When you're standing in the Pitcairn islands, the closest another human gets is the astronauts on the International Space Station. You're also standing on the most plastic polluted beach in the world. This week we learn how Brett Howell, of Howell Conservation Fund, and his team removed ocean plastics from one of the most remote islands on the planet!

This episode was recorded in collaboration with EarthX at the EarthX conference in Dallas, Texas.

Having spent more than 7000 hours underwater, Dr. Sylvia Earle has some incredible stories to tell about life under the sea!

In the final episode of season 9 we sit down at EarthX2024 with one of the biggest names in ocean conservation EVER, Dr. Sylvia Earle! Listen in to hear how she fell in love with the ocean, what it's like to follow the same eel everyday for weeks, and what you can do to protect life on our planet.

If you want to check out Mission Blue, click HERE

From 250 pound sea turtles to half-pound terrapins, the staff of Jekyll Island Authority work all year long to protect their native wildlife!

This week we chat with David Zailo and Will Hicks, staff at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, about the important work they're doing to protect some of North America's most incredible turtles!

When he learned that 95% of California's kelp forests had disappeared in the past 10 years, Adam Hussain devised a plan to put his underwater film skills to use saving the ecosystem that he loved!

This week we sit down at EarthX with the director of the upcoming documentary Seaforestation to learn about the critical role that kelp forests play in the oceans and how researchers and citizens across the globe are solving the threats that kelp forests face!

Check out the trailer to Seaforestation HERE

Although 85% of wild oyster reefs have disappeared over the past 120 years, Georgia's oyster populations are thriving!

Listen in as we chat with Justin Manley, the hatchery manager at UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Shellfish Research Laboratory on Skidaway Island! We get deep into the science of oyster aquaculture and learn all about the work being done to protect this critical ecosystem!

Want to access resources about oyster farming? Check out the links below!

UGA Marine Extension

Oyster South

East Coast Shellfish Growers Association

We interrupt your regularly scheduled episode of Conservation Connection to bring you this special crossover episode with Crystal DiMiceli of the Forces For Nature Podcast and The Healthy Seas Podcast!

Listen in for a sneak peak of Season 10 and to discover another incredible podcast!

In a changing ocean, whales and their protectors must react fast to stay ahead of the curve!

This week we sit down with Cathy Sakas, a life long adventurer, biologist, and ocean advocate. She found the first North Atlantic right whale calf in Georgia over forty years ago, and has spent her career working to ensure that they'll survive in the face of a changing ocean!

Over 300 species rely on the Gopher Tortoise - and its burrows - to survive!

This week we chat with disturbance ecologist Barbara Blonder at Flagler College to learn about the struggles and survival tactics of coastal gopher tortoises! She uses her research and her position as City Commissioner to help St. Augustine make the best possible management decisions.