Category: Conservation

Florida with magnifying glass and insect

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

by Morgan Pinkerton
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, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Biosecurity, FFD25-26, Florida First Detector, FloridaFirstDetector, Invasive Species, Plant Protection, SeminoleCountyAg
Florida with magnifying glass and insect

April 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

Recap of April 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector This month, we explored several invasive pests that threaten pine forests. Florida has roughly 17 million acres of forestland, with a large portion dominated by pine species. Our ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Disease, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, Forest, Pests, Pines, SeminoleCountyAg
Florida with magnifying glass and insect

September 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

Recap of September 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector This September, we continued our tradition of kicking off another year of First Fridays webinars with a refresher on the fundamentals of invasive species. Whether you're brand ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, AGRICULTURE, Conservation, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Biosecurity, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, SeminoleCountyAg
Florida with magnifying glass and insect

July 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

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, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Biosecurity, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD24-25, FloridaFirstDetector, Oaks, Quarantine, SeminoleCountyAg
Florida with magnifying glass and insect

May 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

Recap of May 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector In May, we continued our talks about wood-boring insects. This time, we focused on bark beetles. These are small beetles in the insect family called Curculionidae. Some bark beetles ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Forests, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Avocadoes, Bark Beetles, Biosecurity, Early Detection, FFD24-25, FloridaFirstDetector, Forestry, SeminoleCountyAg, Trees
Florida with magnifying glass and insect

September 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

Recap of September 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector This webinar kicks off our third year of First Friday with Florida First Detector! In honor of another year, we went back to the basics on invasive species. For anyone new to ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, AGRICULTURE, Conservation, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Biosecurity, Early Detection, FFD24-25, FloridaFirstDetector, Invasive Species, Sample Submission
Florida with magnifying glass and insect

June 2023 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

Recap of June First Friday with Florida First Detector Oak trees are important to our environment with various species growing throughout the world and 24 species native to Florida (90 in the U.S.). With the wide distribution of oaks, especially ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Biosecurity, Early Detection, FFD22-23, FloridaFirstDetector, Invasive Species, SeminoleCountyAg

Reclaiming Water: Reclaimed Water Usage, Part 2

by Jacob Burris
August 5, 2025

What is ‘Reclaimed Water’? According to the USEPA and UF/IFAS, reclaimed water is recycled wastewater that has been thoroughly treated, at least to the secondary level, for reuse. This treatment removes harmful organisms and substances, ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Recreation, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, , Water
Tags: Alternative Water Supply, Florida Water, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Irrigation, Irrigation Calibration, Irrigation System, Residential Irrigation, Sustainable Landscape, Wastewater, Wastewater Treatment

Water Wednesday Recap: Rainwater Harvesting

by Yilin
September 23, 2021

Although rainwater harvesting has been practiced for thousands of years, recent concerns over water supplies and the environment have prompted a renewed interest in this method of water sourcing. A rainwater harvesting system is the collection ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, HOME LANDSCAPES, Lawn, Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife
Tags: #WaterWednesday, Alternative Water Supply, DIY, Don Rainey, Rain Barrel, Rainwater, Rainwater Harvesting, Runoff, Tina McIntyre, Water, Water Conservation, Water RSA, Water Wednesday, Yilin Zhuang

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