Boy, oh boy is it hot this week. Temperature predictions for today in the deep South look like the grades of a high achiever trying to earn extra credit for everything. I’ve been seeing highs of 104, 103, and 101--and many of these are ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife
Unable to walk, swim, or fly, plants have developed ingenious ways to reproduce and spread their seeds far and wide. Strategies for seed dispersal may include floating (like the mangrove), wind-driven/airborne movements like the dandelion, ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Natural Resources
“Bluefish!” … “It’s just a school of bluefish!” So yelled the lifeguard in Jaws II when Chief Brody mistaken a school of bluefish for the rogue great white shark that was plaguing the town. He would not have been the first to ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Most of us don’t think much about our roofs until there is a problem—a storm blows off shingles, causing a leak, necessitating a giant blue tarp to hold off the rain until we can get a contractor to replace the roof. But "a roof over ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
We launched our kayaks from the middle of downtown Plainwell, Michigan, a tiny suburb of Kalamazoo located along the Kalamazoo River. Once a watery highway for Native American tribes, the river name likely comes from an Algonquin word for ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
I keep a shelf full of little natural curiosities above my desk—shells, seed pods, sand dollars, and other keepsakes—but one of my favorites is the delicate casing of a decorator/plumed worm. Frequently found amidst the shells, sargassum, ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
As the Sea Grant Extension Agent in Escambia County, one of my program areas is to help restore a healthy estuary. To do this we focus on educating the public how to improve water quality, restore habitat, and manage invasive species, but ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Imagine… It is 1922 and you are rowing your wooden skiff from a small beach house near what will become the town of Gulf Breeze Florida across Santa Rosa Sound on your way to Santa Rosa Island. The water is 10-15 feet deep, and you can ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
It was a typical weekday evening text for me—a video from a friend showing several interesting sea creatures and the message, “Do you know what these are? Some kind of mussel?” While the white-shelled creatures attached to a piece ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
It is mid-spring and time of nesting for much of the wildlife in the area. It is also noticeably warmer than our previous hikes. Due to my work schedule, and the surveys for other nesting activity, I did this hike earlier in the month and ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources