land. water. wildlife‪.‬ SCCF

Complementing our previous episode on the Everglades, this podcast focuses on the concept of coastal resilience and its importance in Florida in the face of changing natural and human-driven conditions. The discussion evolves to explore how the Everglades can be viewed through a resilience lens, and why the vast wetland ecosystem is a key component to the future environmental health of the state.

Guests include SCCF Coastal Resilience Manager Carrie Schuman, PhD, and SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis.

SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis and Policy Intern Katie Gretter explore the connection between Everglades restoration and water quality. Hosted by SCCF Communications & Marketing Manager Denise Blough, the conversation delves deeply into how vital restoring the River of Grass is to the health of our waters.

Scientists from the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF)'s Sea Turtle Program, including Coastal Wildlife Director Kelly Sloan, Research Associate Andrew Glinsky, and Biologist Jack Brzoza share highlights of the 2020 nesting season.

As part of the SCCF team for the past three seasons, the trio talk about how this record-breaking nesting season compared to the previous two summers, which saw record-breaking hatchlings in 2019 and record-breaking fatalities due to the catastrophic red tide in 2018.

They also re-cap some of the most memorable aspects of 2020, including numerous records broken by loggerheads and leatherbacks as well as the challenges of COVID-19 and major media attention. The team explains how SCCF's program relies upon more than 100 community volunteers and the cooperation of residents, visitors in businesses in making our beaches sea turtle friendly. And, you'll learn about their backgrounds and what drove their interest in working with sea turtles.

As the rainy season ends, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to release harmful volumes of freshwater from Lake Okeechobee down the Caloosahatchee River into our estuary for the first time since June. SCCF Marine Lab Director Dr. Eric Milbrandt and SCCF Environmental Policy Director James Evans join Host Barbara Linstrom to explain why scientists are recommending that water managers hold off on any releases for a couple of weeks until the watershed runoff from recent rains slows down.  They also talk about the research SCCF’s Marine Lab does that informs weekly reports and recommendations provided to water managers and how our water quality has benefitted from those reports. From a policy perspective, Evans also talks about how positive it was that the Corps held off on any releases during this year's rainy season. They also explain how releases during the upcoming dry season will benefit the estuary.

Click here to sign up for SCCF’s weekly Caloosahatchee & Estuary Conditions Report.

**Please note that this podcast is produced on our phones from our homes to ensure safe, social distancing. This recording has a bit of a sync issue. (We really didn't talk over each other as it sounds.)

Shorebird Biologist Audrey Albrecht joins host Barbara Linstrom to talk about the highlights of the 2020 Shorebird Nesting Season on Sanibel and North Captiva Islands. As the leader of SCCF’s Shorebird Monitoring Program that began in 2002, Albrecht reflects on what an unusual season the summer of 2020 was compared to her previous four summers.

She also shares her experiences working with plovers and least terns in the prairies of the Dakotas and Nebraska before coming to SCCF and how that helps her more fully understand these species. Albrecht also explains why our islands are such critical nesting habitat for snowy plovers, Wilson's plovers, and least terns, as well as the threats they encounter. And, she explains why SCCF has enhanced overall shorebird monitoring efforts on our beaches since 2017. 

Since it’s the time of year when red tide typically blooms offshore, we asked SCCF Marine Lab Director Eric Milbrandt, Ph.D., and Research Scientist Rick Bartleson, Ph.D., to explain what we can expect this fall.

They discuss the seasonal dynamics of red tide and monitoring efforts by the lab to track it once it is detected offshore. The conversation also includes an in-depth explanation of Karenia brevis, the dinoflagellate that causes red tides, and their historical occurrence off the Southwest Florida coast.

They also talk about red tide research the lab is assisting with related to sea turtles and what you can do in your own backyard to help prevent harmful algal blooms such as red tide.