Part of the 2019 UF IFAS social media survey across Florida found that many Floridians understood how septic systems worked, but fewer understood how sewer systems functioned. This article is going to try and tell you the basics of how sewage ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, WaterHealth advisories are issued by state and local health departments when levels of fecal bacteria become too high for the public to safely enter the water. Sewage can be a source of these fecal bacteria. They can harbor pathogenic organisms ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, Water
Like any Florida nature trail worth its salt, the approach to the Edward Ball Nature Trail on the University of West Florida (UWF) campus includes a sign asking visitors not to feed the alligators. UWF sits along Thompson Bayou, which flows ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
It’s peaceful out there. At the end of the boardwalk, you can look over one of the few completely undisturbed shorelines in the Perdido Key area. Almost every time I’ve visited, an osprey or bald eagle has flown past, hunting for its ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
I am always on the lookout for easily accessible places to get out into nature. Much of my job entails leading other people outdoors and teaching them more about what they're seeing. I've found in my years with Extension that if someone ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
I absolutely adore cypress trees. They have such a classic, unique, and powerful shape. Plus, they grow in some of the most beautiful places in Florida. Teaching a freshwater wetlands Master Naturalist class these last few weeks, we have ... READ MORE
Category: Forests, Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife
Most of us are familiar with the Appalachian Trail, the popular hiking route that follows the mountains from Maine for nearly 2200 miles to north Georgia. But did you know you could set off from Fort Pickens at Pensacola Beach and follow ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
It was built in the late 1930’s by the Works Progress Administration to help starving people survive the Depression. The idea was to create a state-run fish hatchery, insuring fish were healthy at every step from spawn to adult. These ... READ MORE
Category: , Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
Happy Estuaries Week! Begun in 1988 to educate lawmakers and citizens about the importance of estuaries nationwide, the third week of September celebrates all things estuary. But what is an estuary, exactly? The most frequently cited ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
Kayaking through a crystal blue spring, hiking among longleaf pines and discovering gopher tortoise burrows, gliding past alligators by boat in Mobile Bay, private tours of the EPA lab on Pensacola Beach, meeting hundreds of fascinating, ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife