land. water. wildlife.

The SCCF Policy team outlines the current state of the Caloosahatchee Estuary as we continue into a likely unprecedented El Niño pattern. They discuss how lake and water management decisions beginning in late 2024, followed by record-breaking drought conditions, have caused prolonged stress on the system, and how large amounts of rainfall may affect it now.

Matt and Allie of the SCCF Policy team break down the potential Lee County amendment that would remove long-standing community plans, including the Captiva Plan and those for 16 other unincorporated areas in Lee County. They discuss the amendment's full history, its current status, and how these sweeping changes could significantly affect Lee County if approved.  Read proposed changes to Capti...

In this episode, SCCF Shorebird Biologist Audrey Albrecht and Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis discuss the 2026 shorebird nesting season and the importance of protected nesting zones. They review the season's interesting, unexpected, and record-breaking events and how we can all be better stewards to protect these species. 

In this episode, the Policy team breaks down recent all-time records related to Earth's climate, including sea surface temperature, heat waves, and atmospheric emissions. They discuss the impacts of these events on the environment and human health, why these records keep rising, and what we can each do to help slow this trend. 

Matt and Allie from SCCF's Policy team discuss the recent sewage spill in LaBelle, which released 2.5 times more sewage into the local environment than any other sewage spill in our region's history. They break down how disasters like this occur, what can be done to prevent them in the future, and how sanitation plays such a large role in protecting water quality.  If you care about what&#...

SCCF's Environmental Policy team breaks down the newly permitted industrial fish farm off the coast of Sarasota. They discuss the wide-ranging environmental impacts of industrial aquaculture in the Gulf ecosystem, the mechanism by which this permit was granted, and how we must fight to protect the Gulf from exploitation by extractive industries in the future. 

SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis interviews Wildlife & Habitat Management Director Chris Lechowicz about prescribed burns on Sanibel. They discuss the history of prescribed burns on the island, the ecological reasoning for this practice in fire-dependent ecosystems, and how SCCF manages land through carefully considered prescribed burns. 

SCCF's Environmental Policy team unpacks the study of animal intelligence and how our understanding of animal cognition has vastly evolved in recent history. They discuss how modern science has shaped this understanding and how policy is influenced as a result. Listen to hear some incredible stories of intelligence across the animal kingdom. 

SCCF's Environmental Policy team discusses the significant impacts our roadways and associated vehicle strikes have on local wildlife populations. They are then joined by SCCF Shorebird Biologist Audrey Albrecht, who shares recent data on vehicle strikes and why local species continue to be so impacted by our roadways. They also discuss individual and collective solutions to address the issue....

In this episode, SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis interviews Andrew Shipotofsky, Meteorologist with WINK News Weather Authority. They discuss the upcoming transition from dry to wet season and how Southwest Florida may be impacted by a transition to an El Niño climate pattern.  They also talk about the prolonged drought our region has experienced, its impact on hydrology and ecosys...

In this episode, the Environmental Policy team breaks down recent federal actions impacting the environment including oil drilling in the Gulf and other waters of the U.S., the recent Boundary Waters decision in Minnesota and a narrowly avoided attempt to alter the Endangered Species Act. Specifically highlighted is the use of emergency power declarations to sidestep bedrock environmental protecti...

SCCF's Environmental Policy team recaps Florida's 2026 legislative session, while chatting about what's in store for the multiple upcoming special sessions in Tallahassee. They explain the positive and negative impacts of recently passed legislation on Southwest Florida's environment, while detailing unpassed bills SCCF will continue to monitor in future years. Plus, stay tuned unt...

SCCF Marine Lab Director Eric Milbrandt, Ph. D., joins Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis to discuss the ongoing lack of sufficient fresh water flows to the Caloosahatchee Estuary. Freshwater flows have been below the optimal ecological envelope since mid-October, with lasting impacts on habitats, species, and communities within and around the estuary. They talk about these impacts, the i...

Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis provides updates on budget negotiations and the potential for a prolonged legislative session. He also discusses bills related to land use, agriculture, energy policy, and more.

Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis provides updates on bills moving through the legislative session, highlighting the widely publicized "Farm Bill" amendment, the Blue Ribbon Projects Bill, Nature-Based Solutions, and several other bills impacting Florida's land, water, and wildlife.

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 happenin...

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-makin...

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 inf...

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 ins...

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.

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, a...

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 n...

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 legis...

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 t...

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 mi...