U.S. Fish and Wildlife Considering Protection for Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes and Could Use Your Help
This sounds similar to the idea that has been discussed about protecting some species of sharks. Do we really want to do this? It reminds me of an interesting situation that was created when they passed the Marine Mammal Act in 1972. The law seemed...
Hunters Safety Course May 6th
Hunting and fishing is an important part of natural recourse conservation. In the state of Florida, once you reach the age of 16, anyone born on or after June 1, 1975 must have passed a hunter safety course to purchase hunting licenses. In collaboration with Florida...
Offshore Aquaculture: Siting Tools
Aquaculture is growing faster than any other animal food-production sector. The development of new technologies, stagnation of wild capture fisheries, and the increase in seafood demand are all contributing to a 5.3% increase in aquaculture production within the...
A Sea of Grass; Part 4 Jellyfish
The word “jellyfish” tends to initiate a similar response in most people – “scream”, “run”, “this is going to hurt”. Being stung by a jellyfish is not pleasant and is something most would prefer to avoid. Our beaches warn us when they are out by flying a...
Pine Tree in What?
What do ice cream, make-up, paint, plastic, air freshener, laundry detergent, cellophane, and rayon fabric have in common? They all have pine tree in them. There are hundreds of products that contain the cellulose or sap from the pine tree species native...
A Sea of Grass; Part 3 – The Sponges
Many who visit a seagrass bed for fishing or snorkeling, see many forms of marine life while there. There are numerous small silver fish darting in and out of the grass, an occasional stingray half buried in the sand waiting to ambush prey, and sometimes a...
UF/IFAS Water School Webinar Series: Managing Stormwater in a Changing FL Panhandle 2023
Join us for a two-part webinar series: Managing Stormwater in a Changing FL Panhandle 2023 on May 3 from 8-11 am CST (9-12 pm EST), and May 17 from 8-11 am CST (9-12 pm EST). For those that have attended in previous years, we have a lot of new material to present and...
Sea of Grass; Part 2 – The Epibiota
The open grasslands of the American west support huge herds of grazing herbivores such as bison, antelope, and deer. These large herds again support populations of hunters such as wolves, coyotes, and – historically – bears. The huge acres of wetland...
A Large Mass of Seaweed is Heading to Florida; Will It Impact the Florida Panhandle?
It sounds like one of those Sci-Fi thrillers where there is a giant asteroid heading to Earth and we need a special team led by Bruce Willis to save the planet. But in this case it is not a large rock, but a large mass of seaweed. And the threat is not a...
A Sea of Grass; Part 1 – The Grasses
Many in the Florida panhandle are aware of the importance of seagrasses to estuarine ecology. They have heard this many times before and have heard how important it is to protect them. Some are aware that they are important as a nursery for many commercial...