Environment

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FWC resolution highlights gopher tortoise conservation

Threatened gopher tortoise may become listed as federally endangered The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) signed a resolution Thursday in Apalachicola urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to recognize Florida’s strong conservation measures and actions to protect the gopher tortoise. The resolution asked the Service to not list the gopher tortoise in Florida as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Because the Service was petitioned to list the gopher tortoise as threatened in the eastern...

FWC proposes increase to red drum bag limit in northern Florida

Redfish bag limit to be raised from one to two per person The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on Wednesday proposed a draft rule that would raise the recreational daily red drum bag limit from one fish to two per person in northern Florida.  In addition, the FWC is proposing to create three regional management areas for red drum and establish a statewide eight-fish red drum daily vessel limit.  The Commission also intends to develop ways to modify...

Tracking dolphins for science on Choctawhatchee Bay

Research documents life patterns and health of bottlenose dolphin Steve Shippee knows about dolphins. Studying the mammal’s behavior since he was 17, Shippee, a marine biologist, is currently the marine mammal research and stranding team coordinator for Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, and currently in the University of Central Florida PhD program in Conservation Biology.  Shippee is doing his dissertation on dolphin habitat use and feeding ecology in two connected estuaries, Pensacola Bay and Choctawhatchee Bay. Shippee has been doing research...

Learn about sharks at Topsail Feb. 19

Learn how to stay safe in the water at presentation hosted by Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Sat. Feb. 19 at 1:30 p.m. The Department of Environmental Protection’s Topsail Hill Preserve State Park will be having a presentation on sharks. Find out more about the sharks that are found in Florida’s coastal waters and how to stay safe at this slide presentation. Meet at the Day-Use parking area on Hwy 30A and take a short hike to the clubhouse. Fees:...

E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center partners with TDC for public access

Center will be open to the public on weekends starting this summer The Walton County Board of County Commissioners approved a public-private partnership with E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center. The Center will be open to the public on the weekends starting June 1. The E.O. Wilson Biophilia is an environmental facility serving students, teachers and professional audiences. The Center offers student curriculums that educate a better understanding of the environment; with its focus on the importance of biodiversity, ecosystems, conservation, preservation...

Flat Stanley visits E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center

World traveler learns about environment, meets live gopher tortoise and pine snake On Feb. 7, 2011, Flat Stanley visited the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center in Freeport. Stanley enjoyed a morning of education along with Bay County’s Mowat Middle School students. Some of the morning’s events included a film on the hazards of plastics, an interpretive on aquatic animals and a tour of the exhibition hall. While enjoying the morning with the students, Stanley met a live gopher tortoise and pine...

Cottonmouth Myths I: Snakes dropping into boats

Living alongside wildlife By David Steen Editors note: David Steen is an Auburn University Ph.D. candidate working in the longleaf pine forests of northwestern Florida. He conducts research primarily pertaining to the ecology and conservation biology of reptiles. Most of the time, you can find him checking his snake traps in the piney woods but once the sun sets he is often wading through wetlands spotlighting water snakes. Some animals just can’t get a break.  Cottonmouths, (Agkistrodon piscivorus), aka water...

History revealed on Hogtown Bayou

Low water conditions expose shards of turpentine pots along bayou shoreline During winter months, water levels in the Choctawhatchee Bay and adjoining bayous are lower than other seasons. Northerly winds blow water out into the gulf, exposing more bay and bayou shoreline. Combined with low tide conditions, Hogtown Bayou in Santa Rosa Beach reveals a bit more, as shards of old turpentine pots can be easily found. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s the area of Hogtown Bayou...