Join us for a special screening of six student-made short documentary films highlighting the important work of local environmental nonprofits, followed by a panel discussion and screening of 6 student-made short films about environmental
nonprofits: Mote Marine, Longboat Key Turtle Patrol, Save Our Seabirds, Oyster River Ecology,
SuncoastWaterkeepers, and Suncoast Urban ReForesters (SURF).
FEATURED DOCUMENTARIES:
• Mote Marine Laboratory
• Longboat Key Turtle Patrol
• Save Our Seabirds
• Oyster River Ecology
• Suncoast Waterkeepers
• Suncoast Urban ReForesters (SURF)
THE PANELISTS INCLUDE:
Dr. Jeff Driver is the Executive Director and Principal Scientist at risksciences.net, LLC, a public and environmental health sciences consulting firm. He is also a faculty member at the University of South Florida, College of Public Health, and has served as an adjunct faculty at George Mason University and George Washington University Medical Center and School of Public Health. He has participated in various scientific panels at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), joint regulatory agency-industry task forces, and National Academy of Sciences, and was a visiting scientist at the EPA in Research Triangle Park, NC and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.
Since moving to Florida about 15 years ago, Jeff and his wife Terri have been very involved in local fitness programs, civic organizations and environmental sustainability and conservation efforts. They are both Yoga and Spin instructors at GT Bray, Manatee County. They are active members of the Rotary Club of Longboat Key, where Jeff was a Past President, the Longboat Key Turtle Watch, volunteers at Mote Marine Laboratories, Longboat Key North (a consortium of homes and condo associations), and the associated Longboat Key North Green Team.
Terri Driver began her science education in Marine Biology and graduated with BS in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia at Wise. She has spent the last 30+ years working for various companies focused on human health exposure concerns. Terri’s volunteer efforts for the last 15 years have included local organizations such as Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, Longboat Key Turtle Watch, the Rotary Club of Longboat Key, the Longboat Key Citizens Green Team, and opportunities within our condominium association.
Dr. Jake Lasala has worked with sea turtles for over a decade. His graduate research focused on identifying robust demographic metrics to complement survey data. Male marine turtles are elusive and much of our understanding of marine turtle populations are based off nest counts (# of females). Through paternity examination, Dr. Lasala used a proxy (breeding sex ration) to quantify the minimum number of males that contribute to these populations. His current research focus addresses how individuals within populations utilize habitats and adapt to local and global environmental shifts. His research will address longitudinal changings within and among populations, specifically by exploring which factors and behavior affect population dynamics and how individuals might adapt to a changing climate. He is a member of the Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program (STCRP) and is looking forward to collaboration projects in the future.
Damon Moore is a habitat restoration practitioner with 20 years of experience developing and implementing local habitat restoration projects. His career has included ten years working in private-sector consulting and ten years working for Manatee County Government within the Natural Resources Department. Damon played an instrumental role in local large-scale habitat restoration projects including the restoration of Perico Preserve and the Robinson Preserve Expansion Project, among many other habitat improvement projects across the region. He is a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) through the Society for Ecological Restoration. Damon enjoys spending time with his lovely wife and daughter as well as fishing, hiking, uploading plant and insect observations in iNaturalist, and volunteering on habitat restoration projects.
Rusty Chinnis currently serves as Chairman of The Board of Suncoast Waterkeeper and is on the board of Oyster River Ecology. He was the founder of and co-chairman of the Sister Keys Conservancy. He was a co-founder, Past President, and Chairman of The Board of Sarasota Bay Watch from its inception in 2007 until 2019. Rusty was instrumental in forming the Manatee Chapter of the Florida Conservation Association, now the Coastal Conservation Association, and served as its first President. Rusty is a member of the Outdoor Writer’s Association of America and was President and Chairman of The Board of The Florida Outdoor Writer’s Association. Rusty is an avid fly fisher, an award-winning writer, photographer with credits in a number of local publications and national fly-fishing magazines. Rusty is a Fly Fishers International Certified Fly Casting Instructor, and the Outdoors Editor of the Anna Maria Island Sun. Rusty joined Suncoast Waterkeeper because in his words, “they are doing the critical work to hold municipalities and elected officials accountable under the Clean Water Act”.
Dr. Charles Reith is an ecologist with experience restoring ecological productivity to distressed land and waters. His reforestation and restoration efforts have applied to deserts, wetlands, alpine, and urban circumstances where highly disturbed land required rehabilitation into lands that will harbor wildlife, prevent pollution, and provide other ecological services to the Watershed.
In greater Sarasota, his work has focused on reforesting parks and neighborhoods where turf, which is ecologically barren, can be transformed into fast-growing forest habitats using a combination of Miyawaki planting strategies and permaculture-inspired soil management.
Besides facilitating the planting of high performance microforests along the Suncoast, Charles has worked with communities to improve their landscape management, especially along the boundaries of their retention ponds or nearby natural waterways. Additionally, he serves on the boards of the Atlanta-based Southface Institute, Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (START), and the Sarasota Bay Rotary Club, as well as the Palmer Ranch Master Association and his home community of Mira Lago.
In all of these capacities, he has stressed the importance of establishing throughout the Suncoast the most resilient possible habitats and communities in the face of climate change, including oppressive heat, Inland flooding, and damaging winds. His PhD is from the University of New Mexico, and he has published three books and dozens of technical and popular articles on ecology, climate, and restoration.
Brian Walton is the Executive Director of Save Our Seabirds. Brian has three decades of nonprofit leadership experience. He has a passion for building great teams and leading them to advance meaningful causes. Over the years Brian has provided leadership to a number of organizations and causes. He has led organizations focused on affordable housing, serving Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and providing leadership development in the countries of former communist Yugoslavia. As an independent consultant he helped dozens of organizations tell their story and raise significant dollars for mission fulfillment.
