Celebrated social justice activist and Jacksonville native Stetson Kennedy would have celebrated his 100th birthday this October. Kennedy is well known for his work documenting Florida folklife with the Works Progress Administration, infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan, and his prolific publications. We're tipping our hats to Kennedy and bringing you a short audio postcard from Lake Beluthahatchee, Kennedy’s homesite. Thanks to Kennedy's stepdaughter Karen Roumillat for her tour. Visit www.watershedradio.com for more.

Watershed

Celebrating Stetson Kennedy

FP is a big question mark for marine researchers. It's a herpesvirus that primarily effects the endangered green sea turtle, manifesting in debilitating cauliflower-looking tumors. It was first documented in 1938 in the Florida keys, but in the nearly 80 years since, there’s a disturbing amount still unknown about FP. Like what cocktail of factors is causing it. And why it’s spreading so quickly. Where most FP cases were once observed off Florida’s coasts, there have now been reports in all major oceans. Today, we visit two places working to save sea turtles from FP and rehab dwindling populations. Visit www.watershedradio.com for more.

The Mysteries of FP

Teaser for episode 11...more coming soon! Visit www.watershedradio.com for more.

Episode 11 Teaser

On September 8th, 2015, St. Augustine, Florida celebrated its 450th birthday. But who is the party for, exactly?

On the Fringe of 450

Welcome to Hastings, Florida, where some of the state's most unique conservation is taking place. Visit www.watershedradio.com for more.

This is Home

In 2014, Florida voters passed Amendment 1—the Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment—by a sweeping 75%. Advocates believe this should send a clear mandate to lawmakers in Tallahassee: restore funding for conservation lands to protect our environmental resources. But legislators may not be getting the message. Visit www.watershedradio.com for more.

Ben and Louann Williams are among a movement of private landowners slowly but surely reestablishing longleaf pine forests. Historically, longleaf pine was THE pine of the Southern United States. Its ecosystem once dominated the landscape from southeast Virginia, extending down through Florida, and west to Texas. Early settlers and naturalists marveled at the majestic landscape helmed by the longleaf pine, and according to the Longleaf Pine Alliance, the longleaf “was literally the tree that built the South.” But over 150 years of human settlement and activity, the longleaf pine forests fragmented and waned. Today less than 1% of the South’s natural stands remain, representing one of the most severe cases of ecosystem loss in the world. Perhaps private landowners like Ben and Louann can serve as models for renewing this nearly extinct landscape. Visit www.watershedradio.com for more.

The Tree that Built the South

The pine rockland ecosystem is a mixture of a slash pine canopy, scrubby ground layer, and fossilized coral reef. Rocklands once spanned 185,000 acres, but over nearly 100 years of south Florida development, that has shriveled to less than 2% of the original range. An incredible amalgam of rare and endangered plants and animal species rely on the globally-imperiled pine rockland, including the Florida bonneted bat, Bartram’s hairstreak butterfly, and the tiger beetle. Today, a pocket of pine rockland is mired in controversy. Parts of a property surrounding Zoo Miami are slated for two separate development plans: One, a proposed apartment and shopping center complex with stores like Walmart, Chik-Fil-A and L.A. Fitness. The other is a 20th Century Fox theme park ironically named Miami Wilds. These plans have provoked the ire of many people and organizations who aren’t happy about them. On Saturday of Martin Luther King Day weekend, over 700 concerned Floridians gathered for the Rally for the Rockland to protest the planned developments. Their concern is shared by the Center for Biological Diversity, Pine Rockland Coalition, Sierra Club, the South Florida Wildlands Association, among others. What’s galling for the rally organizers, is what’s at stake if this globally-imperiled ecosystem is developed. What does it say about our state, that commercial development is privileged over ecosystem and resource management? More than that, what does it say about Florida, that we’re even having this conversation?

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Carlton Ward discovered the power of the camera as a conservation photographer in central Africa. Now his sights are set on his home: Florida. Visit www.watershedradio.com for more.

A Missing Piece

How do you do the work you think is important whilst battling stigmas and opposition? For advice we turn to a man who began his career in his family's bathtub. Visit www.watershedradio.com for more.

Murky Waters

In the summer of 2014, President Obama gave the green light for oil and gas exploration off the Atlantic coast—a complete reversal in Obama’s 2008 campaign platform. Today, nine applications for seismic airgun testing are under consideration at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Seismic testing—sometimes known more graphically as “seismic airgun blasting”—is a technology that maps oil and gas deposits in the ocean. The process involves sonic bursts in 10 second intervals that continue for days, weeks, and sometimes months. The “bursts” are 100,000 times more intense than a jet engine. The consequences of seismic testing have manifested in locations across the world: drastically reduced fishery numbers; marine animal deaths, behavioral disruptions, and breeding interruptions; and job elimination. In St. Augustine, Florida, the Matanzas Riverkeeper and Oceana are two organizations opposed to the proposed seismic testing. Joined by coalition members like the Florida Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club and Surfrider, they’re calling on Florida’s elected officials to take a stance on this potentially devastating sonic blasting. Visit www.watershedradio.com for more.

Seismic Airgun Testing

Oysters are the foundation of culture and economy in Apalachicola, a small, Franklin County fishing town in Florida’s panhandle. In many ways, the oyster is Apalachicola’s culinary mascot. But the bay, so famous for its eponymous oyster, is in serious trouble. 2.6 million pounds of oysters came from the Apalachicola Bay in 2009, but that number plummeted to 470,000 pounds in 2013. Yields this year aren't looking any better, and Franklin County residents are grappling with what to do. "I love it. It’s what I’ve always done, it’s what my parent’s have always done. I have the Gulf of Mexico right at my front door. I have the Apalachicola River at my back door, and the forest in my yard. So why would I want to leave?" -Ricky Banks, Apalachicola oysterman and vice president of the Franklin County Seafood Workers' Association. Visit www.watershedradio.com for more.

Consider the Oyster—and the Oysterman

In 2011, the Florida legislature slashed funding for statewide conservation programs. In September 2014, activists and policy makers gathered at Homosassa Springs to respond. Visit www.watershedradio.com for more.

Spring to Action

Watershed is a podcast exploring Florida in flux. We feature character-driven, sound-rich stories from across the Sunshine State about Floridian culture and our changing environment. Learn more at www.watershedradio.com

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