FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  February 23, 2004
CONTACT: Deena Wells, (850) 245-2112                                

Everglades Radio Network Hits the Airwaves

--Alligator Alley travelers tune in to Everglades’ nature news, emergency information--

AMERICA’S EVERGLADES – Motorists along Alligator Alley can now tune into an educational radio program about America’s Everglades while coasting the hour-long stretch of Interstate 75 that traverses the famed River of Grass. Offering around-the-clock environmental news, nature reports and emergency bulletins, Florida’s Everglades Radio Network made its debut broadcast today from Florida Gulf Coast University.

“With the launch of the Everglades Radio Network the landscape comes alive by simply looking out the car window and listening over the airwaves,” said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David B. Struhs. “Now, the millions of motorists cruising across this vast, watery wilderness can learn about nature, wildlife and the massive 30-year, $8 billion plan to restore the River of Grass.”

The magazine-style continuous broadcast from WFLP-LP or WFLU-LP (FM 98.7 or 107.9) features facts about the Everglades’ ecosystem, its wildlife and habitat, along with a history of the Everglades and the natural and man-made forces affecting its future.

Serving as a vital link to more than 18,000 motorists daily, the Network also enhances highway and public safety by airing emergency weather bulletins, travel advisories and Amber Alerts along the reversible hurricane evacuation route linking Southwest and Southeast Florida.

"Everglades Radio Network is an innovative way to communicate important transportation messages to travelers on Alligator Alley," said Department of Transportation Secretary José Abreu. "If lane closures are planned, the Network can broadcast those locations. If crashes occur that result in changing travel conditions, the Network can alert and update motorists. Drivers will also hear about Florida’s Road Rangers, who work 24/7 serving stranded motorists, and our wildlife crossings that allow panthers, bobcats, bears, deer, raccoons, alligators and other animals to move safely from one side of I-75 to the other."

“We now have the capability to forward life-saving information to residents and visitors traveling across Alligator Alley,” said Division of Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate. “We are proud to partner with FEMA and our state colleagues to bring the Everglades Radio Network to life.”

The culmination of more than three years of work by the Florida Departments of Environmental Protection, Transportation and Emergency Management, the Network broadcasts from Fort Myers public radio station WGCU. This is the first FM version of the narrowly targeted “highway advisory radio” in Florida. The low-powered signal can be heard along Alligator Alley in Collier County, with plans to increase the Network’s reach further along the highway.

Florida Gulf Coast University President William C. Merwin welcomed the opportunity to host the Everglades Radio Network at the WGCU public radio station on campus. “The environmental education and informational programming gives the University yet another opportunity to promote and support environmental sustainability, an integral part of the University’s mission.”

For more information about Everglades Radio Network, visit www.evergladesradionetwork.org.

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