Carlton Ward Jr. is a conservation photographer, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer. He founded the Florida Wildlife Corridor project in 2010 and created Wildpath, an organization dedicated to using storytelling to inspire the protection of wildlife corridors. Ward and Wildpath spearheaded the successful campaign for the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act in 2021 and, in partnership with National Geographic, launched the Connected Planet project in 2025 to accelerate the protection of wildlife corridors globally. Ward’s work is featured in the National Geographic film “Path of the Panther,” and he is currently leading a conservation project focused on the underappreciated beauty of the Gulf of Mexico. His Florida heritage dates back eight generations, including a family ranch that protects a piece of the Florida Wildlife Corridor and a childhood spent exploring the Gulf — experiences he and his wife, Suzie, share with their three children, Eldridge Ann, Nell and Carlton III.

Photo by Carlton Ward Jr.