Wood ducks could use your help this time of year
Wood ducks are one of the most colorful ducks in North America. Breeding males showcase an unbelievable combination of colors including a red bill and eyes, a metallic purplish-green crested head, black cheeks with thick white stripes, a maroon chest and rump, black...
Dirt is just dirt, or is it?
Many of us walk around daily and give no thought to what is under our feet. We do not consider soil a vital natural resource, but it is. And as with water and air, soil quality is very important to our society. Soils perform 6 functions in our ecosystems. First it is...
Discovering Florida’s Panhandle – Our Barrier Islands – January
Beginning this month we will be posting a series of natural resource articles high lighting Florida’s Panhandle. The photographs and hikes presented in this series are from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties but the same natural places can be found anywhere between the...
Thank you from the UF/IFAS Extension Northwest District
Thank You for a Wonderful Year! As we come to the end of our 100th year of serving the citizens of Florida, the University of Florida/IFAS Extension Faculty located in the 16 county offices of the Florida Panhandle thank you for making 2014 another great year!...
Underperforming Food Plots? 3 Possible Reasons Why
Deer hunting season has begun in Northwest Florida. As hunters venture into the woods and sit for hours on end they have plenty – sometimes too much – time to contemplate what they could have done or should do to make there hunting experiences better. These plans for...
Harvesting Safer Oysters – “From Bay to Table”
Making oysters a healthy and sustainable seafood choice is the goal of oystermen and seafood dealers across the nation and the state of Florida. New education programs for the oyster industry went into effect January 1, 2014 and were implemented by the Florida...
Lions in the Gulf… Tigers in the Bay
This catchy phrase coined by Robert Turpin (Escambia County Marine Resources Division) describes the new invader to our marine waters. Many coastal residents are aware of the invasive lionfish that has invaded our local reefs but few have probably heard of the Asian...
Dr. Jack Payne’s Personal Comment: A land-grant president for UF
By Jack Payne The selection of Dr. W. Kent Fuchs (pronounced “Fox”) as the next president of the University of Florida should be cause for celebration for anyone who cares about Florida agriculture and natural resources. I’ll confess, I had some initial apprehension...
Enjoy delicious stone crab claws now through May, 2015.
The commercial and recreation stone crab season has opened! Now is the time to enjoy local stone crab claws. Whether you catch them yourself or buy from a local seafood market, the delicious meat is worth the effort and cost. There are 2 species of stone crab found...
Florida’s Wildlife Conservations Policy for Predicted Coastal Habitat Loss Problems
Have you wondered how Florida’s wildlife conservation policy planners and habitat managers are responding to the new management challenge of predicted coastal habitat loss from sea level rise? And how that overlays on predicted habitat loss from a 50-year doubling of...