Rebecca Wilkerson WFSU-TV
Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance Volunteer Opportunities
August 20th-August 23rd
Fort Walton Beach, FL
(850) 833-9927
For more information visit this Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance volunteer call.
Treasure Hunt Scallop Drop
August 17th-September 10th
St. Joseph Bay, FL
(850) 229-7800
16th Annual MBARA Kingfish Tournament
August 25th
Mexico Beach, FL
For more information visit the MBARA tournament page.
“Sopchoppy Stop” Eco-Heritage Tour
August 25th
Sopchoppy, FL
(850) 926-3376
For more information visit the Sopchoppy Stop tour page.
Riverkeeper’s 4th Saturday Paddle
August 25th
Apalachicola River, FL
(850) 653-8936
For more information visit the Apalachicola Riverkeeper site.
License-Free Saltwater Fishing Day
September 1st
Gulf of Mexico
For more information visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife page.
Lionfish
For the next year, harvesting lionfish will no longer require a fishing license when using certain gear. The recreational and commercial bag limits have also been removed. These changes are effective through August 2013. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is hopeful that the changes will increase harvest opportunities of this nonnative invasive species in the Gulf of Mexico. For more information on lionfish and the new harvest regulations view this FWC news release.
Lucky for us, these invasive lionfish are delicious. Give these Hot Lionfish Poppers a try after a long day of harvesting.
Crab Trap Closures
Blue crab trap closures began last week for Florida. These two 10-day trap closures give the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission the opportunity to identify and retrieve lost or abandoned traps that could become a problem for the marine environment. The scheduled closures vary by region. For more information on the closures or the trap-retrieval program visit this FWC news release.
Inspiring Adventures
Author Peter Heller sat down with Fresh Air host Terry Gross for an interview about his debut novel, The Dog Stars. An expedition kayaker, Heller explains how he draws inspiration through his often-dangerous adventures and how he relates his experiences to those of his characters. To learn more about Heller’s new novel and his paddling journeys, listen to the full interview on the NPR Books blog.
Safe Sun
Scientists from the University of Strathclyde are looking to put an end to outdoor clock-watching and blistered skin. They’ve created an ultraviolet-ray-detecting wristband that will give a visual warning that you’ve been in the sun long enough, using an acid detecting trigger that will turn the band from yellow to pink. Partners in the project are hopeful that the wristband will be available in spring 2013. Read more about the wristband, and the technology behind it, here.
On WFSU-TV
This Wednesday on WFSU-TV’s dimensions, viewers will be taken to various state parks in our viewing area. This one-tank-adventure will also bring us to Grayton Beach, near where producer Rob Diaz de Villegas shot a previous dimensions segment on the 2008 Back to Nature Festival.
In the Grass, On the Reef is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation
