Beaches

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Preventative beach cleaning in preparation of oil spill may harm nesting shorebirds

Remove only man made litter along South Walton’s beaches as natural debris in place provides nesting benefits to shorebirds and other wildlife A well-intentioned recommendation from Volunteer Florida urging eager people to move beach litter above the high water line to make cleaning up oil that may come ashore easier may prove harmful to beach nesting shorebirds. Florida’s beaches and marshes are the nesting sites for many different species of birds—Plovers, Terns, Gulls, Pelicans, Herons, Egrets, Rails, and more. Beach...

Walton County prepares for potential impact of oil spill

County officials asking for citizen volunteers Walton County officials held an emergency public forum April 30 to inform the public of their preparation plans for potential oil spill reaching South Walton’s beaches. On April 20, 2010 an explosion occurred on the mobile oil drilling platform Deepwater Horizon approximately 50 miles southeast of Venice, La. The fire damaged rig capsized and sank after burning for hours on April 22. The pipeline continues to spill more than 210,000 gallons of crude oil...

Public forum on oil spill April 30

• Emerald Ball Room, Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa, Friday, April 30 at 1 p.m. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office is inviting the public and media to a public forum regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Representatives from the health department, tourist industry, law enforcement, and emergency response will field questions concerning what we might be able to expect in the coming weeks.   The forum will take place Friday, April 30, 2010 at 1:00 PM...

Learn about bull sharks at Topsail May 6

Learn how to stay safe in the water at presentation hosted by Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Thurs. May 6 at 1:30 p.m. Florida leads the nation in shark bites.  Find out more about the bull sharks that feed of the Florida Panhandle and how to stay safe in the water at this slide presentation. Meet at the Day-Use parking area on Hwy 30A to take a short hike to the clubhouse.  $6.00 entry admission per vehicle into the park. Outside tours...

Dedicated group watches over nesting sea turtles

South Walton Turtle Watch Group keeps track of South Walton nesting sea turtles South Walton turtle nest season runs May 1 – October 31 According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, sea turtles, are among the oldest creatures on earth, and have remained essentially unchanged for 110 million years. However, they face an uncertain future. Illegal harvesting, habitat encroachment, and pollution (physical and light) are only some of the things sea turtles must face as each species struggles to...

Crucial nesting season for sea turtles begins after hard winter

Sea turtle nesting in Northwest Florida begins May 1 Sea turtle nesting season has begun on some of Florida’s beaches and will begin in earnest all over the state in the coming weeks. On some southeastern Florida beaches, endangered leatherback sea turtles are already laying eggs. This is good news after a winter that saw thousands of cold-stressed sea turtles successfully rescued and returned to the sea by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), with the assistance of...

Bioluminescent waves light up the shoreline at Grayton Beach

Algae creates glowing phenomena Local resident and photographer August Bach captured this incredible photo of bioluminescent algae “glowing” along the wave crests recently at Grayton Beach. Bioluminescence an amazing natural phenomena that occurs when a type of planktonic algae (microscopic free-floating algae) has high densities of excess nutrients. The glow appears when the algae is disturbed by motion. To learn more about August Bach go to his website at www.augustbach.com Bioluminescence explained Steven Haddock, Ph.D. Scientist Bioluminescence and Zooplankton Monterey...

SWFD lifeguards endure chilly water on first day of pre-season training

28 lifeguards getting ready for 2010 season start Mar. 13 24 of the 28 South Walton Fire District lifeguards started pre-season training and orientation on Mar. 5. With the Gulf water temperature of 59 degrees, each lifeguard has passed a rigorous physical ability test of running and swimming and began their additional physical training, emergency medical training, communications, customer interaction and service strategies. With Beach Safety Director, Gary Wise watching from the shoreline, the lifeguards did a  beach run, a...