Category: Conservation

A close-up view of a female Burmese python displaying defensively while guarding her clutch of eggs at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center in Davie, Florida. · Photo Credit: Photo by Alex Romer

UF study combines demographic information with machine learning to find the Burmese pythons that matter most

by Lourdes Mederos
September 28, 2026

When it comes to removing Burmese pythons, one snake does not equal another. A new study by researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) offers agencies a tool to identify pythons with ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Invasive Species, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Burmese Python, Croc Docs Wildlife Research Lab, Everglades, Invasive Species, Python Elimination Program, South Florida Water Management District, UF/IFAS Wildlife Ecology And Conservation
11. The margined calligrapher (Toxomerus marginatus) did not shift its activity timing in relation to human modification. 12. Photo Credit – Corey T. Callaghan

Pollinators keep a later calendar in human-modified landscapes — A UF study explains the phenomenon

by Lourdes Mederos
September 9, 2026

Human development may be changing more than where pollinators live — it may also be changing when they are active. University of Florida researchers at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) found that pollinator ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Community Volunteers, Conservation, Forests, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Citizen Science, Conservation, Ecology, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Human Development, INaturalist, Nature, Pollinators, UF/IFAS
Natural Area Teaching Laboratory boardwalk covered in high water. Photo taken 06-25-21.

NSF awards UF $1.79M grant to harness AI-powered environmental forecasting with help from HiPerGator

by Lourdes Mederos
August 25, 2026

Water and carbon are key resources people rely on every day, from the availability of drinking water and preventing floods to storing carbon in forests and wetlands. The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.79 million grant to ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Conservation, Flood, HiPerGator, Jiangxiao Qiu, National Science Foundation, Research, The Water Institute
A spectacled caiman juvenile. UF/IFAS Photo by Jemeema Carrigan

Invasive caiman may pose new challenges for Everglades restoration

by Lourdes Mederos
June 4, 2026

UF researchers pieced together the first comprehensive review of the spectacled caiman, a small invasive crocodile-like reptile. Introduced into South Florida more than 45 years ago, researchers have suspected caimans compete ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Colombia, Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, Crocodilians, EddMaps, Environmental DNA Tools, Espanol, Exotic Pet Trade, Guayana, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive Species, Native Wildlife, News, Research, South Florida, Spectacled Caiman, The Croc Docs, UF IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Wetland
Corey Callaghan during a bioblitz showing a toothpick grasshopper as other participants capture it for recording. UF/IFAS photo by Brittany Mason.

Intensity and innovation earn UF/IFAS scientist Early Career Fellow honor by Ecological Society of America

by Lourdes Mederos
April 15, 2026

Whether he’s submitting daily bird sightings on a citizen science website without missing a beat or racing the clock during a 24-hour biodiversity blitz, University of Florida scientist Corey Callaghan brings a distinct intensity to both ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Apps, Archive, BioBlitz, Biology, Citizen Science, Corey Callaghan, Crowdsource, Datasets, DeLuca Preserve, Early Career Fellow, EBird, Ecological Society Of America (ESA), Ecology, Extension, Global Change, Human-dominated Landscapes, Human-driven Environmental Change, INaturalist, Informatics, Observe Biodiversity, Peer-reviewed Publications, Policy, Quantitative Ecology, Research, Spatial Scales, Theory
Brittany Mason and a student reporting and observing a non-venomous rat snake. Photo by Corey Callaghan

From curiosity to conservation: How citizen science is teaching children and adults to see, experience nature

by Lourdes Mederos
April 13, 2026

It often starts with something small, such as a new bird in a branch, a vibrant butterfly in a yard, a colorful plant growing through a crack in the sidewalk or as part of a lawn. Suddenly, you are engaged and can’t help but snap a ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Beneficial Wildlife, BioBlitz, Brittany Mason, Changes, Changes In Ecosystems, Changes In Environment, Citizen Science, Citizen Science Month, Coexistence With Wildlife, Community, Corey Callaghan, Crowdsource, Curiousity, Department Of Wildlife Ecology And Conservation, EBird, Environmental Shifts, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Global Ecology, Habitat, Habitat Removal, Habitat Restoration, INaturalist, Learning, Observations, Seasonal Changes, Smartphone, Species Distributions, Urbanization, Water Quality, Wildlife, Wildlife Monitoring
Sendero peatonal del parque Welleby con árboles y bancas a lo largo de un estanque en el condado de Broward.

Study uses AI, citizen science to show perceptions of access to Broward County parks

by Lourdes Mederos
April 9, 2026

A new study from the University of Florida paired artificial intelligence and citizen science to measure whether parks in Broward County provide access and the same experiences across communities. Rather than focusing solely on where ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Health & Nutrition, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: #AI, Artificial Intelligence, Broward County Parks And Recreation, Citiizen Science, Dog Parks, Dog-friendly Parks, Green Space, Haojie Cao, Homogeneous Neighborhoods, Jiangxiao Qiu, Kid-friendly, Lakefront Park, Make America Beaur, Make America Beautiful Again Commission’s Mission, Parks, Playgrounds, Pool, Recreational, Reviews, Splash Pads, Urban Green Space, Urban Parks, Walking Paths
An asian swamp eel close up. Photo by USGS.

Be an invader detector: UF scientists call on public to help track elusive Asian Swamp Eels

by Lourdes Mederos
April 7, 2026

University of Florida researchers are urging South Floridians to help stop the spread of an invasive fish now secretly moving through canals, marshes and wetlands across the region’s most vulnerable environments. Visitors, residents, ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Invasive Species, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water
Tags: 1-888-IVEGOT1, Archive, Asian Swamp Eel, Canals, Citizen Science Month, Conservation, CROC Docs, Fish, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Frank J. Mazzotti, Frank Mazzotti, Invasive Species, IVEGOT1 Mobile App, South Florida, Southeast Asia, UF/IFAS Wildlife Ecology And Conservation, USGS, Wetlands
Braham Dhillon examining a plam frond at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center (FLREC). Photo taken 10-02-20.

UF/IFAS FNGLA Palm Quest 2026 to unveil next generation AI drone research tools for a changing industry on April 21-22

by Lourdes Mederos
March 26, 2026

From artificial intelligence that can diagnose palm diseases to drone technology tracking tree health from above, the Palm Quest 2026 Conference will spotlight the future of palm science when it returns to Fort Lauderdale April 21 to 22. Hosted ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: #AI, AI-driven Palm Diagnostics, Artificial Intelligence, Disease, Drones, Ecosystem, Environmental Stressors, Florida, Florida's Ecosystem, Fungal Diseases, Fungal Pathogen, Mica McMillan, Native Palms, Palm Quest 2026, Palm Trees, Palm Varieties, Pests, Plant Health, Soil, Sustainability, UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research Education Center, Urban Environments
Demonstration of targeted application using Ecorobotix ARA Research Unit. Courtesy UF/IFAS Pawel Petelewicz

March 26: UF/IFAS 37th South Florida Turfgrass – Landscape Research and Expo Field Day set

by Lourdes Mederos
March 5, 2026

  Turf professionals will get a first look at the future of weed control and sustainable turf when the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) unveils new research and pioneering technologies at the ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Events, Lawn, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, Turf, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agronomy, Archive, Artificial Intelligence, Athletic Field Managers, CEU, Commercial Applicators, Field Day, Golf, Golf Course Superintendents, Integrated Weed Management, Landscape Professionals, Lawns, Marco Schiavon, Pawel Petelewicz, Pest Control Operators, Sod Producers, Truf, Turf, Turfgrass, Turfgrass Managers, UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research Education Center, Weed Control, Weed Science, Weeds

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