Horticulture Corner: Light My Fire
December 3 @ 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
| FREEREGISTRATIONS BEGIN OCTOBER 1, 2024
North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) has protected more than 38,000 acres, and through land stewardship restores and maintains the more than 14,000 acres it manages, creating ideal habitats benefiting both wildlife and vegetation. Using “prescribed burns,” NFLT can optimally maintain these land tracts for the benefit of conservation.
A prescribed burn is a planned fire used to meet land management objectives. The “prescription” is a set of conditions that considers the safety of the public and fire staff, weather, and probability of meeting the burn objectives. Every fire has a prescription prepared in advance which describes its objectives, fuels, size, the precise environmental conditions under which it will burn, and conditions under which it may be suppressed.
NFLT has a dedicated expert stewardship team that manages such prescribed burns. Hear from NFLT CEO Allison DeFoor and Land Stewardship Director Rianna Elliott about the ways in which precious land in North Florida is protected and managed.
The Rev. Cn. Allison DeFoor is a seventh-generation Floridian who serves as North Florida Land Trust president and CEO. Dr. DeFoor has been actively engaged in conservation as a trustee of the Florida Audubon Society, the Florida Land Trust Association, and 1,000 Friends of Florida. In addition, he was Florida’s Everglades Czar, and in 2014, he co-chaired the passage of Amendment 1, which passed with 70 percent of the vote in Florida and authorized the most significant land protection efforts in world history.
DeFoor is also an Episcopal priest who has served as Canon to the Ordinary to the Bishop of the Diocese of Florida. Dr. DeFoor, who has degrees in law, criminology, and theology, previously served parishes in four prisons around Tallahassee and was an assistant at Grace Mission, an inner-city mission.
His background in criminal justice includes having been a prosecutor, public defender, judge, and the elected Sheriff of Monroe County.
In addition, Dr. DeFoor served as a law professor at the University of Miami, a member of the Board of Governors of the Florida Bar, and a trustee of numerous boards, including the Florida Chamber Foundation, Florida Historical Society, Associated Industries of Florida, and Florida Tax Watch. In 1990, Dr. DeFoor ran for Lieutenant Governor of Florida as Governor Bob Martinez’s running mate. Upon moving to Jacksonville in 2015, he was invited twice to become a member of The Florida Times-Union newspaper editorial board. In Jacksonville, he has served on the boards of Operation New Hope, the Jacksonville Historical Society, Memorial Park Association, and the FSCJ Foundation. Dr. DeFoor recently graduated from the Nonprofit Executive Program (NPEP) at the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University and he currently serves as a trustee with the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.
Rianna Elliott joined NFLT in 2021 and serves as the director of land wtewardship. She oversees the stewardship department and will be responsible for the management, restoration and maintenance of NFLT’s preserves and conservation easements. Her duties include a supervisory role of the stewardship department and the direct implementation of certain program areas. She also serves on the leadership team and contributes to the nonprofit’s organizational development and strategic decision-making.
Rianna comes to NFLT with more than a decade of experience with the Florida Park Service. As a park services specialist, she focused most of her energy on resource management and prescribed fire. Over time, she achieved her certified prescribed burn manager status as well as other certifications to enable her to better preserve the lands she was charged with restoring and protecting. She has also assisted multiple agencies with prescribed fire through trainings and knowledge exchanges over the years. Prior to her work with Florida Park Service, Rianna spent several years with a non-profit organization working with at-risk youth.
The program is free and open to the public, but registration is required so the Garden Club knows how many chairs to provide. We appreciate your help!
Sponsorship Opportunities
A sponsor of this Horticulture Corner program receives:
- Recognition on our event pages
- Recognition in our email marketing to more than 6,000 contacts
- Recognition on our social media channels
- Recognition on event slideshow
- Recognition in our blog post after the program
Annual sponsors also receive:
- Verbal recognition at all Horticulture Corner programs
- Sponsor table at all Horticulture Corner programs
If you have questions about sponsorship, please email info@gardenclubjax.org or call 904-355-4224.