Land trust serving 5 counties changes name

A land preservation organization serving Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties has changed its name. The Osprey-based nonprofit previously known as the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast will now be called Big Waters Land Trust.

The decision to change the organization’s name, made official Dec. 6, reflects its commitment to both coastal and inland communities, according to a statement from Big Waters Land Trust.

“Looking at our service area, which covers from South Tampa Bay to the Everglades, we realized it is water that defines our region," Christine P. Johnson, president of Big Waters Land Trust, says in the statement. "And because it’s Florida, we don’t just have small rivers and lakes, we have BIG WATERS."