Shellcast

Take a walk along a Sanibel Island beach with someone who really knows shells – Dorrie Hipschman, former executive director, on Sanibel. Recorded May 19, 2020.

Learn about goldendoodle Walter the intern and how he became Employee of the Month at . Recorded May 19, 2020.

“It’s a magical, magical place,” recalls Dorrie Hipschman, former executive director, , on her first visit to Sanibel. Recorded May 19, 2020.

Come aboard for a boat ride on Pine Island Sound and the Gulf of Mexico with one of Southwest Florida’s favorite outdoor guides, . Recorded Nov. 21, 2019.

“It’s the way Florida used to be,” said Dennis Romig, volunteer, . When it comes to what to bring for a day trip or an overnight camping adventure, he’s the expert. Recorded Nov. 21, 2019.

Shellcast visits the 2020 Burrowing Owl Festival in Cape Coral. Hear how celebrates the only owl that lives underground. Interviews with volunteers Beverly Saltonstall and Bernadette MacNee. Take a ride on a school bus to see where you can find the owls on your own - just look for the PVC pipe. Recorded Feb. 29, 2020.

visits , the final resting place of many of Cayo Costa’s original settlers, known as fisherfolk. Danish mariner Capt. Peter Nelson is also buried there. In the late 1880s, Nelson founded Alva, Lee County, Florida's first incorporated town. Recorded Nov. 21, 2019.

Enjoy a visit to in Fort Myers, Florida, with Mike Cosden, executive vice president of the 20-acre estate located along the scenic Caloosahatchee River. Cosden tells us how Thomas Edison’s passion for this Southwest Florida city made it a destination for snowbirds and visitors worldwide, and considers what the inventor might have thought about podcasts. Take in the historic homes of Edison and Ford, the beautiful gardens and grounds, the inventor’s laboratory, and many other interesting features. Recorded June 25, 2020.

Be part of a successful morning visit in search of roseate spoonbills, Florida's other pink birds, at Sanibel Island's . Ranger Toni Westland takes us on Wildlife Drive, a four-mile paved road within the 6,400-acre refuge that is home to endangered and threatened species as well as over 245 species of birds. Recorded July 30, 2020. ,

Hear the crunch, crunch, crunch of the shell-covered Indigo Trail on our hike with Ranger Toni Westland at Sanibel Island's . The 6,400-acre refuge is home to endangered and threatened species as well as over 245 species of birds. Our visit to the four-mile, round-trip Indigo Trail includes a stop at the Wildlife Education Boardwalk for a lesson in scat. Recorded July 30, 2020. ,

WoW, aka Wildlife on Wheels, is the newest addition to on Sanibel Island. Ranger Toni Westland describes the mobile education facility and how it will be part of the refuge’s 75th anniversary. WoW will visit schools, libraries, senior facilities and festivals in the five-county area to teach about water quality, the ecosystem and wildlife. Finally, when you've gotta go, where better to go than an award-winning Learning Lavatory? Recorded July 30, 2020. ,

Everglades Wonder Gardens, one of Florida's original roadside attractions, welcomes about 75,000 visitors annually to Bonita Springs. Its new executive director, David Rahahę•tih Webb, is eager to bring conservation and education to the forefront of the Wonder Gardens, while keeping its kitschy-cool vibe. Hear his plans and listen in on a flamingo-feeding frenzy at the 3-acre attraction, established in 1936.

Manatees love warm water. So, when the waters in the Gulf of Mexico cool, the gentle, slow-moving mammals swim through several bodies of water to arrive here at in Fort Myers. Laura Carr, Lee County Parks & Recreation specialist, tells us what she’s learned about these super-sized vegetarians who can’t say no (it’s a vertebrae thing) and how it might even be cool to be a manatee. Recorded Feb. 10, 2021. IG @shellcastthepodcast

See Spot Splash at Dog Beach in Bonita Springs, where dog paddling is the preferred swimming stroke. Hot dogs of all sizes gather here for fun in the shallow inlet off the Gulf of Mexico and south of Lovers Key State Park. Off-leash or on, there's no mistaking the fresh breeze off the gulf with a hint of wet dog. One of pet-friendly faves. Recorded June 3, 2021. IG

Sanibel Island's Blind Pass Beach is one of the best places in Southwest Florida for fly fishing, according to Norm Zeigler – and he should know. That's where we chat with Zeigler, outdoor writer, author and creator of the Schminnow, an elegant fly – the name combines shrimp + minnow –  known to catch 70 kinds of fresh and salt water fish.  Recorded July 14, 2021.