Environment

Tag

Bald eagle shot in Fort Walton Beach, agencies seeking information

Sizeable reward offered for information leading to arrest Two agencies are offering rewards for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of whoever shot a bald eagle Oct. 15 in Fort Walton Beach. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is offering a reward of up to $1,000 through its Wildlife Alert Reward Program for information leading to the arrest of the person who shot the eagle.  The Wildlife Alert number is 888-404-FWCC (3922). Separately, the U.S. Fish...

Volunteer with Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance to help build oyster reefs

Restore critical estuarine habitats with the CBA Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance is seeking volunteers for oyster reef construction on Nov. 11, 17 and 30  from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. The group will be bagging oyster shells at the South Walton Center of Northwest Florida State College. The you will then travel to place bagged oyster shell at a reef site located at Cessna Park on CR 393 in Santa Rosa Beach and the Mattie Kelly Fishing Pier in Destin. Some...

Walton County Sheriff’s Office hosting BP Deepwater Horizon town hall meeting Nov. 11

Meeting to be held at substation in Santa Rosa Beach The Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), Emergency Management and Public Safety Communications Division, BP, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Environmental Protection, along with other local, state and federal officials will hold a town hall meeting Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. at the WCSO substation to provide an update on the impact of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Walton County, Fla.  Officials will also discuss plans for future...

Céline Cousteau keynote speaker at official 2011 Florida Chautauqua Assembly Jan. 27-30

Granddaughter of legendary Jacques Cousteau will highlight a “A journey into Florida” Céline Cousteau, granddaughter of legendary Jacques Cousteau, has accepted the invitation of the Florida Chautauqua Center to be the featured keynote speaker at the official 2011 Florida Chautauqua Assembly in DeFuniak Springs scheduled for Jan. 27 – 30.  The program theme is “A Journey into Florida,” and Ms. Cousteau will speak on Friday, January 28 at 9:00 a.m. at the new Walton County High School auditorium. “We are...

Highway 20 closed as fire rages in Basin Bayou

Alaqua Animal Refuge may need assistance with animal evacuation UPDATE: Alaqua Animal Refuge is safe…. 3:30 from South Walton Fire District: The Florida Highway Patrol is reopening a portion of State Road 20 shut down by a large wildfire burning south of the road. The road was shut down between Basin Bayou and Portland due to heavy smoke. FHP troopers are reopening the road and traffic will move at about 15 mph. Between 200 and 250 acres of scattered areas...

Monarch arrival brings a sign of the season in Walton County

Monarchs flutter along the Choctawhatchee River Even though the temperatures have not indicated any sign of fall, Mother Nature is. This monarch was spotted on a willow tree along the Choctawhatchee River on Sept. 19. A bit of an early migrate, its appearance indicates that fall is nigh. Unlike most other insects in temperate climates, monarch butterflies cannot survive a long cold winter. Instead, they spend the winter in roosting spots. Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains fly farther south...

Beaches of South Walton hosting coastal clean up day Sept. 25

The Beaches of South Walton Tourist Development Council are inviting residents and visitors to help clean up its 26-mile coastline while participating in the world’s largest volunteer effort to protect the ocean during the 25th Annual International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. The TDC is dedicating five main clean-up sites to the effort, with staging accesses at Miramar Beach, Dune Allen, Blue Mountain, Ed Walline and Inlet Beach.  Complimentary clean-up supplies, water and...