Last week, my friend Charlotte invited me to join her and a few others on a boat trip through the Okefenokee Swamp. My first thought was yes, I would love to go on a boat trip …

I spotted several manatees in the Amelia River. It is spring, and the West Indian manatee is on the move in Florida. It is common to see manatees in our region, especially …

I can’t believe that it was 17 years ago that I wrote a column in the News-Leader about Tony Lopez and the Florida …

I have a subscription to Newspapers.com. This allows me to search thousands of newspaper articles from around the world. Many newspapers have been digitized and date back hundreds of years. For a research geek like myself, this database provides me with endless hours of amusement and amazement.

When you’ve spent as many hours as the author has observing manatees from 750 feet, they become like family. This begins a 5-part series on manatees as our waters warm and they return for the season

My outdoor office in spring is enhanced with the sight and scent of a blooming wisteria vine. It’s my favorite time of year in our backyard. The air is warmish, but not hot and …

  Rough-Legged Hawk. Print by John James Audubon. Courtesy of Harvard Art Museums. By Lauri deGaris Over the past few years, I have enjoyed sharing numerous picnics on Cumberland Island with …

By Pat Foster-Turley Turtles line the sunny banks on a cool day on the Greenway. There is always something to catch my eye when I walk on the Egans Creek Greenway. This time, it was reptiles. Spring …

By Pat Foster-Turley The sun sets over the Sonora Desert cacti. One of my main motivations for visiting southern Arizona with my brother recently was the attraction of the night skies. Arizona has a …

By Paula Alford Not one supportive comment was heard on March 5, when more than 200 organizations and individuals testified in strong opposition to the draft air, groundwater and surface mining …

  Mocktails. Photo by Betsy Harris By Lauri deGaris This time of year, there is no surer sign of spring than wildflowers. And I am ready for spring in every sense of the word. The renewal, the …

By Pat Foster-Turley A mothballed Titan II missile is displayed near Tucson. There’s a lot going on underground in southern Arizona, the location of my recent road trip with my brother Ken. I did a …

By Paula Alford The quality of life for all of us living near the St. Marys River may be at risk if titanium oxide mining operations at the river’s headwaters near the Okefenokee National Wildlife …

By Pat Foster-Turley A lone young male wild turkey patrols the area near the Port of Fernandina. Photo by Tammi Kosack. There is an avian mystery happening on Amelia Island, and maybe someone out …

By Lyn Panone On April 23, 2023, Nassau County Commissioners Martin, Huppman, Gray and Farmer agreed to give Riverstone the green light to build 11 condominium towers, at least 85 feet high, next to …

By Pat Foster-Turley Animals from Florida and globally adorn their showroom. Whenever I visit my friends in Gainesville I ask them for new column ideas. I’ve written a dozen or more columns about …

By Lauri deGaris February 18, 2024, is World Whale Day. And I am heartbroken to report that two young female right whales have died in the past two weeks along the Eastern Seaboard of the United …

By Pat Foster-Turley Sunset around large retention ponds is the time to watch roosting waterbirds. Every evening around some retention ponds there is a show that is worth looking for. Herons, egrets, …

By Pat Foster-Turley I am always on the lookout for new things to see in our part of Florida, but after all these years of road trips here, it is getting very difficult to find something new. But I …

By Candis Whitney   Did you know that there are more than 25 environmental/conservation organizations in Nassau County working to protect and preserve our beaches, rivers, maritime forests, heritage …