Lectures

The Changing Face of Nature

Critically acclaimed Sanibel author Charles Sobczak provides a thoroughly entertaining, beautifully illustrated Power Point presentation on how the wildlife in our area, and across the planet, is adapting to us and we to them. This includes a studied look at the increasing influx of wildlife into our urban, suburban and exurban environments. Sobczak takes an in-depth look at the rebounding populations of everything from white tailed deer, crows and Canada geese through a process he calls “un-natural selection.” The lecture also explores the unintended benefits of retention ponds, golf courses and accidental nature preserves such as the Venice Audubon Rookery, Eagle Lakes Community Park and numerous locations where wildlife has found habitat in the least likely of places. The focus of this presentation is that, despite our impact on their natural habitats, these resilient creatures are finding new homes in an ever changing planet. The later part of the lecture looks at the rise of the conservation movement from the 1870s through today and how we are changing as well. This presentation is uplifting and inspiring at the same time.

The Great Florida Invasion – From Pepper to Pythons

Based on information garnered from his three award-winning non-fiction titles Sobczak’s power point presentation takes an in depth look at a wide array of invasive species that have invaded Florida over the past 100 years. From Burmese pythons to fire ants, from Brazilian pepper to lionfish, this topic is sure to capture the interest of residents and visitors alike. It can be customized to run from fifteen to fifty minutes and will look at natural migrations as well, such as the fairly recent arrival of the African cattle egret and the western coyote. While this presentation also offers a number of solutions to controlling many of these unwanted visitors to the Sunshine State it also clearly states that some of these unwanted visitors are here to stay.

The Wild Places of Southwest Florida

With most of the information taken from his last non-fiction title, “The Living Gulf Coast – A Nature Guide to Southwest Florida,” Sobczak takes the audience through many of his gorgeous photographs taken by some of the best photographers in the region including Alan Maltz, Heather Greene and RJ Wiley.Moving from north to south he looks at some of the most popular parks and preserves throughout the six counties – Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Glandes and Hendry – as well as more obscure nature havens such as Harn’s Marsh in Lehigh Acres and Celery Fields in Sarasota.In this presentation he describes the best locations for spotting some of Southwest Florida’s most elusive species such as the snail kite, crested cara cara and even the Florida panther. The audience is left with a better understanding of the natural beauty of places such as Myakka State Park, J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Collier County. There is something for everyone in this beautiful power point presentation.

About the Author

Sanibel author Charles Sobczak has been a featured lecturer with Road Scholar (formerly known as Elderhostel) for more than twenty years. He has given both lectures and power point presentations for this Boston based organization in the Everglades, Naples, Ft. Myers and Sanibel. While the earlier presentations focused on some of his literary writings, his recent presentations are based on his three non-fiction titles: Alligators, Sharks & Panthers, Living Sanibel and The Living Gulf Coast.

In addition to working with Road Scholar, Sobczak has done numerous Power Point presentations for the following organizations. This also includes several ZOOM presentations that have become increasingly popular during the Covid-19 Pandemic. To book a presentation of any of the three current lectures please contact the author directly via email at livingsanibel@gmail.com. Each presentation is approximately 40-50 minutes long and is generally followed by a Question and Answer session. Over the years Sobczak has given more than two hundred presentations on everything from publishing, writing techniques to any number of nature related topics such as invasive species, alligator and shark attacks and the best wild places and eco-destinations in Southwest Florida. Please refer to the detailed lecture descriptions located on this website for additional information about the current offerings. There is an honorarium fee and the author appreciates the ability to sell his titles after the presentation.

Here is a partial list of the many organizations, Homeowners Associations, Garden Clubs and Environmental Groups that the author has presented various Power Point Presentations to over the past
decade.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida
The Harvard Club
The Cape Coral Newcomers Club
The Sanibel Fishing Club
Village Walk Garden Club (Zoom presentation)
The Caloosa Dive Club
Sanibel-Captiva Audubon
Signature Series for the Friends of the Library, Collier County
Bishop Museum of Science and Nature (Zoom presentation)
“Ding” Darling Wildlife Society
Friends of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Peace River Audubon Society
Ft. Myers Chapter of The Daughters of the American Revolution
Elsie Quirk Library, Englewood, Florida
The Rotary Club of Ft. Myers
The Sanibel Fishing Club
Friends of Lakes Park Regional Library
Ft. Myers Beach Public Library
Florida Southwestern State College, Charlotte Campus
Sierra Club, Venice, Florida
CROW Animal Hospital, Sanibel
The National Shell Museum
Cape Coral Historical Museum
Gulf Coast Writers Association