Beaches

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Oil Spill public forum at Coastal Branch Library Apr. 19

South Walton Community Council hosts guest speaker April 20, 2011 marks the one year memorial of the Deepwater Horizon Oil disaster in which eleven lives were lost, 205.8  million gallons  of oil gushed into the Gulf and an unprecedented  1.8 million  gallons of dispersants  were applied to the oil from the air, boats and subsea. In commemoration of the impacts and lessons learned, on April 19, 2011, Dr. Richard Snyder will be the guest speaker at a public forum sponsored...

South Walton Fire District (SWFD) annouces 2011 Junior Lifeguard Program

Junior Lifeguard season runs June 21 – July 21 2011 Swim tryouts Sat., May 21 The South Walton Fire District’s (SWFD) Beach Safety Division annouces its 2011 Junior Lifeguard Program. The SWFD Junior Lifeguard Program will be under the supervision of Gary Wise, South Walton Fire District Beach Safety Director and South Walton Fire District Professional Lifeguards. Qualifying boys and girls ages (9–15) will be instructed in many aspects of beach and water safety and environmental topics.  The purpose of...

Turtle Festival at Gulf Place April 30

Get ready for sea turtle season with a day of celebration Time: 1 – 6 p.m. Mark your calendars for April 30th when Turtle Watch, the South Walton Community Council and the Merchants of Gulf Place will join hands to host the second annual “Turtle Fest” held on the green at the Gulf Place Amphitheater at the corner of C30A and county road 393. This is a special time we set aside not only for the celebration of the turtle,...

Have breakfast with a ranger at Topsail Apr. 9

Learn about park life at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Location: Topsail Hill Preserve State Park on Scenic Road 30A, Santa Rosa Beach Saturday, Apr. 9 – 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. The Department of Environmental Protection’s Topsail Hill Preserve State Park will be having a Breakfast with a Ranger at 9 a.m. Join the Rangers of Topsail Hill and ask them all the questions you can think of about park life. This program is family oriented and ideal for...

That bunch of seaweed on the beach teems with life

Beach wrack full of curiosities When walking the beach this spring break, pause and ponder the virtues of stranded seaweed. Those scattered clumps along the high-tide line actually have a name – beach wrack – and are a pivotal part of the beach ecosystem. “Many might think sand makes a beach, but it’s the wrack that truly brings a beach to life,” said Blair Witherington, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologist who studies beach life. “It sponsors...

Beach mouse research volunteers needed Mar. 26 and 27

Learn about the beach mouse as you assist in research Margo Stoddard a University of Florida researcher needs lots of volunteers to help out this Mar. 26 and 27 with her beach mouse project.  The project will consist of planting vegetation (broomsedge) in different spatial configurations.  The objective of this study is to examine the influence of vegetation patch size on beach mouse activity (movement and foraging), and/or installing foraging trays in the field; foraging trays for this study are clear plastic...