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While many large tracts of land in Southwest Florida have been forever lost to development over the past century or so, quite a bit of it has been preserved thanks to the dedicated efforts of countless people and organizations — and the local, state, and federal elected officials who environmental advocates could convince that wetlands were valuable for their own sake. For example, more than 70% of land in Collier County has been preserved as public land. Think Fakahatchee Strand State Park, Picayune Strand State Forest, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Big Cypress National Preserve, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, just to name a few. We explore some of this fascinating history with the co-authors of the new book, “Enjoyment of the Same: A History of Public Lands in Southwest Florida.”

The Gumbo Limbo is a most unusual tree because of its red, shiny, peeling bark – which earned it the favored nickname of “tourist tree”. It is also a south Florida native, although south Florida is at the northern limits of its native distribution. Most Gumbo Limbo trees (known to science as Bursera simaruba) reach little more than 35 feet in height, but some are known to reach as much as 80 feet. This tree is found where hurricanes are found – and it has adapted well to survive hurricane winds. It develops a solid supportive root system, has somewhat open, spreading, very flexible limbs, and quickly regrows leaves after they have been ripped off by storms. A great diversity of wildlife feeds on Gumbo Limbo fruit throughout its range in Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the northern coast of Central America.

Ospreys are hawks that are specially adapted to catch fish. They are strong fliers and, as a result of their use of freshwater and marine habitats, have managed to span the world. They are found on every continent except Antarctica. Their diet of mostly fish resulted in a significant decline of Ospreys during the 1960s and early 70s as a result of accumulation of persistent pesticides in their brain and fatty tissues. With the banning of these pesticides in the 1970s, development of artificial nesting sites, and reintroduction of Ospreys to areas where they had disappeared, Ospreys have once again become birds we enjoy watching near our lakes, rivers, and coastal shorelines.

A 2014 survey found that almost 20 percent of the households using the Feeding Tampa Bay food bank were either veterans or active duty military. The...

Hendry County may be a sparsely populated and mostly rural region, but it also holds a wealth of historic markers. This week, News-Press storyteller Amy…

Hendry County may be a sparsely populated and mostly rural region, but it also holds a wealth of historic markers. In this week’s encore essay from…

Common Gallinules are resident birds found in ponds and marshes across Florida – especially where tall reeds, rushes, or cattails line the edges in shallow water. More northern populations are migratory. Adult Common Gallinules are somewhat chicken-like in appearance, but have blue-gray feathers, a bit of brown on the back, and white feathers that form a horizontal line along each side. Adults have a yellow-tipped bright red bill that extends to form a shield over its forehead. Young chicks are covered with black down – except for the top of the head which is nearly bald. Their tiny wings are bare, looking like pink toothpicks sticking out from their side. Downy chicks also have a red bill with a yellow tip – but no shield over the forehead. As the chicks grow and change plumage, they become dull gray birds with a dull, somewhat mottled yellow-brown bill. Older chicks stay with the pair and help feed the younger chick – a behavior known as “aunting”. As the bill of an older chick takes on the bright red color of an adult, the male chases it away.

The Sea Turtle Conservancy's annual Tour de Turtles allows people to follow the marathon migration of four different species of sea turtles that have been tagged with satellite transmitters.

WGCU Public Media and its predecessor, WSFP-TV/FM, have served Southwest Florida with the finest in public television and radio programming for 35 years.

We get a preview of the 12th annual Fort Myers Film Festival, which runs May 18-22. The festival includes screenings of more than 70 films in seven categories and includes submissions from all over the world as well as films about and shot here in Southwest Florida. We’ll talk with the festival’s founder Eric Raddatz.