News & Updates

National Estuaries Week – Diamondback Terrapins

Another metric of a healthy estuary is the diversity and abundance of fish and wildlife.  Estuaries are teeming with a variety of benthic creatures like annelids worms, mollusk, and crustaceans.  I have personally collected 101 species of fish from Pensacola Bay, and I am sure there are more.  And the variety of shore and seabirds…

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Stepping Safely

In a world in flux, many would like to feel that they can count on certain things. Perhaps these are relationships, living arrangements, or fulfillment derived from hobbies. Maybe it is the simple understanding that, when they take their next step forward or up, the surface before them will hold fast. However, whether gradually or…

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Stepping Safely

In a world in flux, many would like to feel that they can count on certain things. Perhaps these are relationships, living arrangements, or fulfillment derived from hobbies. Maybe it is the simple understanding that, when they take their next step forward or up, the surface before them will hold fast. However, whether gradually or…

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Horse owners help protect water quality with new tool

Managing manure can be a challenge for horse owners. One horse can produce an average of 50 pounds of waste per day and with an estimated 385,000 horses in Florida, that waste piles up. A new UF/IFAS online tool helps horse owners identify ways to improve how they handle waste to benefit the health of horses, humans and Florida waterways.…

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Staying Safe and Healthy on the Farm

September 18-24 is National Farm Safety and Health Week. Agriculture is one of our nation’s most important industries. It’s also one of the most hazardous. In 2020, 511 people died on the job while working in agriculture, forestry and commercial fishing, and 18,750 non-fatal injuries were reported, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Farming is…

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The Benefits of Cooking with an Air Fryer

Air fryers have become a very popular kitchen appliance, especially in the last few years. With all the other appliances on the market, do air fryers really live up to the hype? We think they do! Here are the benefits of cooking with an air fryer. What is an air fryer? An air fryer is…

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Family Game Night: Technology Not Required

  No doubt about it!! Technology has changed our lives. Did you know there are nearly 7.3 Billion cell phones in use? That’s nearly 1 phone for every person on the planet. So digital technology is literally at your fingertips. The Google play store and Apple’s App store have so many games a player could…

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Fall Snake Encounters

As many of you know, I do programs with snakes and receive a lot of calls about them.  But in recent weeks I have seen an increase in the number of calls and the number of encounters inside of homes.  Though most of the home invasions have been in the garage, one found a gray…

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Oceanway Senior Center Vegetable Patch

Photo of Senior Center Vegetable Patch by Tonya Ashworth In the northern part of the county, three Master Gardeners are picking up where Covid left off at the Oceanway Senior Center Garden.  The garden, as it is now, is inviting; a productive senior center vegetable patch.  A series of raised beds are surrounded by mulched pathways. …

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Florida Farm Pests: Stink Bugs

There are various common pests in Florida known to cause serious damage to plants. One of these common pests are Soldier Bugs also known as Stink Bugs. These pests if not control properly can cause serious economic damage to both crops and ornamental plants.   Do they really stink? Stink Bugs get their name because…

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Weekly “What is it?”: Lovebugs

      Adult lovebugs are often attracted to light-colored surfaces. These mating pairs will only live 3-4 days. Photo credit: Debra Young Lovebugs can be SO annoying. In May, and again this time of year (September), hordes of the small, fragile insects float through the air, searching for mates. They are harmless—no biting or stinging—but…

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Don’t Just Talk Trash, Take Action

Every time I go to the beach, I love to walk along the shoreline to see what may have washed up from the ocean – usually several beautiful shells, oftentimes sargassum seaweed, maybe even part of a crab exoskeleton. Unfortunately, I usually also come across several pieces of trash – a bottlecap, cigarette butts, and…

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