Category: Natural Resources

an image looking across Deep Lake in Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida.

Into Deep Lake: Exploration of a Hidden World in Big Cypress


May 8, 2026

Since earning his M.S. degree in 2023 from the UF/IFAS Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences (SWES), Anthony Halcyon has continued pursuing field-based exploration in unique and understudied environments. Most recently, he joined ... READ MORE

Category: Clubs & Volunteers, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Anthony Halcyon, Bathymetric, Big Cypress National Preserve, Deep Lake, Environmental Management In Agriculture And Natural Resources, Florida Everglades, The Explorers Club

First Fridays with Florida First Detector, Schedule available Sept 2025-2026!


May 8, 2026

What is Florida First Detector? Florida First Detector is a multiagency educational effort focused on enhancing the early detection of invasive pests that threaten agriculture, nursery industries, and natural areas. We offer in-person and ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Biosecurity, FFD25-26, Florida First Detector, FloridaFirstDetector, Invasive Species, Plant Protection, SeminoleCountyAg
Florida with magnifying glass and insect

First Fridays with Florida First Detector, Schedule available Sept 2025-2026!


May 8, 2026

What is Florida First Detector? Florida First Detector is a multiagency educational effort focused on enhancing the early detection of invasive pests that threaten agriculture, nursery industries, and natural areas. We offer in-person and ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Biosecurity, FFD25-26, Florida First Detector, FloridaFirstDetector, Invasive Species, Plant Protection, SeminoleCountyAg

Florida Land Steward Update, May 8, 2026


May 8, 2026

FLORIDA WILDLIFE CORRIDOR PAYMENT FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PILOT PROGRAM The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation teamed up with The Balmoral Group to develop a Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) framework using the University of Florida’s ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Drought, Ecosystem Services, Family Forest, Florida Land Steward Program, Forest Health, Forest Management, Hurricane Preparation, Hurricane Recovery, Invasive Species, Landowner Assistance, Longleaf Pine, Natural Resources, Online Course, Prescribed Fires, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Tree Farm

How To Get A Vertical Oyster Garden!


May 8, 2026

There is a lot of interest in residents and communities installing vertical oyster gardens (VOGs). This blog post discusses the process to get free VOGs through the UF/IFAS Extension Florida Sea Grant Program. If you want to learn more about ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Florida Sea Grant, Oysters, Restoration, UF/IFAS Extension Pasco County’s Community Gardens Program, Vog, Vogs, Water Quality
A forest with tall trees and a ground covered in lush green plants and white flowers.

Plant the right tree in the right place with help from UF


March 11, 2026

Homeowners, business owners and others can plant the right tree in the right place in cities and suburbs with help from a newly relaunched website from University of Florida scientists. If “right tree, right place” sounds similar to the ... READ MORE

Category: Forests, Home Landscapes
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Canopy, Environmental Horticulture, Florida Trees, Howard Beck, Planting, Resilience, Right Tree; Right Place, Ryan Klein, Stability, Suburban, Trees, Urban, Urban Landscape Summit, Website
dark stormy sky with a blue evacuation route sign

Hurricane Season Begins June 1: Time to Prepare


May 7, 2026

June 1 marks the start of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through November 30. Recent seasons have reminded us how active and unpredictable hurricane activity can be, especially here in Florida. Now is the time to review your ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Disaster Preparation, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Disaster Preparation, Disaster Resources, Food Safety, Hurricane, Hurricane Kit, Hurricane Prep, Hurricane Preparations, Hurricane Preparedness, Hurricanes, Ocextension, Orange County, Tree Risk
A flowering shrub with bright pink and orange blooms on a white surface, with more shrubs in the background.

UF scientists sequence a lantana genome, helping scientists prevent spread of invasive forms of the plant


March 11, 2026

A University of Florida scientist has sequenced the genome of one representative type of lantana, research that will help other plant breeders develop sterile varieties and help researchers control the plant from spreading. “This new genome ... READ MORE

Category: Invasive Species
Tags: Brooks Parrish, Cultivars, Environmental Horticulture, Genome, Genome Sequencing, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Invasive, Lantana, Plant, Sertilization, Zhanao Deng
Close-up of a dusty car window on a white vehicle.

The unwelcome dust that won’t quit: Pollen season hits with full force


March 17, 2026

Brace yourselves – the sneezing, the itchy eyes, the yellow-dust-on-every-surface season is here. And for most of you, it might mean more trips to the car wash. Pollen season in Florida, which peaks from January to June, is in full bloom. ... READ MORE

Category: Forests, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes
Tags: Allergies, Alyssa Vinson, Car Wash, Catkin, Clothes, Gardening, Genetic Diversity, Laurel Oaks, Lorna Bravo, Masks, Plants, Pollen, Pollinator Friendly Plants, Shannon Carnevale, Theresa Badurek, Trees, UF/IFAS Extension Broward County, UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County, UF/IFAS Extension Polk County, Wind-pollinated, Yellow Powder
A hand holding a small glass vial with a pond of lily pads in the background.

Natural ponds remove nitrogen more effectively than stormwater ponds


March 26, 2026

Summer brings daily storms in the Sunshine State, and with the rain, you need to control flooding in some neighborhoods. Florida is swimming in 76,000 stormwater ponds. Designed to control flooding, stormwater ponds are not as effective as ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, UF/IFAS, Water
Tags: AJ Reisinger, Audrey Goekner, Denitrification, Dinitrogen Gas, Ecosystems, Flooding, Natural Ponds, Neighborhoods, Nitrogen, Nitrogen Fixation, Pollutants, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Stormwater, Stormwater Ponds, Subdivisions

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