Photos by carltonward | This week, a new conservation easement was completed to protect an important piece of the Florida Wildlife Corridor along the Rainbow River. Thanks go to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the landowner, and Conservation Florida for making it happen. Since the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act of 2021, more than 120,000 acres of land have been approved for protection, a move toward the goal of protecting an additional 800,000 acres in the corridor by the end of the decade. The images in this carousel are from two memorable mornings I spent paddling along the newly protected stretch of river. Photos 1, 4, and 6: The conservation easement will protect nearly a mile of cypress-lined shoreline on the Rainbow River. Photo 2: Conservation Florida CEO Traci Deen paddles at dawn along rare undeveloped shoreline. Photo 3: A double-crested cormorant watches from its perch along the river. Photo 5: A yellow-bellied slider suns itself on a submerged log. Phot...