Four Sanibel non-profit organizations have partnered to launch a new outreach campaign with a goal to broaden public awareness and appreciation of natural resources and wildlife on the island.

Called ‘’The Sanibel Wild Mile,’’ the initiative includes organizations with shared values of education and conservation that are located within about a mile of each other along a beautiful and substantially undeveloped stretch of Sanibel-Captiva Road and the island-wide bike path.

The partners include the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium, Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW), “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society, and Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). 

Through pooled efforts in marketing and communications, the objective of The Sanibel Wild Mile is to increase awareness for locals and visitors alike of opportunities to access, learn about, and enjoy the ecology and biodiversity that makes Sanibel so unique through abundant trail systems, exhibits, and education centers and programs featured at the partner organizations and elsewhere on the island.

Visitors to The Wild Mile may experience the islands’ legendary conservation history by kayaking meandering mangrove trails, taking a deep dive into Sanibel’s reputation as a seashell capital of the world, hiking miles of island forest and wetlands, visiting an animal hospital to learn about the region’s diverse wildlife, and exploring one of the nation’s most breathtaking national wildlife refuges to view countless birds and vistas of Southwest Florida’s wild landscape. 

Though SCCF’s Sanibel Slough Trails remain closed due to hurricane damage at its Sanibel-Captiva Road location, SCCF invites visitors and residents alike to connect with its many island-wide offerings, including the Sanibel Gardens Trail that borders the Wild Mile and is accessible off Island Inn Road.

Said the partner organizations in a joint statement:

‘’With The Sanibel Wild Mile, we hope to encourage more people to take a closer look at our islands’ natural environment, to actively participate in ways to access it, and, most importantly, to enjoy it and come away with a deeper sense of its uniqueness and the importance of conserving and protecting it.’’ 

Visit sanibelwildmile.com to learn more.