Environment

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Tips to safely co-exist with alligators 

Signs of spring – balmy weather, blooming flowers and nesting birds – are occurring throughout Florida. Warmer temperatures also mean alligators are more active and visible. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recommends taking precautions when in and around the water. FWC also provides its safety materials to include a video and infographic in Spanish. While serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida, the FWC offers the following tips about how to safely co-exist with them:...

Conradina covers South Walton

Beautiful lavender flowering shrub graces our  sandhill forests in spring Ever wonder what those beautiful blooming lavender plants are along our byways in South Walton? False rosemary (Conradina canescens) is actually part of the mint (Lamiacae) family. If you rub the needle-like leaves between your fingers, it has a wonderful rosemary-like scent. To explore these beautiful plants, head out to our area trails. Learn more by clicking here....

An encounter with a living dinosaur

Note: This story is from the Walton Outdoors’ archives. It was originally published in 2008. To view an up to date report of Gulf Sturgeon from 2022, click here: https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/2022-06/Gulf%20sturgeon%205-yr%20review_20220601_signed.pdf It’s not often one gets a chance to encounter a prehistoric creature. So when the opportunity arose to meet a fish with an ancestry that dates back 200 million years, well, I couldn’t pass. Through Nov. 7, 2008, the Panama City Field Office of the U. S. Fish & Wildlife...

Health advisory issued for Morrison Springs

Jan. 11, 2023 – A Health Advisory is issued on January 11, 2023, for Morrison Springs.  The Advisory is issued based on the criteria for fecal indicator bacteria. This should be considered a potential health risk to the bathing public and swimming is not recommended.  Samples taken are above the public health threshold for fecal indicator bacteria. Water quality exceedances are based upon the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended standard of no more than 61 Enterococci CFU/100mL, or 235...

Blue crab trap closure for northwest Florida starts Jan. 5 

Recreational and commercial blue crab traps must be removed from some northwest Florida waters before Jan. 5, the first day of a 10-day trap closure. Blue crab traps may not be in state waters (shore to 3 nautical miles, including intracoastal waterways) from the Florida/Alabama state line through the Franklin/Wakulla county line from Jan. 5 through Jan. 14. Waters of the Ochlockonee River and Ochlockonee Bay are not included in this closure. These closures will give groups authorized by the...

FWC updates to permitting guidelines benefit Florida gopher tortoises

On Dec. 1, 2022, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved staff’s recommendation to update Gopher Tortoise Permitting Guidelines. The goal of the update is to better protect gopher tortoises by incentivizing relocations to protected recipient sites, clearly defining roles and responsibilities in the relocation process, and clarifying other provisions in the guidelines. Key revisions and information included in the guidelines were presented at two public webinars where FWC staff collected feedback from participants. Staff reviewed feedback and...