Tybee Island Marine Science Center Podcast

Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network

Welcome to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center Podcast - an authentic Coastal experience. Join us in developing caring and responsible protection of Coastal Georgia’s natural resources. Together through education and conservation, we can make a difference.

  1. 3d ago

    Native Plants, Pollinators, and Recycled-Material Art with Lisa D. Watson

    Host Jessica Leigh Lebos is in the Ship Watch Loft at Tybee Island Marine Science Center with artist and landscape architect Lisa D. Watson of Planet Green Design LLC, who uses salvaged materials in her art and promotes sustainable landscaping with native plants.  Watson shares her early connection to nature, how suburban lawn culture and retail nurseries contributed to invasive species, and defines invasives as exotics that harm native ecosystems, citing nandina (heavenly bamboo) and its toxic berries linked to eastern waxwing deaths. She recommends native alternatives such as wax myrtle, yaupon holly, inkberry, and chokeberry, and discusses conserving pollinators by avoiding leaf blowers and keeping fallen leaves as mulch to protect overwintering insects like fireflies and swallowtails.  The conversation also covers her exhibitions (including “Fur, Feathers, and Familiars”), pitcher plant–inspired work from protected South Carolina sites, her in-progress book “Wild for Wildscapes,” and her advice to convert 10% of a yard into native habitat.   Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode: Follow Tybee Marine Science on Instagram   Where's Westie UPDATES   What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Resources: Become a MEMBER Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Partnership and Donation Opportunities Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network   FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:48 Meet Lisa Watson 01:49 Eco Hero Origins 03:50 Native Plant Basics 04:15 Invasives Explained 06:09 Better Plant Choices 08:13 Leaves Not Blowers 11:11 Pollinator Garden Talk 12:23 Milkweed And More 14:45 Pivot To Artwork 15:12 Fur Feathers Show 17:14 Fragile Habitats Inspo 18:36 Roadside Ecosystems 19:05 Mosquito Control Debate 19:56 Roadside Ditch Exhibit 20:35 Wild for Wildscapes Book 22:09 Why Plant Natives 24:13 Native Plants in Public Spaces 24:52 Tybee Berm Success Story 26:59 Propagation and Where to See Natives 28:12 Art vs Gardening Balance 30:21 Seed Packet Greeting Cards 31:05 Easy Steps to Start Today 32:10 Marine Science Center Closing

  2. Sep 17

    Tybee Oyster Company’s Laura Solomon on Oyster Mariculture, Restoration, and Eco Georgia

    Jessica Leigh Lebos hosts the Tybee Island Marine Science Center podcast and interviews Laura Solomon, co-founder of Tybee Oyster Company, about their floating oyster farm in the Bull River near Wilmington Island and how it produces salty, consistent oysters for Tybee, Savannah and other restaurants in the region.   Solomon explains year-round harvesting through refrigeration, food-safety cold chain practices, and keeping oysters submerged and shaded in summer, along with Georgia’s recent regulatory framework for oyster mariculture and oversight by DNR, Department of Agriculture, Army Corps, Coast Guard, and NOAA. She describes the farm’s seed-to-harvest process (including a FLUPSY nursery), culling for quality, and the ecological role of oysters as keystone species.   The conversation covers oyster-history on the Georgia coast, shell recycling and restoration with partners like Shell to Shore, and Tybee Oyster Company’s nonprofit Eco Georgia (started in 2024) which works with eight schools on oyster education, advocacy, and student projects. Solomon also previews Eco Georgia’s Nov. 8 oyster festival fundraiser at Starland Yard featuring Georgia-grown oysters, local chefs, and beverage partners, and discusses scaling challenges, storm impacts, and her preferred way to eat oysters.   Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode: Follow Tybee Marine Science on Instagram   Where's Westie UPDATES   What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Resources: Become a MEMBER Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Partnership and Donation Opportunities Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network   FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:30 Where the Farm Lives 02:26 Year Round Oyster Safety 03:37 Permits and Regulators 04:57 Farm Gear and Nursery 06:25 Perfect Oyster Process 07:27 Oysters as Community 09:48 Restoration and History 14:30 ECO Schools Program 17:33 Georgia Oyster Festival 19:31 Scaling and Storms 23:00 Marsh Challenges and Terroir 25:19 How Laura Eats Oysters 26:14 Closing and Membership

  3. Sep 3

    Green Drinks Savannah, Thrifting, and Simple Sustainable Living with Brooke Chase

    Welcome to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center podcast, recorded in the Ship Watch Loft. On this episode, host Jessica Leigh Lebos welcomes Brooke Chase, host of the Simply B. Sustainable Podcast and co-organizer of Green Drinks Savannah, a monthly gathering (second Tuesday at 6:00) for ecologically minded community and action.   Chase shares how she and Chloe revived Green Drinks after reconnecting with a former organizer and describes the event’s growth and rotating locations and topics, including an upcoming Forsyth Park tree walk.   She discusses her lifelong drive to reduce waste, emphasizing that imperfect efforts by many matter more than perfection by a few, and frames consumer choices as “money is your vote.” Practical tips include “refuse, repair, reduce, reuse, recycle,” avoiding plastic and styrofoam, composting (highlighting Core Compost), using ABC Glass recycling in Thunderbolt, buying secondhand via Goodwill, Facebook Marketplace, and Buy Nothing, and creating native pollinator gardens. They also note concerns about AI’s water and energy impacts.   Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode: Follow Tybee Marine Science on Instagram   Where's Westie UPDATES   What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Resources: Become a MEMBER Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Partnership and Donation Opportunities Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network   FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Welcome to Tybee Podcast 00:37 Meet Brooke Chase 01:53 Reviving Green Drinks 04:58 Why Sustainability Matters 06:28 Small Choices Big Impact 09:40 Thrifting and Buy Nothing 11:57 Clothing Swaps and Waste 12:39 AI and Environmental Costs 14:42 Community Sustainability Partners 16:51 Easy Sustainable Habits 19:07 Hope and Learning Together 20:57 Next Green Drinks Details 22:26 Final Tips and Farewell 23:45 Science Center Closing Message

  4. Aug 20

    Port Growth, Trash Traps, and River Protection with Savannah Riverkeeper’s Cloe LeMaire

    Host Jessica Leigh Lebos sits down at the Tybee Island Marine Science Center with Cloe LeMaire, an environmental scientist and the Savannah Reuse System Outreach Coordinator for Savannah Riverkeeper. They dive deep into the major pressures currently facing the Savannah River, from port-driven growth to the rapid explosion of regional warehouses. What We Cover in This Episode The Warehouse Boom & Public Data: Cloe walks through a public GIS dashboard built alongside 100 Miles and Ogeechee Riverkeeper that tracks developers, permits, square footage, and timelines—with expansion plans heading into South Carolina. Trash Traps & Brand Data: Discover how 12 NOAA-funded trash traps installed since 2024 are capturing stormwater litter and tracking specific brand data, revealing a heavy footprint of takeout-related styrofoam. Reusables & AI Data Centers: Cloe shares updates on designing an open-loop reusable cup system for Savannah and discusses the delicate organizing happening around a proposed AI data center along the river. River Science & Restoration: The conversation rounds out with a look at ongoing oyster research, baseline water-quality monitoring supporting the restoration of river cutoff bends, and upcoming channel deepening and widening proposals. Get Involved Cloe invites listeners to join Savannah Riverkeeper, make use of their community reporting tools, and roll up their sleeves for a cleanup at Lake Mayer Park on September 12th. Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode: Tybee Island Maritime Academy   Follow Tybee Marine Science on Instagram   Where's Westie UPDATES   What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Resources: Become a MEMBER Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Partnership and Donation Opportunities Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network

  5. Aug 6

    Beyond the Classroom: Experiential Learning at Tybee Island Maritime Academy

    Host Jessica Leigh Lebos welcomes Tybee Island Maritime Academy science teacher and assistant principal Katie Holliday to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center podcast to discuss TIMA’s place-based, maritime-centered K–8 curriculum and daily experiential learning on Tybee’s beach and marshes.   Recorded from the Ship Watch Loft at Tybee Island Marine Science Center.    Holliday explains TIMA is a lottery-based charter school within Savannah-Chatham County Public School System that integrates STEAM through project/problem-based learning and community partnerships, including a NOAA Ocean Guardian native plant garden planted at the Marine Science Center with support from All The Buzz nursery. They highlight TIMA’s MATE ROV robotics program (earning high-school engineering credit) and a recent second-place finish.   Holiday shares her 17-year teaching journey and stewardship goals, discusses the school’s purchase of the former Thunderbolt Elementary to potentially expand beyond Tybee, notes TIMA’s established cellphone collection policy, and outlines thoughtful approaches to student AI use and STEAM recertification.   Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode: Tybee Island Maritime Academy   Follow Tybee Marine Science on Instagram   Where's Westie UPDATES   What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Resources: Become a MEMBER Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Partnership and Donation Opportunities Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network

  6. Jul 23

    Turtles and Tide: A Deep Dive with the Caretta Research Project

    Host Jessica Leigh Lebos records the Tybee Island Marine Science Center podcast from the Ship Watch loft and interviews Kristen Zemaitis, a biologist with the Caretta Research Project, a nonprofit loggerhead sea turtle research program on Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge that has monitored nesting for 54 years.   Zemaitis explains how saturation tagging shows individual females can lay up to eight nests per season about two weeks apart, and discusses natal homing, genetics work with UGA and building paternal family trees from embryo DNA.   She describes night patrol fieldwork from May–August using volunteer teams, data collection (measurements, PIT/metal tags, blood/skin/cloacal samples, one egg per nest), nest relocation and predator screens, and challenges like heat, bugs, storms, coyotes, and alligators. The episode covers nesting cycles, TED impacts, satellite tagging, volunteer registration, fundraising, and education outreach.   Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode: Follow Tybee Marine Science on Instagram   Where's Westie UPDATES   What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Resources: Become a MEMBER Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Partnership and Donation Opportunities Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network

  7. Jul 9

    Coastal Ocean Physics, Hurricanes, and Right Whales with Dr. Catherine Edwards

    Host Jessica Leigh Lebos welcomes Dr. Catherine Edwards, a coastal physical oceanographer and professor at UGA’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, to discuss how coastal ocean physics shapes ecosystems and forecasting.   Edwards describes her path from music and Spanish into applied physics and oceanography, and explains her work measuring temperature, salinity, density, tides, waves, and currents across Georgia’s wide continental shelf using research vessels, seafloor instruments, and autonomous gliders. She connects coastal processes to carbon export and sequestration, the Gulf Stream’s influence, and why real-time glider profiles improve hurricane intensity forecasts, including rapid intensification risk.   Edwards also details using quiet gliders with hydrophones to detect North Atlantic right whale calls, confirm detections with analysts, and send alerts through NOAA to tools like Whale Alert and Whale Map to help slow ships. The conversation includes river-driven events like undammed flood pulses reaching Gray’s Reef and a myth-busting aside about toilet swirl direction.   Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode: Follow Tybee Marine Science on Instagram   Where's Westie UPDATES   What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Resources: Become a MEMBER Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Partnership and Donation Opportunities Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network   FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Welcome to Tybee Podcast 01:01 Meet Dr Edwards 01:38 Path Into Oceanography 04:22 Coastal Physics Explained 05:45 Tools and Measurements 07:30 El Nino and Carbon 11:10 Hurricanes and Heat 12:18 Gliders and Right Whales 16:38 Whale Alerts to Mariners 18:25 Radars and Rescue 20:16 Defining Local Waters 21:37 Rivers and Flood Pulses 24:38 Altamaha Flood at Grays Reef 27:54 Do Oceans Really Mix 30:39 Gulf Stream Basics 32:54 Myths and Wrap Up 33:38 Next Tropical Research 36:37 Thanks and Membership

  8. Jun 25

    Sea Turtles, Terrapins, and Lionfish: Dr. Kathryn Craven on Coastal Georgia Conservation

    Host Jessica Leigh Lebos welcomes Dr. Kathryn Craven, a Georgia Southern University professor, Tybee Marine Science Center board trustee, and researcher known for work with loggerhead sea turtles and diamondback terrapins.   Craven shares her path from growing up near the Northeast coast to landing a sea turtle research job on Jekyll Island in 1991, including renewing flipper-tagging efforts. She discusses Georgia nesting-season monitoring, increasing loggerhead nest numbers linked to conservation measures such as shrimp fishery regulations and beach protections, and emerging challenges like rising coyote predation, plus mitigation using nest screening and predator control (including feral hogs).   Craven highlights research on nest microbiomes (fungi and bacteria) and findings that most unhatched eggs show fertility. She explains the TERPS head-start program incubating terrapin eggs and releasing hatchlings to offset female road mortality on Highway 80. The conversation also covers teaching evolution misconceptions through student drawing, earlier humpback whale work on bubble-net feeding, and new collaborative DNA-based lionfish research tied to lionfish rodeos and outreach.   Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode: Follow Tybee Marine Science on Instagram   Where's Westie UPDATES   What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Resources: Become a MEMBER Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center Partnership and Donation Opportunities Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network   FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Welcome to the Podcast 00:42 Meet Dr Craven 01:42 Coastal Roots and Mentors 04:27 Finding Turtles in Georgia 06:46 Nesting Patrols and Tracks 08:22 Conservation Wins and Predators 10:49 Protecting Nests on Islands 13:06 Microbes Inside Turtle Nests 17:33 Terrapin Season and TERPS 19:04 Head Start Hatchlings Program 21:57 Terrapin History and Turtle Soup 23:27 Teaching Evolution Through Art 28:23 Whales and Bubble Net Feeding 32:20 Lionfish Invasion Research 37:38 Wrap Up and Support the Center 38:53 Membership and Programs Outro

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

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Welcome to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center Podcast - an authentic Coastal experience. Join us in developing caring and responsible protection of Coastal Georgia’s natural resources. Together through education and conservation, we can make a difference.

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