“Prescribed Burns Management” (04/29/2023)
Guest Speaker: Laura Greeno, Lee County Parks and Recreation

Laura Greeno has worked on conservation lands for 20 years with Lee County and is a Florida certified prescribed burn manager. Laura graduated from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse, NY. 

The topic for this program:  Prescribed burn planning and implementation as well as why it is imperative fire be utilized as a management tool.

“State of the Slough” (03/22/2023)
Guest Speaker: Rick Bauer, Supervisor, Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Rick Bauer is the supervisor at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. He comes to the slough from his position of two years as a land stewardship coordinator for Conservation 2020 in Lee County.

Rick has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Davidson College and a Master of Science in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development from the University of Georgia. Rick’s experience ranges from attaching GPS loggers to mature crocodiles in Costa Rica to surveying alligator nests in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. Prior to that he pursued his alligator research work on Jekyll Island at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. He has also had varied education opportunities with snakes, turtles, lizards, mammals, and birds.

“Mushrooms, Identification, Biology and Uses.” (02/22/2023)
Guest Speaker: David Outerbridge, UF/IFAS Extension Lee County

David Outerbridge works for UF/IFAS Extension Lee County in Sustainable Food Systems and Natural Resources. His programs educate on food production, business development, community resource development, natural resources, and localized food systems.

“Wildlife and Hurricanes: the good, the bad and the ugly!” (01/25/2023). Guest Speakers: Dr. Win Everham and Sam Walch, Jr., Florida Gulf Coast University, Water School

Dr. Edwin "Win" Everham is a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in the Department of Ecology and Environmental Studies. His research interest is unraveling how ecosystems respond to disturbance events. These disturbances vary from those that have occurred through evolutionary time: hurricanes, fires, flood/droughts, and those driven by humans: invasive species, human development, climate change, and restoration. This work is focused on southwest Florida but involves a variety of ecosystems and taxa.

Sam Walch, Jr. has a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from FGCU. He gives tours through various sites of historic or ecological significance for University Colloquium students and community members. He assisted in invasive species removal efforts on campus.

This program will be interactive and ask for audience participation with their experiences during hurricanes. Participants are invited to research on how wildlife responds to natural disasters and share their findings.

Birds of the Slough (04/27/22)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Jose Padilla-Lopez, Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Bird Patrol

Dr. Jose Padilla-Lopez, a Lee County pediatrician and ardent birder, has traveled to Europe, Asia, Africa, and throughout the Americas in search of birds. Dr. Padilla-Lopez is a pediatrician who moved here from Puerto Rico in 1991. He liked nature photography and, in his spare time, would come to places like the Slough to take pictures (that was before digital). He started identifying the birds that showed up in the pictures, soon got binoculars, left the camera home, started keeping lists, buying bird books, and became a birder. He returned to Puerto Rico yearly with a new interest in learning about the island's birds and the Caribbean. In 2008 he visited Cuba, the first of many birding trips out of the United States. By then, digital photography had grown up, and he started combining photography and birding. He became part of Lee County Bird Patrol, a group of volunteers who do bird census in Lee County Conservation 20/20 properties. His Bird Patrol reporting area is the Slough. He wanted to increase the interest in birding to youngsters and started doing bird walks for youth about five years ago. Eventually, the walks were opened for all over eight years old. He has a steady stream of satisfied customers. The walks are at 8 AM EVERY Second Saturday from October to April. He still is working, and hopefully, he will do more bird walks when he retires.

State of the Slough (03/23/22)
Guest Speaker: Rick Bauer, Supervisor, Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Rick Bauer is the new supervisor at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. He comes to the Slough from his position of two years as a land stewardship coordinator for Conservation 2020 in Lee County.

Rick has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Davidson College and a Master of Science in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development from the University of Georgia.

Rick’s experience ranges from attaching GPS loggers to mature crocodiles in Costa Rica to surveying alligator nests in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. Prior to that, he pursued his alligator research work on Jekyll Island at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. He has also had varied education opportunities with snakes, turtles, lizards, mammals, and birds.

Water Issues and the Florida Gulf Coast University Water School (02/23/22)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Win Everham, Florida Gulf Coast University, Water School

Dr. Edwin "Win" Everham is a professor at FGCU in the Department of Ecology and Environmental Studies. His research interest is unraveling how ecosystems respond to disturbance events. These disturbances vary from those that have occurred through evolutionary time: hurricanes, fires, flood/droughts, and those driven by humans: invasive species, human development, climate change, and restoration. This work is focused on southwest Florida but involves a variety of ecosystems and taxa.

Your Florida Panther (01/26/2022)
Guest Speaker: Adrienne Martin, Program Specialist, Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Before joining the Slough family, Adrienne worked as the Outreach Ranger for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Florida Panther and Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuges. She has a background in nonprofit management and environmental education, working with both exotic and native wildlife in Florida, Tennessee, and Arizona. She has lived in southwest Florida for the past two years working and volunteering with private, government, and NGO groups focused on the conservation and management of southwest Florida ecosystems.

Water Quality: Problems and Prospects for Southwest Florida (04/28/2021)
Guest Speaker: John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper

 John’s professional career as an ecologist started here in Lee County in 1978 after receiving degrees in Biology and Fish and Wildlife.  From 1978 to 2014, he worked as a resource manager for local government, managing waterways of Southwest Florida.  He has authored both peer-reviewed scientific publications and popular media sources on resource management, history, and water policy and conservation issues.  John is a courtesy faculty member at FGCU in the Department of Marine and Ecological Sciences with research interests in the areas of exotic species and biodiversity.  His service on advisory boards, his recognition from various civic groups, Including the Florida Audubon Society, Estero Bay Agency on Bay Management, Lee County Government, the Everglades Coalition, the American Fisheries Society, and the Alberta provincial government.  Due to John’s expertise as a fisheries scientist and water manager, he has been sought out as a consultant to private industry, government and academia.  In December 2016, John accepted the position of Calusa Waterkeeper, a member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance.

The State of the Slough (03/24/2021)
Guest Speaker: Roxanne Taylor

Guest speaker Roxanne Taylor is a Lee County Parks & Recreation/Conservation Lands, Land Stewardship Coordinator. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Central Florida and a Master’s degree in Environmental Management form Portland State University.  She is a Professional Wetland Scientist and a Certified Ecologist.  Roxanne previously worked at the South Florida Water Management District for more than 10 years as an environmental analyst and project manager.  She has experience in wetland enhancement, restoration, mitigation and creation.

Roxanne joined Conservation 20/20 in 2018 as a land stewardship coordinator.  In this role, she is responsible for the management of several preserves, including writing management plans, conducting ecological assessments, participating in prescribed burns, managing exotic removal, and habitat improvement projects.

Weather of South West Florida: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (02/24/2021)
Guest Speaker: Jason Dunning, NBC2 Meteorologist, Fort Myers

Jason Dunning is a Florida native, growing up in the small town of Palatka along the St. Johns River in northeast Florida. He fell in love with weather at a very young age.  When he was in middle school, Jason used his mom’s video camera to tape his own weather segments, featuring hand drawn maps and screenshots from the Weather Channel.  After rounding up a few other neighborhood kids to record news and sports, he would deliver copies of the “Neighborhood News” to every house on the block.  Jason’s passion for broadcasting and meteorology led him to the University of Florida where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunication.

Jason then studied meteorology at Mississippi State University and received his Master’s Degree in 2009. Before moving back to Florida, Jason worked as the morning and noon meteorologist at WCBI-TV in Columbus, Mississippi.  During his last week on the job in Columbus, Jason covered the historic tornado disaster of April 27, 2011, a day he will never forget.

In his presentation he covers the weather in South West Florida. He addresses the wet and dry season and their impact on water levels. He more specifically makes us discover the “Ugly” part of SW Florida’s weather - “hurricanes”.

Virtual Photo Contest Winners Ceremony (02/16/2021)

The Friends Photo Contest was once more a huge success with 76 contestants. The winners were honored during a Virtual Ceremony, in which their stunning pictures were revealed. Winners were announced for different categories: Animals, Birds, Plants & Landscapes, Youth, and Staff.

Florida Woodpeckers: Adaptations, Ecology and Conservation (01/27/2021)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Jerry Jackson

Dr. Jerome A. Jackson is Professor Emeritus of Ecological Sciences and former Whitaker Eminent Scholar in Science at Florida Gulf Coast University, Professor Emeritus at Mississippi State University. He is the author “In Search of the Ivory Woodpecker”, one of 24 books he authored. Amongst many interesting researches and projects he served on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and South Florida Ecosystems Endangered Species Recovery Teams and on the national Invasive Species Advisory Committee. He makes us discover nine Florida woodpecker species of which one being presumed extinct. He discusses their extraordinary adaptations, their distinct habitats, and the conservation challenges that some species are facing.

Photography at the Slough (11/18/2020)
Guest Speaker: Geoff Coe

Guest Speaker Geoff Coe, professional nature photographer. He is the owner of Wild Images Florida and workshop leader since 2005. He is a Slough volunteer that leads walks as well as utilizes viewing scopes at various locations at the Slough for the visitors. Geoff has been shooting images at the Slough for 15 years, several of which have won awards in national nature photography contests. His presentation and in-depth discussion of his Slough images provides tips for improving your photography at the Slough and anywhere that you are photographing nature's beauty. In addition, he provides tips on submitting entries for the annual Friends of the Slough Photo Contest.