Senate Bill 712 Aims to Further Protect Florida’s Water Resources
Senate Bill 712 ‘The Clean Waterways Act’ was signed into Florida law on June 30, 2020. The purpose of the bill is to better protect Florida’s water resources and focuses on minimizing the impact of known sources of nutrient pollution. These sources include septic...
Oyster Reef Mapping in the Pensacola Bay System, how is oyster reef mapping done?
Santa Rosa County R.E.S.T.O.R.E. has funded the SRC Oyster shell recycling program and the Pensacola, East and Blackwater Bays Intertidal and Subtidal Oyster Reef mapping and Assessment projects. The Nature Conservancy is managing the oyster reef mapping and...
“Dirty Dozen” Invasive Species – Japanese Climbing Fern
Continuing our monthly series of invasive species articles - this week we look at the first of the "Dirty Dozen". The Dirty Dozen are the 12 worst, most problematic, established invasive species within the Six Rivers CISMA - as decided by the members of the Six...
Guest Columnist Cathy Hardin: The trials and joys of trees
Trees often are low on priority lists – unless you had tree damage as a result of Hurricane Sally. However, you might be surprised to learn that trees played a beneficial, if somewhat behind the scenes, role for good this year and every year. And celebrating the good,...
EDRR Invasive Species of the Month – Eurasian Milfoil
EDRR Invasive Species Eurasian Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) Define Invasive Species: must have all of the following – Is non-native to the area, in our case northwest Florida Introduced by humans, whether intentional or accidental Causing either an environmental or...
Stormwater Ponds 101
Prior to joining UF IFAS Extension, I spent three years as a compliance and enforcement field inspector with the local Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) office. It was a crash course in drinking water regulation, wetlands ecology, stormwater...
Hiking the Panhandle
It’s winter… The sky is clear, the humidity is low, the bugs are gone, and the highs are in the 60s – most days. These are perfect days to get outside and enjoy. But the water is cold and you do not want to get wet – most days. And with COVID hanging around we do...
Meet the Author: Laura Tiu
Laura Tiu is the Marine Science Sea Grant Agent with the University of Florida Extension Service in Okaloosa and Walton Counties. Raised in Sioux City, Iowa, she left the cornfields of the Midwest to pursue her dream of becoming a marine biologist, following in...
Meet the Author: Erik Lovestrand
Erik works as the UF/IFAS Franklin County Extension Director and as a Regional Specialized Agent for the Florida Sea Grant program in Northwest Florida. His Extension office is located in the historic fishing village of Apalachicola. Due to the small-town, rural...
Adventures in Fall
Fall is such a spectacular time in the Florida Panhandle. The crowds are gone and the thermometer rests at a pleasant 50-70-something degrees. It is the perfect time of year to enjoy our amazing environment. Nature has a magical way of boosting our energy levels...