land. water. wildlife.

SCCF's policy team answers the Top Ten questions they are most commonly asked about the Caloosahatchee estuary. Their discussion includes answers to these questions and more.Why do we even want any flows from Lake Okeechobee?Why does the estuary require a specific salinity balance?How do lake management decisions and watershed runoff impact that balance?How are indicator species used to monitor estuary health?How do too high (or low) of flows stress the estuary?What projects exist to improve the health of the estuary? Subscribe to our Weekly Water Conditions Tracker to receive updates every Friday on the current state of our waters. We also provide a weekly Caloosahatchee Conditions Report on Wednesdays that is fed by data from our Marine Lab's RECON.Email us at info@sccf.org with your questions!

Learn all about SCCF's Coastal Watch program with Policy Associate Allie Pecenka and Coastal Watch Director Kealy Pfau. Each season, Coastal Watch engages hundreds of volunteers, who help us restore oyster and mangrove habitat, clean our beaches, replant native marshes, and manage our preserve lands. Whether you're a visitor to Sanibel and Captiva, a permanent resident, or just passing through for the day, Coastal Watch has tons of opportunities to get involved in helping our environment. Pecenka and Pfau discuss the history of the program, the physical and mental health benefits of volunteering, and the importance of community-based restoration. They discuss the ups and downs of restoration through recent storm events, share exciting new opportunities to get involved in 2025-26, and highlight our Voluntourism program, which is engaging tourists to make a difference during their time on the islands.

SCCF Research Associate Mark Thompson joins Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis to talk about why Sanibel is holding more standing water than in pre-Ian times. The discussion focuses on the impacts that several significant storm surges have had on Sanibel's groundwater storage capacity. They also talk about the integral role vegetation plays through evapotranspiration in helping to move water off the island and how repeated hurricanes have altered that process.You'll also learn how planting native vegetation and creating tree canopies in your own backyard can help boost the island's evapotranspiration capacity.For the past 17 years, Thompson has studied freshwater systems on the islands at the SCCF ⁠⁠Marine Lab⁠⁠, conducting research and monitoring to assist the City of Sanibel with freshwater management.

The Environmental Policy team talks with Coastal Wildlife Director Kelly Sloan and Sea Turtle Biologist Jack Brzoza about coyotes on the islands and their impact on sea turtles. They discuss the state of coyote populations, the impacts they have on coastal wildlife, and methods used to deter them from sea turtle nest depredation.Learn more about SCCF's sea turtle program.Call our Sea Turtle Hotline at 978-728-3663 to report any issues with nests, nesting turtles, or hatchlings.

FOX-4 Meteorologist Andrew Shipley joins SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis to discuss forecasting technology for the 2025 hurricane season. They talk about the planned decommissioning of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and its potential impact on this season's hurricane forecasting, as well as its effects on long-term research initiatives. PLEASE NOTE: After the release of this episode, NOAA announced that the DMSP satellite data would remain available to hurricane forecasters.Special thanks to SCCF Policy interns Jill Blavet and Ellie Appelgren for contributing additional background research for this episode.

The SCCF environmental policy team discusses the global decline of insect biodiversity, the forces driving the decline, and the steps individuals and communities can take to counteract it, including policies that protect the environment. They also touch upon how the global decline relates to current perceptions of huge amounts of mosquitoes and no-see-ums on the islands.Visit SCCF's Native Landscapes & Garden Center to protect insect biodiversity by planting native.

On this episode, SCCF Environmental Policy Staff Matt DePaolis and Allie Pecenka discuss recent federal actions taken to move toward mining for materials from the deep sea floor. They discuss what these materials are, what drives the interest in their collection, and the widespread potential impacts from this type of mining to the oceans and systems above the surface.

SCCF's policy team discusses the environmental threats of global business models centered around the practices of fast fashion and "fast tech," and how to be a more conscious consumer in response. They also consider the massive, often undiscussed environmental impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) as its prevalence continues to grow in society.

SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis talks with SCCF Wildlife Biologist Mike Mills about invasive species. Their conversation explores what invasive species are, the threats associated with them, why Sanibel Island and Florida are so prone to invasives, and the many ethical and societal considerations inherent in different management approaches.

Heading into the 2025 hurricane season, it's more important than ever to understand the value of adaptation and mitigation, as well as how to effectively navigate data sources for accurate forecasts. SCCF's Environmental Policy team discusses how federal funding cuts may impact hurricane data and forecasting, the dangers of misinformation related to hurricane season, and how to identify credible sources for accurate forecasting. 

SCCF's Environmental Policy team discusses the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) proposed hunt on Florida black bears. Learn about the driving factors behind the proposition for a bear hunt, how the passage of Amendment 2 in Florida last year may be impacting it, and how a hunt would affect the current population of Florida black bears. Click here to comment on the FWC's proposed rules for a December 2025 black bear hunt that will be discussed at their May 21 meeting. Comments are due by 5 p.m. on May 16.

The SCCF Environmental Policy team discusses the history behind the creation of Earth Day, how it influenced the modern environmental movement, and some of the most powerful legislation born out of that movement that continues to protect the Earth today.

SCCF's environmental policy team reflects on their trip to Tallahassee for Everglades Action Day, where they met with local legislators to advocate for Everglades restoration. They also discuss updates on recent Everglades-related lawsuits.

SCCF's Environmental Policy team discusses the current Florida legislative session and why you should join them for Everglades Action Day, April 7-8, in Tallahassee.

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.