“My day-to-day job on a water manager for a local municipality. We service a very large number of people in the metropolitan South Florida area. And what we do is very important, because what we do restores the aquifer and provides we maintain a balanced ecosystem in the water systems around and I’m very, very, proud water manager. I’m very proud of my job and what I do. And we do everything from invasive removal to bank restoration. If there’s trash or blockages we get it cleaned up. Just everything and anything that has to do with flowing water and keeping our ecosystem those ecosystems healthy. So I’m very passionate about that one.” — Matt Garske

In Episode 192 of District of Conservation, Gabriella welcomes her new friend Matt Garske to the program. Matt took Gabriella peacock bass fishing during her recent trip to Florida. He works for a Florida water district and is an avid outdoorsman. They discuss how Matt got interested in the outdoors, him being a first-generation gladesman, what it’s like raising gators, chasing after the elusive SoFla peacock bass, if it’s acceptable to eat freshwater grouper (aka largemouth bass), the existence of vervet monkeys near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and exotic species like peacocks and iguanas.

Connect with Matt on Facebook and Instagram.

SHOW NOTES:

Vervet Monkeys Calling FLL Airport Home (Forbes)

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Photo Credit: Gabriella Hoffman / Everglades