Category: Wildlife

Meet Zahir Ringgold Cordes: A Florida Master Naturalist Program Success Story

by Katherine Clements
July 17, 2025

Meet Zahir, From Fashion to Passion Although having a lifelong passion for the environment, Zahir initially studied fashion design until an eye-opening gap semester traveling to Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand. It was there that she was ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Environmental Education, Florida Master Naturalist Program, FMNP, Fmnp-in-srq, Pgm_EcoNR
Black snake on a hedge.

Celebrate World Snake Day with Naturally Florida

by Shannon Carnevale
July 16, 2025

Celebrate World Snake Day with Naturally Florida July 16 is World Snake Day!  Florida is home to an incredible diversity of native snakes—many of which play important roles in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Learning about snakes in Florida ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Wildlife
Tags: Living With Wildlife, Polk County, Shannon Carnevale, Snakes
Giant South American River Turtle

Study reveals world’s largest turtle nesting site thanks to smarter drone surveys

by Megan Winslow
July 14, 2025

A University of Florida research team has developed a more accurate way to count wildlife using drones — an innovation that helped confirm the world’s largest known nesting site for a threatened turtle species. By combining aerial imagery ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Amazon, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Conservation, Count, Drone, Estimate, Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Giant South American River Turtles, Guaporé River, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Ismael Brack, Journal Of Applied Ecology, Megan Winslow, Nest, Nesting, Orthomosaics, Poached, Population, Probability, School Of Forest, SFFGS, Statistical Models, Threatened, Turtle, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, WCS, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation Society
Florida with magnifying glass and insect

July 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
July 14, 2025

Recap of July 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector Oak trees play a vital role in our ecosystems, providing food, shelter, and beauty across the globe. In the United States, there are about 90 native oak species, with 24 found right ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Biosecurity, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD24-25, FloridaFirstDetector, Oaks, Quarantine, SeminoleCountyAg

Florida Land Steward Update, July 11, 2025

by Chris Demers
July 10, 2025

REPORT FLORIDA PANTHER SIGHTINGS If you see a Florida panther—whether in person, on a trail camera, or by signs like tracks, scat, or scratches—please report it at https://myfwc.com/panthersightings. These reports help The Florida Fish ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Disaster Preparation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Family Forest, Florida Land Steward Program, Florida Panther, Forest Health, Hurricane Preparation, Hurricane Season, Longleaf Pine, Natural Resources, Online Course, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Tree Farm, Wildlife
chickens

Scientists seek to curtail bird flu’s spread through education, outreach efforts

by Megan Winslow
July 10, 2025

Though the current public health risk of H5N1 bird flu is low, the University of Florida (UF) is taking a proactive approach to education about the illness, which is responsible for one human death in the United States, as well as outbreaks ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Health & Nutrition, Livestock, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Avian Flu, Backyard Chickens, Benjamin Anderson, Bird Flu, Center For Public Issues Education In Agriculture And Natural Resources, Chicken, Cindy Sanders, College Of Public Health & Health Professions, Department Of Environmental And Global Health, Disease, Education, Emerging Pathogens Institute, Extension, FDACS, Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services, Florida Department Of Health, Florida EDEN, Florida Extension Disaster Education Network, Guide, H5N1, H5N1 Coordination Group, Hen, IFAS, Illness, Infection, Influenza, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Megan Winslow, Migratory, Outreach, Pathogen, PIE Center, Polutry, Response, Ricky Telg, Risk, SCCAHS, Science, Southeastern Coastal Center For Agricultural Health And Safety, Tips, Transmission, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Virus

LIFE Field Trips: Students Experience Florida’s Environment

by Katherine Clements
July 10, 2025

What is LIFE? The Learning in Florida’s Environment (LIFE) program is a science-based educational experience that engages 4th and 5th grade students in Sarasota County in 1-hour preparatory in-class presentations followed by a 3-hour field ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Ecology, Learning In Florida's Environment, Life, Natural Resources, Nature, Pgm_EcoNR, Science
Manatees

Who’s that critter? UF/IFAS wildlife series spotlights the Florida manatee

by Megan Winslow
July 9, 2025

Boasting more than 80 distinct ecosystems, Florida is a biodiversity hot spot.  More than 4,000 animal species, in fact, are native to the Sunshine State. (more…) READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Aquatic, Coastal, Conservation, Critter, Critter Of The Month, Ecosystem, Extension, Florida, Florida Manatee, Gentle Giant, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Maia McGuire, Manatee, Marine, Megan Winslow, Protect, River, Sea Cow, Species, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Water, West Indian Manatee, Wildlife

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