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Encore: Florida's Invasive Pests and Reptiles

www.flfirstdetector.org

Florida has the most invasive species of any state in the country, and half of the insects, reptiles, arachnids and crustaceans imported into the United States come through Florida ports, that’s according to researchers at the University of Florida. So, in an effort to identify invasive insects before they become prolific, UF/IFAS has created the Florida First Detectors program. The idea is to train stakeholders like Florida Master Gardeners, nursery managers, and farmers to identify invasive pests. We’re joined by Dr. Amanda Hodges, a UF/IFAS Extension scientist and co-author of a new invasive insects identification guide to learn more about the program and how people can get involved. We're also joined by Ian Bartoszek, Wildlife Biologist/Science Coordinator with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida to talk about his work with invasive reptiles like Burmese Pythons and the Argentine Black and White Tegu. And we'll learn more about FGCU's Campus Naturalist program with student Shawn Brunelle.

Dr. Hodges’ new Identification Guide to Florida’s Invasive Plant Pests is full of information and photographs of invasive plants. It’s available at the UF/IFAS Extension Bookstore. Members of the public who want to report the location of potentially invasive pests can do so at their UF/IFAS Extension county office, or they can send them to the UF/IFAS entomology insect identification lab.  

Copyright 2018 WGCU

Julie Glenn is the host of Gulf Coast Live. She has been working in southwest Florida as a freelance writer since 2007, most recently as a regular columnist for the Naples Daily News. She began her broadcasting career in 1993 as a reporter/anchor/producer for a local CBS affiliate in Quincy, Illinois. After also working for the NBC affiliate, she decided to move to Parma, Italy where she earned her Master’s degree in communication from the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Her undergraduate degree in Mass Communication is from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
Mike Kiniry is producer of Gulf Coast Live, and co-creator and host of the WGCU podcast Three Song Stories: Biography Through Music. He first joined the WGCU team in the summer of 2003 as an intern while studying Communication at Florida Gulf Coast University.
RachelIacovoneis a reporter and associate producer ofGulf Coast LiveforWGCU News. Rachel came toWGCU as an intern in 2016, during the presidential race. She went on to cover Florida Gulf Coast University students at President Donald Trump's inauguration on Capitol Hill and Southwest Floridians in attendance at the following day's Women's March on Washington.