Tag: habitat conservation

Weekly “What is it?” Tailgate Trivia Edition: The Rattler

by Carrie Stevenson
September 29, 2026

College football chants and cheers are always great fun. From University of Arkansas fans “calling the hogs” to Ole Miss’s throwback “Hotty Toddy” cheer, these decades-old crowd participation rituals serve to fire up the fans and ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Barrier Islands, Coastal Wildlife, Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, FAMU, Football, Habitat Conservation, Rattlesnake, Snakes, Weekly What Is It, Wildlife

Weekly “What is it?” Tailgate Trivia Edition: The Hurricanes and the Ibis

by Carrie Stevenson
September 24, 2026

A hurricane seems like an obvious and ideal football mascot. A storm like that implies power, strength, and intensity running roughshod over anything in its way. I have discussed hurricanes in this blog before—and Florida is the most ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, Wildlife
Tags: Birds, Coastal Wildlife, Football, Habitat Conservation, Hurricane, University Of Miami, Weekly What Is It

Weekly “What is it?” Tailgate Trivia Edition: Burrowing Owls

by Carrie Stevenson
September 10, 2026

If you've followed college football or spent any amount of time in Florida, you know the rivalry between the University of Florida (UF) and Florida State University (FSU) is one of the big ones. My husband was raised a Gator fan from childhood, ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Birds, Habitat Conservation, Owls, Weekly What Is It, Wildlife

Weekly “What is it?”: Northern Cardinals

by Carrie Stevenson
August 6, 2026

Last week in the middle of that brutal stretch of extreme heat (temperatures in the upper 90’s, heat indexes reading 108-118), I walked out in our office garden to stretch my legs. An overhead irrigation sprayer was on for the parched ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Birds, Habitat Conservation, Insects, Native Plants, Panhandle Gardening, Weekly What Is It, Wildlife

Weekly “What is it?”: Sandy Hollow Gully

by Carrie Stevenson
July 29, 2026

Florida is famously the flattest, lowest elevation state in the country. It’s probably for the best, though—our highly erodible soil combined with frequent rains means most hillsides start washing out as soon as the opportunity arises. ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Water
Tags: Erosion, Habitat Conservation, Soil, Water Quality, Weekly What Is It

Weekly “What is it?”: Carpenter Creek Headwaters Park

by Carrie Stevenson
July 16, 2026

If you want to truly solve a problem, it’s always best to go back to the original source. Piecemeal fixes can patch things up for a while, but they won’t last. For well over 70 years, Escambia County and the City of Pensacola have dealt ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources
Tags: Ecotourism, Estuaries, Habitat Conservation, Hiking, Native Plants, Panhandle Outdoors, Pensacola Bay, Stormwater, Water Quality, Weekly What Is It

Weekly “What is it?”: Water Lilies

by Carrie Stevenson
July 1, 2026

Water lilies so captivated the attention of French impressionist painter Claude Monet that he created over 250 paintings featuring them. Their beauty is quite striking—we are not accustomed to seeing flowers blooming on the water’s surface, ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources
Tags: Flowers, Habitat Conservation, Native Plants, Panhandle Gardening, Panhandle Outdoors, Water Quality, Weekly What Is It

Weekly “What is it?”: Discovering New Species (Sewanee Purple Phacelia)

by Carrie Stevenson
April 9, 2026

Growing up a fan of Indiana Jones, the swashbuckling adventures of searching for archaeological treasures were embedded deeply into my youthful psyche. As a teenager, I would lose myself in National Geographic stories and photography, captivated ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources
Tags: Flowers, Habitat Conservation, Hiking, Native Plants, Species, Weekly What Is It

Weekly “What is it?”: Northern Parula

by Carrie Stevenson
April 2, 2026

A few weeks back, fellow Extension Agent Thomas Derbes and I were leading a field trip for local high school biology students. We were at Big Lagoon State Park, located along the coast near Perdido Key and truly one of my favorite places ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources
Tags: Backyard Habitats, Birds, Gulf Of Mexico, Habitat Conservation, Hiking, Panhandle Outdoors, Weekly What Is It, Wildlife

Weekly “What is it?”: Traditional Ecological Knowledge

by Carrie Stevenson
February 25, 2026

We all know an old-timer who’s lived in the area forever. They can tell you about the flood of the century or the time the bay froze. Sometimes there’s a little tall tale thrown in, but for the most part you can trust them to know the ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Water
Tags: Environmental Education, Habitat Conservation, Native Plants, Weekly What Is It

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