National Estuaries Week! – Seafood
Yea, seafood… who doesn’t like seafood… actually, based on a small scale survey I conducted with marine science students over the last 28 years I have found a slight increase in the number of those who do not. Curious about this, I followed up by asking whether their...
National Estuaries Week! – What is an Estuary?
Welcome to National Estuaries Week! Each year in the fall NOAA and other agencies try to educate residents about estuaries. The vast majority of humans on our planet live on, or near, an estuary – many not realizing the importance those bodies of water have on our...
Record Year for NOAA Shark Survey in North Carolina
Most of us remember the string of shark attacks that occurred this past summer in North Carolina; as a matter of fact, according to the International Shark Attack File, it was a record year for that region. Since 2001 there have been 34 shark attacks in North...
Discovering the Panhandle… Barrier Islands… September
I am not going to lie… I skipped August… It was hot… September however was nice. The day I made the hike the skies were clear and the temperature was 75°F! wonderfully… truly wonderful. If you are like me you probably begin your day around the same time – and have...
The World of Worms – the Annelids… Part 3 of 3
In the final segment of this 3 part series on worms we will discuss the largest, most commonly encountered members of the worm world… the Annelids. Annelids differ from the other two groups of worms we have discussed in that they have segmented bodies. They are...
The World of Worms… Part 2 of 3
In the first article of this series we discussed the how unpleasant the subject of worms were but how beneficial many species are to our environment. We highlighted the flatworms and this week we will look at the roundworms. There are a variety of round-shaped...
Now’s the Time to Start Preparing for Hunting Season
The temperature might still be in the 90s but the kids are back in school and football season is starting soon; that means fall is coming and with it, the beginning of hunting season. Here in northwest Florida archery season for deer and turkey begins October 24....
The World of Worms… Part 1 of 3
I am afraid worms are not the most pleasant topic to write about but few people know much about them. I was once told when I was a student that if you wanted to become known as a scientist study worms, no one else is. When we hear the term "worm" negative...
Bringing the Indigo Back to the Panhandle
With great interest I read this week that the Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation in central Florida has begun a project to reintroduce the federally listed Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon corais cooper) to the Florida Panhandle; where there have been no verified...
E-15 Gasoline is Here… marine motors and lawn care providers should be aware
Okay... Let's start at the beginning. We began drilling oil over 100 years ago. The crude was refined into kerosene, gasoline, plastics, and other products that have completely changed our lives. A huge international industry developed from the drilling and employed...