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land. water. wildlife.

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) connects you to nature through conversations with our scientists and educators who are dedicated to our mission to protect and care for Southwest Florida"s coastal ecosystems.

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All Episodes

00:19:51

Florida Legislative Update: Week 4

land. water. wildlife. ·

2026/02/10

In this episode, SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis breaks down key developments from Week 4 of Florida’s legislative session. Matt walks through updates on major bills moving through the Capitol, including the Florida Farm Bill, proposed legislation affecting data centers, conservation lands, and other environmental priorities. Tune in for a clear, timely overview of what’s happening in Tallahassee and what it could mean for Florida’s natural resources.

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00:19:29

Florida Legislative Update: Week 2

land. water. wildlife. ·

2026/01/27

In this episode, SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis breaks down the latest bills moving through Florida’s 2026 legislative session that could impact Southwest Florida’s land, water, and wildlife. Topics covered include community resilience, water quality, energy, and wetlands — with several bills continuing the concerning trend of statewide preemption that limits local decision-making.Stay informed with our Legislative Tracker and sign up for SCCF Action Alerts to take action on issues

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00:22:35

2026 Florida Legislative Session Begins

land. water. wildlife. ·

2026/01/13

Florida’s environment is on the line this legislative session, from water quality and resilience to single-use plastics and local governance. In this episode, SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis breaks down the kickoff of Florida's 2026 session, highlights key bills the policy team is tracking, and explores how they could shape the future of our state's natural world.Stay informed with our Legislative Tracker: https://sccf.org/legislativetracker/Sign up for SCCF Action Alerts:

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00:46:31

Ecosystems of the Gulf

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/12/30

In this episode, the SCCF policy team discusses a vast marine environment often observed from the surface but lesser known in its offshore reaches by many: the Gulf waters surrounding the state of Florida. They explore the Gulf’s wide range of ecosystems, its impressive biodiversity from shallow coastal waters to the deepest reaches, and the fascinating, quirky, and awe-inspiring elements that inspire advocacy to protect these waters from ongoing threats.Take action to protect the Gulf by submitting

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00:34:49

Sustainability Over the Holidays

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/12/16

In this episode, the SCCF Environmental Policy team explores why the holiday season, with all its joy, can also have unintended environmental impacts. They present simple tips to combat waste in terms of energy, travel, food choices, gift-giving, and more to have a more sustainable holiday season and New Year.

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00:28:16

How SB 180 Impacts Resilience Planning

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/12/10

SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis and Policy Associate Allie Pecenka discuss Senate Bill (SB) 180, a bill recently signed into law with harmful implications for local planning and resilience-building for communities in Florida. They talk about the origins of the bill and its predecessor, SB 250, the dangerous tone SB 180 sets for communities planning to increase their resilience, and what can be done to amend this restrictive legislation.

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00:36:31

Climate Change Theatre in SWFL

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/11/18

SCCF Environmental Policy Associate Allie Pecenka is joined by Players Circle Theater Co-Founder and Producing Director Carrie Lund Cacioppo and SCCF Adult Education Director Jenny Evans for an engaging discussion about the staging of several short plays locally through the worldwide Climate Change Theatre festival. Discover the inspiration behind the festival's creation, and why the time is now to advocate for our environment in the face of global stressors. You'll also learn about

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00:48:41

What to Expect: Legislative Session 2026

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/11/04

Matt and Allie from SCCF's environmental policy team discuss priorities for the upcoming 2026 Florida legislative session, which kicks off on Jan. 13. They also provide a lively and engaging backdrop on what's happening now as bills take shape in pre-session presentations by stakeholders at local delegation meetings.Their play-by-play continues with an explanation of how the Florida legislature functions during its 60-day session and how SCCF can help you follow along and take action when

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00:27:59

Shorebirds 101 & Nesting Season Recap

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/10/21

Environmental Policy Associate Allie Pecenka talks with Shorebird Biologist Audrey Albrecht about the history of ⁠⁠shorebird monitoring⁠⁠ at SCCF, current areas of focus within the program, and general shorebird and seabird ecology on the islands. Audrey also provides an overview of the recent shorebird nesting season, highlighting the most successful season for least terns on the Causeway since the 1990s. Their conversation also addresses large scale trends for shorebird populations, the biggest

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00:28:28

Why Conservation 20/20 is Critical for Lee County

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/10/07

SCCF's Environmental Policy team discusses the recent developments with Conservation 20/20 — Lee County’s environmentally sensitive land acquisition and management program that voters enacted through a 1996 referendum. In September, the Board of County Commissioners decided not to add funding to it in its 2025-26 budget despite a significant shortfall of the fund's required $40 million minimum balance.To date, more than 30,000 acres of conservation land have been protected through the

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00:34:41

Top Ten Questions about the Caloosahatchee Estuary

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/09/23

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

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00:46:23

Community-Based Restoration With SCCF's Coastal Watch

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/09/09

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

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00:52:50

How Repeated Storm Surges Have Led to More Standing...

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/08/26

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

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00:42:13

Coyotes & Sea Turtle Nest Depredation

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/08/12

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.

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00:45:06

Hurricane Forecasting Technology

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/07/29

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

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00:24:19

Global Loss of Insect Biodiversity

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/07/15

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.

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00:39:55

Deep Sea Mining

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/07/01

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.

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00:42:52

Conscious Consumption

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/06/17

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.

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00:58:11

Managing Invasive Species

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/06/03

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.

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00:47:11

Hurricane Season 2025: Adaptation, Mitigation &...

land. water. wildlife. ·

2025/05/20

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.

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37 results

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