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Federal and State agencies study Choctawhatchee beach mouse population in Walton County

Documenting the life of a federally endangered mouse What are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) doing along South Walton’s beach dunes? All three agencies have been working together monitoring the population of the federally endangered Choctawhatchee beach mouse. The Choctawhatchee beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus allophrys) is a sub-species of the oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus), and is endemic to the Walton area of the Florida...

Eco-passages guide wildlife safely under U.S. Highway 331

As we travel along U.S. Hwy. 331 between Freeport and DeFuniak Springs, many folks do not realize they are passing through two large wildlife conservation areas; Eglin Air Force Base Wildlife Management Area to the west and Nokuse Plantation to the east. With two wildlife conservation areas, and a busy highway, one must wonder how wildlife manages to safely cross the heavily traveled highway. Completed in 2012, Nokuse Plantation constructed what are called eco-passages. Barely seen from above, three environmentally-friendly...

Bay County Audubon hosting bird walk at Conservation Park Dec. 14

The Bay County Audubon will be hosting a bird walk at Conservation Park in Panama City Beach on Sat., Dec. 14. The walk will be from 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. The walks are free along with binoculars available. Conservation Park is located at 100 Conservation Drive, Panama City Beach. The park has over 2900 acres to explore, 14 miles of trails and board walks. Click here to learn more about Conservation Park. For information call Panama City Beach Parks...

Wildlife Winter Wonderland at Biophilia Center Dec. 7

The Biophilia Center presents Wildlife Winter Wonderland on Saturday, Dec. 7. Activities include live penguins at 12 Noon, holiday photo booth, a visit from Santa with arts and crafts workshop, story time with hot chocolate and cookies, Christmas tree decorating, nature presentations and silent auction items for adults. Support the Center while getting shopping out of the way. Bid on Disney park hopper passes, vacations, golf, jewelry, spa packages, and more. General Admission: Adults (ages 13+): $8.00 Children (ages 3-12):...

Large baldfaced hornet nest discovered at Eden Gardens State Park

Nest to be preserved for exhibit Careful where you walk near the pavilions at Eden Gardens State Park. A very large and active baldfaced hornet nest hangs precariously from a live oak tree. Discovered by one of the park volunteers recently, the nest is more than 3 ft. in length and approximately 12 inches in diameter near the top. “We plan to preserve it once the wasps die off,” said Dan Burton, park service specialist. About bald faced hornets The...