Carlton Ward, Jr.

Roles: Panelist, Producer, Subject

Carlton Ward Jr is a conservation photographer and National Geographic Explorer whose mission is to inspire appreciation and protection of a global network of wildlife corridors. He began his career working with the Smithsonian Institution in Central Africa, leading to his first book, The Edge of Africa. In 2004, he retrained his focus on his native Florida, motivated by eight generations of family heritage and a drive to bring new atention and protection to the state’s under-appreciated wild heart. In 2009, Carlton published the award-winning book, Florida Cowboys. In 2010, he founded the Florida Wildlife Corridor project, which led to two National Geographic supported expeditions, award-winning books, PBS films and widespread outreach for the statewide vision to keep Florida wild. Carlton founded and leads Wildpath, an organization that uses storytelling to protect land, water, and wildlife and achieve conservation policy. In 2015, Wildpath launched the Path of the Panther project, which inspired the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act of 2021 and has helped achieve nearly 3 billion dollars in new funding for land conservation. In 2023, the Emmy Award-winning film, Path of the Panther, featuring Carlton’s work, was released for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu, alongside a new National Geographic book by the same title. In addition to ongoing work to protect the remaining 8 million acres in the Florida Wildlife Corridor, Wildpath is leading new campaigns advocating for the protection of wildlife corridors in the Gulf of Mexico, throughout the Americas, and beyond. While Carlton’s work was originally inspired by wild places and conservationists before him, his biggest motivation is now the three children he shares with his wife, Suzie –Eldridge Ann (11), Patricia Nell (9), and Carlton III (7) – and the need to sustain the balance of life on Earth for their generation. Learn more and support Carlton’s work at Wildpath.com. To see Carlton’s fine art photography available for purchase, please visit CarltonWard.com.

2025 Program(s):
The Little Brown Bird