Nature

Alys Beach is truly one of the most beautiful coastal towns in Florida but did you know about the nature preserve situated on the northern portion of the community? What a perfect time of year to get outdoors and explore one of South Walton's hidden gems.

Mark your calendar and plan to join eco-tour guide Snookie Parrish for a nature hike through a wetland preserve and trail at Alys Beach! Tour dates are set for March 12, March 19, March 26, and April 2 from 1-2pm. Wear comfortable shoes and meet at Fonville Press to begin your adventure. 

We get quite a few snowbirds in South Walton, but a pair of eagles swimming and frolicking on the beach recently take the cake. Actually, these two are likely permanent SoWal residents, probably a mating pair with a nest nearby.

This time of year our local eagles venture out for a good meal and to gather material (seaweed?) to build their nests for chicks coming soon. We've never heard of any on the beach though.  

Sally Edwards and her husband Larry from Birmingham got quite the show from their Seagrove condo, and sent us the photos to share.

South Walton was once home to a large black bear population. Hunting and development nearly eliminated Florida's largest land mammal. But lately we've seen bears return to the area in large numbers.

Just like it is for SoWal vistors and locals, Fall is an active time of year for Florida black bears as they stock up on calories for the coming winter. Though black bears don’t really need to put on pounds to survive the state’s usually mild winters, they behave as if they do need to – eating about three times as much as usual.

Monster or myth? Tales of ‘Creature of Powell Lake’ persist - Animal some say was otter or blacktip shark remains a mystery

What is wrong with this picture? Looking for clues why SoWal was spared…

They were 84 days none of us will ever forget. From April 22 to July 15, an estimated 4.9 million barrels of light, sweet Louisiana crude spewed into the Gulf of Mexico, and it was feared to be only a matter of time before the sugar-white beaches of SoWal became a parking lot.

The news was everywhere and it was beyond bad. It was the apocalypse.  Even Jim Cramer, the host the CNBC show “Mad Money,” had an opinion.

Walton County takes matters into its own hands…

It now seems like a lifetime ago.

The news was bad and utterly unexpected.  In late April, a few days after the Deepwater Horizon rig sank, Walton County officials were told that “in 72 hours our beaches would look like a paved parking lot,” recalled Captain Mike Barker of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.

There’s a special category of cinematographer whose job is to bring a camera to bear in places the audience is unlikely to otherwise visit.

They pursue the inaccessible, and render the quiet workings of little-known worlds.  

“I get in the water,” says Elam Stoltzfus. “That’s what you have to do to get your shot.  And I love doing it.”