Editor's note: This is an encore presentation of Gulf Coast Life featuring Ed Carlson, the long-time warden of Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (he retired in 2012). Carlson died on Dec. 9. The conversation we had with Mr. Carlson on Gulf Coast Life in 2019 will also be rebroadcast on Monday at 2 p.m. Added below is Carlson's obituary by a personal friend, Beth Preddy of Naples.
Originally broadcast in March, 2019: The Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary’s Director Emeritus, Ed Carlson, began his career at the sanctuary the day after he graduated high school. Since then, he served as the sanctuary’s director from 1983 to 2012. Carlson has seen the sanctuary transform over 50 years of working there. He joins us in studio to reflect on the ways the sanctuary has changed since his time starting there.
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John Edwin “Ed” Carlson
1950-2025
Environmental Steward, Audubon Warden, Conservation Legend
John Edwin “Ed” Carlson, born 1950, passed away Tuesday, December 9, 2025, in Naples, Fla., his hometown since the early 1970s. He was a well-known, dynamic leader and environmental steward in Southwest Florida, most notably as the “warden” of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. He was a giant of man and his Everglades restoration efforts, from ground zero in the wetlands to the legislative hallways in Tallahassee, will be memorialized for generations. He would say, “I’ve got mud in my blood.”
Ed’s first encounter of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was when he was 18 years old on a hike from Miami, where he had moved with his family in 1954. He and his friends ran into the then-warden, who offered the group part-time jobs repairing the boardwalk, today renowned worldwide for its journey through a variety of habitats from the pine uplands to the deep wetlands. It was designed and enlarged by Ed over decades of restoration for the pleasure of nature-watchers as well as its impact on wildlife.
Ed was born in Jamestown, New York. After high school graduation (Southwest High School in Miami, 1968) he continued with university studies at University of Miami and University of Florida, where he attained degrees in science and biology.
Ed continued his association with Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary during summers and other opportunities for part-time jobs and then professionally as a researcher in 1974.
With characteristic grace, he wrote his own obituary to help tell his story:
*“I lived my life as an Audubon Warden. I received my first standing Egret shoulder patch in 1968 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Highly revered, it represented the dedication of the Wardens since their inception in 1900.
Their campaign to protect the plume birds of the southern United States remains a classic conservation success story, even though three Wardens were murdered in the process. The guilty were never convicted.
Plume birds were not an issue when I came along. Instead, human greed had driven American alligators to the brink of extinction. Corkscrew Swamp was a prime target of poachers, but the gator population recovered.
Then my beloved wood storks were listed. The fight to save their historic feeding areas continues.
Today, I take satisfaction in having lived my life protecting God’s creations.
I also recommend reading a great story I wrote titled The Adventures of Swamp Lily — a young adult book about my granddaughter and me canoeing and camping through the Everglades.
It’s been a pleasure.”*
— Ed
Throughout his life, Ed Carlson stood watch over some of Florida’s most precious ecosystems. His work helped shape and protect landmarks that define conservation in Southwest Florida, including:
- Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Visitor Center and Boardwalk
- The Living Machine
- CREW Land & Water Trust
- Panther Island
Ed’s impact cannot be measured solely in projects completed or species protected, but in the generations of leaders inspired by his quiet resolve, moral clarity, and unwavering respect for nature.
Ed is survived by his wife of 55 years, Jo Ann, children Amelia and Kristofer, and grandchildren Lilly, Haley, Jaxson, Cole, Brynley, and Easton. Lilly is the main character of his book, The Adventures of Swamp Lily. He is also survived by countless colleagues, conservationists, friends, and admirers who will continue his work and carry his values forward.
In a world still in need of guardians, Ed Carlson’s life stands as proof that one person, armed with conviction and humility, can make an enduring difference.
December 15, 2025
By Beth Preddy
Naples, Florida
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