“If you watch nature you realize that me and you are just part of a system. You know, we are no more important or less important than any other animal… We just happen to have the tools and the brain power to control and overrule all the rest of them.

And so we have a stewardship responsibility not to destroy our whole earth. And greed drives us as humans to where we have a tendency to say the hell with everything else, you have to get out of my way, this is what I’m doing. It's kind of like you’re screwing up your own house”

Bob Richardson

August 18, 1938 – March 29, 2025 .

Though we’re deeply saddened to have lost a longtime advocate and supporter of Myakka, it is with great gratitude that we pay our respects and celebrate the extremely meaningful life and impact of Robert (Bob) Allen Richardson.

As co-founder of Friends of Myakka River - and its president for many year - as well as the key driving force behind Myakka’s beloved Canopy Walkway (the first public treetop trail in North America), Bob’s legacy of environmental stewardship, education and advocacy lives on in Myakka River State Park and beyond.

To honor Bob's memory, get out and share Myakka's Magic: Take someone on a hike in the park and enjoy its grandeur. See how many birds you can spot on the banks of the Upper Lake. Scale the Canopy Walkway Tower and appreciate the spectacular view of treetops, wetlands and the prairie/hammock interface that is the epitome of Wild Florida. And to protect Myakka's Magic, speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves.