Talk on the Wild Side

With more than 110,000 acres, the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve represents 40% of Collier County's shoreline. In her job, Jessica McIntosh, coastal training program coordinator, helps educate law enforcement officers, municipal staff, and key stakeholders about the state of the environment. She transitioned from a researcher to a trainer to connect people to the important scientific information they need to make important decisions on a local level.    Learn more online at www.RookeryBay.org.  

Growing up in a military family, Christian Spilker moved around frequently and often retreated to books during the transition. After a move to the midwest during the sixth grade, Spilker read Jacques Cousteau's first book and decided that he wanted to be a marine biologist. Now, he is the CEO of Land for Collier Enterprises. He manages a broad range of businesses engaged in real estate investment and development, agriculture, and private equity investments. 

Learn more at www.CollierEnterprises.com.

Eric Foht is the Natural Resources Director at Naples Botanical Garden. He developed a love for the environment as a child when he played outdoors and traveled with his family. He credits his deep connection with the environment for his passion to protect the environment. Foht believes that the beauty of the Naples Botanical Garden brings people in to learn more about the environment and cultivate their passions as well.

Learn more at www.NaplesGarden.org. 

In this episode, we explore careers in conservation from the team at Waste Management (WM). 

• Dawn McCormick, Director of Communications and Government Affairs at WM of Florida
• Liz Foeller, Area Environmental Protection Manager at WM
• Ryan Fowler, Senior Scientist at Atkins Global

With a shared passion for the environment, each of the panelists serves a unique role to help protect our natural world. Fowler says that if you are thinking about a career in conservation, take the time to explore the details and appreciate the environment around you. 

Learn more at www.WM.com. 

There is so much more than "farming" going on at Lipman Family Farms. According to Louis DeMaso, Soil Scientists are needed now more than ever. During his time studying environmental sciences at the University of Maryland, DeMaso realized there were many opportunities to support the environment through modernized agriculture practices. His career began as an intern with Lipman Family Farms and he now manages environmental sustainability on a national level. 

Learn more at www.lipmanfamilyfarms.com. 

Inspired by her father's work as a biologist, Kristin Eaton always knew that she wanted to do something in nature. She earned a degree in biology and joined the Environmental Services and Wildlife division at Florida Power & Light. Eaton manages projects throughout the state and is most excited about working to protect the state's manatees. 

Learn more at https://www.fpl.com/environment.html. 

From an early age, Charlette Roman grew to love the outdoors while she spent time with her mother in parks. In 2001, Roman retired from the U.S. Army as a Colonel and relocated to Marco Island, Florida.

In 2019, she was appointed by Governor DeSantis to The South Florida Water Management District, which encompasses two major watershed basins, the Okeechobee Basin and the Big Cypress Basin. Roman serves as the chair of the Big Cypress Basin Board.

Learn more at: www.SFWMD.gov

Follow Charlette Roman at: www.facebook.com/Charlette.Roman.Council

Brad Cornell is the Southwest Florida Policy Associate for Audubon Florida and the Policy Director for Audubon of the Western Everglades. He works on land use, wetlands, coastal habitats, and Western Everglades restoration issues to protect and recover imperiled species, especially the Florida Panther, nesting shorebirds, Corkscrew's Wood Storks, and Marco Island's Burrowing Owls. Cornell has degrees from Oberlin College and the University of Texas at Austin and played trombone for the Naples Philharmonic for ten years prior to joining Audubon. 

Learn more at www.fl.audubon.org or www.audubonwe.org.