Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) was founded in 1967 on Sanibel Island, Florida to preserve the island's interior freshwater system. The nonprofit's mission has since evolved to protect and care for Southwest Florida's coastal ecosystems.

SCCF is the largest private landowner on Sanibel, protecting around 1,800 acres on the island. It owns an additional 300-some acres in the region including acreage on islands in Pine Island Sound and in Fort Myers and Cape Coral. Many of these acres are closed to the public, though SCCF has over 8 miles of public trails.

The Native Landscapes & Garden Center sells native plants and offers landscaping and educational programs, and the Marine Laboratory monitors water quality and conducts research on subjects like seagrass, mangroves, harmful algal blooms, and shellfish restoration. The lab also oversees a water quality sensor network throughout the Caloosahatchee known as the River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network. SCCF monitors snowy plovers and sea turtles on Sanibel and Captiva Islands, has an environmental policy program, and monitors other wildlife like the federally threatened Eastern indigo snake.

Sea Turtle Monitoring
SCCF's sea turtle program operates under a permit granted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to monitor sea turtles on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Sea turtle monitoring on Sanibel began in the late 1950s, and the program was transferred to SCCF in 1992.

Most of the sea turtles that nest on Sanibel and Captiva are loggerheads (Caretta caretta) or green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), with around 600 or more loggerhead nests laid on the islands each year, as well as an average of a dozen or more green turtle nests. Every so often, the islands see nests from leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) or Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii).