Just got back in the wee hours of this (Saturday) morning from the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership’s (TRCP) Saltwater Media Summit in Cape Coral, Florida. It was a daily 6AM-to-late-night run of meetings, panels, discussions, pow-wows, dialogues, and work.
And a wee bit of fishing.
TRCP’s hard-working staff had lined up an incredible group of presenters and speakers, including Jerome Zeringue, Chair of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority; Stephen E. Davis, Ph.D., Wetlands Ecologist for the Everglades Foundation; Christine Shepard, Ph.D., Director of Science — Gulf of Mexico Program with The Nature Conservancy; and Mike Nussman, President and CEO, American Sportfishing Association.
I was lucky enough to draw Jim Martin, Conservation Director, Berkley Conservation Institute and local Terry Gibson, the Senior Editor of Fly & Light Tackle Angler to share a boat with for a few hours of fishing Thursday morning. Both gentlemen put up with my amateur spin-casting skills (I’m a Montana fly-fishing kid… this was my first go at spinning gear).
My subconscious desire to mend and strip seemed rather idiotic at times.
It was my first glance at a snook, red snapper, and a puffer fish. We took in all manner of tropical birds, and even saw a bull shark cruising along the mangroves.
And the mangroves. Incredible. I fell in love with the gnarled little islands.
Each evening TRCP treated us to fantastic food and drinks, accompanied by inspiring speakers. A particular favorite was Chris Fischer, OCEARCH Expedition Leader and Founding Chairman. Take a look at this group’s work with sharks… odds are you’ve seen them on the media somewhere. Chris comes from an entrepreneurial background and risked it all to try something new. Highest respect.
The summit was fantastic, and I came home with pages and pages of notes on leads I’d like to follow and folks I’d like to work with. The salt is a new environment, and I came away humbled with the realization there is so much to catch up on, huge amounts of politics to work through, and so much ground that can be gained.
More to come on the summit later, as I have time to wade through notes. Right now I have to unpack and get ready for a Ducks Unlimited banquet in an hour.
Huge thanks to the good men and women at TRCP who works tirelessly to pull this off. I’ve worked with TRCP folks for years via email, and it was an immense pleasure to meet them in person! A topnotch organization all the way around.
’Til next week. Enjoy some warm-weather images!
