You need not travel far to hear how nature throughout Florida can recover from future disturbances.
A Punta Gorda conference on helping people and agencies recover from future extreme weather events is scheduled for September. Hosting the event is the Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership.
The 2026 Southwest Florida Resiliency Summit will be held at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center on Tuesday, Sept. 22, starting at 8:30 a.m.
The free event will feature experts from business, academia, and government with practical information and ideas on increasing nature’s ability to rebound from extreme changes in Southwest Florida.
That includes how future Earth will respond to severe ocean temperatures, stronger weather, and changing sea levels during advanced global warming. Coined "resiliency,” it’s the ability of a natural system, like a wetland or river — or even the Florida Everglades — to absorb a disturbance and keep working the way it's supposed to, or, whether it will recover quickly afterward.
A storm, a drought, or a wildfire are disturbances in the natural world; the building of subdivisions of homes or businesses count, too, as disturbances to the environment.
What to do if and when an ecosystem stops bouncing back will not be ignored. Speakers will lead several classes to explain how an ecosystem can turn for the worse — and stay that way.
The Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership is an underwriter for WGCU Public Media which is a media sponsor for the event.
Even though tickets are free, seating is limited so advance registration is required.
About CHNEP: The Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership (formerly the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program) began when former Florida Governor Chiles submitted a nomination to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to designate the greater Charlotte Harbor estuarine system as an estuary of national significance. On July 6, 1995, seven nominations were accepted, including the CHNEP. Now the CHNEP is one of 28 organization nation-wide in the NEP; one of the four in Florida (along with Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, and Indian River Lagoon).
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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