Talk on the Wild Side
with Kristin Eaton

Transcription

Vikki Locke

I am Vikki Locke with C2 Communications, and this is Talk on the Wild Side. Today we’re giving you a glimpse into careers in conservation, brought to you by the Florida Wildlife Federation, and we’re talking to Kristin Eaton today. Hey Kristin.

Kristin Eaton

Hello.

Vikki Locke

She’s with Florida Power and Light I just saw one of your commercials a few minutes ago, with a little girl, and it’s really amazing how FPL is really all about protecting the environment.

Kristin Eaton

Yes, we are. We’re very proud of that.

Vikki Locke

Very proud of you too. Now I know your dad was a biologist and you are one of those lucky people that kind of knew what you wanted to do when you were a little girl so tell us how that happened, how you followed in his footsteps.

Kristin Eaton

Yeah, I think that I was very fortunate in that aspect so my dad is a biologist and I grew up in Florida and so we were constantly outdoors, going to the beach, or going snorkeling, or just being out in nature and so from a very young age I knew that I wanted to do something that was also outside and in nature and so I followed the path that my dad took in a little different way but I ended up going to college and getting a degree in biology and then started to work in the biology world.

Kristin Eaton

Tell us a little bit about your day-to-day duties and I want to hear about the manatee project.

Kristin Eaton

So I think it’s really cool my day-to-day activities are always different and I think that’s something that keeps me on my toes, keeps me challenged and so I support all of our projects in Florida and that covers the entire State and one of those projects are working with manatees. Working with manatees is in one of our sites that’s along the coast and have a warm water discharge where manatees come and congregate in the wintertime. That’s one of the projects I work with, especially a lot during manatee season when we have the most manatees here in Florida.

One of the projects we’re working on, and we’re working very closely with all the wildlife agencies, is determining what do we do in 20 or 30 years when the technology has changed. We’re using different types of technology, whether that’s solar or whatever that may be in the future. We don’t know exactly what that could be in the future but if we don’t have those warm water discharges, where do the manatees go? That’s a project that I think I’ll be working on the rest of my career and it’s actually really exciting. We get to work with many different groups whether it’s wildlife agencies or environmental organizations. We get to work with a lot of people and I think that’s helpful with having different minds coming together and coming up with solutions.

Kristin Eaton

And you said you’re going to be working on this probably for the rest of your life. Is that a bad thing for the manatees or a good thing?

Kristin Eaton

I think it just means it is not an easy answer We have a lot of manatees in the state and  trying to figure out where manatees need to go to survive is not an easy solution to come up with, and we can’t just make a sign and have the manatees read that to know where to go. I think it’s a good thing, it’s just challenging for us.

Kristin Eaton

I read so much about manatees. In the paper recently there were pictures of animals that have died on the beach. Is this all environmental?

Kristin Eaton

We really just work with manatees and the warm water discharges, you know, with what’s been going on recently in the news and what’s going on with manatees, we really lean on the agencies, the wildlife agencies for that because they’re really spearheading efforts but we support them when they’re trying to figure out what is going on. We flight aerial surveys during the wintertime to get an idea of where the manatees are at our power plants. That’s useful information that the agencies are able to use. That’s another thing the agencies are working on right now, trying to figure out what’s going on.

Kristin Eaton

And speaking of agencies, give the people that are listening, that are thinking okay I’m not like Kristin and I don’t know exactly what I want to be when I grow up. What are the best ways to get involved? I mean it seems like there’s so many different avenues to take if you really want to save the planet.

Kristin Eaton

I think it’s really important if you’re in college and you’re studying to become a biologist or work on the environment is to really look into some internships whether it’s with an industry group like FPL. We have internships. Or if you’re looking at a consulting firm or working at one of the wildlife agencies, internships are really important. But also volunteering. Locally we have Loggerhead Marine Center that you can volunteer at here, and that’s a place where we have sea turtles, and there’s so many other rehabs or volunteer places that you can go to that also help you get involved with the environment.

Kristin Eaton

What is the most satisfying part of your job?

Kristin Eaton

I think the most satisfying thing is that I can actually make a difference for other biologists in what I’m doing. With the push toward renewable energy for the future and for all of the solar that we’re installing in Florida, I get to have my hands on all those projects and be able to be part of the planning. If we have a listed species or, you know, some kind of sensitive environment at our site, we can actually come up with creative solutions to make solar and wildlife and the environment all work together. I think that’s really satisfying knowing that I actually get to be a part of that.

Kristin Eaton

And how important is technology in what you do?

Kristin Eaton

It is very important. We like to say we’re a technology-driven company because when using technology, you’re working smarter not harder, which everybody talks about doing, and I think technology plays a big role in that and I think just the speed of what technology is moving, trying to keep up with just the newest thing, and what works for these sites, and what can we do with using technology at our sites.

Kristin Eaton

Is it changing so fast that it makes your head spin?

Kristin Eaton

I think in some aspects, yes, especially being a biologist and working on an engineering heavy company, trying to understand how a power plant works, how a solar site works, and how the panels connect to the different equipment, it can definitely make your mind spin a lot but you’re trying to learn every day and understand how everything works together.

Kristin Eaton

Do you have a website if anyone is interested and they’d like more information?

Kristin Eaton

Yes, if you go to www.fpl.com, at the bottom there’s a section for the environment that you can click on, and you can go through our different wildlife programs or environment programs we have through the company.

Kristin Eaton

That’s fantastic! Thanks, Kristin for being with us, and thank you to the Florida Wildlife Federation for sponsoring Talk on the Wild Side and keeping the wild in Florida since 1936. You can learn more at floridawildlifefederation.org.