CCS has teamed up with Florida Sea Grant under a contract with the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) to update the District’s five year strategic plan. WCIND is a Florida special taxing district serving as local sponsor for the maintenance of Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in the four-county region that includes Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota and Manatee Counties. In addition, WCIND maintains regional and local waterways that, together with inlets to the Gulf of Mexico, form the inland waterway transportation network for Southwest Florida. WCIND’s mission is to preserve and enhance the commercial, recreational, and ecological values of the coastal waterways within its jurisdiction. In addition to updating the 2017 -2021 Plan, CCS is researching the ways that the regional waterway system provides or can provide water quality enhancement and ecological benefits for possible inclusion in the Plan. The project his being led by Dr. Nancy Montes, a geospatial planner with Florida Sea Grant, and assisted by Center Director Christine Angelini and Professor Tom Ankersen (Law).  CCS’s summer student interns, Savannah Peltrau (B.S., Environmental Sciences) and Colson Douglas (J.D. Candidate, Law) are teaming up to support the project.

Savannah Peltrau is a graduate of the University of Florida. Originally from Miami, she is now an environmental intern for the Center for Coastal Solutions in Gainesville. During her time at UF, she majored in Environmental Science and minored in Soil and Water Science and Sustainability Studies in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. As a CCS intern under the supervision of Center Director Christine Angelini, Savannah is conducting a deep dive into the literature on coastal waterway management and maintenance, and its role in maintaining and enhancing coastal environmental quality. Outside of academia, Savannah enjoys binging shows, music, finding new places, hanging out with friends, and trying fun recipes.

Colson Douglas is from Starke, Florida and graduated from the University of Florida in the Spring of 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a certificate in Political Campaigning and a minor in Soil and Water Science. Colson is entering his second year as a student at the UF’s Levin College of Law. He is also pursuing a joint master’s degree in Political Science with a specialization in campaigning and lobbying. In the past Colson has worked on political campaigns and in external affairs for the Florida Governor’s office. As a legal intern for the Center for Coastal Solutions under the supervision of Professor Tom Ankersen in the College of Law, Colson is researching the legal history of the inland waterway system, as well as an conducting an analysis of recent legislation and regulatory reforms in Florida that affect the coastal environment.