First Coast Connect: Environmental bright spots

A lifelong coral researcher, Nancy Knowlton is no stranger to the dark realities of environmental decline. In fact, she and her husband, Jeremy Jackson, also a renowned marine scientist, were once known as "Drs. Doom and Gloom" on the lecture circuit. But Knowlton came to believe doomsaying without solutions breeds only apathy and inaction. She has since become a dedicated accentuator of environmental success stories, from the recovery of near-extinct species like the great egret and the brown pelican in Florida, the sea otter in coastal California and the puffins of Downeast Maine, to the resilience of sea grasses in Tampa Bay and the irreversible global trend toward clean energy. We ask her why measuring success may be just as important as focusing on failure. Guest: Nancy Knowlton, marine scientist, conservation biologist and author of Citizens of the Sea: Wondrous Creatures From the Census of Marine Life Building up to it A statewide nonprofit is bringing its rebuild and rehab operations to the First Coast. Rebuilding Together Greater Florida is part of a national network that provides assistance to people living in homes that are either damaged or deteriorating, focusing on veterans and low-income families. The largely state-funded nonprofit prioritizes ensuring dwellings are safe, watertight and pest-free, as well as retrofitted as needed for people with mobility challenges. We ask the group’s leader why their new focus is Jacksonville and who might expect to qualify for assistance. Guest: Jose Garcia, CEO, Rebuilding Together Greater Florida Go with the flow Dance and visual art combine to form a creative corridor in Jacksonville Beach this month as part of a collaboration among the Beaches Museum, Players by the Sea and the local dance troupe Emily Cargill and Dancers. The Women Arts Exchange 2026 Festival, designed to coincide with Women's History Month, includes the exhibit VISION, featuring five local female artists, and the MOVE! Dance Festival, staged Friday and Saturday on the PBTS stage. The exhibit at the Dickinson Gallery displays the work of Amanda Holloway, Anne Cullum, Kim Hurt, Balsam Abo Zour and Susanne Schuenke through April 17. Guests: Emily Cargill, founder and artistic director of Emily Cargill and Dancers; founder of the Women Arts Exchange Bradley Akers, managing director, Players by the Sea Chris Hoffman, mayor of Jacksonville Beach and executive director of Beaches Museum See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.