WHO WE ARE

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Barbara grew up in Port Charlotte in Charlotte County, having moved there in 1972 at the age of 3, and relocated to North Port in 2002.  She is a University of Florida Master Naturalist/Land Steward, a Florida Registered Paralegal and is the founder of the Conservancy.   She enjoys outdoor nature photography and provides much of the photographic content on our website and in our social media.  She has concentrated experience in real estate law, real estate transactional work and corporate law.

Linda lived in the Midwest until moving to Florida with her husband, Dave, in 2017. She learned much about growing flowers, trees, and shrubs from a relative in the landscape business. As a lifelong lover of nature and plants, Linda worked her way through college as a florist, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and an MBA from the University of Missouri. She accepted a position as an administrator at a small private university and retired from there to establish a career as an academic editor, assisting PhD candidates with dissertations, eventually retiring in 2016.

Now in Florida, Linda sought volunteer opportunities here and served several years on the Board of Directors of the local chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society. She understands the critical reasons for preserving natural habitat and using native plants in both home and commercial landscapes.

Jo was born and raised in Port Charlotte (24 years). She has seen firsthand its transition from a small peaceful community with many wooded neighborhoods abundant with wildlife, native plants and trees into developed clear-cut neighborhoods populated with cookie-cutter homes, exotic plants, trees and grass lawns.

Studying herpetology independently for about 3 years with a special interest in venomous snakes, testudines and Florida natives, Jo has earned a Southeastern Master Herpetologist Certification from the Amphibian Foundation, and a Herpetological Guide Certification from the Louisiana Exotic Animal Resource Network. In the near future she will begin college seeking a Bachelor’s degree in environmental studies.  

While employed with the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center as an educator leading various programs for kids and adults ranging from guided walks, seagrass wading trips, lectures, and camps, Jo was chosen as The Sun’s F.I.E.R.C.E. Woman of the month for April 2025. She has also been managing a sober bar in Charlotte County for the last 3 years.

Her collective experience will allow her to support and help grow our land acquisition/oversight/management and educational programming. 

Matt is a career journalist, editor and photo journalist. He has reported in South Florida, Minnesota and the Puget Sound area of Washington state, working in all facets of the newspaper industry, including investigative journalism, environmental reporting, real estate and development reporting and government reporting. He currently splits time between Englewood, Florida and Minneapolis, Minnesota and has spent the years since the Covid pandemic rehabbing houses and building home tiki bars. 

His interest in the environment and preserving and growing natural lands go back to a Prairie & Wood summer camp he attended in 1979 at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. He has rarely lived more than a short walk away from the woods or significant natural lands, and will interrupt anything he is doing to help any creature or critter in need.  

 Grace and and her husband, Gregg, moved to Florida from California in May of '23 with their 6 chickens and 4 dogs in tow literally. Once settled in North Port, they cultivated a deep appreciation for the natural land bordering their property and its wildlife inhabitants. Having been introduced to the NLC at a local event, they were heartened by the fact that it existed to preserve parcels of natural habitats via donations of funds or land. Initially, Grace worked as a table volunteer, and was later asked to serve on the NLC board. She accepted knowing full well that this would be a learning journey coming from an an environment on the opposite coast. But she is honored and excited to play a part in their mission. 

In San Diego, prior to her move, she practiced as a Registered Dental Hygienist, as well as earning a Financial Planning designation, Insurance License, and Windsurfing instructor certification. She loves sports as they often offer immersion and reconnection with nature's elements. She was also an active member of the California Rare Fruit Growers and is currently a docent at the Peace River Botanical and Sculpture Gardens. She and her husband maxxed out at 8 dogs, 3 cats, and 20 chickens during their rescuing heyday. 

Libby Burgazli, Director/Treasurer

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Charlene's passion is wildlife and she has spent a great deal of her professional career working to protect, preserve and educate others about our natural world and why we need to protect it. 

In her career she has worked for the Miami Metrozoo and Disney's Animal Kingdom where education was an integral part of her responsibility as well as daily care of animals. Thereafter she continued educating the public through her fishing/ecotour business in the Florida Keys where she had a USCG 100 Ton Master Captain license for 15 years. Locally she continued her fishing/ecotour business around Boca Grande and captained the ecotour boat KATARA for 5 years.

Volunteer work has also always been an integral part of her life. She has volunteered at the Marathon Wild Bird Center and Dolphin Plus in The Florida Keys, Mote Marine Laboratory, Rio Laguertos Mexico Flamingo Banding Project, Sarasota Audubon, Wildlife Center of Venice, Peace River Wildlife Center, and Friends of the Pelicans. 

In 2022 she started the Englewood Nature Friends page on Facebook as a platform for Englewood neighbors to share information about location wildlife.

Luci moved to North Port in 2014 from Pennsylvania. She is originally from New Jersey. 

Now semi-retired, Luci previously worked in Elementary Education and Special Education in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida, in an administrative position for Hewlett Packard and in computer sales for New MMI.

Since moving to Florida she has started her own businesses: One Putt Designs (a ladies golf jewelry business) and Your Photo Your Gift (a custom photo gift business). Find both at:  https://www.oneputtdesigns.com/
  

Prior to volunteering with us, her time has been spent with:

· Special Olympics (coaching/management for Lycoming Co. in PA for 20 years

· Coaching for Sarasota County Special Olympics for 10 years

· White Deer Golf Course Board

· Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy Advisory Committee

· The Environmental Conservancy of North Port And Surrounding Areas 

Luci loves her dogs, the outdoors and painting and creating. 

Edie was born and raised in Miami, FL.  After moving to Harbour Heights (in Charlotte County) in 2005, she became acquainted with some of its residents, the Florida Scrub-jay and Gopher Tortoise. Never before had she known such species existed but soon after, she became an admirer and an advocate, especially once learning the Scrub-jay was Federally listed, and the tortoise State-listed, as threatened species. In 2010, she moved to North Port and found the same species resided there. In either of these areas, the two species were not truly protected.

After realizing the City of North Port had no organization that promoted wildlife advocacy, she formed North Port Friends of Wildlife (NPFOWL), a chapter of the Friends of Sarasota County Parks. The mission of  NPFOWL was, and continues to be, to raise awareness of these unique species and other wildlife, and to work with citizens and government for their protections. Today, Edie is still involved with North Port Friends of Wildlife but that organization will soon be transferred to a group of other environmentally minded individuals, some of whom are teachers at North Port High School.

Edie now resides once again in Harbour Heights, and her advocacy there was re-kindled there through her volunteer role with The Environmental Conservancy as the Harbour Heights Liason. Edie organizes annual events to raise funds to acquire land parcels in  Harbour  Heights and to raise awareness of its wildlife, native plants and trees and was successful in securing a $10,000 land management grant from US Fish and Wildlife Services and the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida for the Conservancy's Harbour Heights parcels; the work thereunder will be carried out over a 10 year period and commenced in the Fall of 2024.

 David has lived most recently in the Midwest, moving to SW Florida with his wife Linda in 2017. He has earned a BA in Mathematics at West Chester State University in Pennsylvania, where he grew up. 

After serving as a Captain in the USAF, he founded and operated retail businesses in Michigan.  Moving to Kansas City resulted in an extended digital services career as a Webmaster, then Web Producer, and finally, a Digital Marketing Analyst with a bank.

David is familiar with Florida, having lived in South Florida for 8 years in the 80’s. Since moving to North Port, he has nurtured a passionate appreciation for nature and especially for how habitats and ecosystems have evolved.  Like Linda, he joined the local chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, where he served on the Board of Directors, coordinating Digital Services.

Robyn is a transplant from Lansdale, Pennsylvania-a suburb of Philadelphia, she recently moved in June 2025 with her fiancé Scott and two rescue pups Lola & Dixie to Port Charlotte.  She is retired from an educational setting working in a high school for 28 years.  Robyn loves sports, nature and animals, particularly birds and sea turtles.  Spending time outdoors and traveling is a must!