By Patricia Behnke
Watch the coral reefs for effects of climate change
Images of red and purple coral with darting blue and orange fish dance in my imagination when I think of Florida’s coral reefs. My dreams turn to nightmares, however, when I study the forecasts for the precious and important habitat.
“The coral reefs are the sentinel [...]
EVERGLADES AND FRANCIS S. TAYLOR WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA – Governor Charlie Crist toured the Florida Everglades with United States Senator Bill Nelson and United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on May 28 to discuss Florida’s natural resources. Governor Crist highlighted Florida’s commitment to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), the 50/50 state [...]
By Patricia Behnke
“Go green” taps us on the shoulder wherever we turn these days. We all know it’s a good thing when we see it, but do we really know what it means?
Any talk about going green inevitably leads to our carbon footprint — the amount of carbon dioxide our activities emit into the atmosphere. [...]
National Wildflower Week (May 3-10) celebrates our country’s native flowers, and it couldn’t come at a better time. Thanks to winter showers, Florida’s wildflowers are putting on a spring show, with blooms of phlox, coreopsis, blanketflower, dune sunflower and more spreading sunshine along highways, trails and rivers.
Here are five ways to celebrate Florida’s wildflowers this [...]
TALLAHASSEE – With much of central and southern Florida currently experiencing drought conditions, many lodging facilities are committing to conserve water by becoming members of the Florida Green Lodging Program. Sixteen new properties recently joined the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Green Lodging Program and four existing members received Two Palm designations – demonstrating [...]
PINELLAS COUNTY- The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has reached an agreement with Gulfstream Natural Gas Systems (Gulfstream) to resolve violations related to two unintentional releases of drilling mud that occurred during the installation of a natural gas pipeline within the Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve, a Class II Outstanding Florida Waterbody.
Nearly one acre of [...]
Funds to make low-interest loans to local governments for wastewater and stormwater construction projects
TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist, continuing his efforts to reinvigorate Florida’s economy and protect Florida’s environment, today announced the award of more than $132 million to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The funds, provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment [...]