share meaningful conversations about land on seasoned pros like Maulik “Mo” Patel, who has worked at Collier-
management and environmental stewardship — tackling issues from Seminole State Park southeast of Naples since 2003.
prescribed burns to hurricane damage and recovery. Many are Florida While there’s a lot of practical knowledge in people’s heads, “there’s
Gulf Coast University faculty, students or alumni. no playbook, no blueprint,” Patel says. “I have to pass on the info from
The meetup has become a vital space to connect, collaborate and those who came before me.”
learn. Patel played a key role in mentoring and teaching 2003 FGCU grad
Brian Bovard is associate dean and an associate professor in The Eric Foht about prescribed fire. Foht, in his role as director of natural
Water School at FGCU. One of Conserveza’s original organizers, he says resources at Naples Botanical Garden, passed on his knowledge to 2022
the casual, social format lowers barriers, helps strengthen relationships FGCU grad Grace McCoy, who did her first burn at the garden as an
and spawns new partnerships. FGCU student during an internship at Conservation Collier. McCoy
“That consistent connection has been one of the biggest impacts of now works as a conservationist at Naples Botanical Garden. Patel, Foht
Conserveza,” Bovard says. and McCoy are regulars at the monthly Conserveza events.
But it’s not the only impact the gathering has made in Southwest “These are the types of relationships we hoped would happen through
Florida. Conserveza, and it’s been exciting to see it unfold so organically,” Bovard
“Conserveza has become a hub for practical, hands-on knowledge says. “FGCU students who attend these events have the opportunity to
sharing, and prescribed fire is a great example of that,” Bovard says. learn directly from practitioners actively working in conservation. These
“Rather than knowledge being passed in a top-down way, it’s more like a interactions often lead to internships, job opportunities and meaningful
network of mentoring relationships.” mentorship connections.”
A prescribed fire or burn is a carefully planned and intentionally In 2022, Conserveza attendees came together soon after Hurricane
set fire used to manage land and ecosystems. It reduces the buildup of Ian to discuss the data they’d collected before and after the storm. But
combustible vegetation, which can help prevent larger, uncontrolled they went a step further to talk about what Bovard calls “data we wished
wildfires and decrease risks to humans and human-dominated we had gathered.”
landscapes. A burn helps maintain the health of an ecosystem by “That conversation helped us identify gaps in our storm response and
promoting the growth of fire-adapted plants and recycling nutrients back monitoring, and led to valuable insights that could improve preparedness
into the soil. and coordination for future events,” he says.
“Fire is the most effective land management tool we have,” says Julie Such collaborative conversations strengthen individual efforts and
Motkowicz, who graduated from FGCU in 2020 with an environmental make collective work more effective, ultimately benefiting both the
studies degree. She’s an environmental specialist for Conservation environment and the residents of Southwest Florida.
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