From the Tybee Island Marine Science Center’s Shipwatch loft, Jessica Leigh Lebos sits down with Ted Dennard, founder of Savannah Bee Company (2002) and longtime beekeeper, about honey and the broader world of pollinators.

Dennard explains that honeybees are only one of 20,000+ bee species, names several native types, and describes how native and managed bees can share resources when habitat and flowers are abundant. He discusses Savannah Bee’s new “Beetopia” site at a former soap factory with thousands of native plants, bee tours, and a Matt Willey mural highlighting pollinators.

Dennard covers hive dynamics, seasonal population changes, threats like mites, viruses, and pesticide spraying, and education efforts through The Bee Cause Project (started 2013) serving nearly 3,000 schools. He explains honey’s nectar origins, flower fidelity, varietals like tupelo, and how planting natives, providing water, and reducing pesticides can help bees.

Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode:

What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center

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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 Sweetest Show Intro

01:38 Pollinators Beyond Honeybees

02:14 Native Bees of the Southeast

02:59 Tybee Plants and Resources

04:20 Beetopia Warehouse Garden

06:13 Beekeeping Science and Art

07:21 Hive Life and Swarming

09:03 Threats to Bees Today

11:10 BeeCause Project in Schools

14:21 Savannah Bee Origin Story

16:15 Honey Terroir and Nectar

17:17 Honey Flavor Sources

17:47 Curating Rare Honeys

18:57 Wild Ecosystems Benefits

20:25 Mind Blowing Bee Math

23:37 How To Help Bees

25:04 Stings And Bee Products

27:06 Bee Society Lessons

28:16 Beyond Honeybees

29:38 Marine Science Center Outro

Recorded in the Ship Watch Loft from the Tybee Island Marine Science Center, host Jessica welcomes back Jacilyn Ledford of Tybee Tour Company for a Halloween-themed episode blending local history with island ghost lore.

They discuss the Tybee Lazaretto quarantine station, used in connection with over 10,000 enslaved West Africans, and reports of shadowy apparitions near the docks. Ledford shares a lighthouse tale about former head keeper George Jackson supposedly pacing between the lighthouse and his home while guarding his teenage daughters from Fort Screven soldiers.

They explore mysteries surrounding the fenced Tybee Memorial Cemetery at Memorial Park, where sonar indicated 20–30 bodies despite few markers and uncertain records after its closure in 1922. Stories continue south with “Sin Bad the Sailor” allegedly cremated into Tybrisa Street and accounts of blue lights and “dune people” emerging from the water near 17th–19th Streets.

Learn more about the voices and topics in this episode:

What's happening at Tybee Island Marine Science Center

Resources:

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 Spooky Season Intro

01:24 Lazaretto Dock Hauntings

03:24 Mother Ocean Solace

04:51 Lighthouse Keeper Legend

07:21 Memorial Cemetery Mysteries

13:14 Sin Bad in Tybrisa

14:51 Blue Light Dune People

16:34 Halloween Wrap Up

17:17 Science Center Outro

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:

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

00:41 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

Welcome to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center podcast, recorded in the Ship Watch Loft. On this episode, host Jessica Leigh Lebos welcomes Brooke Chase, host of the Simply B. Sustainable Podcast and co-organizer of Green Drinks Savannah, a monthly gathering (second Tuesday at 6:00) for ecologically minded community and action.

Chase shares how she and Chloe revived Green Drinks after reconnecting with a former organizer and describes the event’s growth and rotating locations and topics, including an upcoming Forsyth Park tree walk.

She discusses her lifelong drive to reduce waste, emphasizing that imperfect efforts by many matter more than perfection by a few, and frames consumer choices as “money is your vote.” Practical tips include “refuse, repair, reduce, reuse, recycle,” avoiding plastic and styrofoam, composting (highlighting Core Compost), using ABC Glass recycling in Thunderbolt, buying secondhand via Goodwill, Facebook Marketplace, and Buy Nothing, and creating native pollinator gardens. They also note concerns about AI’s water and energy impacts.

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 to Tybee Podcast

00:37 Meet Brooke Chase

01:53 Reviving Green Drinks

04:58 Why Sustainability Matters

06:28 Small Choices Big Impact

09:40 Thrifting and Buy Nothing

11:57 Clothing Swaps and Waste

12:39 AI and Environmental Costs

14:42 Community Sustainability Partners

16:51 Easy Sustainable Habits

19:07 Hope and Learning Together

20:57 Next Green Drinks Details

22:26 Final Tips and Farewell

23:45 Science Center Closing Message

Host Jessica Leigh Lebos sits down at the Tybee Island Marine Science Center with Cloe LeMaire, an environmental scientist and the Savannah Reuse System Outreach Coordinator for Savannah Riverkeeper. They dive deep into the major pressures currently facing the Savannah River, from port-driven growth to the rapid explosion of regional warehouses.

What We Cover in This Episode

• The Warehouse Boom & Public Data: Cloe walks through a public GIS dashboard built alongside 100 Miles and Ogeechee Riverkeeper that tracks developers, permits, square footage, and timelines—with expansion plans heading into South Carolina.
• Trash Traps & Brand Data: Discover how 12 NOAA-funded trash traps installed since 2024 are capturing stormwater litter and tracking specific brand data, revealing a heavy footprint of takeout-related styrofoam.
• Reusables & AI Data Centers: Cloe shares updates on designing an open-loop reusable cup system for Savannah and discusses the delicate organizing happening around a proposed AI data center along the river.
• River Science & Restoration: The conversation rounds out with a look at ongoing oyster research, baseline water-quality monitoring supporting the restoration of river cutoff bends, and upcoming channel deepening and widening proposals.

Get Involved Cloe invites listeners to join Savannah Riverkeeper, make use of their community reporting tools, and roll up their sleeves for a cleanup at Lake Mayer Park on September 12th.

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

Host Jessica Leigh Lebos welcomes Tybee Island Maritime Academy science teacher and assistant principal Katie Holliday to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center podcast to discuss TIMA’s place-based, maritime-centered K–8 curriculum and daily experiential learning on Tybee’s beach and marshes.

Recorded from the Ship Watch Loft at Tybee Island Marine Science Center.

Holliday explains TIMA is a lottery-based charter school within Savannah-Chatham County Public School System that integrates STEAM through project/problem-based learning and community partnerships, including a NOAA Ocean Guardian native plant garden planted at the Marine Science Center with support from All The Buzz nursery. They highlight TIMA’s MATE ROV robotics program (earning high-school engineering credit) and a recent second-place finish.

Holiday shares her 17-year teaching journey and stewardship goals, discusses the school’s purchase of the former Thunderbolt Elementary to potentially expand beyond Tybee, notes TIMA’s established cellphone collection policy, and outlines thoughtful approaches to student AI use and STEAM recertification.

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