WUFT · Bicentennial Tree service Twenty years ago, Jack Davis started teaching environmental history at the University of Florida. On most work days outside his classroom, he would greet one of the university’s oldest residents: the tall, longleaf pine tree nicknamed the Bicentennial Tree. Davis became aware of the tree’s …
Read More »SRWMD Board recommends state funding for springs protection projects
The Suwannee River Water Management District is recommending $4.6 million in projects designed to improve and protect the water quality of Poe Springs. One project totals $3 million to expand the City of High Springs wastewater treatment facility and complete the creation of wetlands. The second project would provide $1.6 …
Read More »Resilient Cedar Key flooding vulnerability map
A new tool is available to help residents of Cedar Key prepare for flooding events. A grant from the Resilient Florida program funded the online program that allows users to explore flood vulnerability maps on and around Cedar Key. Savanna Barry is a Florida Sea Grant extension agent who specializes …
Read More »Plans for new solar farm generate heat among Newberry residents
After visiting Newberry all her life, Monica Lerew permanently moved to her 10-acre property three years ago excited to live in the peaceful countryside. But this peace is now being threatened as plans for a new solar farm are in place. For generations, Lerew’s family has owned 750 acres of …
Read More »‘Radioactive roads’? Environmentalists want brakes on Florida plan to reuse toxic mining waste
MULBERRY, Fla. – With much less notice than the Florida abortion, guns and education culture wars, a battle between environmentalists and a Fortune 500 mining giant is playing out in Tallahassee that critics fear could have devastating long-term health consequences. On one side is Mosaic Inc., a Tampa-based mining and …
Read More »Alachua County Board approves Water Conservation Month proclamation
WUFT · April is one of the driest periods of the year for Florida April is now Water Conservation Month in Alachua County. “Alachua County is seen as a leader in the field of water conservation,” said Stacie Greco, Water Conservation Coordinator at Alachua County Environmental Protection Department. “We …
Read More »Trees on Tap: Tree Fest 2023 uses beer purchases to plant trees
Beers equal trees. That equation may not be taught in school but it is the Pythagorean Theorem for Elaine Jacobson’s upcoming event. “If you drink a beer, you are doing good,” Jacobson said. Solar Impact, Inc. is putting on its eighth annual “Tree Fest” event on April 22 from noon …
Read More »Here’s what to know about the new mosquito species that was found in Florida
A new mosquito species has established itself in Florida, according to a new study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology by faculty at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach. Since the study was published on March 22, …
Read More »Florida is H2O: The Water State Festival looks to protect Florida’s springs
From a refreshing drink in the hot Florida sun to the makeup of every living thing, The Water State Festival hopes to show Floridians the pivotal role water plays in their lives. Play Hard Florida’s inaugural The Water State Festival will happen on April 15 from noon to 6 p.m. …
Read More »Manatee sighting network in Alachua County kept track of the charismatic mammal at a time of statewide concern
Local volunteers for the Florida Springs Heartland Manatee Sighting Network, a citizen-science program started by the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department in 2022, recently completed a six-month monitoring period to note the presence of manatees in area springs and rivers.
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