This is an awesome looking series - if you missed the first one, get signed up for the next. The Natural Resource Extension Agents of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (UF/IFAS) present Panhandle Outdoors LIVE, a series of guided field excursions highlighting unique ecological features throughout northwest Florida.
January 3, 2012 by Kurt Lischka
From a misty morning sunrise to a serene golden sunset on Peach Creek Bayou. Mullet leap and Redfish tail, from the kayak Largemouth Bass are hooked. An Osprey (fish eagle) chirps and chases an American Bald Eagle three times his size into the bough of a Longleaf Pine. Pelicans and migrating Mallards dive and feed. Fishermen motor out for a day of trout fishing on the Choctawhatchee (chock-tuh-hatch-ee) Bay.
It was the warm and lazy last day of 2011, and it was a good one, living the dream. Summer never really ended that year.
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Learn about SoWal history and enjoy the outdoors on a SoWal Adventure the first Saturday of every month through October, beginning on January 7, 2012. Find out about the early history of the park and local area while wandering on a guided tour around Camp Helen's restored historical buildings. Free with park admission. (850) 233-5059.
Directions: Camp Helen State Park is located west of Panama City Beach on U.S. 98 at the west end of the Phillips Inlet bridge, just east of Inlet Beach. The entrance is South of U.S. Hwy 98 just before Lake Powell.
December 20, 2011 by Kurt Lischka
What better way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon than kayak fishing on the calm waters of one of South Walton's hidden gems.
Peach Creek flows north from the wetlands of Point Washington State Forest, on the north side of Seagrove Beach, Florida. It's just a short distance from the Gulf of Mexico and Scenic Highway 30A.
What begins as a trickle, widens to SoWal's largest freshwater creek, opening up to a beautiful bayou flowing into the Intracoastal Waterway and the Choctawhatchee (Chock-tuh-hatch-ee) Bay.
The E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center in SoWal is an amazing place, named after one of America's premier biologists. You may have heard it is one of the must-see attractions in SoWal for locals and visitors. Well, now you have an even better reason to go and something that will no doubt be a magnet for the wildlife and education facility.
For the past several months, there has been a flurry of exciting activity at the Center. Some of you may have noticed the construction activity centered between the grass mounds and the classroom buildings.
November 1, 2011 by Kurt Lischka
October may be the most enjoyable month in SoWal and the South Walton Community Council's Back to Nature Festival is a treasured event every year. It kicked off Friday, October 14, 2011 with a party at Hibiscus House in Grayton Beach with food, friends, and live music from Chris Alvarado.
Saturday October 15, 2011 featured a slew of outdoor events all over SoWal. Perfect weather set the stage for coordinated activities at Grayton Beach State Park and Seaside with fun for kids, education, animals, and hands-on exhibits from local nature and wildlife experts.
October 22, 2011 by SoWal Staff
For about two decades or more, metal Chicken Coops have been used by fishermen along the Florida Panhandle as artificial reef material to attract fish. In earlier years automobiles, old boats and small airplanes were used but their environmental compatibility was questioned and they were banned. The large metal chicken coops replaced those earlier materials and were quickly adopted as the fish attracting devices (FADS) of choice.
Get inspired! Get outdoors! Celebrate SoWal's best features during the 10th Annual Back To Nature Festival October 14-16, 2011, conducted each fall by the South Walton Community Council.
With the approval of the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC), District 1 Commissioner Brannon recently submitted a grant application for the 57-mile-long Choctawhatchee River Paddle Trail. The canoe/kayak trail would link three river landings with stops at other trail head locations, including Morrison Springs and Black Creek.
It’s ten o’clock in the morning on the first Sunday in March. Scenic 30A is closed to traffic. There’s not a parking place to be found in Seaside.
Three thousands folks are milling around the Post Office. A band is playing in the amphitheatre. Folks are eating Jim N’ Nick’s Bar-B-Q and drinking beer for breakfast.
