Gulf Coast Life

While the term “Underground Railroad” is probably most associated with enslaved people fleeing to free northern states and Canada in the 19th century, there was actually a less formal southern-bound route and destination centuries earlier. We learn about this overlooked aspect of North American history with a woman who gives talks through the Florida Humanities Speakers Bureau. She'll be giving a talk on this topic on Thursday, June 18 in Fort Lauderdale.

The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum and Aquarium on Sanibel has been a fixture on the island since it opened in 1995. Its story began in the 1980s when a local shell collector named Charlene McMurphy provided some seed funding, and then a nonprofit was formed to begin raising funds and attention. In 1989, three local brothers deeded eight acres on Sanibel Captiva Road to the Museum to memorialize their parents, Frank P. Bailey and Annie Mead Matthews and the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum officially opened to the public in 1995. A year later, Dr. Jose Leal came onboard as Executive Director — he held that role for 17 years before becoming Science Director and Curator. He plans to retire, so we invited him in to chat about his career and the work he does.

Back in the 1990s, as the southwest Florida population grew, it became apparent that local water bodies and waterways were being impacted — and impaired — by nutrient pollution. So, in the late 2000s several local governments began implementing ordinances that prohibited the application of lawn fertilizer during the rainy season, which generally speaking runs from June first through September or so. We learn about Lee County’s ordinance, and the importance of complying with these rules to benefit our waters and ecosystems.

The GUIDE program provides respite, care coordination, and other services at no cost to Medicare beneficiaries with dementia.

ChatGPT and the other Large Language Models (LLMs) that have followed started off as chatbots that were pretty good at writing. But it quickly became apparent that that kind of use was just the tip of the iceberg. The nonprofit Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg has been training journalists, newsroom leaders, and media executives since the mid 1970s. They offer seminars and coaching on the craft of reporting, as well as ethics, leadership, and digital adaptation — which of course now includes the use of Generative AI. We talk with a longtime journalist who is now a faculty member at Poynter to get some context on the nexus between Generative AI and journalism.

Diane Devereuax grew up in Michigan and has been growing and preserving food since she was a kid. She’s known as ‘The Canning Diva’ and is author of seven cookbooks, and she’s an internationally recognized food preservation expert, television presenter, and instructor. Ms. Devereaux recently transplanted to Southwest Florida, so we invited her into the studio to talk about her latest book, “From Seed to Table: a comprehensive guide to gardening, preserving, and cooking for sustainable living.”

As generative AI continues its meteoric and disruptive rise a recent controversy emerged around a novel called “Shy Girl.” It is the first known instance of a major publisher canceling a book due to suspected AI generation. After cancelling the U.S. release, Hachette Book Group issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to "original creative expression" and noted that authors are required to disclose any use of AI. Our guest says the "Shy Girl" story is just the tip of the iceberg and that he knows of major publishers that accept manuscripts they suspect contain AI-generated text and simply edits them so it’s not obvious. We talk with Joshua Lisec to get some clarity on where AI is finding its way into publishing, and what U.S. Copyright Law has to say about it.

In this episode, we are talking with professionals who work with children in Collier County. When children have been traumatized, these professionals help to shield them from further trauma.

Schools are letting out and summer is fast-approaching so many parents are considering activities for their kids to experience over the break. We meet the Education Manager at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary to learn about their Summer Adventure Camp and other nature experiences at the sanctuary. And we meet two Corkscrew summer camp alumni, aged 11 and 14, to get their perspectives.

Governor Ron DeSantis, on Monday, signed into law Florida’s new congressional district map approved by the state legislature in last week’s special session. Just hours later, lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the new map were filed. FGCU Political Science Professor Sandra Pavelka, Ph.D., and UCF Political Science Professor Aubrey Jewett, Ph.D., weigh in on what this means for candidates and voters, and what’s next for the Florida legislature.