2026 Conservation Stewards Awards
Join ACT on Saturday, March 7, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for the Annual Conservation Stewards Awards at Prairie Creek Lodge. This event honors individuals in our community who are influential in a wide variety of ways – the arts, historic preservation, and particularly, in protecting our wildlife and natural resources. Past Conservation Stewards Awards have been some of the largest gatherings of community leaders and supporters of wild Florida in the region.
The event will include dinner, drinks and a musical performance. All funds from the event will support Alachua Conservation Trust's work towards land conservation.
As Florida’s biggest conservation event of the year, you won’t want to miss it!
Cocktail Hour • Catered Dinner • Silent Auction • Live Music
In 2026, ACT’s Conservation Stewards Awards will celebrate our honorees’ longstanding conservation efforts across the state's diverse landscapes. Their stewardship of these critical ecosystems ensures a healthy and vibrant future for wildlife, local businesses, and green spaces for recreation. This year, we will recognize Paul Lyrene and Bob & Lori Carroll for their commitment to lifelong learning and involvement in local conservation initiatives. Both Lyrene and the Carrolls have helped revitalize Florida’s farms, steward its forests, and protect its ever-threatened rivers through years of hard work and dedication.
Photo from UF-IFAS
Bob & Lori Caroll
Bob and Lori Carroll are dedicated conservation stewards whose 15-year commitment to land restoration in Gilchrist County reflects both vision and perseverance. Beginning in 2010 with a 40-acre tract dominated by sand pines, they steadily expanded and restored their property into a 482-acre landscape shaped by thoughtful management and a deep respect for Florida’s natural systems. Through prescribed fire, invasive species removal, longleaf pine planting, and adaptive land management, the Carrolls transformed their land into a thriving habitat now supporting gopher tortoises, fox squirrels, river otters, alligators, and other native wildlife. In November 2024, their efforts were recognized with the protection of their property through a Florida Forever Conservation Easement, secured with support from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Alachua Conservation Trust.
Paul Lyrene
Born on a small farm between Mobile, Alabama, and earning a Ph.D in plant breeding from the University of Wisconsin in 1974, Paul Lyrene spent 20 year exploring the rivers and swamps of northern Florida and southern Georgia, searching for unusually good wild blueberry plants to use in breeding at UF-IFAS, forever changing the Florida blueberry industry and earning him the title “Father of Florida Blueberries.” UF-IFAS has since named its blueberry research building in his honor as the Paul M. Lyrene Blueberry Research Building. Having fallen in love with the wild lands of Florida, Lyrene became an enthusiastic supporter of the Alachua Conservation Trust and Alachua County’s wildland conservation program. He is proud to have nominated Fox Pen Preserve for preservation by the County and by ACT.
These honorees are excellent models of responsible stewardship and have created conservation legacies rooted in patience and care for the land. We are extremely grateful for their commitment to North Central Florida and for their continued support of Alachua Conservation Trust. Please join us in recognizing the 2026 Conservation Stewards!
Interested in sponsoring the 2026 Conservation Stewards Awards? Contact ACT at 352-373-1078 or info@alachuaconservationtrust.org today to discuss!
Thank You to Our 2025 CSA Event Sponsors!
Click on the logos above as they scroll through to view each sponsors’ website.
Driving Directions to the Event
This year’s event will take place at Prairie Creek Lodge located at: 7204 SE County Road 234, Gainesville, Florida 32641 (Google Maps)
From Downtown Gainesville:
Drive east on University Avenue (S.R. 26) for approximately 1.1 miles.
Veer right onto Hawthorne Road (S.R. 20) drive approximately 5.2 miles.
Turn right onto County Road 234
Stay left on County Road 234, cross the Gainesville-Hawthorne Rail Trail, and drive approximately 1.1 miles south. Please note, Google Maps has been taking vehicles down a private driveway immediately after this turn - keep driving until you see the green ACT entrance sign on the right. This error has been submitted to Google for correction.
Turn right after mailbox labeled “7204” - there is a green ACT sign.
From Interstate 75:
Take Exit 374 (Micanopy), turn east onto County Road 234 and drive approximately 1.3 miles.
Turn right onto Highway 441 and drive approximately 0.7 miles.
Turn left onto County Road 234 and drive approximately 5.9 miles.
Turn left before mailbox labeled “7204” - there is a green ACT sign.
