Fall is an Excellent Time to Manage Vegetation
Fall is here - peanuts are being picked and football season is in full swing. With fall being synonymous with the end of the growing season, it is a surprisingly good time of year to start many vegetation management operations. Fall is a particularly good time of year...
Nurse Shark Spotted in Big Lagoon
Many who have snorkeled or dove in the Florida Keys have most likely encountered nurse sharks there – they are quite common. But here in the northern Gulf – though present – encounters are not as frequent. In the Keys you can don a mask, swim along a seawall, bridge...
Our Environment: Part 22 – Geothermal Energy
Geothermal is one source of energy that has been explored, and utilized, in recent decades. It is heat which is stored beneath the earth – either in the soil, rocks, or the fluid portion of the mantle. It has been used primarily in heating our homes and producing...
Our Environment: Part 21 Biofuels
This option for providing power has not been discussed as much recently as it was a decade ago. At that time many were looking at using corn waste, used cooking oil, and animal manure as a source of energy. Some universities devoted a lot of their research dollars...
Panhandle Terrapin Project 2025 Report
Introduction The diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is the only resident turtle within brackish water and estuarine systems in the United States (Fig. 1). They prefer coastal estuarine wetlands – living in salt marshes, mangroves, and seagrass communities. ...
Our Environment: Part 20 – Wind Power
Wind power has become more popular across the planet. Though some regions of the Earth get more wind than others – it blows basically everywhere. The concept behind wind energy is the same as hydroelectric power. In hydroelectric moving water turns the turbines to...
Wild Turkey Habitat
As Thanksgiving approaches, many people begin thinking about turkeys - and it's hard not to, given how often they appear in seasonal displays, menus, and media. This cultural centerpiece has been a prominent part of Thanksgiving tradition for centuries. If you're more...
2025 Pensacola Scallop Search Report
Introduction The bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) was once common in the lower portions of the Pensacola Bay system. However, by 1970 they were all but gone. Closely associated with seagrass, especially turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum), some suggested the...
Our Environment: Part 19 – Hydroelectric Power
This form of renewable energy has been used for decades. Water at higher elevations flows towards the sea. Placing a hydroelectric dam on such a waterway the flowing water can turn the turbines and generate electricity. It is the number one source of renewable...
New Invasive Species Along the Florida Panhandle – the Thrush Cowrie
They continue to come. Invasive species have always been a problem in Florida and many of the south Florida species are moving north. One of these is a new marine snail – the thrush cowrie. This snail is from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean and has been dispersing...