Bacteria at the Beach
The threat of bacteria in coastal waters can be scary and a challenge to understand. Here is information that helps clarify the threat to beach visitors and recreational users of marine waters. This is a good opportunity to think about bacteria exposure risks related...
Shark Week is over… so what do we know about shark attack?
Yep, each year cable TV broadcast their classic summer series SHARK WEEK. Actually there are several shark series running now. It all began with Jaws in the early ‘70’s and ever since Americans have been enthralled with programs on these animals. We have learned a...
Scallop Season Postponed – Fishing Fun Available Now
If you had plans to go scalloping in St. Joseph Bay over the long holiday weekend I’m afraid you are going to be disappointed. FWC has postponed the opening day of scallop harvesting season in St. Joseph Bay until August 22. The postponement, along with other...
Free “Brace for the Storm” Workshops Help Homeowners Prepare for Disasters
Here in the latter half of June, temperatures have heated up and summer thunderstorms have swept through on a regular basis. As we are reminded often, hurricane season has begun. While we haven’t had a major storm in 11 years, northwest Florida is still a prime...
Nature Tourism in the Panhandle – the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) – 30A in Walton County
Photos: Molly O'Connor 30A in south Walton County is a special place. Undiscovered for years, then developed… but developed more sustainably than most coastal panhandle communities – this area has now become a go-to destination for many in the southeastern U.S....
They Call it “Sea Lice”
I have played in the waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico all of my life… but I have never heard of this – “sea lice.” It has been in the news recently and I have had a couple inquiries concerning it so I decided to investigate. A few weeks ago there was a...
Sea Grant Monitors Occurrence of Goliath Groupers in the Panhandle
For several years now Dr. Angela Collins, with Florida Sea Grant, has been conducting research on the status of the Goliath Grouper. This extremely large member of the Family Serranidae has been of concern to fishermen, divers, and resource managers in south...
Florida’s Aquatic Carnivorous Plants – Yes, Aquatic!
I don’t know about you, but living in “La Florida” – “the land of flowers” (the Spanish translation of Florida – named in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León) makes it difficult to have a short list of favorite plants. While I do have a number of plants in my...
Native Plants and Wildlife
According to the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants, there are more than 4,200 plant species naturally occurring in the state. Nearly 3,000 are considered native. The Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) defines native plants as “those species occurring within the...
Control Burning Newly Planted Longleaf Pines and Saplings
Controlling competing vegetation and brown spot disease are two main reasons we prescribe burn young longleaf plantations: Longleaf pine seedlings do not like competing vegetation and will stay in the grass stage for years if vegetation is not controlled by fire,...