WELCOME TO SPRING!
Due to the COVID-19 virus, all UF IFAS extension programs, meetings, site visits, and volunteer programs are suspended until MID-MAY.
BLOG LESSONS FOR YOUTH AND ADULTS APRIL 6-10
Youth will be posted in the mornings; Adults in the afternoon
| Day | Youth Lesson | Adult Lesson |
| Mon – Invasive Species | Chinese tallow | Introduction to issue |
| Tue – Wildlife | Nests in your yard | Embrace the Gulf – Crustaceans |
| Wed – Water | Salinity | Lewis Fact Sheets – Introduction to Water Quality |
| Thu – Habitat | Logs in the yard | Lewis Fact Sheets – Estuarine Habitats |
You will be able to find these on the Escambia County Extension Natural Resource Page and type the title above in the search box. https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/escambia/?topic=natural-resources.
CURRENT ARTICLES
Getting Rid of Chinese Tallow Trees – http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/.
Wildlife Food Plots: Chufa for Wild Turkey – http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/.
Warm Weather Brings People Out, and Mosquitos Too! – http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/.
2020 EMBRACE THE GULF – Marine Mammals
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/2020/03/09/embrace-the-gulf-2020-the-marine-mammals/.
2020 YEAR OF THE TURTLE – The Spotted Turtle
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/2020/04/01/2020-year-of-the-turtle-the-spotted-turtle/.
Water Quality
Health Advisories
- BEACHES ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED AND NO MONITORING IS TAKING PLACE
- View all data below
Rainfall
- Rainfall collected weekly from East Hill (UF IFAS)
- 2019 rainfall total in East Hill was 47.5”. Rainfall for airport was similar.
- Jan (4.0) Feb (2.8) Mar (0.6) – Winter (7.4”)
- Apr (0.0)
Salinity
- The objective of this citizen science project is to determine the mean/median/mode of salinity in local waterbodies for the purpose to assess the potential success of restoration projects: such as bay scallop and specific species of seagrasses. We are looking for a mean/median/mode of 20‰ or higher. We are hoping to get a minimum of 100 measurements from each location.
- 2020 1st Quarter Results
2019 – 2020
| Body of Water | No. of samples | Surface Mean | Surface Median | Surface Mode | Bottom Mean | Bottom Median | Bottom Mode |
| Bayou Grande | 11 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 |
| Bayou Texar | 2 | 10.5 | 10.5 | NA | ND | ND | ND |
| Big Lagoon | 12 surface
7 bottom |
24 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 21 | 21 |
| Big Sabine | 2 | 21.5 | 21.5 | NA | ND | ND | ND |
| Bruce Beach | 1 | 18.4 | 18.4 | NA | ND | ND | ND |
| Kees Bayou | 35 | 19 | 20 | 14 | ND | ND | ND |
| Little Sabine | 12 | 22 | 22 | 19 | ND | ND | ND |
| Lower Perdido Bay | 46 | 16 | 15 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 20 |
| Old River | 35 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 |
| Sanders Beach | 1 | 18.1 | 18.1 | NA | ND | ND | ND |
| Shoreline Park | 1 | 18.8 | 18.8 | NA | ND | ND | ND |
Longnose Killifish Monitoring
- ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Red Tide & Harmful Algal Blooms
- Last report was posted Mar 27 (FWC)
- Panhandle – not detected
- SW Florida – detected in Monroe County
- East Coast of FL – not detected
- HABs not detected this week
Fish Kills
- No Fish Kills reported in Jan, Feb, Mar, or Apr
- Report fish kills to FWC at – https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/fish-kills-hotline/.
Marine Science Academy – Washington High School – Fish & Water Quality Data – updated
http://whs-ecsd-fl.schoolloop.com/MarineScienceAcademy.
Habitat Restoration
- OCEAN HOUR HAS SUSPENDED ALL CLEAN UPS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
- Living Shorelines – NO SITE VISITS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
- Seagrass Monitoring – ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
- Mangrove Migration – ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Wildlife & Fisheries
- Panhandle Diamondback Terrapin Project
ALL TRAININGS ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
- Horseshoe Crabs
ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
- Barrier Island Snake Survey
ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
- The Great Scallop Search
PLANNED FOR JUNE 13 – ON HOLD FOR NOW
- The Great Scavenger Hunt
To celebrate NATIONAL ESTUARIES WEEK, Escambia County Extension will be hosting The Great Scavenger where we get local volunteers to search for protected species, species of concern, invasive species, and indicator species. This year the Scavenger Hunt will be September 12. More details coming.
- Manatee Watch
ESCAMBIA COUNTY IS NOT TRACKING MANATEES SEEN IN PENSACOLA BAY AREA. If you encounter one, please contact us at (850-475-5230 ext. 111) or email roc1@ufl.edu.
You can also contact Dauphin Island Sea Lab at 1-866-493-5803.
- 2020 Gulf Red Snapper Season
June 11 – July 25; with a possible with a possible fall re-opening if quota allows.
- Gulf County (Port St. Joe) 2021 Scallop Season and Beyond
Aug 16 – Sep 24
- Removing Bats Before Maternity Season Begins
Bats select many different types of structures to roost in, including homes and buildings. Residents are allowed to remove bats from their structures UNLESS it is maternity season. This season runs from April 15 to August 15. If you need to remove bats, you should do so before April 15.
Invasive Species
- Florida Invasive Species Awareness Week – May 18-22
This year UF IFAS Extension will be providing Facebook LIVE broadcast of how to identify and remove selected local invasive species.
Monday May 18 – Feral Hogs
Tuesday May 19 – Giant Salvinia
Wednesday May 20 – Congongrass
Thursday May 21 – Air Potato
Friday May 22 – Regal Demoiselle
- Beach Vitex
- – If you think you may have this plant on your property and want advice on how to manage. Email me.
- Invasive Lionfish
- – 2020 Emerald Coast Open – pre-tournament is Feb 1 – May 13. Main tournament will be May 15-17. Registration for this event is at emeraldcoast.com.
- – LRAD (Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day) will be the weekend of May 15-17 at Destin Harbor.
- – Lionfish have been found near Ft. Pickens inside the pass. If anyone diving this area, or anywhere within the bay, and finds lionfish – please contact us and let us know.
- Regal Demoiselle
- – This is an invasive reef fish that has made its way to our area. We are currently developing an ID guide for this, and other potential invasive reef fish problems, for local divers. More on this ASAP.
- – If you find this fish on any of our reefs – please email me.
- Brown (Cuban) Anole
- – This is an invasive species that has become quite common near our coast lines. During the colder months these animals will gather under objects in the yard where they lower their heart and breathing rates awaiting spring. This is a good time to remove them.
Seafood
- WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONSIDER LOCAL SEAFOOD AS A MEAL OPTION DURING THESE TOUGH DAYS
- Here’s what’s in Peak Season for April
- – Softshell Blue crab
- – Clams
- – IT’S CRAWFISH TIME
- – Oysters
- – Pompano
- – Pink Shrimp
- – Snapper – check state limits and accessibility; change frequently
- – Spanish Mackerel
- Seafood @ Your Fingertips – we will be offering this program in 2020; stay tuned for dates and locations
- Seafood Safety Guidelines – Escambia County Division of Marine Resources – https://www.myescambia.com/our-services/natural-resources-management/marine-resources/seafood-safety.
HEALTH ADVISORY DATA
Enterococcus bacteria count rubric for health advisories (Florida Department of Health)
GOOD 0-35 colonies/100ml of sample
MODERATE 36-70 colonies/100ml
POOR 71> colonies/100ml
Health Advisory Frequency
Data provided by the Florida Department of Health’s Healthy Beaches Program
| Body of Water | # of samples collected | # of POOR reports | # of advisories issued | % frequency of advisories |
| Bayou Texar | 9 | 1 | 1 | .11 |
| Sanders Beach | 7 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Bayou Chico | 4 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Bayou Grande | 4 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Big Lagoon SP | 4 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Perdido Key SP | 4 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Casino Beach | 3 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Park East | 3 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Park West | 3 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Quietwater Beach | 3 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
Fish Kill Data provided by FWC
| Month | # of Fish Kills reported | # of Dead Fish reported | Cause |
| Jan | 0 | 0 | |
| Feb | 0 | 0 | |
| Mar | 0 | 0 |
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