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Famous Chimpanzee expert and conservationist Jane Goodall is speaking in St. Petersburg in September. The two-day event comes as Florida faces the national spotlight for environmental issues.
Dr. Jane Goodall’s discovery in 1960 that chimpanzees make and use tools is considered one of the greatest achievements of twentieth-century scholarship.
She will speak at an event called “Hope in Action” at the Tropicana Field.
A “Day of action” with service projects around Tampa Bay, including cleanups, will follow Goodall’s speech.
Anna Rathmann is the executive director of the Goodall Institutes’ U.S. office.
Rathmann said the organization calls the region a “basecamp,” and invests significant resources in this area in particular.
“The community of Tampa Bay has really shown up with their commitment to the environment. You know, we could come up with a bunch of different reasons why, but it’s a beautiful community because it has terrestrial and marine environments we could really dive into,” Rathman said.
All this comes as the state is under increased scrutiny after Governor Ron DeSantis received bipartisan backlash after proposing putting pickleball courts and golf courses in state parks.
Bonnie Eaton is a coordinator for Roots and Shoots, a youth organization founded by Goodall.
“We would want to put nature first in these situations, and we’ll work with the other organizations in the area to help have that message heard,” Eaton said.
In a statement sent to WMNF, the organization said they “do not hold a stance on the issue” and it’s “out of the scope of their conservation work.”
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