In Florida conservation, the old axiom holds true: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Our topic for this episode is the Lake Wales Ridge. Our guest is Hillary Swain, Executive Director & CEO, and Senior Research Biologist at Archbold Biological Station.

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Anyone inspired by our previous episode with painter Christopher Still to go out and see some art can do so at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville where a fantastic show reassembling the first Modern art exhibition ever presented in Florida can be seen through November 23, 2025.

Our guest is Ken Meyer, executive director at the Avian Research and Conservation Institute. He's been studying Florida's swallow-tailed kites since the 1990s.

Help swallow-tail kites and all Florida birds by incorporating native plants into your yard. Find support from the Florida Native Plant Society and Florida Association of Native Nurseries.

Find swallow-tail kites at sites on the Great Florida Birding Trail and with the ebird app.

The Florida legislature, the best legislature corporate money can buy, has done the bidding of phosphate giant Mosaic, endangering public safety and making the polluting company less accountable for the harm it creates.

Florida artist Christopher Still is best known for his Florida history mural cycle at the State House in Tallahassee. An exhibition of his paintings can be seen at the Tarpon Springs Heritage Museum in a permanent display.

"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our "Florida Conservation Newsletter" each week for only $5. The newsletter rounds up the top conservation headlines from around the state.

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A federal judge ruled that the State of Florida and its Department of Environmental “Protection” violated the Endangered Species Act resulting in the mass manatee die-off of 2021. This occurred primarily in the Indian River Lagoon.

Before Daytona Beach, auto racing's capital was one beach north, Ormond Beach. Ormond Beach Councilman Harold Briley is a student of this history and shares it with us.

Listen to our previous episode on the birth of NASCAR in Daytona Beach.

Learn more in the book "Beach Racers: Daytona Beach Before NASCAR" by Dick Punnett.

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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Rodney Barreto appears to have lied under oath during his senate confirmation hearing about a proposed development project he attempted.

Our guest this episode is Kristina Agard from the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center in Key West. Since opening in 2007, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's Eco-Discovery Center has provided visitors and locals an opportunity to explore the sanctuary without getting their feet wet.

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Check out the new "Welcome to Florida" Florida Black History YouTube channel with edited episodes from our archives related to Black History in Florida.

The Florida legislature is spending valuable time this session attempting to enact a law preventing chemtrails and human manipulation of the weather, something that doesn't exist except in the mind of loony right-wingers.

Something that does exist in Florida is black bears. Arix Zalace is a long-time Panhandle resident and Co-Founder, Director & Board Member at The Paper Bear nonprofit which has produced a feature film of the same name. The movie is a love letter to the biodiversity of the Florida Panhandle as told through the story of a black bear. The film debuts at the upcoming Florida Film Festival.

Zalace also advocates on behalf of black bears in Florida, attempting to educate the public and politicians. Florida wildlife officials continue to have a crazed obsession with a bear hunt in state, and it looks like this December will be the start.

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Every week we send a "Florida Conservation Newsletter" exclusively to "Welcome to Florida" patrons at patreaon.com/welcometoflorida. The newsletter is a recap of the top conservation and environmental headlines from around the state, and those around the nation impacting Florida.

A proposed home development in Alachua County threatens the Floridan Aquifer.

John Quarterman is the Suwanee Riverkeeper working with a group of concerned citizens in north central Florida and south central Georgia to protect a vast, interconnected basin of waterways flowing into the Suwanee River and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico.

Check out our new "Florida Black History" YouTube channel with interviews from previous episodes related to Black History subjects in Florida.

Every Saturday morning, "Welcome to Florida" patrons receive our "Florida Conservation Newsletter," a roundup of environmental news and headlines from around the state. Only $5 per month for exclusive access.

And don't forget Craig's latest book, "Welcome to Florida: True Tales from America's Most Interesting State."

A peanut farmer wants to swindle choice gopher tortoise land out of state conservation protection under the guise of a land swap, and Florida officials seem open to the idea. Voice your opposition.

Craig's seventh book, "Welcome to Florida: True Tales from America's Most Interesting State" is now available. His former colleague at the "Tampa Bay Times," Colette Bancroft, and the paper's one-time book reviewer, joins us to discuss. Pick up Craig's book at your local, independent book store if you can.

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