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Upcoming Paddles in the Panhandle

The West Florida Canoe and Kayak Club offers a variety of paddles in the Northwest Florida Panhandle. If you are interesting in becoming a member, you can go to their website at www.clubkayak.com/wfckc or contact Wes Mosteller at wesjane@earthlink.net The Florida Panhandle Canoe and Kayak Connection (FPCKC) is dedicated to recreational paddling in the Florida Panhandle (including Pensacola, Panama City, Marianna, and Tallahassee) and the surrounding areas. Go to http://www.fpckc.com/ for a list of upcoming paddles in our area. Guests...

Choctawhatchee Estuary Family Festival Apr. 30

Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park hosts educational day of fun for everyone Date: Saturday, Apr. 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Department of Environmental Protection’s Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park, Friends of the Emerald Coast State Parks and the Mattie Kelly Cultural & Environmental Institute of Northwest Florida State College will sponsor the Choctawhatchee Estuary Family Festival. This family event will feature fun, educational activities and displays showcasing our coastal environment. Cheer on the crab races...

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...

Gulf grouper recreational season opens April 1

Gag grouper still prohibited in federal waters, for now The recreational harvest of shallow-water groupers in Gulf of Mexico state and federal waters off Florida, except in all waters of Monroe County, reopens on April 1.  However, the recreational harvest of gag grouper is still prohibited in Gulf federal waters off Florida (beyond nine nautical miles from shore).  Also, persons on federally permitted for-hire reef fish vessels may not harvest or possess gag grouper in both federal and state Gulf...