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.
-30-
04-037
Press Office
