PlayCleanGo Day 2: Horseback Riding
Hair, Hay, and Hooves: The Places Where Invasive Plants May be Lurking In the 2nd installment of our PlayCleanGo program, Jennifer Bearden showcases how horse owners can ensure that their equestrian activities don’t introduce invasive plants. Within the video,...
PlayCleanGo Day 1: Hiking
Hiking: Watch Your Step and Clean Your Soles The first of 5, this video created by Rick O’Connor and Carrie Stevenson discusses how residents can enjoy the outdoors and wildlife trails while still making sure to preserve the environment. Brushing and cleaning your...
PlayCleanGo Awareness Week 2022
PlayCleanGo is an educational campaign by the North American Invasive Species Management Association. The goal is to stop the spread of invasive species as we recreate in our beautiful environment. Each day we will feature a new video highlighting different...
Turning Leftovers into Valuable Fertilizer with Worms!
Nutrients found in food waste are too valuable to just toss away. Small scale composting and vermicomposting provide opportunity to recycle food waste even in limited spaces. UF/IFAS Photo by Camila Guillen. During the summer season, my house is filled with family and...
Are Blue-tailed Scorpions Poisonous
Well, the answer to this question should be obvious, right? However, when we take a closer look at these interesting creatures, the first impression created by their frightful name will likely evaporate completely. First, scorpions are considered venomous, rather than...
It’s Been a Terrific Terrapin Season So Far
As the Sea Grant Extension Agent in Escambia County, one of my program areas is to help restore a healthy estuary. To do this we focus on educating the public how to improve water quality, restore habitat, and manage invasive species, but we also focus on how to...
Seagrass Situation
Imagine… It is 1922 and you are rowing your wooden skiff from a small beach house near what will become the town of Gulf Breeze Florida across Santa Rosa Sound on your way to Santa Rosa Island. The water is 10-15 feet deep, and you can see the bottom. It is covered...
Identifying Riverine Turtles of the Florida Panhandle Workshop
The Florida panhandle has one of rich biodiversity. This goes for the variety of turtles found here as well. Many paddlers and hikers to our waterways see these turtles but have trouble identifying which they are looking. In response to request by outdoor...
Lionfish Meet Their Match
The northwest Florida area has been identified as having the highest concentration of invasive lionfish in the world. Lionfish pose a significant threat to our native wildlife and habitat with spearfishing the primary means of control. Lionfish tournaments are one...
Wildlife on the Beach in May
It is mid-spring and time of nesting for much of the wildlife in the area. It is also noticeably warmer than our previous hikes. Due to my work schedule, and the surveys for other nesting activity, I did this hike earlier in the month and later in the day, than I...