by Carrie Stevenson | Jun 17, 2017
Wakulla Springs is home to some of the best wildlife watching in all of northwest Florida. It’s not unusual to see manatees, alligators, and dozens of species of birds in one boat trip. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson
What do you imagine when the word “ecotourism” comes to mind? I know I usually daydream about a trip my husband I took to Costa Rica several years ago, surrounded by lush tropical rainforests as we ziplined through the canopy. I might also think about visiting a National Park, following a neatly maintained trail and stopping at signs placed at just the right spot so visitors can read and understand the special features of the place. Ecotourism, done right, brings a visitor to a unique place, tells its story, and immerses the visitor in the sights and sounds in a way that treads lightly on the location. I always know I’ve been on a good ecotour when I’m tired, happy, and have learned or seen something new.
A colleague with The Conservation Fund has stated that sustainable tourism includes: “Authentic experiences that are unique and specialized to the place (its culture, heritage, and natural resources), emphasizes quality over quantity, focuses on distinctive destinations, unspoiled landscapes, and historic buildings, and differs from mass-market tourism by favoring locally-owned businesses, thereby increasing circulation of money in the local economy.” The truly wonderful thing about ecotourism is that local touch; it exists solely because of the place, so it cannot be outsourced. The best storytellers about those places are usually the people who have lived there for many years, so by its very nature, ecotourism provides jobs for local residents.
Northwest Florida has hundreds of unique locations for visitors and locals to explore…we have centuries-old forts, clear-blue springs, endless rivers and creeks to paddle, trails on the coast and up our modest hills. We have caves and underground caverns, waterfalls, pitcher plant prairies, fishing, wildlife watching, and reefs for snorkeling and SCUBA diving. While millions come here for our quartz-sand beaches, other options that highlight our natural ecosystems deserve more attention and notoriety.
A few years ago, several Extension Agents received funding for a project called Naturally EscaRosa. The idea behind that project was to help promote and create businesses that sustainably used our agricultural and natural resources. The website (www.naturallyescarosa.com) has a list of over 100 businesses and locations where locals and out-of-town visitors can explore the less well-traveled areas of Escambia and Santa Rosa County. As you move east down the coast, Walton Outdoors, the local Visit Florida affiliates, and other privately managed media groups have done similar work, providing a showcase for these treasures in our midst.
This summer, try one of the local ecotourism or agritourism venues near you! Moreover, when your friends and family visit from out of town, encourage them to do the same. We cannot have a successful economy without a healthy ecosystem, and supporting these local and regional businesses is good for both.
For more information on sustainable ecotourism, visit the Society for Ethical Ecotourism (SEE), and for information on starting or visiting an agritourism business, try Visit Florida Farms. And as always, reach out to your local County Extension agents, and we will be more than happy to point you in the right direction to discover to places to explore with your family.
by Carrie Stevenson | Mar 3, 2017
Bamboo shoots can grow as tall as 70 feet. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson
Standing in the midst of a stand of bamboo, it’s easy to feel dwarfed. Smooth and sturdy, the hollow, sectioned woody shoots of this fascinating plant can tower as tall as 70 feet. Unfortunately, bamboo is a real threat to natural ecosystems, moving quickly through wooded areas, wetlands, and neighborhoods, taking out native species as it goes.
We do have one native species referred to as bamboo or cane (Arundinaria gigantea), which is found in reasonable numbers in southeastern wetlands and the banks of rivers. There are over a thousand species of true bamboo, but chief among the invasive varieties that give us trouble is Golden Bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea). Grown in its native Southeast Asia as a food source, building material, or for fishing rods, bamboo is also well known as the primary diet (99%) of the giant panda. In the United States, the plant was brought in as an ornamental—a fast growing vegetative screen that can also be used as flooring material or food. Clumping bamboos can be managed in a landscape, but the invasive, spreading bamboo will grow aggressively via roots and an extensive network of underground rhizomes that might extend more than 100 feet from their origin.
Whimsy art Panda in a bamboo forest at the Glendale Nature Preserve. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson
As a perennial grass, bamboo grows straight up, quickly, and can withstand occasional cutting and mowing without impacts to its overall health. However, a repeated program of intensive mowing, as often as you’d mow a lawn and over several years, will be needed to keep the plant under control. Small patches can be dug up, and there has been some success with containing the rhizomes by installing an underground “wall” of wood, plastic, or metal 18” into the soil around a section of bamboo.
While there are currently no chemical methods of control specifically labeled for bamboo at this time, the herbicides imazapyr (trade name Arsenal and others) or glyphosate (Round-up, Rodeo) applied at high rates can control it. According to research on the topic, “bamboo should be mowed or chopped and allowed to regrow to a height of approximately 3 feet, or until the leaves expand. Glyphosate at a 5% solution or imazapyr as a 1% solution can then be applied directly to the leaves.” These treatments will often need to be repeated as many as four times before succeeding in complete control of bamboo.
Land managers should know that while imazapyr is typically a more effective herbicide for bamboo, it can kill surrounding beneficial trees and shrubs due to its persistence in the contiguous roots and soil. In contrast, glyphosate solutions will only kill the species to which it has been applied and is the best choice for most areas managed by homeowners.
Bamboo Control Publication
by Carrie Stevenson | Mar 2, 2017
Guest Blogger – Dr. Steve A. Johnson, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida
Cuban Treefrog. Photo credit: Steve Johnson
The National Invasive Species Council defines an invasive species as one that is introduced outside its native range where it causes harm (or is likely to) to the environment, economy, or human quality of life. The Cuban Treefrog in Florida qualifies as invasive under all three parts of this definition. Introduced from Cuba to Key West inadvertently in a shipment of cargo about 100 years ago, this frog is now established throughout Florida’s peninsula, and isolated records from numerous panhandle counties continue to accumulate. There are many records of Cuban Treefrogs from other states in the US, and even Canada. Most of these frogs originated in Florida and found their way to points beyond as hitchhikers on vehicles or as stowaways in shipments of ornamental plants. Fortunately, Cuban Treefrogs do not appear to have gained a permanent foothold—yet—outside of the Sunshine State.
Cuban Treefrog eating a Green Treefrog. Photo Credit: Nancy Bennett
Cuban Treefrogs are well documented predators of Florida’s native treefrogs and are likely responsible for declines in native treefrog numbers, especially in suburban neighborhoods. Fortunately, research has shown that when native frogs (e.g., Squirrel and Green Treefrogs) are still present that they respond favorably to the removal of their invasive cousins. Cuban Treefrogs are known to seek shelter in electrical utility equipment or even a home air-conditioning units, and as they climb around they may cause short circuits, leading to costly repairs. They also invade homes, ending up in a toilet at times, and have also sent young children to the emergency room. The frogs exude a noxious skin secretion when handled, which is extremely irritating to mucous membranes, especially one’s eyes. So be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling a Cuban Treefrog.
To mitigate the negative impacts Cuban Treefrogs are having on Florida’s native wildlife, as well as their effects on our quality of life, I recommend that these invaders be captured and humanely euthanized. For tips on how to capture, identify, and humanely euthanize these frogs visit http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/ and also read “The Cuban Treefrog in Florida”. Report sightings of this species outside of the Florida peninsula to Dr. Steve A. Johnson, and within the peninsula report them on EDDmapS.
by Carrie Stevenson | Mar 1, 2017
Special Guest Blogger – Lorraine Ketzler, Biological Science Technician with US Fish and Wildlife Service
There have been several fungal invaders entering and spreading within the US in recent years and I’d like to draw attention to four of them:
Eastern red bats being surveyed for White-nose Syndrome at Talladega National Forest, AL. Photo credit: Lorraine Ketzler
- White-nose Syndrome (WNS) in bats (Pseudogymnoascus destructans)
- Chytridiomycosis (Chytrids) in frogs (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis)
- Chytridiomycosis (B-sal) in salamanders (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans)
- Laurel wilt disease (Raffaelea lauricola) in Lauracea family trees (redbay, sassafras, avocado and others), transferred by the invasive redbay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus).
These diseases have devastating effects on multiple species. Bats, frogs, and salamanders are important insect predators, and all species –including trees- cycle nutrients through ecosystems to provide carbon storage benefits as well as other services. Bat populations in North America are declining precipitously as WNS marches westward across the continent. Many frog populations across the globe have disappeared because of Chytrids, with several species recorded as extinct and some are being listed under the Endangered Species Act. In addition to nutrient cycling, Lauracea trees benefit humans as food crops, aromatic ornamental trees, and medicinal plants. However, Laurel wilt disease is found in nearly every county in Florida, and continues to spread throughout the southeast.
The state and the US must remain vigilant and monitor against the introduction of B-sal, a recently discovered and highly transmissible disease spread through pet trade salamanders. It has not yet been observed in the US, but has caused widespread declines in native salamanders of the Netherlands and UK.
Unprecedented numbers of new and emerging pathogenic fungi continue to be discovered. Fungi genomes are amazingly adaptable, overcoming plant and animal defenses, and becoming resistant to fungicides. Increasing human traffic, trade, and disturbance introduce these pathogens to new habitats. Trade ports are key introduction sites. Always practice decontamination procedures when handling wildlife and native plants, even in areas without confirmed infections to prevent the spread of disease to new populations.
Help Stop the Spread of Non-native Species
by Carrie Stevenson | Jan 8, 2017
Arbor Day has a 145-year history, started in Nebraska by a nature-loving newspaper editor who recognized the many valuable services trees provide. We humans often form emotional attachments to trees, planting them at the beginning of a marriage, birth of a child, or death of a loved one, and trees have tremendous symbolic value within cultures and religions worldwide. So it only makes sense that trees have their own holiday. The first Arbor Day was such a big success that his idea quickly spread nationwide–particularly with children planting trees on school grounds. In addition to their aesthetic beauty and valuable shade in the hot summers, trees provide countless benefits: wood and paper products, nut and fruit production, wildlife habitat, stormwater uptake, soil stabilization, carbon dioxide intake, and oxygen production. If you’re curious of the actual dollar value of a tree, the handy online calculator at TreeBenefits.com can give you an approximate lifetime value of a tree in your own backyard.
Arbor Day events in the western Panhandle.
While national Arbor Day is held the last Friday in April, Arbor Day in Florida is always the third Friday of January. Due to our geographical location further south than most of the country, our primary planting season is during our relatively mild winters. Trees have the opportunity during cooler months to establish roots without the high demands of the warm growing season in spring and summer.
To commemorate Arbor Day, many local communities will host tree giveaways,plantings, and public ceremonies. In the western Panhandle, the Florida Forest Service, UF/IFAS Extension, and local municipalities have partnered for several events, listed here.
For more information on local Arbor Day events and tree giveaways in your area, contact your local Extension Office or County Forester!
