Dr. Claudia Listopad, President and founder of Applied Ecology, was invited to present the keynote speech at the Florida Lake Management Society’s 30th Annual Technical Symposium in Duck Key, Florida. The theme of the conference was “Toxic Waters and Environmental Stewardship”. Dr Listopad was joined by her colleague, Dr. Leesa Souto, who is the Executive Director of the Marine Resources Council. Together they addressed the issues that Florida’s water resources face as a result of nutrient pollution, emerging contaminants, urbanization, climate change, and other areas of concern, and using environmental stewardship as the spark to ignite change.