Our guest this week is Jennifer Carr, president of Florida Defenders of the Environment, and granddaughter of Marjorie Harris Carr and Archie Carr, two of Florida's greatest conservationists. Marjorie stopped the Cross Florida Barge Canal while Archie was a powerful advocate for sea turtles. Jennifer joins us to discuss the movement to remove the Kirkpatrick Dam and free the Ocklawaha River, an effort her grandmother led for many years. Now is a critical time in this quest as the St. John's River Water Management District which controls the dam has opened a brief public comment period through October 22, where citizens can voice their opinion in support of removing the dam and freeing the river.
Craig Pittman is the award-winning author of Oh, Florida!: How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country, The Scent of Scandal, Cat Tale, Manatee Insanity and The State You’re In, and co-author of Paving Paradise. Born in Pensacola, he graduated from Troy State University in Alabama, where his muckraking work for the student paper prompted an agitated dean to label him “the most destructive force on campus.” Since then he has covered a variety of newspaper beats and quite a few natural disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires and the Florida Legislature.
