Florida is famously the flattest, lowest elevation state in the country. It’s probably for the best, though—our highly erodible soil combined with frequent rains means most hillsides start washing out as soon as the opportunity arises. ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Water
In the spring of 2026 Florida Sea Grant trained 37 residents from Escambia and Santa Rosa County to survey for nesting horseshoe crabs in the Pensacola Bay area. Of those 21 (57%) participated in at least one survey. Additional reports came ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Wildlife
If you want to truly solve a problem, it’s always best to go back to the original source. Piecemeal fixes can patch things up for a while, but they won’t last. For well over 70 years, Escambia County and the City of Pensacola have dealt ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
At one time salt marsh covered much of the shoreline of the Pensacola Bay system. Today much of this habitat has been removed. You may ask why? Why would they remove salt marsh? Basically, it was in the way of human development. We needed ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
One of the larger concerns within the Pensacola Bay community is the number of health advisories issued in our local waterways. For most of the bay area where people swim, health advisories are not as big of an issue. But they can be in ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Water
Water lilies so captivated the attention of French impressionist painter Claude Monet that he created over 250 paintings featuring them. Their beauty is quite striking—we are not accustomed to seeing flowers blooming on the water’s surface, ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
I spent this past Saturday working at a "Pollination Celebration" held at the Panhandle Butterfly House. Located for over 20 years in Navarre, they’re now in the heart of downtown Milton, Florida. The facility is centered in a restored ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Natural Resources
Century plants (Agave americana) look wild. They grow as thick succulents for years, giving the impression of an aloe plant on steroids. They squat intimidatingly on the ground, boasting giant blue-green leaves and no showy flowers. Their ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
I can still remember the first time I saw a horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) in the wild. I didn’t grow up on the coast, and owe much of my early and deep love of marine ecosystems to a brave and energetic elementary school science ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Water, WildlifeAs mentioned in Part 1 of this series, when I first joined Sea Grant my advisory mentioned that water quality was a primary issue and that fish kills and health advisories were a concern. In Part 1 we addressed the fish kill issue, in Part ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, Water