![Voices for Biodiversity: An Interview with Wildlife Biologist Joan E. Berish](/assets/image-cache/media/images/Interviews and Reviews/An Interview with Wildlife Biologist Joan E. Berish/Thumbnail.0aefaeaf.jpg)
by James Beiny
Joan E. Berish is a wildlife biologist and gopher tortoise expert who has made significant contributions to wildlife conservation in the state of Florida over the course of her remarkable career.
Read more![Beach Mornings](/assets/image-cache/4%20DSC09973.a1ec2aed.jpg)
by Michael Washburn
Here on my sliver of Covid-cleared beach, among the tracks of crabs and the prints of plovers and scattered scraps of human carelessness, a larger story of wonder and waste is opening. It’s one we live…
Read more![Livable Shorelines](/assets/image-cache/media/images/Feature/Livable Shorelines/Thumbnail.381804bd.jpg)
by Erika Zambello
Choctawhatchee Bay encompasses a large estuary along the Florida Panhandle, a watershed that stretches across Okaloosa, Walton, Washington and Holmes Counties before extending into Alabama.
Read more![Sunny Day Flooding](/assets/image-cache/media/images/Feature/Sunny Day Flooding/Thumbnail.a1d5d6b3.jpg)
by Melissa Papp
Flooding and storm surges are dangerous threats that became all too real for the entire state of Florida when Hurricane Irma struck on September 10, 2017. Living on the west coast of Florida, I was frantically…
Read more![Fighting for Survival: Lifting Up Indigenous Voices](/assets/image-cache/media/images/Dispatch/Fighting for Survival/Thumbnail.7f36d62b.jpg)
by Sarah Abdelrahim
Indigenous peoples play a crucial role in protecting and advocating for global biodiversity. According to the United Nations, there are 370 million Indigenous peoples around the world — almost 5 percent…
Read more![From Restaurant to Reef: An Oyster’s Journey](/assets/image-cache/media/images/Feature/Restaurant to Reef/baseball11-350x350.80cd3c3b.jpg)
by Erika Zambello
I sat at a high table at Half Shell Oyster House in Destin, Florida. Christmas music played softly in the background, complemented by fir boughs adorned with red bows on each table. General Manager Stephen…
Read more![Hurricane Impact on Wildlife](/assets/image-cache/media/images/Dispatch/Hurricane Impact on Wildlife/Thumbnail.4dad7336.jpg)
by Erika Zambello
In the United States, the news is currently dominated by storm stories, from Hurricane Harvey’s assault on Texas and Louisiana, to the incoming Hurricane Irma heading toward island nations, Puerto Rico,…
Read more![New Fishing Line Recyclers Along the Emerald Coast](/assets/image-cache/media/images/Field Notes/Fishing Line/cba_PREVIEW_thumbnail.1e0c446b.jpg)
by Erika Zambello
For a few months this winter, my office in Okaloosa County became storage space for ten monofilament recyclers. Wide PVC pipes had been painted with beautiful marine designs — from herons to crabs to mermaids…
Read more![Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve](/assets/image-cache/media/images/Galleries/Rookery Bay National Estuarine/RB%2056-400x400.07b64810.jpg)
by Erika Zambello
As part of an ongoing project, Erika Zambello is visiting all National Estuarine Research Reserves in the continental United States. Established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),…
Read more![Florida's Manatee - No Longer an Endangered Species](/assets/image-cache/media/images/Feature/The Florida Manatee/manatee%204.dc5991f3.jpg)
by Maddie Southard
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) just reclassified one of Florida’s most iconic endangered wildlife species to “threatened” status. This controversial decision was made despite the fact that…
Read more![Connecting with Biodiversity Using Macro Photography](/assets/image-cache/media/images/Galleries/Connecting with Biodiversity/Cicanese%20Thumbnail.58051782.png)
by Matthew Cicanese
In a 2013 article published by American Entomologist, a trio of authors contemplated the importance of macro photography in documenting biodiversity. In their abstract, they summarize: "Digital macrophotography…
Read more![Saving Selfless Shellfish from Sunscreen](/assets/image-cache/media/images/Youth/Saving Selfless Shellfish/Thumbnail.3f14aee3.jpg)
by Madison Toonder
Oysters are bivalve mollusks that provide shelter and food for a variety of organisms, all while improving water clarity and quality through filtration. Oyster reefs formed by aggregations of shells are…
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