Music Fans Raise Over $160,000 to Protect Florida Lands and Wildlife

Live Wildly Inspires Floridians to Protect the Places They Love at Sing Out Loud Festival

TAMPA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / October 3, 2024 / Live Wildly Foundation, in partnership with Sing Out Loud Festival, and with the help of over 27,000 music fans, raised over $160,000 last weekend for land conservation across St. Johns County, FL.

The funding was raised through a portion of ticket sales from Sing Out Loud Festival's Live Wildly Showcase, a two-day music concert held Sept. 21-22 in historic downtown St. Augustine, FL.

The funds raised from ticket sales will be distributed evenly between the City of St. Augustine's Conservation Program and St. Johns County's Land Acquisition Management Program. Funds are specifically earmarked for the purchase of conserved lands within St. Johns County.

Along with enjoying music from headliners Noah Kahan, Eric Church, Norah Jones, Ryan Bingham, JJ Grey & Mofro, and others, festival attendees had the opportunity to explore Live Wildly's immersive showcase tent that surrounded concertgoers with the sights and sounds of wild Florida.

Nearly 1,500 concertgoers signed Live Wildly's "Join the Movement" pledge to be a guardian of Florida's wild soul. For every pledge signed, Live Wildly is donating $1 toward land and water conservation. Since the pledge launched on May 1st, 11,377 people have signed, including musician and NE Florida native JJ Grey, who encouraged his fanbase to "join the movement to protect wild Florida."

"Florida holds a special place in my heart, and I am deeply passionate about protecting its wild spaces for future generations," Grey stated on social media. "Through this partnership with Live Wildly, I am honored to join forces with like-minded individuals and organizations to ensure that our state's natural heritage remains intact in the face of rapid growth and development."

"It was amazing to tap into the passion and energy of music lovers, to help them learn more about wild Florida, and to inspire them to take action to save it," said Lisa Shipley, Live Wildly's CEO. "Music and nature are so compatible. They feed our souls and inspire us to see ourselves within a bigger picture. The more you immerse yourself in them, the more you love them and understand how important they are in your daily life."

Live Wildly's partnership with Sing Out Loud Festival is part of the non-profit's ongoing work to engage communities and support on-the-ground conservation action.

"There are hundreds of music festivals, but only one that pairs a stellar lineup with the message of protecting Florida's natural lands," said Gabe Pellicer, CEO & President of SJC Cultural Events, Inc., the 501c3 organization behind Sing Out Loud Festival. "Hosting more than 25,000 music fans while raising awareness and funds for land conservation in our community is what makes Sing Out Loud Festival truly unique. It's a testament to the power of live music. I'm still beaming from the incredible sense of unity we felt, and we're truly honored to be a part of it."

Live Wildly's first priority is ensuring the ongoing protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, an 18-million-acre network of connected lands and waters stretching from the Everglades to the Panhandle. Created in 2021, the Florida Wildlife Corridor is the nation's largest statewide conservation effort of its kind, providing habitat for almost 2,000 different species including the iconic Florida panther, manatees, and the Gopher tortoise. The Corridor's lands and waters also support more than 100,000 jobs and contribute $30 billion in annual revenue to the state through recreation, tourism, agriculture, forestry, and other industries. But only about half of the Corridor is currently under legal protection, leaving the rest open to threats of subdivision or unsustainable development.

"Thriving communities and economies go hand-in-hand with healthy lands and waters," said Shipley. "People protect the places they love. That's why Live Wildly is dedicated to helping people fall in love with the wild places around them."

Over the past year, Live Wildly has partnered with such organizations as the Florida State Parks Foundation, Florida Bicycle Association, and the Florida Trails Association to organize events that drive people outside, connect them to nature, and inspire them to take action to save it.

In addition to Sing Out Loud's Live Wildly Showcase, Live Wildly partnered with Flagler College students on a river cleanup along the San Sebastian River and hosted a screening and panel discussion of the award-winning film Path of the Panther at Ringhaver Student Center at Flagler College.

Elsewhere in St. Augustine, Live Wildly sponsored the creation of a massive outdoor mural painted by local artist Brook Page in St. Augustine Beach that will feature species from the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

ABOUT SING OUT LOUD FESTIVAL

Sing Out Loud Festival is the annual, epic celebration of live music in historic St. Augustine, Florida. Since 2016, Sing Out Loud has featured more than 1,400 national, regional, and local musicians, and welcomed more than 300,000 live music enthusiasts. The festival features ticketed concerts, free local artist showcases, artist development workshops, and specialty programming like the St. Augustine Songwriters Festival, and more. Entering its 8th year, Sing Out Loud Festival's marquee weekend was the two-day Live Wildly Showcase at Francis Field on Sept. 21 and 22. For more information, please visit www.singoutloudfestival.com.

ABOUT LIVE WILDLY FOUNDATION

Founded in 2022, the Live Wildly Foundation applies an entrepreneurial approach to protecting wild Florida while seeking to balance smart growth, a robust economy, and a connected, resilient landscape. Through creating diverse coalitions, fostering collaboration, and empowering stakeholders to advance conservation efforts, Live Wildly strives to achieve a harmonious and sustainable future in which economic prosperity coexists with a thriving and resilient ecological landscape. Their first priority is the Florida Wildlife Corridor. This 18-million-acre wildlife superhighway is a model for public-private partnership, citizen advocacy, and grassroots support. Live Wildly encourages people to ‘Join the Movement' to protect wild Florida. For more information, please visit www.livewildly.com.

Contact Information

Meredith Budd
Director, Strategic Initiatives
meredith@livewildly.com
239-248-4494

Michelle Yepez
Events Producer
michelle@livewildly.com
813-416-6641

Related Images

SOURCE: Live Wildly Foundation

View the original press release on newswire.com.