Environmental nonprofits join forces to hire 'science geek' to help fix the region's water woes

When he starts his new job later this month, Paul Julian will have two high-powered bosses and a lofty goal: Improve Southwest Florida’s water quality.

Lee County's Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation and Collier's Conservancy of Southwest Florida teamed up to woo Julian away from his job as Everglades Technical Lead for the Florida Department of Environment Protection to join the nonprofit sector.

In his official role as hydrological modeler, the self-described science geek will use expertise he’s gained over the last decade of agency work to help the nonprofits form a unified front.

It’s the first time groups on the state’s west coast have created such a synergy to preserve and protect the region’s water resources. Hopes are high that joining forces this way will further their common goals.

With scores of peer-reviewed publications to his credit, SCCF CEO Ryan Orgera characterizes Julian as a highly qualified data analyst, “will move us more efficiently towards water quality solutions …by pooling our resources and streamlining our efforts.” Both groups need someone who can analyze data and crunch numbers, and they’ll be able to share the work he does.

The Lehigh Acres resident graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a master’s degree in environmental science. After a stint at Sarasota's Mote Marine Laboratory, he joined the Florida DEP, earning  a Ph.D. in Soil and Water Science from the University of Florida, while working at the state agency.

His job included making sure water quality standards were being met while helping plan restoration projects.

“Paul’s deep experience as one of the lead technical experts on Everglades restoration combined with his passion for conservation will strengthen our shared efforts to protect water resources,” said Conservancy CEO & President Rob Moher in a statement.

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Julian is excited to dig into “the environmental policy side of things,” he said, as he synthesizes environmental data to evaluate how a host of things are affecting area waters: Everglades restoration projects, Army Corps of Engineers water management, development, sea-level rise, and more. “As part of this data-driven perspective, my goal is to synthesize existing data and, if needed, identify areas where more data is needed to aid in landscape and ecosystem level assessments to inform restoration activities and policy directives.”

He’s looking forward to swapping perspectives.

“For the past nine, almost 10 ten years, I’ve been in Everglades restoration from the state side, and I’ve been on that side of the table providing technical support that way, so now I’ll be continuing some of those efforts – just on the other side.”

That’s not to say he’s anticipating just desk work; Julian loves being in the field – or in the swamp, in his case. He wears his passion for wetlands on his sleeve: His Twitter handle is @SwampThingPaul and website is swampthingecology.org.

“Being so science-minded, I’m very curious about things – I still want to get out and learn and study the system up close as well.”

One of the region’s wet places he loves is Corkscrew Reginal Ecosystem Watershed, where he volunteers, as well as the Fakahatchee Strand and Big Cypress.

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“I always want to go out there and just get lost,” he says with a laugh. Trying to raise public awareness of the importance of wetlands is critical, he says, since they provide drinking water, and wildlife habitat while supporting the state’s recreation- and visitor-focused economy.

“When we have healthy wetlands we have good fish, and when there’s good fish, there are good birds,” he said. “If we didn’t have wetlands, things would be a lot different – and not in a good way.”

That passion paired with his experience is a winning combo, his new bosses say.

Working under the direction of SCCF Environmental Policy Director James Evans and Marisa Carrozzo, Everglades and Water Policy Manager with the Conservancy, one of Julian’s initial projects will be focused on the development of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (known as LOSOM).  LOSOM is taking the place of the current lake regulation schedule governing freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee.

“We are very excited to have Paul join our combined team. He brings a great deal of technical expertise and experience and fills an important need for our organizations,” said Evans. “His modeling expertise will help guide the development of the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual — a critical tool for addressing the damaging discharges from Lake Okeechobee and helping restore our coastal ecosystems.”