wildlife

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Balloon releases take a toll on wildlife

Think twice before releasing balloons into our environment The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds event organizers and other Floridians about a law prohibiting the release of more than nine lighter-than-air balloons within a 24-hour period. While releasing balloons is often an idea of groups that wish to honor an event or lost loved one, the FWC encourages the public to choose more environmentally responsible actions for their events. Balloons released in Florida almost inevitably end up in...

Learn about wildlife at Topsail June 20

Learn about the critters that call Topsail their home Time: 1:30 p.m. Location: Topsail Hill Preserve State Park With over 1,600 acres at the park to explore there is a pretty good chance you may have an encounter with one of our wild residents.  What will you see?  What could it be?  Come out and join the Topsail staff for a presentation on the common critters who call Topsail Hill their home.  Park at the Day-Use area and take a...

Manatees visit Northwest Florida in summer months

Gentle giants can be seen in the Choctawhatchee Bay and as far west as Escambia County By Stan Kirkland, Public Information Coordinator, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Northwest Region It’s been six or seven years since a guy in a plaid shirt and shorts walked into our Deer Point office one summer morning and said a big manatee was hanging around the Deer Point Dam. I grabbed my camera and drove the quarter mile to the dam and the...

Rent a canoe at Holmes Creek Livery in Vernon Florida

Explore nature in a canoe or kayak from Holmes Creek Livery Holmes Creek and the Choctawhatchee River are two of the most diverse paddles in the Northwest Florida Panhandle area. These journeys are abundant with wildlife including turtles, fish and a variety of birds including blue heron, ibis, egrets, warblers and woodpeckers. Holmes Creek Canoe Livery offers services from rentals to shuttles to a fun water park that includes a rope swing, water slide and diving board on the creek....

Warm weather means active alligators and crocodiles

Play it safe when recreating in fresh and brackish water The onset of warm weather in the spring is when Florida’s alligators and crocodiles start getting active, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds Floridians and visitors to be cautious when having fun in and around water. Florida is home to two native crocodilians: the American alligator, which is found in all 67 counties, and the American crocodile, which may be found in coastal areas of the...

Feral hogs cause traffic jam on U.S. Hwy 98 near WaterSound

14 piglets and their parents graze along busy highway – deputies protect animals, motorists from injury Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies today responded to a stretch of land adjacent to U.S. Highway 98 near Watersound after receiving reports of several stopped motorists at that location.  Upon arrival, deputies discovered the motorists had inadvertently stopped traffic to take photographs of two large pigs and their 14 babies. WCSO deputies remained at the scene to minimize the possibility of traffic injuries...

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,...

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...