Conservation & Responsibility

About FPCB

The Florida Panther

Our Mission

Preserve and protect the Florida panther and our diverse native species as well as Florida’s unique ecosystem by providing permanently protected and maintained natural habitat through our Approved and Certified Habitat Conservation Banks, while enabling permitted, economic development of Southwest Florida.

Florida Panther Conservation Banks

FPCB was the first Habitat Conservation Bank to be APPROVED and CERTIFIED by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Florida and the first in the Nation for the Florida panther! Composed of nearly 2,000 acres, located in the heart of the Primary Zone in the Panther Focus area, the Bank served as a model for all other Conservation Banks in the State.

Florida Panther Conservation Bank, II; was the first bank in the State to be Approved and Certified by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for both the Florida panther and the Wood Stork. Located in the Florida Panther Focus Area Dispersal Zone, it serves as an important connector between the Conservation Areas to the south and the expansion area, so essential for the continued survival of the Florida Panther, to the North of the Caloosahatchee River. Consisting of nearly 500 acres, it lies in the center of thousands of acres of conserved and protected lands.

Phase 2 of Florida Panther Conservation Bank, II; our third effort, is also situated in the Dispersal Zone, immediately to the North of Florida Panther Conservation Bank, II. It provides an important connector to adjoining conservation lands and the lands to the north of the Caloosahatchee River.

A Family of Habitat Conservation Banks

Through a combination of comprehensive large-scale planning and a coordinated mitigation strategy, Florida Panther Conservation Family of Banks proactively preserve large, strategically placed, economically viable tracts of land essential for the continued survival of the Florida panther and other threatened and endangered species. FPCFB provides permitted economic development, so essential to our region, an environmentally proven, economically viable and efficient outlet to protect Florida’s endangered plant and animal species.

ALLIANCES WITH THE INDUSTRY’S BEST

Every project that has chosen our banks for their compensatory panther habitat requirements has been accepted by the regulatory agencies. The client list includes large national, regional and small home-grown residential and commercial developers, not for profits, public and private schools, churches, state and county Departments of Transportation, medical centers, and public utility departments. Florida Panther Conservation family of Banks has earned an enviable reputation and developed an exemplary working relationship with environmental organizations, engineering and environmental companies, the development community, local and county governments, and the regulatory community.

SIMPLE. RELIABLE. EFFECTIVE.

Utilizing our Conservation Banks for your habitat mitigation requirement saves time, energy, and resources. All the work is done! No need to find the appropriate piece of land, negotiate with the owners and regulators, develop a maintenance and management plan, restore the land, establish and fund a Trust to maintain the property in perpetuity. We assume all your Florida panther habitat liabilities and leave you to do what you do best: Developing and Building. Choose our Conservation Banks and your habitat mitigation has already been earned.

Our Banks’ Approved Service Area encompasses the entire Panther Focus Area. Please see the Service Area Map on the following page. We can provide an economically viable solution for all of your panther and Wood Stork habitat mitigation needs.

When purchasing credits through our family of Conservation Banks, you get the personal representation and local expertise of Jim and Les Alderman; owners, managing partners, and conservation bank pioneers. Between them, over 50 years of experience working in the Florida market.

Managing Partners

Florida Panther Conservation, LLC was formed by the brothers; Les and Jim Alderman and formally organized in 2004. It was conceived and designed by the Brothers as a vehicle to develop, produce and manage Habitat Conservation Banks for Federally listed, Threatened, and Endangered Species. Florida Panther Conservation, LLC developed the first Federally Approved and Certified Habitat Conservation Bank in Florida and the First in the Nation for the Florida panther. Since its inception, we have added two additional Conservation Banks and are currently working on our fourth.

James Alderman

Managing Partner

A self-employed farmer and conservationist. A 5th generation Floridian and avid, lifelong outdoorsman. Currently serving on the Lake Worth Drainage District, Mr. Alderman has been actively involved in preserving and protecting Florida’s critical natural resources for most of his life. An amateur nature photographer, he has traveled extensively, in America and abroad, recording our natural wonders. He and his brother Leslie, permitted the first habitat conservation bank expressly for the Florida panther in the nation.

Mr. Alderman graduated from University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture. He has become one of the Nation’s premier farmers specializing in Organically grown fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs.

A member of the board of directors of the Farmers Home Administration from 1982 to 1985. A member of the board of the Lake Worth Drainage District, a special taxing district in Florida which deals with environmental issues, from 2003 to the present. Mr. Alderman is a member of the Wild Turkey Federation & Ducks Unlimited.

Alicia D. Dixon

Director of Business Development

Alicia D. Dixon is the Director of Business Development for Florida Panther Conservation Bank. She is passionate about habitat compensation and wetland mitigation banking. She has worked in the environmental permitting and mitigation banking industry for the last 20 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, and a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences, from Florida Gulf Coast University. She is originally from Jefferson City, Missouri and has lived and worked in Fort Myers, Florida since 1999. She has established strong working relationships with the local development community and permitting agencies throughout her career. Alicia is certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist from the Society of Wetland Scientists and is a member of the Southwest Chapter of the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals and the Real Estate Investment Society.

Frequently Asked Questions

This is where you will find most answers. If there should still be any questions left, don't hesitate to contact us.

Will our project impact the habitat of the Florida Panther?

If your project is in Florida, you are probably impacting the historical range of the Florida panther. However, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency charged by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with protecting all of Americas’ wildlife resources, is responsible for making the ultimate decision. If you are uncertain, you should consult your environmental professional. They work in this area daily and should be able to answer your question. You may also contact the nearest USFWS office. As a rule of thumb, any project within or likely to adversely impact the area known as the Florida Panther Focus Area will normally require compensatory habitat mitigation.

Our project lies within the Panther Focus Area, will we need to mitigate for the impact to the habitat of the Florida Panther?

It is difficult to generalize, counties may have their own requirements and should be consulted. However, if your project will require a permit from any Federal Agency, that permitting agency is required by the Endangered Species Act to formally consult with the USFWS. This is normally called a “Section 7 Consultation”. (In limited instances there can be other types of consultations). Ultimately, the USFWS makes the determination and informs the permitting agency. Normally, as your project is within the Panther Focus Area, it will require compensatory mitigation.

How do we know how much habitat compensatory mitigation will be required?

Ultimately, the USFWS is responsible for determining the appropriate mitigation, both quality and quantity. However, the Service has developed an informal tool that is used to help determine the mitigation required. On a landscape level, the tool looks at the impact site and assigns values to each land/habitat type based upon its value to the Florida Panther. These values are part of the calculus used to determine the mitigation requirement. The same process applies to the mitigation site. Your environmental professional can help you estimate how much, if any compensatory habitat mitigation will be required.

Why should we utilize the services of a commercial habitat conservation bank, such as Florida Panther Conservation Bank?

The answer to this question lies at the heart of the success of the mitigation banking industry. The basic answer for most concerns is an economic one. A Conservation Bank, such as Florida Panther Conservation Bank can provide the compensatory mitigation more efficiently and usually at a considerable savings! Additionally, the Conservation Bank assumes all of the risk for the mitigation. As the conservation credits are earned in advance, when transferred there is no risk of failure.

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