Florida Master Naturalist projects impact local communities
The Florida Master Naturalist Program is a 40-hour experiential learning course offered by UF IFAS Extension. While we spend time in class with presentations, by far everyone’s favorite aspects of the course are field trips and “project day.” As part of the course,...
Panhandle Outdoors LIVE – Watershed School – Week’s Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Mobile Bay?... part of the Florida panhandle?... Really?... Well… yes… during the colonial period “West Florida” extended west to the Biloxi area and besides, all western panhandlers know we are really “lower Alabama”; we hear it a million times a year… so YES, it’s...
Florida’s First Capital and First High Rise? – Jefferson County’s Letchworth-Love Mounds Archeological State Park
It’s a calm clear weekday in January. There’s a single buzzard soaring above, two squirrels scurrying in the trees and a pileated woodpecker calling in the distance. It’s hard to imagine this site was the capital of civilization in North Florida some 1200 or more...
Arbor Day in Florida
The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is for Arbor Day. Florida recognizes the event on the third Friday in January, but planting any time before spring will establish a tree quickly. Arbor Day is an annual observance that...
Nature Tourism – The Intracoastal Waterway – Perdido Key
All photos: Molly O'Connor More and more visitors to the Gulf coast are seeking nature encounters when on vacation. Of course there are still the amusement park fans but there is an increasing number interested in visiting “The Real Florida” that our state park...
“Panhandle Outdoors LIVE!” schedule for 2016 announced
The Florida Legislature has just convened for the 2016 session, and news from the capitol is already announcing a sweeping water bill on the fast-track to passage. Supporters are quoted as saying it would provide increased protection for certain key water resources in...
2016 Gulf Coast Agritourism and Ecotourism Business Development Conference
In 2014, five Extension agents involved with www.naturallyescarosa.com launched the first Gulf Coast Agritourism & Ecotourism Business Development Conference. Over sixty business owners and members of the hospitality industry met to discuss marketing, sustainable...
Panhandle Florida Master Naturalist graduates opt to use living shorelines to enhance habitat and protect their coastal properties.
The mission of the Florida Master Naturalist program (FMNP) is to promote awareness, understanding and respect of Florida’s natural environment. FMNP graduates, Paul Bennett and Charlie Lurton have both worked diligently through the permitting process to place living...
What is the El Niño?
In our last article about the red tides we discussed how the strange weather of 2015 caused some changes in the natural world around Pensacola Beach - mainly, it got warmer. Though climate change is happening, and we just had a major summit on the topic in Paris, the...
Twelve Days of a Nature Christmas
Tis the season… the days are shorter, the lines at the stores are longer, and everyone is busy getting ready. This newsletter is about natural resources and nature – so I was thinking about how we could all enjoy the spirit of this holiday for the wildlife and for our...