Mark Twain is said to have quipped, “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting." And in Florida, the subject of water can bring out the strongest of opinions. The Water for Fighting podcast will discuss the past, present, and future of water in Florida with the people who make it happen. The host, Brett Cyphers spent over 20 years working throughout Florida government getting to know the people who’ve made water their life’s work and created this podcast to allow you, the listener, to get to know them as well. The object of this show is to get beyond the abbreviated soundbites and two-line quotes to provide a format that allows us to get to know the guest, not just serve an agenda. Guests are encouraged to talk about their experiences and opinions as they wish to express them. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversations.
All content for Water For Fighting is the property of Brett Cyphers and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Mark Twain is said to have quipped, “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting." And in Florida, the subject of water can bring out the strongest of opinions. The Water for Fighting podcast will discuss the past, present, and future of water in Florida with the people who make it happen. The host, Brett Cyphers spent over 20 years working throughout Florida government getting to know the people who’ve made water their life’s work and created this podcast to allow you, the listener, to get to know them as well. The object of this show is to get beyond the abbreviated soundbites and two-line quotes to provide a format that allows us to get to know the guest, not just serve an agenda. Guests are encouraged to talk about their experiences and opinions as they wish to express them. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversations.
In this episode, Brett gets to talk with Mary Szafraniec, a Florida scientist with a remarkable personal story. They talk about her grandparents’ survival in Nazi work camps during World War II and her parents’ eventual escape from communism in Europe to arrive in the United States, ready to start a new life; how a chance meeting at a music festival changed her career path toward environmental issues and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; how she moved into the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program at the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the importance of mentorship there; how her time in government created value in the private sector; and of course, her new role at Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) and how she strives to do good by creating accountability in her work and measuring long-term outcomes for Florida’s natural systems.
To check out the things Mary and her colleagues at RES are doing to restore and protect water quality and habitat all over the U.S., visit their website here: res.us
To find out what Mary can do to help you and your community, email her at this address: mszafraniec@res.us
While Mary is batting cleanup for Season 2 of Water for Fighting, there’s a connect between her work partners and the first guest of this season, Steve Hawley. In Steve’s book, Cracked, he discusses the restoration of the Klamath River out west. To see what RES is doing to bring life back to that natural treasure, go here: https://res.us/home/restoring-at-scale/klamath-river-restoration/ and here: https://res.us/news/res-swiftwater-films-release-restoring-balance/
To learn more about Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) planning and implementation are going at Mary’s old stomping grounds at the Southwest Florida Water Management District, go here: https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/projects/swim
Please support our sponsors, RES and Sea & Shoreline.
Sea & Shoreline is a Florida-based aquatic restoration firm that is on a mission to restore Florida’s water bodies and to protect our coastline communities against severe storms. You can check out their projects at www.seaandshoreline.com
RES is a national leader in ecological and hydrological restoration, offering nature-based solutions with guaranteed performance through innovative delivery options. Discover more about their work and commitment to Florida and its environmental challenges by visiting www.res.us.
Our theme song is “Doing Work For Free”, by Bo Spring Band (Apple Music) (Spotify) (Pandora)
Transcript
[Music](…)Welcome to Water for Fighting where we discuss the past, present, and future of water in Florida with the people who make it happen. I’m your host, Brett Cyphers. This week’s discussion is brought to you by Sea and Shoreline. Sea and Shoreline is a Florida-based aquatic restoration firm that’s on a mission to restore Florida’s water bodies and to protect our coastline communities against severe storms. You can check out their projects at seainshoreline.com. All right, I’m really anxious to get into this week’s conversation with my friend and one of my favorite scientists working today, Dr. Mary Szafraniec Mary is a veteran of state government and private practice throughout the state of Florida, in
Water For Fighting
Mark Twain is said to have quipped, “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting." And in Florida, the subject of water can bring out the strongest of opinions. The Water for Fighting podcast will discuss the past, present, and future of water in Florida with the people who make it happen. The host, Brett Cyphers spent over 20 years working throughout Florida government getting to know the people who’ve made water their life’s work and created this podcast to allow you, the listener, to get to know them as well. The object of this show is to get beyond the abbreviated soundbites and two-line quotes to provide a format that allows us to get to know the guest, not just serve an agenda. Guests are encouraged to talk about their experiences and opinions as they wish to express them. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversations.
