Like many of you reading this article, I grew up here in the northern Gulf coast. I spent a lot of time at the beach and in the water enjoying this fantastic place people use to call the “miracle strip” and now call the “emerald coast”. ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
I remember first seeing a needlefish as a young boy on Pensacola Beach. We were either playing or snorkeling in Santa Rosa Sound and one of these long, sleek, “barracuda” looking fish swam by cruising the surface of the water. Your first ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesOver the years I have received many calls from beach residents with concerns about coyotes. Encounters with this animal can be unnerving for many and the most common time of year for them is winter. A friend of mine who lives in the central ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesDuring 2022 I plan to make weekly hikes on Pensacola Beach to see what sort of wildlife, or other natural phenomena, I encounter each month. For the first January trip I did a short hike at Ft. Pickens on the west end of Santa Rosa Island. Ft. ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
2021 Panhandle Terrapin Project Survey Report Rick O’Connor, Florida Sea Grant, University of Florida / IFAS Extension, Escambia County SITUATION The diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is the only resident ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources2021 Fall Salinity Update Historically the Pensacola Bay area receives around 60 inches of rainfall each year. This makes us one of the wettest places in the U.S. but in recent years that rainfall amount has increased. Over the last ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Recently I watched a documentary on TV entitled The Loneliest Whale; the search for 52. The title grabbed my attention and so, I checked it out. Seems a decade or so ago the U.S. Navy was doing SONAR work in the Pacific between Washington ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
EDRR Invasive Species Black and White Argentine Tegu (Salvator merianae) Define Invasive Species: must have all of the following – Is non-native to the area, in our case northwest Florida Introduced by humans, whether intentional ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesThis is another one of those fish in this series that is not often seen but when you do see one you will ask “what is that?” – So, we will answer the question by including it here. Like the frogfish we have already written about, ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesMost people would agree that this is one of the best times of the year. Christmas brings great music, great cooking, great family gatherings, and… great lights. The lighting of Christmas is one of the more beautiful parts of these celebrations ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources