Category: NATURAL RESOURCES

Olive Ridley turtle hatchling crawling on sand towards the ocean

UF/IFAS TEAMS Opportunities May 21, 2026

by Kate Wieland
May 21, 2026

UF/IFAS TEAMS Opportunities for May 21, 2026 IFAS Human Resources has now created an opportunity for you to view, at a glance, newly posted IFAS TEAMS positions. Please click on the link for further details. These positions were vacant ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Communications, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Ifas Jobs, Job Postings, TEAMS Jobs, TEAMS Opportunities
A fire burning on the ground among pine trees and grass.

Stay Informed About Wildfires

by Dr. Shelly Johnson and Natural Areas Training Academy
April 28, 2026

Florida is a fire-adapted landscape. That means fire is a natural and beneficial part of the ecosystem with many plants and animals evolved to rely on fire. It is not uncommon for natural areas managers to use controlled, planned wildland fire ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, , Disaster Preparation, Forests, HOME LANDSCAPES, NATURAL RESOURCES, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Communications, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Natural Areas Training Academy

Bogged down by non-native plant guides

by Natural Areas Training Academy, Dr. Shelly Johnson and Hannah Bokor
April 13, 2026

One of the Natural Area Training Academy’s (NATA’s) core courses, “Managing for Diversity Across Florida’s Unique Landscapes,” just concluded. We discussed non-native and invasive plants, which brought up several questions regarding ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Invasive Species, NATURAL RESOURCES, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Managing For Diversity Across Florida's Unique Landscapes, NATA, NATA Core Courses, Natural Areas Training Academy, Shelly Johnson, UF/IFAS Extension

Bat roosts in Florida are protected as of April 16th

by Dr. Shelly Johnson
April 9, 2026

Bats are an important part of our ecosystem in Florida, as the only major predator of night-flying insects. To ensure bats continue providing natural pest control, all bats in Florida are protected. Bat roosts are provided extra protection during ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, AGRICULTURE, Conservation, HOME LANDSCAPES, NATURAL RESOURCES, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Communications, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Bats, Chiroptera, Conservation, Exclusions, IFAS Extension, Maternity Colony, NATA, Natural Areas Training Academy, Natural Resources, Shelly Johnson, Wecdept, Wildlife, Wildlife Ecology And Conservation

Inspiring Future Ecologists

by Natural Areas Training Academy and Dr. Shelly Johnson
August 15, 2025

Understanding the complexity of nature is not an easy task. Ecologists examine interactions among plants, animals, and the surrounding environment. We had the exciting opportunity to host a workshop, “Explore Biodiversity: Become an Ecologist”, ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, NATURAL RESOURCES, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Florida Youth Naturalist Program, NATA, Natural Areas Training Academy, Shelly Johnson
birder in longleaf pine savanna

Fire in Florida Forests: Rekindling the Flame

by Dr. Shelly Johnson
June 18, 2023

Let’s travel back in time—to an early 16th century summer. You’re standing in an uncut longleaf pine forest in Florida; you have a ¼ mile view in every direction. Yellow and purple flowers dot the landscape of wiregrass, saw palmetto, ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, HOME LANDSCAPES, NATURAL RESOURCES, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Fire, Firescaping, Forest, Land Management, Natural Areas Training Academy, Natural Resources, Shelly Johnson, Tag/Florida-Youth-Naturalist-Program/, Wildlife
River grass beneath the Ichetucknee River.

A ChatGPT Poem: Water Conservation in Florida

by Kaitlin Robb Price
April 17, 2023

April is Water Conservation Month! Since it is also National Poetry Month, we thought it would be fun to ask ChatGPT to write us a poem about water conservation in Florida. Here is the unedited response: “Sure, here's a poem about water conservation ... READ MORE

Category: HOME LANDSCAPES, NATURAL RESOURCES, Water
Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, H2OSAV, Irrigation, Lawn, UF IFAS Water Agents, UF/IFAS Extension, Water Conservation, Water Conservation Month

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