Category: Recreation

Person dressed in tree costume outdoors with an adult and two children looking at them

Agents of Discovery: Complete Four Special Missions before January 1st to receive your Field Agent prize!

by Katherine Clements
November 25, 2025

What is Agents of Discovery? Agents of Discovery is an award-winning educational mobile game that turns the great outdoors into an interactive learning experience. Turn your next park visit into a mission and explore nature like never before! ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
photo of tree canopy seen from below, looking up at trees and sky

Nature and Health: Take a Child Outside Week Promotes Connecting Youth with Nature

by Katherine Clements and Zahir Ringgold CordesAvatar photo
October 1, 2025

"Nature-Deficit Disorder" Prompts Greater Focus on Getting Children Outside “Take a Child Outside Week” occurs annually from September 24th - 30th, initiated by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences as an effort to raise awareness ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Family, Health, Nature, NatureAndHealth, Pgm_EcoNR
Emma Pistole, with the Nature Coast Biological Station, holds a snook caught in the Gulf of Mexico April 12, 2017.

Snook of Florida: The Common Snook – Ecology and Regulations

by Armando Ubeda
August 28, 2025

The common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) is a captivating species that inhabits a variety of coastal and estuarine environments. There are five species of snook in Florida, but the common snook, also known as robalo or linesider, is the largest, ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Common Snook, Fishing, Fishing Regulations, Pgm_Marine, Snook
Person dressed in tree costume outdoors with an adult and two children looking at them

Agents of Discovery: Special Agents Play Mission — Venice Area Audubon Rookery

by Evelyn Spencer and Katherine Clements
June 30, 2025

First Missions are Live! This month, Venice Area Audubon Rookery was transformed into Sarasota County’s first Agents of Discovery mission location! Agents of Discovery is an interactive, location-based mobile app featuring games and challenges ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Natural Resources, Recreation, Relationships & Family, Water, Wildlife
Tags: AgentsOfDiscovery, Ecology, Exploration, Families, Family, Health, Nature, Nature And Health, NatureAndHealth, Pgm_EcoNR, Youth

Putting on the (Bio)Blitz

by Jackie Lebouitz and Mike D'Imperio
September 13, 2024

Last month, UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County offered its first ever Dipnets and Donuts: Pond BioBlitz event. It was a great success, with several species spotted in our ponds at Twin Lakes Park. Participants worked in groups and used dipnets ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Natural Resources, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Biodiversity, Citizen Science, Ecology, Environment, Inaturalist, Pgm_Chemicals, Pgm_Water, Survey
Oak leafroller caterpillar on plant

Springtime Caterpillars

by Jackie Lebouitz
March 21, 2024

It's officially spring, and almost like clockwork, several seasonal caterpillars have begun to emerge from our trees...and may have found their way onto our walls, benches, and well, just about everywhere. While their presence may be a nuisance ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Caterpillar, Echo Moth, Inchworm, Integrated Pest Management, Leafroller, Management, Pest, Pgm_Chemicals, Spring, Tussock
An artist's workbench. Photo Credit: Canva

Meet a Master Gardener Volunteer Series: UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County Speaker’s Bureau

by Ashley Ellis
March 6, 2024

Meet a Master Gardener Welcome to our "Meet a Master Gardener Volunteer" blog series, where we delve into the inspiring stories and impactful contributions of the passionate individuals who form the backbone of our gardening community. These ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Master Gardener Volunteer, MeetAnMGV, Pgm_HortRes, Volunteer
A banner photo of two people kayaking through a mangrove tunnel reads Sarasota County Natural Areas Story Map, with the UF/IFAS Extension and Sarasota County logos on either side.

Sarasota County’s Natural Areas Story Map Brings Nature to You

by Zahir Ringgold Cordes
December 14, 2023

Living on the Suncoast offers us a wide variety of opportunities to play outdoors and enjoy the true natural beauty of Florida’s unique ecosystems and habitats. From world class beaches to beautiful natural area preserves that host fascinating ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Accessibility, Environment, Hike, Naturalareasstorymap, Nature, Outside, Pgm_EcoNR, Story Map, Storymap, Virtualexperience, Wildlife

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