Category Archives: Environmental Education

Transient Birds and Beach House Refuge

Posted on July 22, 2016 by John

Birds, migration, and climate change. Mix them all together and intuitively, we can imagine an ecological train wreck in the making. Many migratory bird species have seen their numbers plummet over the past half-century – due not to climate change, … Continue reading →

Posted in Barrier Islands, Birds, Climate, Environmental Education, Florida Panhandle, Habitat Conservation, Research, Sustainable Living, Swamps, Waterfronts, Wildlife, Wildlife monitoring | Leave a comment

They Call it “Sea Lice”

Posted on June 10, 2016 by John

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Curiosities, Environmental Education, Sea Life | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Oil Spill Science: Five years later, what have we learned?

Posted on April 22, 2016 by John

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill occurred about 50 miles offshore of Louisiana in April 2010. Approximately 172 million gallons of oil entered the Gulf of Mexico. Five years after the incident, locals and tourists still have questions. This article … Continue reading →

Posted in Barrier Islands, Environmental Education, Estuaries, Fisheries, Florida Master Naturalist, Oil Spill, Sea Life, Seafood, water quality, Waterfronts | Leave a comment

Celebrate Gopher Tortoise Day – April 10

Posted on April 8, 2016 by John

The state of Florida has designated Sunday April 10 as “Gopher Tortoise Day”.  The objective is to bring awareness to this declining species and, hopefully, an interest in protecting it.   During his travels across the southeast in the late … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Education, Turtles, Wildlife | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Nature Tourism in the Panhandle – Intracoastal Waterway – Navarre

Posted on March 25, 2016 by John

All Photos:  Molly O’Connor   In this monthly series of highlighting outdoor adventures in the Florida Panhandle, we are visiting locations along the Intracoastal Waterway; from the Alabama State line to the Aucilla River.  In January we wrote about Perdido … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecotourism, Environmental Education, Turtles | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Do Your Part to Stop the Spread

Posted on March 12, 2016 by John

With all the news about the Zika virus spread in Florida, now is the time to start thinking about mosquito protection. As the weather warms, they will be hatching.  Check out where the water is collecting in your yard.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Education, Gardening, Invasive Species, Pond Management, Stormwater | Tagged | Leave a comment

An Ancient Mariner… the horseshoe crab

Posted on March 11, 2016 by John

Talk about weird and cool at the same time! The horseshoe crab is one of the oldest living species we have in the Gulf of Mexico.  Fossils of this animal date back to almost 500 million years… this is before there … Continue reading →

Posted in Curiosities, Environmental Education, Wildlife monitoring | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Nature Tourism in the Panhandle – Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) – Pensacola Beach

Posted on February 12, 2016 by John

  All Photos by Molly O’Connor We began our series on Nature Tourism along the ICW at the Alabama state line on Perdido Key and discussed the ICW itself.  This month we will continue in Escambia County with a visit … Continue reading →

Posted in Barrier Islands, Ecotourism, Environmental Education, Florida Panhandle, Hiking, Kayaking, Recreation | Tagged , | Leave a comment

2016 Beekeeping Program

Posted on February 8, 2016 by John
Posted in Beekeeping, Environmental Education | Tagged | Leave a comment

Florida Master Naturalist projects impact local communities

Posted on February 5, 2016 by John

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Education, Estuaries, Florida Master Naturalist, Florida Panhandle, Habitat Conservation, Hiking, Watershed, Wildlife | Leave a comment