Land Protection

Ray Vinson

Ray Vinson joined Big Waters as Land Stewardship Manager in November 2025.  He grew up in Tampa, spending time with his family in beautiful places like Cayo Costa and Myakka River State Park.  After graduating from University of South Florida with a bachelor’s in environmental science and policy he joined Florida State Parks AmeriCorps, where … Read more

Esmeralda Figueras

Esmeralda joined Big Waters in August 2022 as a Land Steward. She works with our land stewardship manager, Lee Amos, to conserve and steward land across Southwest Florida. Born and raised in Manatee county, Esmeralda ventured to the far northern reaches of North Carolina to earn a degree in Environmental Science & Policy at Duke … Read more