Nature

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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...

A closer look at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park

The crown jewel of the Florida Panhandle offers miles of beautiful beaches Topsail Hill State Preserve must be seen to be appreciated. It is one of the most diverse natural eco-systems in the state, featuring wet prairies, scrub, pine flatwoods, marshes and cypress domes. The park has more than three miles of pristine beaches and five dune lakes which encompass more than 170 acres on more than 1,637 acres of park. Now known as the “Crown jewel of the Panhandle,”...

Take a hike along a coastal dune lake Feb. 12

Learn about our rare lakes as you hike along Campbell Lake Time 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Location: Topsail Hill Preserve State Park on Scenic Hwy. 30A. ::MAP:: The Department of Environmental Protection’s Topsail Hill Preserve State Park invites you to come and join them for a hike. Visitors will be guided down the paved bike path for a 3.5 mile hike leading to the rare, pristine Campbell Lake where park rangers will discuss coastal dune lakes. Park at the...

Northwest Florida Birding and Wildlife Festival March 19, 2011

Celebrate International Migratory Birding Day at RiverCamps on Crooked Creek Northwest Florida’s Gulf Coast provides important habitat for many species of migratory birds and wildlife. In celebration of International Migratory Bird Day, the St. Joe Company would like invite you to attend their Northwest Florida Birding and Wildlife Festival highlighting some of the most beautiful and unique birds and wildlife of the region. The festival includes a guest speaker, a wildlife photographer, education and recreation activities for all ages along...

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...

A hidden coastal beauty awaits – Deer Lake State Park

A beautiful walk awaits you in South Walton at Deer Lake State Park Tucked away along Scenic Highway 30A, just west of WaterSound, this spectacular gem of a State Park offers park goers a look at intact ancient sand dune ecosystems. An elevated walkway guides you through a small wooded area, to the rolling dunes, then down to the Gulf of Mexico. Once on the beach, you can take a walk to the west, and discover the park’s namesake, a...

A Scenic 30A view to live for

Most Walton County residents and visitors appreciate the natural beauty of our area’s coastal dune lakes. The one quintessential view which reminds us we are home is the view of the tall pines and sand dunes along Western Lake. One never tires of the panoramic scene while driving along Scenic Highway 30A. Local photographer Brandan Babineaux took this panoramic photo Jan. 24 with his iPhone. “The water was dead calm and reflected a broken sky in the water and the...