Florida Gulf Coast University’s globe trotting ornithologist – Dr. Jerry Jackson is back on the ground in Southwest Florida this week. Jackson is a leading authority on the Ivory Billed Woodpecker – a bird which may or may not be extinct. He spent the first part of his summer vacation this year as a volunteer for “Global Explorers” a non-profit that takes middle and high school students to far flung wild places. He spoke with WGCU’s Valerie Alker.
Dr. Jerry Jackson is the host of “Out with wild things” heard weekday mornings at 7:19 on WGCU. He’ll be back in the classroom at FGCU when the fall semester begins August 20th.

The presence of exotic, voracious Nile Monitor Lizards has been confirmed on Sanibel Island. Valerie Alker reports.

Click here to watch a video clip of a Nile Monitor Lizard crossing the road on Sanibel.

Sanibel and Lee County officials are hoping that the right idea for putting an end to recurring algae blooms will fall right into their laps. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez has more.

The President and Co-Founder of the Amazon Conservation Team was in Ft. Myers Thursday. Mark Plotkin is an Ethno-Botanist who’s spend years working in the Amazon basin, learning the trade secrets of the region’s Shamans or healers. He says western medicine can benefit from an understanding of traditional healing practices carried out in the Amazon and other remote spots around the world...

The former director of the Environmental Protection Agency will deliver the keynote address at a symposium in Key West beginning Friday. Christine Todd Whitman will talk about dwindling fresh water resources.

Christine Todd Whitman, who directed the EPA from 2001 to 2003, kicks off the Fifth Annual Truman Legacy Symposium, a conference concentrating on one aspect of former President Harry S. Truman’s tenure as chief executive.

“Truman really took things to a level that raised the awareness of the American people on the importance of preserving land and preserving the precious resources, like water – something that we don’t make more and most people seem to not understand that. They think it’s a free commodity that doesn’t need help whatsoever. You look at Lake Okeechobee and see what’s happening to water there and water throughout Florida and translate that around the country and the world and you’ll see what an enormous issue it is.”

Titled "Harry S. Truman and the Environment: From Los Alamos to the Everglades," the symposium is at the Little White House in Key West where Truman spent 175 days during his 1945-1953 tenure in office. Its timing coincides with the 60th anniversary of Truman’s dedication of Everglades National Park.

Whitman also plans to discuss current U.S. environmental policy and the importance of leadership relationships at both government and grassroots levels.

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The Fifth Annual Truman Legacy Symposium kicks off in Key West Friday. This year’s theme is the environment, marking the 60th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman’s dedication of Everglades National Park. Christine Todd Whitman, who directed the EPA from 2001 to 2003 delivers the key note address. She says President Truman, who served from 1945 to 1953, was ahead of the curve.

“And it was very hard to be ahead. It always is hard in environmental issues to be ahead of the curve because it’s hard to convince people about a problem they may not be seeing. And yet that’s really what he did with his environmental legacy.”

Other presenters include Michael Grunwald of "The Washington Post," author of "The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida and the Politics of Paradise, one of Truman’s speechwriters as well as Truman’s grandson Clifton Truman Daniel.

The symposium takes place at the Little White House in Key West where Truman vacationed when he was President.

Mote Marine Laboratory scientists are studying bull sharks in the Caloosahatchee River to determine if they’ve been exposed to human drugs. If the drugs interfere with their ability to reproduce, it could eventually devastate the species, which already faces numerous threats from humans and has been in a steep population decline since the 1970s. WGCU’s Amy Tardif has more.

One need only look at the current state of Lake Okeechobee to understand the severity of the current drought. It has dehydrated to record low levels, threatening the back-up drinking water supply for South Floridians and forcing severe water restrictions. But state officials say some good will come of it. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez has more.

Commuters in southwest Florida are dealing with more than crowded roadways these days. The biannual love bug infestation has been added to the equation.

A thirty minute commute on I-75 leaves cars splattered with love bug guts, and carwashes are doing a brisk business. That’s because love bugs not only blur windshields but can also corrode paint. But it’s not because they’re bodies are acidic. That’s according the author of “Living with Lovebugs” and director of the integrated pest management program at the University of Florida Dr. Norm Leppla.

“they are actually neutral until they get baked onto your car and then they turn acidic and penetrate the paint – so the way to protect your car is to keep a good coat of car wax on the front of it and get those love bugs off as soon as you can…if you do that you don’t have damage to the car.”

Love bugs are an alien invasive species which made their way to Florida from Central America around 1950...their present range is all the way north to South Carolina. Leppla says he believes environmental pathogens keep their population naturally in check in their traditional range, but that those checks are not present here in Southwest Florida.

And he says there’s very little research being done into ways to control the amorous bugs bi-annual love fest.

“it’s done as a hobby or a sidelight because we’d like to help, there’s no funding for it and its not a major part of our work…7:30 we put our energy into things that are a concern to public health and to agriculture and things that will be harmful and we put a low priority on nuisances even though they can be quite a pain in the neck…”

The good news – says Leppla…the current infestation is beginning to wane. The bad news – they’ll be back like clockwork in September or October.

The on-going drought is taking its’ toll on Florida, especially Lake Okeechobee. But Water Management officials say there is a silver lining in this dark cloud.

The water level in Lake Okeechobee is at an all time low due to the drought. Areas that are normally three or four feet below water are now bone dry. South Florida Water Management District officials are taking advantage of this. Water managers along with the Environmental Protection Agency, are removing muck. That’s nutrient rich soil that has settled on the lake bed with disastrous consequences. It kills fish and underwater vegetation. There are six sites around the lake where workers are removing muck before the water levels come back up. Spokesman Randy Smith says the process shouldn’t take too long to finish.

“It’s a massive project but it goes relatively fast with the heavy equipment. We think a couple of months of work and we will complete this phase of restoring the lake bottom to its’ natural state."

Michael Shellen is a resident of the lakeside town of Buckhead and fisherman. He says this is a great project that will help the area.

“When they’re done the water will come back up…the natural plants that are supposed to be growing in this lake will come back…the fish will come back…the fishing is still terrific in this lake."

This phase of the clean up will pick up more than 500-thousand cubic yards of muck…enough to fill Joe Robby stadium. The cost is around eleven million dollars.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is preparing a legal challenge against Florida Power & Light’s proposed coal fueled power plant in Glades County.

Conservancy President – Andrew McElwaine – says they’re specifically appealing Glades County’s determination that the massive plant is consistent with growth management plans. And he says while he recognizes the state’s growing energy demands, this plant is not a proper solution…

“Now a smaller plant that represented the best technology like an integrated combined cycle plant I think we’d be open to discussing that with Florida Power & Light. But no this plant. This plant is really above and beyond what is appropriate for that landscape.”

FPL calls the proposed plant -quote “clean coal technology” – because it would burn powdered coal at super-high temperatures.

McElwaine says no matter what you call it…the plant would still emit nearly 200 pounds of mercury a year, in an environmentally sensitive area that’s already under mercury advisories. Glades commissioners…and many residents…support the plant – pointing to the economic benefit it would bring to the rural county.

A state administrative judge will be in Moore Haven beginning June 5th to hear from challengers and defenders of the proposed plant, which would sit about 5 miles from the small, rural town on the edge of Lake Okeechobee.

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The massive coal burning power plant proposed by Florida Power & Light for rural Glades County continues to draw fire from environmental groups.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida says the plant is inconsistent with state and local growth management plans – and will be among the challengers at an administrative hearing set to begin June 5th in Moore Haven.

Conservancy President - Andrew McElwaine – says FPL’s proposal is the wrong choice.

“Glades County wants the power plant and I understand why, and we’re not against a power plant per se…we are against a 1.9 gigawatt pulverized coal plant that is not the latest technology.”

Called clean-burning by FPL…the plant would burn powdered coal at extremely high temperatures. It would be the biggest of its kind in the U-S.

McElwaine says clean-burning or not, it would still add roughly 200 pounds of mercury a year to a local ecosystem that’s already under mercury advisories.

In addition to the administrative hearing next month in Moore Haven the project also awaits sanction from the Florida Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities. Governor Charlie Crist and his cabinet have the final say on the matter.