Every bird watcher’s dream is to find a species they wouldn’t normally see wandering through North Central Florida. Some encounters can be extraordinary enough to bring attention, said Felicia Lee, a current board member of the Alachua Audubon Society. That’s the case with the Common Merganser wandering across Alachua County …
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When the dark clouds roll in, the Blanchards’ storm preparation team rolls out. “Prepped, staged, deployed” is what the couple calls their flooding protection process. It starts when clear skies fade away. That’s when Gainesville resident Mike Blanchard, 53, starts watching the storm radar with a vigilant eye. But he …
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Approximately 20 community members spoke at last Tuesday’s policy discussion at Alachua County Administration headquarters to voice their concerns about the development of a proposed golf course in southwest Gainesville. The meeting lasted approximately three hours and ended with the commission approving a special area study, which outlines the minimum …
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A special area study on one of Alachua County’s 47 environmentally sensitive ecosystems will be evaluated Nov. 7 to determine what should be protected during potential development. In 1996, Alachua County determined that the 5,311 acres known as Hickory Sink houses a strategic ecosystem – meaning it contains vulnerable natural …
Read More »Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Prayer followed by panic at Turlington Plaza leaves students shaken. “About 20 people arrived in the UF Health Shands emergency room lobby within a 15-minute period, said Doug Bennett with …
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Julianna Witte, 61, watched her two sons grow up in her 11-acre backyard, running wild, letting nature be their teacher. She did not anticipate the backdrop to their childhood would be bulldozed years later. “As widows, we feel deceived, vulnerable and taken advantage of by the county,” Witte said, gazing …
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In 2021, scientists confirmed a new species of whale in Florida after one washed up in the Everglades in 2019. The Rice’s whale, also known as the Gulf of Mexico whale, was previously considered a Bryde’s (pronounced broodus) whale. The Rice’s whale has an estimated population of less than 50, …
Read More »Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • Fresh Take Florida: ‘I would still do it’: Super Bowl streaker says new Florida law won’t work. “Starting this week, Florida has a new law stiffening penalties on attention-grabbers who sprint across …
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Sevaral organizations shared information about the issues harming the ecosystem, including invasive species and groundwater contamination.
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For the first time, the 30th National Public Lands Day was open to volunteers from the public. West of the Bass Pro Shop in Celebration Pointe, 13 volunteers participated at Lake Kanapaha Park by pulling invasive coral ardisia, a non-native plant that displaces native trees and shrubs in the forest. …
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