Extension offices across the district are now slowly opening on a limited basis. Some essential programs are being provided with limited attendance and social distancing. It is still best to contact us by phone or email.
Water Quality Updates
Health Advisories
- Jun 15 – Bayou Chico, Bayou Grande, Bayou Texar, Johnson’s Beach, Perdido Key SP and Sanders Beach (all GOOD)
- Jun 16 –Casino Beach, Park East, Park West, Quietwater Beach, Opal Beach, Ft. Pickens (all GOOD)
- See all data below
Rainfall
- Rainfall collected weekly from East Hill (UF IFAS)
- Jan (4.0) Feb (2.8) Mar (0.6) – Winter (7.4”)
- Apr (3.2) May (1.6) Jun (5.4)
Salinity
- The objective to see who has a MEAN salinity at or greater than 20‰ for restoration purposes.
- 2020 1st Quarter Results
- > 20‰: Bayou Grande, Big Lagoon, Lower Perdido Bay, Old River
- < 20‰ at this time: Kees Bayou, Little Sabine
Longnose Killifish Monitoring
- Longnose killifish (Fundulus similis) is being used as an indicator of freshwater tributaries.
- Project on hold due to COVID-19
Red Tide & Harmful Algal Blooms
- Last report for RED TIDE was posted Jun 12 (FWC)
- Panhandle – background levels in Escambia County
- SW Florida – low concentrations in Manatee County
- East Coast of FL – not detected
- HABs not detected in panhandle this week
Fish Kills
- No Fish Kills reported in Escambia / Santa Rosa for Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, or Jun
- 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 Updates
- Living Shorelines
- – We are not currently working on any projects; IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A LIVING SHORELINE – CONTACT US
- Seagrass Monitoring
- – We have begun monitoring in Big Lagoon. A few stations do need volunteers. Some stations will require a boat to access. If interested – contact me.
- Mangrove Surveys
- – We are ready to begin surveying for mangroves in the bay area. Paddle craft needed for this, paddleboard works best. If interested – contact me.
- OCEAN HOUR – Marine Debris Removal – Saturday June 20
- – Meet at 8:45 AM; clean ups are from 9:00 – 10:00 AM
- – Wayside Park East – meet at Pensacola Visitors Center 3-mile bridge
- – Graffiti Bridge – meet at boat ramp
- – Bartram Park – 211 Bayfront Parkway
Wildlife Monitoring Updates
- Terrapin Surveys – resuming this week – if interested contact me
- Horseshoe Crabs – ongoing in June – contact me for best dates and times to search
- Barrier Island Cottonmouth Survey – began this week – 1 cottonmouth seen while setting up!
- The Great Scallop Search – ON HOLD FOR NOW
- The Great Scavenger Hunt – planned for SEP 12
- Manatee Watch – 1 manatee reported in Big Lagoon this week.
- – PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH SIGHTINGS (roc1@ufl.edu)
- IT IS BIRD NESTING SEASON ON OUR BARRIER ISLANDS – please slow down
Invasive Species Updates
- Weed Wrangles – ON HOLD FOR NOW
- Lionfish
- – 2020 Emerald Coast Open – Sep 11-13 in Destin
- – Inshore Lionfish Surveys – on hold – IF YOU SEE ANY LIONFISH NEARSHORE OR IN THE BAY, PLEASE CONTACT ME
- The Great Scavenger Hunt – scheduled for Sep 12; more to come.
Seafood in Peak Season for June
- – Softshell blue crab
- – Clams
- – Crawfish
- – Mahi-Mahi
- – Brown shrimp (bay shrimp)
- – Pink shrimp
- – Rock shrimp
- – White shrimp (Gulf shrimp)
- – Snapper – check state limits and accessibility; change frequently
- – Yellowfin tuna
- Seafood Safety Guidelines – Escambia County Division of Marine Resources – https://www.myescambia.com/our-services/natural-resources-management/marine-resources/seafood-safety.
Upcoming Programs
WEBINAR – UF IFAS WATER SCHOOL: MANAGING STORMWATER IN A CHANGING FLORIDA PANHANDLE.
We would like to invite you to a two-part webinar series on ‘Managing Stormwater in a Changing Florida Panhandle’.
Day 1: WAS LAST WEEK
Day 2 – Stormwater Maintenance
When: Jun 22, 2020, 8:00 am to 10:00 am Central (9:00 am to 11:00 am Eastern)
Topics:
- LID/GI/Stormwater Maintenance – stormwater ponds and LID/GI common practices,
- Planning Tools
o Green infrastructure and issues with scale (headwaters versus larger watersheds)
o Integrated Planning Approach (Capital Improvement Plan)
o NPDES Permitting
o Incorporating practices into predictive models
- Local Case Studies
- Funding Opportunities for LID projects – FDEP
Please register in advance for this meeting:
https://ufl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEtceCqqzosGdADpT2WhaaWkYjavHkIuXvR
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information and password for joining the meeting.
SCIENCE HOUR IS BACK!… VIRTUALLY
We presented local wildlife this week via Facebook LIVE. If you missed it, you can view at our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/escambia.extension.
BITE SIZED SCIENCE WEBINARS
Florida Sea Grant is presenting short webinars are a variety of marine science related topics.
We will be going to a Tuesday-Thursday schedule for June and July. 3:00 PM CDT. Registration link http://bit.ly/bite-sizedscience
NEXT WEEK
Tue (Jun 23) Cyanobacteria Public Health & Pets – Dr. Dail Laughinghouse, Dr. Vincent Encomio
Thu (Jun 25) Clams for Dinner? YES Please! – Dr. Angela Collins
SEAFOOD @ YOUR FINGERTIPS
Live broadcast of local seafood items and how to prepare them. The presentations will include cooking!
Each Wednesday – 5:00 PM – http://www.flseagrant.org/seafood/seafoodatyourfingertips/
This Week: Crab Cakes and Oysters
Current Articles
Weekly “What is it?” – Muscadine
Carrie Stevenson
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/category/natural-resources/.
Embrace the Gulf 2020 – Marine Snails & Slugs
Continuing this series about the natural and cultural history of “The Pond”
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/category/natural-resources/.
2020 Year of the Turtle – The Florida Red-Bellied
Continuing this series on Florida turtle.
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/category/natural-resources/.
http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/.
Fear the Mussel?
The green mussel is a potential invasive threat to the northern Gulf of Mexico.
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/category/natural-resources/.
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 | 20 | 7 | 7 | .35 |
| Sanders Beach | 17 | 3 | 0 | .00 |
| Bayou Chico | 12 | 2 | 2 | .17 |
| Bayou Grande | 11 | 3 | 3 | .27 |
| Big Lagoon SP | 9 | 1 | 0 | .00 |
| Perdido Key SP | 11 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Casino Beach | 10 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Park East | 10 | 1 | 0 | .00 |
| Park West | 10 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Quietwater Beach | 10 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Ft. Pickens | 2 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
| Opal Beach | 2 | 0 | 0 | .00 |
Fish Kill Data provided by FWC (Escambia and Santa Rosa counties)
| Month | # of Fish Kills reported | # of Dead Fish reported | Cause |
| Jan | 0 | 0 | |
| Feb | 0 | 0 | |
| Mar | 0 | 0 | |
| Apr | 0 | 0 | |
| May | 0 | 0 | |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
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