Our Environment: Part 6 – Human Population Growth
Following the textbook I used when I was teaching environmental science there were 6.7 billion humans on the planet in 2011. I remember when we hit 6 billion. There was a lot made of it in the media. Currently (2025) we are at 8 billion. The textbook I used was...
Introducing Okaloosa Waterwatch
Okaloosa Waterwatch is an opportunity to explore water quality data in selected locations spanning the Okaloosa County portion of the Choctawhatchee Bay. A site is selected each month, and available water quality data are summarized and explained. The purpose is to...
The Striped Burrfish
I have a vivid memory of snorkeling the seagrass beds around Port St. Joe when I was an undergraduate marine biology student. Our field research lab involved completing a visual fish survey, using waterproof dive slates and pencils to record the number and species of...
Marine Creatures of the Northern Gulf – Seagrass
As we mentioned when we began writing about seaweed, seaweed and seagrass are very different. Seagrasses are true plants in the sense that they have an internal vascular system that runs water and other material throughout the plant. Like the artery and veins of...
The Value of Biodiversity
According to Conservation International, there are 36 biodiversity hotspots worldwide. These are defined as areas with “at least 1,500 vascular plants as endemics — which is to say, it must have a high percentage of plant life found nowhere else on the planet. A...
Our Environment: Part 5 – Homo sapiens
Evidence suggests that Homo sapiens’ initial population originated in east Africa – though some think we may have originated in southern Africa, and others from northwest Africa. It is believed this occurred about 300,000 years ago. The first humans were hunter...
Marine Creatures of the Northern Gulf – Brown Algae
If green algae are difficult to find in the northern Gulf because most prefer freshwater, and rocky shorelines, brown are difficult because the group prefers colder water, as well as rocky shorelines – but we do have some here. Brown algae get their color because the...
Marine Creatures of the Northern Gulf – Red Algae
Members of the seaweed group Rhodophyta – the red algae – prefer warmer marine waters. Though the diversity and abundance of seaweeds in the northern Gulf is low due to unsuitable substrate for them to attach to, the red algae may be the most diverse group we have....
Our Environment: Part 4 – Life on Land
The principles of life on land are not that different from life in the sea. It is believed that life began in the sea but, the creation of continents and islands, new habitat was available for colonization. However, the creatures who would colonize land would have...
Getting Your Farm Pond Ready for Spring
As spring approaches, I’ve been receiving more calls from local pond owners looking for advice on preparing their farm ponds for the season. Managing a pond in the Florida Panhandle can be tricky—especially when dealing with spring-fed ponds. While these ponds are...