Environment

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Topsail Hill Preserve State Park public workshop in Santa Rosa Beach Sept. 21

Date/time: Thursday, Sept. 21, 5:30 p.m. Interested in having input on the future of Topsail Hill Preserve State Park? A preliminary public workshop is being held and will serve as a forum for the public to provide input on the future management of the park. The preliminary public workshop will be held September 21, 2017 from 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., with a presentation at 6pm, at South Walton County High School, Media Center, 645 Greenway Trail, Santa Rosa Beach,...

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park hosting beach clean up Sept. 16

Date/time: Saturday, Sept. 16, 9:15 – 11 a.m. Join Topsail Hill Preserve State Park on International Coastal Cleanup Day for a beach cleanup on September 16, 2017 from 9:15 – 11:00 a.m. Help keep the beach safe for the threatened and endangered species that call the beach home by minimizing the impact of marine debris on the beach and in the Gulf. To register as a beach cleanup volunteer please call 850-267-8330 and provide your name, email address, phone number...

Volunteers needed for Lake Powell clean up Sept. 16

The Lake Powell Community Alliance (LPCA) together with the St. Andrew Bay Watch (St. Andrew Bay Resource Management Association), Friends of Camp Helen State Park, Bay County Audubon and local neighborhoods invite you to participate in a community effort to cleanup Lake Powell on Sept. 16, 2017.  Sign-in will begin promptly at 8 a.m. on Saturday, September 16th at the Lake Powell Park [boat ramp behind Publix] or at Camp Helen State Park. The cleanup will last until noon. After...

Health Advisory issued for Morrison Springs

The Health Advisory is issued on August 9, 2017, for Morrison Springs. The Advisory is issued based on the criteria for fecal indicator bacteria. This should be considered a potential health risk to the bathing public and swimming is not recommended. Samples taken are above the public health threshold for fecal indicator bacteria. Water quality exceedances are based upon the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended standard of no more than 61 Enterococci CFU/100mL, or 235 E. coli CFU/100mL in...

Wakulla, Jackson Blue, Econfina Blue springs receive restoration funding

Collaboration enables continued momentum for springs restoration< TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced a suite of 40 projects that will receive $50 million from the Fighting for Florida’s Future budget to improve water quality, reduce nutrient loading, recharge water supply and protect habitat in Florida’s iconic spring systems. This includes a state investment of more than $14 million to protect springs in Northwest Florida, including Wakulla, Jackson Blue, Econfina Blue and Horn springsheds. Combined with match funding...

Health Advisories have been issued for Eastern Lake and Grayton Beach Access

The Florida Department of Health in Walton County (DOH-Walton) conducts regularly scheduled saltwater beach water quality monitoring at seven sites through the Healthy Beaches Monitoring Program. Samples are collected from March through the end of October. The water samples are analyzed for enteric bacteria (enterococci) that normally inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and animals, which may cause human disease, infections, or rashes. The presence of enteric bacteria is an indication of fecal pollution, which may come from storm water...

Beautiful railroad vines help protect South Walton beaches

Beautiful plant strengthens sand dunes Always a pleasant sight along South Walton’s beaches, the beautiful blooming railroad vine is also an important protector of our sand dunes. As with the sea oats, the plant helps to stabilize the dunes by rooting at nodes all along its length, and is often planted for that purpose. Each flower opens only once, in the morning, but keep blooming almost all year long, peaking from May through November. The railroad vine (Ipomoea pes-caprae) is...