Brief History of the Sanibel–Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF)'s Marine Laboratory, Sanibel, Florida: Not to be Confused with Doc Ford's Sanibel Biological Supply Company

In many ways Sanibel and Captiva Islands are unique because so much of them has been preserved as wildlife habitat. The ‘‘islands’’ are actually a group of barrier islands off the southwest coast of Florida, with over 60% of the land protected from development remaining in conservation forever (‘‘land’’ includes mangrove wetlands, interior freshwater wetlands, and tropical hardwood hammocks). The impetus for the creation of the Sanibel–Captiva Conservation Foundation Marine Lab stemmed from island inhabitants’ unique appreciation of the rich diversity of the islands’ wildlife; hence our initial focus here is on the Foundation and the National Wildlife Refuge and their shared ethic that ultimately lead to the Marine Lab’s inception only 9 yr ago. The Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (hereafter SCCF) has forged a solid regional environmental reputation in southwest Florida over the past 43 yr (since 1967), as evidenced by the reliance of local governments, federal and state agencies, and local universities on SCCF for leadership, problem solving and, more recently, scientific expertise. The Foundation owns and manages nearly 2,000 acres of land on the barrier islands that together offer convenient access to coastal, estuarine, and marine ecosystems that transition between tropical and subtropical zones (see Figure 1). SCCF has been the unrivaled leader in southwest Florida by: (1) preserving habitat through land acquisition; (2) removing exotic species; and (3) addressing problems related to freshwater releases by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).