ENGLEWOOD ­— Sanibel-based author Charles Sobczak cracks a lot of jokes while talking about all the places there are in Southwest Florida to see some of the thousands of species of wildlife. But he turns serious when he starts to speak about the future.

“We must remain vigilant in preserving wildlife habitats,” he said to an attentive audience Wednesday at Elise Quirk Library. “We must speak up for those whose voices can’t be heard.”