Manatees in Old River
This is becoming an annual summer encounter – manatees in (near) the Intracoastal Waterway of Pensacola Bay area. They have been before, it is not uncommon for them to be seen at Palafox Pier Marina, but in the last few years groups of five to nine manatees have been...
Yellow flies, deer flies and horse flies, oh my!
The summer heat is here and with that comes the misfortune of yellow flies, deer flies and horse flies. If you’ve ever experienced their painful bite, you know they can certainly make outdoor work and recreation miserable. These biting flies belong to the insect...
Prescribed Fire: Habitat Management Tool Number One
Our coastal habitats are some of the most beautiful on the planet. Where else can you have the breathtaking, wide open vistas of our salt marshes, the incredible productivity of our nearshore bays, and the expansive pinelands in the adjacent uplands. Year-round...
Preparing for Hurricane Season—Ten Tips to protect your home and family
Hurricane Season in the Gulf and Atlantic begins June 1. For those of us who have lived in hurricane territory for some time, we all have our war stories of days without electricity and water, of being stuck in evacuation traffic, and of neighborhood camaraderie in...
Another Mystery in the Marsh – The Gulf Salt Marsh Snake
I am writing about this animal because, though it is rare to see them, our terrapin volunteers saw two this past week; and maybe you will too. The Gulf salt marsh snake is one of those, like the eastern coral snake, that is actually common – just rare to see. It is...
Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins
There are five species of sea turtles that nest from May through August on Florida beaches, with hatching stretching out until October. The loggerhead, the green turtle, and the leatherback all nest regularly in the Panhandle, with the loggerhead being the...
Do you live in an area with a Basin Management Action Plan? If so, what does this mean?
A Basin Management Action Plan, or BMAP, is a management plan developed for a waterbody (like a spring, river, lake, or estuary) that does not meet the water quality standards set by the state. One or more pollutants can impair a waterbody. In Florida, the most common...
Summer Fun at Summer Camp
BY: ARIEL BLANTON, RESIDENT DIRECTOR 4-H CAMP TIMPOOCHEE Have a love for exploring the mysteries beneath the ocean’s surface? Join us this summer for one of 4-H Camp Timpoochee’s Marine Camps! These weeks are full of aquatic learning and other fun activities such as...
Exploring with Oyster Cultivation
Oysters are like snakes… you either like them or you hate them. You rarely hear someone say – “yea, their okay”. It’s either I can’t get enough of them, or they are the most disgusting thing in the sea. That said, they are part of our culture. Growing up here in...
Grow Native Milkweed to Support the Monarchs
With spring upon us, the mighty monarch butterflies have begun their long trek to the north from Mexico, looking to time their migration with growth of the milkweed plants in the southeastern United States. Mated monarch females lay hundreds of eggs along their...