Host Paul Ruben welcomes Phil Lintereur, board member of the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, birding tour guide, and contractor with NASA.

The 25th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival is back this year between January 24th and 28th. It’s been two years since the festival was held due to the pandemic and a lower-than-normal count of birds in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Indian River Lagoon. The festival will be located at the Radisson Resort in Port Canaveral Florida and will include presentations, workshops, and field trips in five counties throughout Central Florida:

https://scbwa.net/

You can stream this and past shows on all major streaming platforms. For listener feedback, please contact the Brevard Indian River Lagoon Coalition’s Help Our Lagoon website and page on Facebook, Instagram, or email us at [email protected]. Music was by Vacationer from their album Wavelengths. Thank you for listening. 

Host Paul Ruben is joined by Jessy Wayles, Northern Community Engagement Coordinator with the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (IRLNEP), also known as OneLagoon. Jessy earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of Central Florida and began her career with the Marine Discovery Center with their shuck and share oyster recycling program in New Smyrna Beach. 

Long before humans walked, waded, swam, or boated near the shores of the Indian River Lagoon, horseshoe crabs gathered to take advantage of its protected waters. Horseshoe crabs have been around so long, approximately 445 million years, that they existed before there was an Indian River Lagoon (forming roughly 240,000 years ago). But one of the world’s oldest species, surviving 5 mass extinctions, is becoming less and less common. The International Union for Conservation for Nature, or IUCN, listed the American Horseshoe crab as Vulnerable to Extinction in 2016. Overharvesting for biomedical research, bait, and food and habitat loss has continues to put pressure on this prehistoric species. 

You can stream this and past shows on all major streaming platforms. For listener feedback, please contact the Brevard Indian River Lagoon Coalition’s Help Our Lagoon website and page on Facebook, Instagram, or email us at [email protected]. Music was by Vacationer from their album Wavelengths. Thank you for listening. 

Host Paul Ruben welcomes Officer Brian Smith and Matt Culver for a conversation about derelict boats in the Indian River Lagoon. Officer Smith works with the City of Melbourne Police Department Marine Unit and Matt is the Boating and Waterways Program Coordinator with Brevard County.

Following Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022, abandoned, or “derelict,” boats have become noticeably scattered throughout the Indian River LAgoon. Beyond the eyesore of a fiberglass boneyard, there are some real public health concerns associated with irresponsible operation and intentional or unintentional abandonment of boats. Today we’ll learn about the estimated quantity of derelict boats, the cost to remove them, potential opportunities to manage the issue, and hear clips from my field visit on the water with Officer Smith and Mr. Culver. We’ll also hear the perspectives of three full time liveaboard boat owners and a resident who lives near the shores of the Indian River Lagoon.

You can stream this and past shows on all major streaming platforms. For listener feedback, please contact the Brevard Indian River Lagoon Coalition’s Help Our Lagoon website and page on Facebook, Instagram, or email us at [email protected]. Music was by Vacationer from their album Wavelengths. Thank you for listening. 

Host Paul Ruben chats with Frank "Alligator" Robb about the recent American Crocodile sightings in Brevard County. Robb is a 28-year professional wildlife biologist specializing in crocodilians. He has worked with FWC, NASA, the Department of Defense and currently runs the 501c(3) Education Awareness Research Support and Services, or EEARSS. 

Supporting audio credited to WESH 2 News (2023), WKMG News 6 Orlando (2019), and FWCs "Living with American Crocodiles." 

Voices for our Lagoon is back! Host Paul Ruben speaks with Zach Eichholz and Thea Baker about what local cities are doing to prepare for a changing climate and catastrophic storm events. Zach is Deputy Community and Economic Development Director and Sustainability Manager with the City of Cape Canaveral and Thea is Director of Planning and Sustainability with the City of Satellite Beach. 

This episode is Part II of a previous episode recorded with Dr. Randall Parkinson. 

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From adaptation to coastal retreat, host Paul Ruben speaks with Dr. Randall Parkinson about resiliency along the Indian River Lagoon. Clip of Mayor of Fort Myers Beach used from "Today."

The Brevard Indian River Lagoon Coalition is pleased to announce that we will be hosting another Lagoon Straight Talk event at the Titusville High School, Performing Arts Center January 19, 2023, 6-8pm. Admission is free. 

Originally aired on WFIT with Host Terri Wright and guest Vincent McDermott.

For more information please visit www.helpthelagoon.org

Guests Bill Greer, FWC Marine Biologist, and Vince Lamb join host Paul Ruben to discuss recent manatee mortality events in the Indian River Lagoon. To report a sick, injured, dead, or tagged manatee please call FWC's Wildlife Alert Toll-Free Number: 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922), press "7" to speak with an operator. For more information visit their site directly at https://myfwc.com/research/manatee/rescue-mortality-response/rescue/

Host Paul Ruben speaks with Sally Scalera about the importance of soil health in protecting species diversity and water quality in Brevard County. Episode recorded prior to flooding from Hurricane Ian and Nicole. For more information on soil testing and health or gardening, please email Sally at [email protected]. 

Host Paul Ruben speaks with guest Jim Durocher about his decades of experience in the Thousand Islands Conservation Area. The referendum to continue maintenance of Thousand Islands and many other Environmentally Endangered Lands (EELs) is on the ballot this November, 2022.