The Tybee Island Marine Science Center podcast welcomes senior curators Sarah Alley and Rachel Cantrell to discuss fall weather, daily animal husbandry, and preparations for the release of their three-year-old loggerhead sea turtle Ossie.

They explain the multi-week process of ordering, programming, testing, and attaching a satellite tag, and recall last year’s tagged turtle Westie, whose tracker pinged for nearly a year and fueled community updates. The hosts also cover ongoing tank cleaning and resets, new support from partner trawls for collecting animals, and the addition of a downstairs generator that reduces storm-related animal moves.

They share updates on moonfish added to Ossie’s tank, a strong Tybee-found hatchling discovered during a nest excavation, and Rachel’s upcoming move to San Diego for active-duty Coast Guard search-and-rescue command center orders.

Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode:

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Become a MEMBER

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Partnership and Donation Opportunities

Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:41 Meet The Curators

01:44 Ossie Release Prep

02:48 Tagging Day Details

03:21 Westie Release Story

05:26 Tracking Data Hopes

08:02 More Turtles Ahead

08:40 Daily Husbandry Work

09:42 Moonfish Snack Drama

11:32 New Generator Upgrade

12:14 Goober And Tank Plans

13:02 Tybee Hatchling Found

14:16 Nest Excavations Reality

15:05 Straggler Survival Checks

15:36 Foster Turtle Milestones

16:04 Nest 50 Tiny Turtle

16:46 Naming the Newbie

16:54 Rachel Heads to San Diego

18:05 Coast Guard SAR Life

18:25 Helicopter Over Tybee

19:58 California Turtle Surprise

21:16 Finding Wildlife Work

22:59 Favorite Turtle Memories

23:55 Friendship and Teamwork

25:10 Beach Educator Throwbacks

26:27 Goodbyes and Next Steps

26:54 Support the Science Center

Host Jessica Leigh Lebos is in the Ship Watch Loft at Tybee Island Marine Science Center with artist and landscape architect Lisa D. Watson of Planet Green Design LLC, who uses salvaged materials in her art and promotes sustainable landscaping with native plants.

Watson shares her early connection to nature, how suburban lawn culture and retail nurseries contributed to invasive species, and defines invasives as exotics that harm native ecosystems, citing nandina (heavenly bamboo) and its toxic berries linked to eastern waxwing deaths. She recommends native alternatives such as wax myrtle, yaupon holly, inkberry, and chokeberry, and discusses conserving pollinators by avoiding leaf blowers and keeping fallen leaves as mulch to protect overwintering insects like fireflies and swallowtails.

The conversation also covers her exhibitions (including “Fur, Feathers, and Familiars”), pitcher plant–inspired work from protected South Carolina sites, her in-progress book “Wild for Wildscapes,” and her advice to convert 10% of a yard into native habitat.

Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode:

What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center

Resources:

Become a MEMBER

Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center

Partnership and Donation Opportunities

Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:48 Meet Lisa Watson

01:49 Eco Hero Origins

03:50 Native Plant Basics

04:15 Invasives Explained

06:09 Better Plant Choices

08:13 Leaves Not Blowers

11:11 Pollinator Garden Talk

12:23 Milkweed And More

14:45 Pivot To Artwork

15:12 Fur Feathers Show

17:14 Fragile Habitats Inspo

18:36 Roadside Ecosystems

19:05 Mosquito Control Debate

19:56 Roadside Ditch Exhibit

20:35 Wild for Wildscapes Book

22:09 Why Plant Natives

24:13 Native Plants in Public Spaces

24:52 Tybee Berm Success Story

26:59 Propagation and Where to See Natives

28:12 Art vs Gardening Balance

30:21 Seed Packet Greeting Cards

31:05 Easy Steps to Start Today

32:10 Marine Science Center Closing

Jessica Leigh Lebos hosts the Tybee Island Marine Science Center podcast and interviews Laura Solomon, co-founder of Tybee Oyster Company, about their floating oyster farm in the Bull River near Wilmington Island and how it produces salty, consistent oysters for Tybee, Savannah and other restaurants in the region.

Solomon explains year-round harvesting through refrigeration, food-safety cold chain practices, and keeping oysters submerged and shaded in summer, along with Georgia’s recent regulatory framework for oyster mariculture and oversight by DNR, Department of Agriculture, Army Corps, Coast Guard, and NOAA. She describes the farm’s seed-to-harvest process (including a FLUPSY nursery), culling for quality, and the ecological role of oysters as keystone species.

The conversation covers oyster-history on the Georgia coast, shell recycling and restoration with partners like Shell to Shore, and Tybee Oyster Company’s nonprofit Eco Georgia (started in 2024) which works with eight schools on oyster education, advocacy, and student projects. Solomon also previews Eco Georgia’s Nov. 8 oyster festival fundraiser at Starland Yard featuring Georgia-grown oysters, local chefs, and beverage partners, and discusses scaling challenges, storm impacts, and her preferred way to eat oysters.

Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode:

What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center

Resources:

Become a MEMBER

Volunteer at Tybee Island Marine Science Center

Partnership and Donation Opportunities

Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:30 Where the Farm Lives

02:26 Year Round Oyster Safety

03:37 Permits and Regulators

04:57 Farm Gear and Nursery

06:25 Perfect Oyster Process

07:27 Oysters as Community

09:48 Restoration and History

14:30 ECO Schools Program

17:33 Georgia Oyster Festival

19:31 Scaling and Storms

23:00 Marsh Challenges and Terroir

25:19 How Laura Eats Oysters

26:14 Closing and Membership