Nature

This past week my dad showed his latest film, The Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition: Everglades to Okefenokee, at the Martin Theatre in Historic Panama City.

My Coastal Dune Lake

Ancient crystle dunes
engulfed by a risen sea.
Ocean shrinks to gulf in time,
baring mounds of sugared quartz.

Rare pools of sparkling life are born
to milliniums of nurturing kisses
from a coddling saline surf.

Embracing tides wash life to benthic worlds
as needle rush nurseries feed
flora, fauna, future.

Flyoff vapors, cool and collected,
fall to stream across shore to sea,
barrow for the rapt organic cornucopia
of our ever renewing coastal plash.

Ad·vi·so·ry:  having or consisting in the power to make recommendations but not to take action enforcing them.

The Coastal Dune Lakes Advisory Board is comprised of residents and partners with Walton County, to ensure the protection, health and environmental integrity of the county’s globally rare and imperiled Coastal Dune Lakes and to provide sound recommendations to the Walton County Board of Commissioners.

About two weeks ago, I was sitting in the office and preparing for the first blog I wrote on the coastal dune lakes, and I stumbled across the term “coastal lagoon” on the National Geographic website.

A lagoon is a shallow body of water protected from a larger body of water (usually the ocean) by sandbars, barrier islands, or coral reefs. Lagoons are often called estuaries, sounds, bays, or even lakes. (Emphasis added)

For months now our team at Live Oak Production Group has been posting photos, teaser videos, and blog posts about our upcoming project on the coastal dune lakes of Walton County, Florida. We have recently received full funding from the St. Joe Community Foundation, and are now in full production mode.

Last week Dad and I came down to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park to do more work for the upcoming Coastal Dune Lakes project. We accomplished a lot over the four days that we were down.

Last week Dad and I came down to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park to do more work for the upcoming Coastal Dune Lakes documentary we are producing.

We accomplished a lot over the four days we were there:

SoWal local Brock Ellis had the experience of a lifetime recently when he got to swim with a group of seven manatees along the shore at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Brock was able to capture exciting photos and video (below) of the manatees.

It's not uncommon to see manatees swimming east in South Walton in the Spring as they migrate up from Southwest Florida, and again swimming west to get back down south in the Fall. Brock works on the beach so has a front row seat for all the great wildlife action in the Gulf.

I have had many great experiences in South Walton working on the Coastal Dune Lakes of Walton County (working title) documentary. I worked with my Dad, Elam Stoltzfus, and our editor, Joey Dickinson, filming the Paddle for the Planet event last October on Lake Powell.

Jeff Talbert loves the outdoors and he loves photography. Being a Resource Management Park Services Specialist for the state of Florida and stationed at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park gives him unique opportunities to combine his interests. Jeff often is in a great position to photograph South Walton wildlife in the park. We've enjoyed his photography for years and are happy to share a bit.