Where is IFASBOOKS this Week? It is officially FALL -- though in Florida, Fall is more of a state of mind than an actual season. The IFAS Extension Bookstore has some exciting new books to help get you in the autumnal mindset. New ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Communications, UF/IFAS Extension
Hurricane Preparedness Most residents in Florida are very familiar with the word hurricane. How we choose to respond can range from excitement for the weather enthusiast to sheer dread at the thought of constant rain showers, high winds, ... READ MORE
Category: Disaster Preparation, Home Management, Natural Resources, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life![michael d'imperio, water resources agent with uf/ifas extension sarasota county, stands before a lake at twin lakes park in sarasota. [credit: uf/ifas extension sarasota county]](https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/wp-content/blogs.dir/40/files/2022/09/2022_Water_blogImperioMichaelTLP01_CROP1338x357TINY.png)
Water quality and conservation are high priority issues for both Sarasota County and the University of Florida. The local economy relies on healthy watersheds and reliable water supplies. At UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, we are fortunate ... READ MORE
Category: UF/IFAS Extension, Water
SIGN UP FOR USDA NRCS ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM (EQIP) BY SEPTEMBER 30 Agricultural producers and landowners in Florida are encouraged to apply to participate in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) by September ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
We round out National Estuaries Week with an article about yet another marine animal that was once common in lower Pensacola Bay and disappeared. This is one that many local residents would LOVE to see make a return. It is the bay scallop. Many ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Each year, consumers eat millions of oysters worldwide, with a significant number of the mollusks grown in the Gulf of Mexico. While illness from eating oysters is rare, it can be fatal. Here, Razieh Farzad, a UF/IFAS and Florida Sea Grant seafood ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Food Safety, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
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
Another creature that was once common in Pensacola Bay, declined, and is trying to make a comeback is the horseshoe crab. Many know about the shallow area in the center of Little Sabine, but you may not know that it was once an island that ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Another metric of a healthy estuary is the diversity and abundance of fish and wildlife. Estuaries are teeming with a variety of benthic creatures like annelids worms, mollusk, and crustaceans. I have personally collected 101 species of ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
You cannot have a healthy estuary without healthy habitats. Estuaries include habitats such as mud flats, sand bottoms, salt marshes, mangrove swamps, oyster reefs, and seagrass meadows. Here in the Pensacola Bay system Florida Sea Grant ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources