Race to Conserve 5K Run (Timed) or 1K to 5K Walk at Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park

PLEASE NOTE THE NEW RACE LOCATION FOR 2026 at the Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park in Englewood (instead of the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port as in prior years).

PARK ADDRESS: 6961 San Casa Drive, Englewood, FL 34224.

WE HAVE ANOTHER EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT: To better clarify our mission, our Board of Directors recently decided to change our name from "The Environmental Conservancy of North Port And Surrounding Areas" to a name that is says exactly what we do, which is save neighborhood land for nature! So, soon . . . we will be know as the "Neighborhood Land Conservancy" . . . more details coming in the near future!

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

January 28, 2026 at 12 midnite is the last day to be guaranteed an event shirt with your registration to run or walk.

A 1K walk route will be marked; however walkers are free to choose their distance between the 1K or 5K routes. 

Runners Start: 8:00 am.  

Walkers Start: 8:15 am.

Runners/Walkers under age 8 can participate in the run/walk FREE of charge.  

Packet Pick-Up date/time and location TBA.

A water station will be located at the 1.50 mile marker of the 5K run and water will also be handed out at the Finish Line.  Walkers, please bring your own water to enjoy along your walk route.

Timing provided by Beach Bum Timing (www.beachbumtiming.com). 

Leashed dogs are permitted in accordance with park rules; NON-retractable leashes are preferred please for the safety of both pets and people in and around the event area and start/finish line.

CAUTION: the race route will take you into the natural area of the park. Trails are maintained but preserved in a natural state.  You may find uneven surfaces, leaves, branches, roots and other elements typical of this type of environment. "Caution-Tree Roots" signs will be posted along the trails as a reminder. Please wear appropriate closed-toe footwear and exercise outdoor-activity caution.  

Post-race snacks and beverages and information booths by some of our area's other environmental groups will be on hand for your enjoyment and learning while you rest after crossing the finish line and while you wait for award winners to be announced.

As we've done at prior races, a silent auction of a wide variety of items will be held on site the morning of the race, your presence is not required to be the winning bidder on any item; we will call/text you. We will accept cash, check, credit cards and Venmo.

A 50/50 raffle will also be held again! 1 ticket for $5 - 5 tickets for $10 and arm's length for $20.

ABOUT THE PARK:

Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park, formerly known as Oyster Creek Regional Park, has 315.6 acres of land, 50 acres for active use, 120 acres of environmental land, and 36 acres north of the creek. The park was built in 2007 and funded by 1998 Sales Tax, 2002 Sales Tax, Parks and Rec Impact Fees, the Florida Communities Trust Grant, and the Recreation Trails Program Grant.

The Oyster Creek Waterfront Trail connects the Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park with Cedar Point Environmental Park. The trail allows unfettered access to both parks, providing trail users the opportunity to experience both parks’ marine life, water fowl and flora from a unique perspective by allowing them to traverse Oyster Creek under SR 775. The trail can be accessed by either the Oyster Creek Environmental Park or Cedar Point Environmental Park.

WHY SUPPORT THIS RACE?

We truly ARE in a race to conserve. More than 1,000 people are now moving to Florida each and every day and hundreds to thousands of acres of land are being completely clear cut and scraped away, not just locally in our neighborhoods, but Statewide, to accommodate our growing population daily; this displaces and threatens the very being of our wildlife, endangered species, native plants and trees at the same time. Slowly but surely, our local natural biodiversity is being erased.

All of the trees and plants you will see in the natural areas of the park are examples of those being removed in our neighborhoods daily to make way for development. Few to none are saved/protected or planted back when development is complete.

We hope that in visiting this natural park you will be inspired to learn more about nature in your neighborhood and how you can protect undeveloped land, or restore some of your own yard back to a more natural state by planting back native trees and plants or conserve native trees or plants if you are planning to build a home.  

ABOUT US:

As of 9/5/2025 we have acquired and permanently protected 48 parcels across North Port and several areas of Charlotte County (Englewood, South Gulf Cove, Port Charlotte and Harbour Heights). See our website for all parcel details/locations (www.ecnorthport.com).

Proceeds from this event will be utilized toward future land acquisition purchases. 

If you'd like to provide the gift of an additional donation in support of our mission as well, please also visit the Donate tab of this website.

We are not against residential development; all of our Board Members and volunteers live in homes too.  We just believe that nature can remain where it has for decades while people move in around it; we can co-exist!

Volunteer opportunities with us can be found on our website: https://ecnorthport.com/volunteer%2Fevent-calendar

The Environmental Conservancy of North Port, Inc. dba The Environmental Conservancy of North Port And Surrounding Areas is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation. WE SAVE NEIGHBORHOOD NATURE.  Tax ID Number 84-4132468. To learn more about us visit our website www.ecnorthport.com find us on Instagram @npconservancy or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ECnorthport.