Category: Wildlife

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, 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

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

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

New Moby Dick-like termite species discovered

by Lourdes Mederos
December 4, 2025

In the canopies of a South American rainforest, a tiny soldier termite has stunned a team of international scientists with its whale-like features. Cryptotermes mobydicki, the name given to the termite by the international research team ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Colombia, Cryptotermes, Cryptotermes Mobydicki, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Discovery, Dominican Republic, Entomology, Evolutionary Story, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, French Guiana, Genus, Herman Melville, International Entomologists, Moby Dick, Neotropical, New Termite Species, News, Rainforest, Rudolf Scheffrahn, Soldier, Soldier Termite, South American Rainforest, Species, Sperm Whale, Termites, Trinidad, UF/IFAS, ZooKeys

Researchers use AI to turn park reviews into science; findings reveal secret to parks people love

by Lourdes Mederos
August 21, 2025

Your five-star review of a park may have more weight than you think. Scientists just turned it into data, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). Researchers at the University of Florida based in Fort Lauderdale used machine learning ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: #AI, Artificial Intelligence, Cultural Ecosystem Services, Ecosystem Services, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Greenspaces, Jiangxiao Qiu, Nature, Parks, Sustainability, Wildlife

Florida experts break down the buzz on the myth of mosquito-repelling plants

by Lourdes Mederos
August 6, 2025

As we enter the heart of Florida’s summer in July and August, we’re at the peak of both rainy season and mosquito season, with daily downpours creating ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes across the state. If you’ve ever wondered ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Basil, Beach Sunflowers, Beneficial Wildlife, Birds, Candles, Citronella, Dragonflies, Entomology And Nematology, Environmental Horticulture, Eucalyptus, Eva Buckner, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Horticultural Sciences, Insects, Jennifer Pelham, Ladybugs, Lavender, Liah Continentino, Marigolds, Mint, Mosquito, Mosquito Control, Mosquito Season, Natural Predators, News, Rain, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension Broward County, UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County, University Of Florida

Science by the millions: How everyday people are revolutionizing global biodiversity research with tech

by Lourdes Mederos
July 28, 2025

A frog croaks from a walking trail. A hiker snaps a photo and uploads it to iNaturalist. That single act — one person, one amphibian and one click — feeds into a growing global dataset that scientists now use to map shifting species ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Agencies, Agricultural Technology Firms, Aquatic Invasives, Biodiversity, BioScience, Brittany Mason, Citizen Science, Conservation, Corey Callaghan, Dataset, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Fungi, Global Ecology, High-resolution Maps, INaturalist, INaturalist App, Invasive, Lourdes Mederos, Map Shifting, Modeling, News, Observations, Organisms, Photo, Plants, Research Grade, Scientists, Species Ranges, Study, Technology, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Wildlife Ecology And Conservation

Are we losing our wildlife to benches and ballparks? UF/IFAS research shows how smart designs can avoid it

by Lourdes Mederos
April 10, 2025

Across the United States, more than 440 national parks and 7,400 urban parks offer a variety of recreational green spaces for people and pets. Yet, the United States Forest Service warns that urbanization, including park development, ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Community Volunteers, Conservation, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Biodiversity, Birds, Carbon, Citizen Science, Community Involvement, Corey Callaghan, Ecology, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Green Spaces, Greenspace Management, Habitats, Health, Heat Islands, Human Activities, INaturalist, Insects, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Lawns, Mammals, Nature, News, Parks, Planners, Plants, Pollinators, Recreation, Recreations, Smart Park, UF/IFAS, United States Forest Service, University Of Florida, Urban Green Spaces, Urban Parks, Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Ecology And Conservation

Rooting for Change: Florida 4-H cultivates Broward youth into native plant pioneers at one of South Florida’s remaining prairies

by Lourdes Mederos
March 18, 2025

Florida 4-H Broward County is using hands-on methods to teach conservation to local students through a pilot project designed to restore native plants at one of the few remaining prairies in South Florida. The Broward Native Plant Propagation ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Blog Community, Conservation, Curriculum, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Alexa Tillett, Broward County Parks And Recreation Department, Broward Native Plant Propagation Project, Conservation, Education, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Fern Forest, Florida 4-H, Florida 4-H Broward County, Florida Native Plant Society, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, News, Plants, Prairie, Training, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension Broward County, Urban Wilderness, Workforce Development, Youth Development

Cracking the Burmese python code: New data zeroes in on game-changing strategies

by Lourdes Mederos
February 6, 2025

In a groundbreaking study, University of Florida scientists statistically analyzed large amounts of data collected by Burmese python contractors, revealing critical insights about how to most efficiently remove the reptiles. Researchers ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Alex Romer, Big Cypress National Preserve, Burmese Python, Citizen Scientists, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Invasive Species, Melissa Miller, News, Palm Beach County, Python Contractors, Python Elimination Program, Reptiles, Scientific Reports, SFWMD, South Florida Water Management District, Tamiami Trail, UF IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Ecology And Conservation

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