Hundreds of people—concerned about the future of the Gulf of Mexico—gathered at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota Wednesday – for discussions on how best to restore, protect and improve the world’s ninth largest body of water. The Gulf of Mexico Alliance – a coalition of federal and gulf state representatives– is holding a series of 10 such workshops. The Alliance formed after a federal commission—last year—called for a comprehensive national ocean policy… emphasizing the need for integrated management plans. The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program co-hosted the event with Mote. Its Director - Lisa Beever - says several issues came to the fore.

“Non-point-source pollution & nutrient loading is one, funding is another, loss of habitat and conservation of habitat is the third, the fourth is red tide, and the fifth is education and stewardship. There’ll be a Gulf of Mexico Action Plan developed over the next few months, and the outcomes of these stakeholder workshops will go into the development of that plan.”

Beever says there WAS talk of Hurricane Katrina – and what impact its devastation may have on the gulf. The U-S Coast Guard is currently responding to seven major oil spills in the southern Louisiana area. Beever says the effects of Katrina will certainly add to the already long list of problems the gulf is facing. She DOES expect to see some effects in southwest Florida in the coming months…. But says it's too early to predict what they may be.

Water managers are working to lower levels in Lake Okeechobee—as the peak of a very active Hurricane Season approaches. That’s because high water and high winds could cause a breach in the lake’s levy system. That possibility was NOT an agenda item at the 30th Annual Conference on Water Management—underway this week in Ft. Myers. But, with the scope of disaster—caused by the breach of levies in New Orleans—it’s certainly on water managers’ minds. Valerie Alker has more. (AUDIO)

More than 19-thousand homes on about 17-thousand acres 8 miles east of downtown Fort Myers… Another 74-thousand acres set aside for preservation. That’s the “vision” announced Thursday - by developer Syd Kitson - for the Babcock ranch. (AUDIO)

Reports of the re-discovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker made headlines earlier this year. And the bird isn’t the only elusive species that has been seen again after many years. In Southwest Florida, nature enthusiasts made an equally important find when they came across an orchid that had been considered lost. Alexa Elliott reports. To find out more about South Florida’s native orchids, watch “Earth Edition” tonight at 8:30 on WGCU TV. (AUDIO)

A group of researchers met today in Texas to review their recent expedition to the deepest coral reef in the United States. They ended their 8-day exploration last Friday. The trip to Pulley Ridge was the first step in what will be a comprehensive regional assessment of marine resources and habitats in Florida’s waters, including the Gulf of Mexico to the edge of the continental shelf. Amy Tardif has more. (AUDIO)

Members of the Babcock Preservation Partnership are digging in for what could be long fight to save the 91 thousand acre ranch from development. Mike Kiniry reports. (AUDIO)

Although it’s felt like summer for several weeks now in southwest Florida, summer didn’t officially begin the Northern Hemisphere until early this morning – 2:46 to be exact. The sun rose today at 6:34 – sunset’s at 8:20 …making it the longest “day” of the year. Valerie Alker has more.

The health of Lake Okeechobee – and the impact the lake will have in the coming months on the health of water down stream – is on the agenda of the Lee County Commission tomorrow (today). Representatives from the South Florida Water management District will brief commissioners on the state of the Lake. Susan Grey is director of the District’s Lake Okeechobee Division.

“The lake is in pretty bad shape, its probably the worst I’ve seen it since I started with the agency back in 1992. And it’s a combination of significant impacts from the hurricanes, coupled with high water levels and a very windy dry season which kept everything stirred up and in suspension.”

High water levels in the lake lead to releases into the Caloosahatchee River… which flows through Lee County and into the Gulf. Fresh water releases—aimed at lowering lake levels—also dilute the salinity in the estuary - and can contribute to environmental degradation.

A book some are now calling a Florida classic – a book which had been out of print for decades – has been given new life. Botanist John Kunckel Small’s “From Eden to Sahara, Florida’s Tragedy" has been republished by the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District. John Kunkel Small, was born in Pennsylvania in 1869. He became curator of The New York Botanical Gardens in 1898. In 1903 he published “Flora of the Southeastern United States” which remains one of the best reference books of its kind. His first trip to Florida was in 1901. During travel to the state over the next decades he documented its development and destruction. Author Bill Belleville wrote the introduction to the new edition of “From Eden to Sahara – Florida’s Tragedy”.

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Bill Belleville wrote an introduction to “From Eden to Sahara, Florida’s Tragedy” the book, by botanist John Kunkel Small, was first published in 1929. It’s available from the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District ---look on line. It’s also for sale at Amazon.com.

Forty miles west of Sarasota, the Gulf of Mexico hides underwater mysteries. One to two hundred feet below the surface are openings to places no one had ever been…. Until a group of divers, calling themselves “Explorers Under the Gulf,” made some awesome discoveries. Here’s a preview of this month’s In Focus on the Environment - Blue Holes in the Gulf. Dive into the Blue Holes and Caves in the Gulf of Mexico – tonight at 8:30 on WGCU-TV. (AUDIO)