Charles LeBuff Oral History Transcript

2 part transcript from August 7 and 21, 2020

He grew up in the Boston suburbs where he befriended the curator of Herpetology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. In his mid-teens he and his family moved to Bonita Springs, Florida. He started working at the Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs. He then applied and started working with the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, where he met Tommy Wood. He started work for the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1959 after moving to Sanibel Island. Later he helped protect the sea turtles on the coast. He helped to get the loggerhead on the endangered species list and also worked to manage the alligator population and launch a nuisance alligator program on Sanibel Island. He then went on to write books (and lecture) about his experiences and interests. In part 2, Charles, talks about the Bailey Tract and different trails around Sanibel, and how that interacts with the wildlife. He also talks about how he got involved in city politics. He then reflects on past colleagues and some of the adventures he shared with them.