[Music] Gulf winds blow through canopy roads all the way to Thomasville, native names written on the land echo through the red clay hills.

Where the scent of long leaf Florida pine reach up on past that Georgia line.

Stroll through Tallahassee town or southern Apalachee bound, Take the local routes and journey down the roads we call our home.

Take the local routes and journey down the roads we call our home.

Welcome to Local Routes.

I'm Suzanne Smith with WFSU Public Media.

Today, I'm at the state of the art park next to Railroad Square in Tallahassee.

Located on FAMU Way, it's easy to find because of the rattler head rising above the concrete ramps.

It's one of those places that's fun to play, and it's also fun to watch the wonderful town here, especially on a first Friday celebration at the Square.

WFSU's Tabitha Weinstein took a look at what went on to make this park the perfect place to skate board and bike.

[Skate sounds] [Music] When I heard that the skate park was being built, I was like, Oh my gosh.

Like, it's right in the heart of Tallahassee.

And I want to skate again.

Seeing all of the new developments, the bowl, the half pipe, I was just like, I want to write all of it.

And I felt like this one here, being in the heart of Tallahassee at Railroad Square, which is a beautiful, beautiful place to be and just walk around.

It's just a really chill place.

Great vibes, great people.

So, yeah, the skate park is what inspired me to come back.

The goals were to come up with a design that was scalable for all users, like people that, you know, are new to skateboarding, People are that are advanced, you know, bicyclists, rollerblades, scooters, wheels.

So the team painted like, fantastic job with that.

Definitely.

This park is actually in one of the best spots to have a park.

It's right in front of various different locations.

Where there's just.

So many different categories of people coming here.

I've seen different ages and people coming here.

Different people start picking up skating because of this park.

So it's had a great place as a skate shop down there.

Phase one is down there.

People can really just go walk over there, got on board and pick up anything right here.

So I like the park.

It's a great location.

So then that really was the idea that first came up with how do we create a space like that along Cascades Trail that people can skate on?

And so what you see in this park are a lot of the same skate features that people were not supposed to skate on in cascades.

Like specifically the piece of the broken circle of life from the Korean War Memorial.

It really brings everybody out, like at the old park.

You really you saw a lot of people out there.

But this park really brings a lot of people out.

A lot of people were walking by, just not even skaters, just a community, especially with a first Fridays brings everybody out even more.

I just think that helps the community like to know, like just know each other more.

You always see there's a lot of people from all ranging all ages.

There's Sundays, you get the older people, the older crew comes out.

They have like a little group going during the week.

You get young kids, you get college kids, you get people who work who graduated recently.

So you get to see a bunch of people every day, meet new people.

It's been great so far.

[music] So Team Payne Skate Park hired a artist to actually do the painting.

The sculpture underneath was done by a company out of Orlando.

That actually builds.

Animatronics for theme parks.

And then locally.

A local guy.

Pete.

Peter Koenig.

Peter Konig.

Did the.

So Peter Koenig did the painting of this snake, as well as a mural that's in the middle of the skate park on the pyramid.

This whole skate park, the community continues to build.

You see people of all ages, children all the way into like the elderly, old folks.

You know, you've got young folks and old folks all skating because they love skating and encouraging one another.

And I think that's the that's a really big thing about skating is making sure that you're encouraging one another and not putting someone down because of their ability.

We're all here to learn.

So that's really what skating should be learning from other people.

So skate more bike scooter just get on a board.

It's the best feeling that you can ever experience.

And if you fall, just get back up again and know that you can always do it.

You can do it.

You may not be able to do it yet, but you will be able to.

So go skate.

Go skate.

Yeah.

The Redwood Square art District is considered a vibrant part of the Tallahassee community, and not just in the activities, events and shops you can find here.

Check out this view from above.

It's a colorful place.

In fact, many of the buildings have become canvases for some fascinating murals.

In this spotlight feature by WFSU's Alex Campbell and Freddie Hall.

We meet one of the artists responsible for some of the wonderful artwork you see here.

Well, I think the number one definition is subjective, right?

Everybody has their own idea of exactly what it is.

For me personally, I think it basically comes down to creating something that started in your head and bringing it to life.

I'm Matthew Forest.

I work under the pseudonym Briteso I started doing graphic design about 13 years ago, but about three years ago I got tired of doing graphic design, went back to school for fine art.

And so I've been painting and doing fine art since then.

Basically, I was just burnt out of being a graphic designer where you kind of have to do what everybody else wants you to do, and as an artist, you sort of do more what you want to do and people tend to kind of defer to your artistic, you know, creativity.

But as a graphic designer, you know, you're really more trying to cater to make whatever's in somebody else's head come to life.

And like I said, for me, art is taking what's in your own head and bringing it to life.

So I just find a lot more satisfaction in that.

And ultimately I realized how much I love to paint.

So being able to incorporate some of my graphic design skills and bring that into like preparing for my paintings allows me to kind of use some of the skills that I had but not be forced to be doing the exact job and using it towards my own ends.

A friend of mine, Scott Bell from Cat Family Records in 2020, early 2020 was like, I've got an idea for a mural.

Would you be interested?

And I said, Yes.

And he came up with the design and concept and pitched it to Railroad Square and they said, Yes, let's do it.

And then COVID hit.

And so we got pushed back a little bit, but we ended up doing it in July and August, which is not a fun time to do a mural on a south facing wall.

But despite all that, I had a blast doing it and I was really excited with the final result.

It's just it's really cool to make art that people are going to see for sure.

You know, anything else that you make, there's just, you know, people will see it or they won't, but you know, you can't miss you can't miss murals.

You know, everybody pretty much sees them.

And so it's just a great medium for getting across like your message and your ideas and your art.

And as far as murals, most of them are kind of centered around Railroad Square and the surrounding areas.

There's, I think, five or six in Railroad Square and then a few in the surrounding areas.

One at Euphoria on South Monroe.

There's one downtown in Galley Alley and then the other one is in Railroad Crossing, which is right down the street on FAMU way from Railroad Square.

So as far as process materials and designs, I guess let me start with the designs.

Almost all of my paintings or murals start with a digital mockup which I use to kind of work out all the creative stuff.

And that way when I go to paint, it's actually very much just just filling in the colors where they're supposed to go.

So it allows the painting process to be almost like just complete meditation and then the creative process.

I don't have to worry about using a bunch of materials or, you know, painting over stuff or, you know, damaging anything.

I can do it all digitally.

And it's, you know, it's essentially free of my time.

So but then as far as materials, mostly I use acrylic paints for some walls.

I use spray paint and just regular house paint.

For this particular mural, I'm using a new paint that I haven't used before, specifically designed for murals, but it's from the company that makes the paint that I usually use a golden.

So I like I use their paint on pretty much everything.

So it's going to be fun to use this new paint and this new application.

Make sure you have a side gig or some kind of backup funds because you know it's not a regular paycheck.

And if you're not making lots of money right away, you're going to need another way to pay your bills.

And it's not always you know, it's not always all that profitable.

But if you can stick with it, if you can if you can find the means to get through the lean times and get to where you can actually, you know, have some clientele and get a little bit of recognition where people are reaching out to you, it's it's hugely rewarding in the end.

That briteso story is an expansion of our Spotlight digital series that focused initially on musical artists.

Well, now we're going to go back to those local roots Ooo I try to know what they saying.

Oh, when they tell me that I'm playing, I try to know what they saying.

These voices in my head when they tell me that I'm playing, I'm telling them that I don't understand why do I have to keep trying.

I know that I am chosen everyone around me is dying.

I would be lying if I said I can't fighting these Lord I am begging please I know with you I'm walking.

What are my steps?

protection is all that I pray for I know that I am destined for greatness so close I can almost taste it like Florida water on my skin.

I win when I choose myself I fold When I think that I need no help so please.

I'm on my knees I'm on my knees.

I'm on my knees and I'm trying Taking it day by day Everyone I am beautiful, the way I keep crying and it's getting over my tears they they water my So get up.

out my face.

I ain't worrying bout what you saying I'm in my lane, talk is cheap and you're not praying so get up out my face I ain't worrying about what you saying I'm in my lane Talk is cheap and you're not praying so close I can almost taste it So close I can almost So close I can almost taste it I've been working on my patience so close I can almost.

So close I can almost taste it I've been working on my I've been working on my patience and I'm trying taking it day by day it's heavy but I am Beautiful.

the way I keep crying and it is getting so old but My tears they, they water my grove I'm trying taking it day by day.

It's heavy, but I am beautiful all the way I keep crying and it's getting old but my tears.

they they water my grove.

You can learn more about Jordan Roberts more of her music on our WFSU YouTube channel under our Spotlight playlist and on our website WFSU Local Rotues.

Lake Jackson in the north part of Tallahassee is another great place filled with art, the art of nature.

It also sparks a lot of conversation.

We talk about it when there are dried out.

That's when the water drains out of the lake and we talk about it when it fills back up again because of a lot of heavy rains with her shoes.

Rob Diaz de Vegas explores why this up and down water level makes it great for birds and bird watching.

Oh.

Oh, this is Lake Jackson.

One day after a heavy rain just two days earlier, this part of the lake looked like this.

The birds have really come out now that Porter Sink Basin is full, much like they did in June of 2021, right after the lake dried down.

Birds seem to love this dynamic lake.

These are definitely the same birds I saw last night.

Lake Jackson is a great birding destination because of the diversity of habitats it has within it and around it.

And then a big part of that is the fluctuating water levels.

In the eBird app, four of the top ten birding hotspots for Leon County are on Lake Jackson.

Today.

We join the lake's top ebird observers to find out why.

Oh, and see you guys.

Hey, I just want to be starting off with.

I have a list, but it's without it started without you guys.

And I got the barn owl this morning.

Julie started her list on eBird, a free app created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

It collects data on birds for researchers and bird enthusiasts alike.

Faulk landing is Leon County's top birding hotspot on the App.

Faulk Landing is absolutely my favorite birding spot.

It brings together a variety of habitats.

You've got the brushy area as you're walking up and you've got grassy trails that are great for sparrows mean go straight up and it's closer to us, but it's in the tree line.

Oh yeah.

And you've got open fields which are great for raptors and also sparrows.

And then there's the lake itself.

Lake Jackson is a phenomenal place to go.

Birding the diversity is really incredible here in this big, shallow lake.

To.

This lake is known for its dry town events.

Since June of 2021, Lake Jackson hasn't held water for more than a month or two at a time.

So the sinkholes bend down since early November.

It's been down for a couple of months.

And then just in the last week or so, we've had somewhere in the 2 to 4 inch range of precipitation.

So even with just that, the sinkholes become inundated again, as well as a lot of the other shallow areas of the lake.

The edge of water is always on the move.

And that might be a reason birds like it here.

The birds will use the moving edge of the water as a place to target and take the opportunity to forage.

There's a big wader bird diversity here.

Your egrets and herons with storks are all here and they're all work.

The edges.

When the lake drains, you've got all this mudflat and the mudflat is, for me, the part that I really love.

I think just a function of having more exposed mud brings in a lot of shorebirds, brings in a lot of things feeding on emergent insects that are coming up.

When the lake fills the edge moves again.

New shallow areas are created and new islands and bars.

When water moves, fish and invertebrates move or become exposed and birds follow.

Right after the drawdown.

It's just a massive influx and can be quite interesting.

It's the best Osprey photography, you know, and the little sinkhole.

There will be hundreds of big fish.

So I just have this great series of Ospreys with huge fish.

So these birders have seen that a drive down brings out a lot of birds.

But how many is it more than when it's full?

For an attempt at an answer, Julie turns to eBird.

So on eBird there's a a function where you can go to a hotspot which fork landing is, and you can put the setting on first scene and see when a species was first seen in this location.

This is a list showing how many new bird species have been spotted at Fork Landing over the last decade.

The number jumps starting in June of 2021 when the lake dried down for the first time since 2012.

The jump was likely due to the dry down, but maybe not in the way you'd think.

Like Julie was talking about earlier.

I mean, the last couple of years, the number of species seen here has just exploded.

And part of that is is certainly the birds coming here.

Part of that is a lot more people visit during the dry.

Now, I don't know of anywhere else in Florida you can see something like this.

More people equal more potential observers, more observers, more birds observed and no one has made more observations than the birders here today.

For this group, eBird isn't just a data collection tool, it's how they became friends.

Because of eBird.

When you go to a hotspot, a county, a state, you become familiar with the people who are regular birders because they're constantly making checklists.

The little group of friends that formed a confederation of sorts, you know, we helped each other find stuff, egged each other on.

I think we all sound so many birds.

I think they're always here, maybe.

But we all had a kind of a coordinated effort.

You know.

These guys have helped me learn a lot, too, especially in the early days when, you know, before 2020, I couldn't have told you that a female cardinal, cardinal.

In the back.

Again, eBird is a free app.

You do need to create an account to start a bird list, but not to explore hotspots and big data.

Flock landing is the top Leon County hotspot, but there are several other hotspots at other boat landings and parks around the lake as to whether a dry down brings in more birds.

More observers may mean more observations, but there do need to be birds to observe.

For WFSU I'm Rob Diaz de Villegas rising waters can be very dangerous, especially in a hurricane when storm surge can wipe out an entire coastal community in seconds in a special WFSU ecology project in collaboration with the PBS program Nova WFSU's Rob Diaz de Villegas explores the efforts that are underway to protect Florida coastlines from hurricanes.

Storm surge.

If we don't act, we lose time because that next big impact could come tomorrow or it could come next year.

Irma, Michael, Ian.

These Category four and five hurricanes hit Florida within the last five years as did several smaller storms.

They've destroyed homes and businesses totaling over $200 billion in damage.

It's not a fluke, it's a trend.

Strong storms are landing with increasing frequency and yet our coasts are largely unprotected.

So how can we strengthen coastal communities against wind and waves?

That's what the University of Miami sustained Lab is trying to figure out, using a state of the art hurricane simulator.

So you can customize the hurricane, create a hurricane, build a hurricane, and study specifically what you want.

So this is a computer that controls waves.

Soon, Peisen Tan will activate this 1460 horsepower fan to unleash a hurricane within this 38,000 gallon tank.

Peisen and then the rest of the sustained team are developing solutions that help communities withstand hurricane waves, which on the coast cause more damage than wind.

First, they must understand how waves form and how they transmit energy.

If you have a calm surface in the wind, start small.

There are some initial perturbations.

The waves starts to form very small ways.

First, this is a monochromatic wave with seven centimeter amplitude, which is like a rough wave in the ocean.

Over time, in distance, the waves continue to grow as the wind.

Pushes on, the forming waves and now I think we're already in a cat one intensity.

Right now there are tons of sprays and bubbles all over the water surface.

The wind is.

Pushing against that water and adding energy to the.

Water and energy and momentum.

So as that wave continues.

To propagate and grow, all that wind energy is going into those waves and.

They can become very large.

Because of the weight of water.

The larger the wave, the more energy it transmits.

One cubic foot of water is 64 pounds.

If we take 4 cubic feet of water, it's basically the average weight of an NFL player.

Now, imagine an NFL player running into you and basically tackling yo Now imagine a sea of NFL players coming to you and then coming again and again.

We're at a Cat 5 Wind intensity right now, the sea sprays are going all the way out.

Category five waves may look a mess, but there is an organized wave motion here propelling the weight of water towards our coasts, coasts that once looked like this.

This is Saint Vincent Island in the Florida Panhandle.

It's a national wildlife refuge and a glimpse at what had once been one of Florida's best natural defenses against hurricanes, barrier islands.

You know, over the pre settlement times in Florida, the barrier islands were natural.

They basically serve the function of protecting the mainland from.

Storms and things like that.

Florida is further protected by other natural systems.

Natural systems like salt marshes, seagrasses oyster reefs, coral reefs, even mangroves.

They all kind of protect us, but they all need space and time.

In much of Florida, these natural systems have been replaced by human structures built directly on the coast.

Miami Beach, for example, is built right on a barrier island.

The sustain lab designs barriers to protect those hotels and condos from wave energy.

The challenge is to engineer a barrier that will slow down the waves in the same way natural systems would their designs are tested in a hurricane simulator.

So what we want to avoid is that that energy transfers by impact into the structures.

Traditional construction of things like sea walls.

So sea wall doesn't take any energy out.

It bounces energy off of it.

But sometimes this also worsens the conditions in nearby areas.

The key thing for waves is they go into things like salt marshes, oyster reefs, seagrasses, mangroves.

They disrupt the motion of the water.

If we can actually dissipate the energy by breaking the waves of turbulence and you do it on the right locations, when they arrive at the shoreline, you have less impact.

To do this.

Sustain has developed a hybrid approach called Sea Hive that combines engineering with natural systems.

The sea hive is a way to replace a traditional sheet pile sea wall with something that is perforated, something that can dissipate more energy locally as opposed to just reflective, which is what happens at the sea wall.

The units are hexagonal hexagonal prisms hollowing the inside with a series of holes on their side faces.

So what happens there is we find them up vertically and horizontally.

The holes slow down, wave energy and can be used as planters for mangroves, marsh grasses and coral reefs which further break up the waves.

So create kind of like a living shoreline, a hybrid system that we can adapt.

Sustain is working towards deploying sea hive modules to test sites within the next year.

If they work, they could be strategically deployed more widely over the coming decades, helping to buffer the impact of storms in any year anywhere In Florida, a Category five hurricane can hit.

With climate change and rising temperatures that this ification of the coastlines, I mean, it's almost kind of like the perfect catastrophe scenario for the communities.

So luckily, we have been doing better in terms of preparation, in terms of our codes, in terms of construction.

So whenever we develop something, we want to make sure that this could be used to protect not only the vulnerable regions, but also the vulnerable population.

That's it for this episode of Local Routes I'm Suzanne Smith.

You can see these stories and more on our website.

wfsu.org/localroutes And while you're online, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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It is a great way to stay on top of events happening in person and in the virtual world.

For all of us at WFSU Public Media.

Thank you for watching.

Have a great week, everyone.

Magnolia Trees greet the Southern Breeze in the land where rivers wind seeds spring up from the past leaves treasures yet to find.

Where our children play.

Along the land our fathers built with honest hands.

Take a moment now.

Look around at the paradise we have found Take the local routes and journey down The roads we call our home.

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