![\"article](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Edison-National-Bank-CEO-Geoff-Roepstorff-L-and-Mike-Kirkland-R-at-the-2021-Python-Challenge-404x300.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nSouth Florida Water Management District’s Michael Kirkland with a captured Burmese python. PROVIDED<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Edison National Bank CEO Geoff Roepstorff (left) and South Florida Water Management District\u2019s Michael Kirkland at the 2021 Python Challenge. PROVIDED<\/p>\n
The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife is kicking off its 2026 Speaker Series on Jan. 9 with a presentation from South Florida Water Management District Lead Invasive Species Scientist and Python Program Manager Michael Kirkland on the impact of invasive Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades.<\/p>\n
Kirkland has spent over a decade on the front lines of Florida\u2019s fight against one of the world\u2019s most destructive invasive species. As the lead scientist for the SFWMD\u2019s Python Elimination Program, Kirkland oversees a highly skilled team of professional python hunters who have collectively removed more than 170,000 pounds (approximately 85 tons) of Burmese pythons from the Greater Everglades ecosystem.<\/p>\n
During his presentation, Kirkland will take attendees behind the scenes of this program, sharing how his elite team of more than 50 expert contractors tracks and humanely removes thousands of pythons each year. He will also highlight groundbreaking research efforts, including the University of Florida\u2019s \u201cRobo-Bunny\u201d python-attracting technology, as well as cutting-edge telemetry projects with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, University of Florida and United States Geological Survey. These initiatives use radio-tagged \u201cscout\u201d pythons to locate hidden breeding aggregations within the Everglades.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Kirkland will also discuss the ecological impact of pythons on native wildlife, signs of recovery in areas where extensive python removal has occurred and what the future holds for python management in Florida. The program will conclude with a Q&A session.<\/p>\n
Edison National Bank\/Bank of the Islands is once again sponsoring CROW\u2019s annual Speaker Series, supporting educational programs that bring awareness to critical conservation efforts impacting Southwest Florida and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs district python hunters, my wife Robbie and I have seen firsthand the great threat these apex predators pose to Florida\u2019s native species and ecosystem, and we are most grateful to SFWMD in their historic and continuing successes in Everglades restorations,\u201d said Geoffrey Roepstorff, CEO of Edison National Bank\/Bank of the Islands. \u201cFrom managing the water resources for the southern half of our state to eliminating invasives from our lands, there is no other agency that is so committed and successful. We\u2019re proud to bring expert voices like Mike Kirkland\u2019s to our region to talk about the python situation in our state. It\u2019s a rare opportunity to hear directly from the team who is setting the global standard for large-scale invasive snake eradication.\u201d<\/p>\n
The presentation will take place on Friday, Jan. 9, from 4 to 5 p.m.at the CROW Visitor Education Center, at 3883 Sanibel Captiva Road on Sanibel, and will also be held virtually via Zoom. Tickets are $10 per person. The event is family-friendly, and light refreshments will be provided.<\/p>\n
To register, visit eventbrite.com<\/a>. Season passes for CROW\u2019s 2026 Speaker Series are also available.<\/p>\n About South Florida Water Management District<\/p>\n The South Florida Water Management District is a regional governmental agency that manages the water resources in the southern half of the state, covering 16 counties from Orlando to the Florida Keys and serving a population of 9 million residents. It is the oldest and largest of the state\u2019s five water management districts. Created in 1949, the agency is responsible for managing and protecting water resources of South Florida by balancing and improving flood control, water supply, water quality and natural systems. A key initiative is restoration of the Everglades \u2013 the largest environmental restoration project in the nation\u2019s history. In 2017, SFWMD established the Python Elimination Program to protect the Everglades and Southern Florida\u2019s diverse and native wildlife.<\/p>\n About Edison National Bank\/Bank of the Islands<\/p>\n Edison National Bank is Lee County\u2019s oldest locally owned and managed community bank, serving individuals and business owners with offices in Fort Myers, as well as the Bank of the Islands offices on Sanibel and Captiva. Founded in 1997, Edison National Bank is strongly rooted in the community and actively supports civic and charitable causes through both donations and volunteerism. Bank of the Islands is proud to be the winner of more than 50 \u201cBest of the Islands\u201d awards including \u201cBest Island Bank\u201d numerous times. For more information, call 239-466-1800 or visit EdisonNationalBank.com<\/a> or BankoftheIslands.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"South Florida Water Management District’s Michael Kirkland with a captured Burmese python. PROVIDED Edison National Bank CEO Geoff…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":94018,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":{"0":"post-94017","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cape-coral","8":"tag-cape-coral","9":"tag-cape-coral-headlines","10":"tag-cape-coral-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}