By Mike Lednovich Two hotels are seeking to connect access with each other by constructing a walkover on a 17-foot high secondary dune that would require taking down trees and the possible relocation …

By Linda Hart Green I grew up with “sand between my toes,” as my parents used to say. The New Jersey shore was my second home. My mother told me that on my first car ride to the shore as a tiny …

Spoonbills feeding in the marsh on Heritage River Road just off Heckscher Drive, Jacksonville, Florida. From Amelia Island down to Heckscher Drive is a favorite drive for Bucko and me. I often called …

  Palmettos and pine trees line the Loop Road in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Most weeks these days I drive out to the ARK off Highway 121 in Hilliard to volunteer and I have now …

By Lauri deGaris The fall equinox is fast approaching, it arrives Sept. 23, 2023. Days are growing shorter. Signs of fall can be observed all around. On the island, the salt marsh is my favorite …

I guess I’m like a Florida Gator after all, not the sports type but the type that feels most alive in a warm watery domain. I especially enjoy swimming in the blackwater rivers of our state, where …

By Pat Foster-Turley On our Big Bend road trip a couple of weeks ago Bucko and I followed signs in Panacea to a place that sounded vaguely familiar to me, the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab and Aquarium. I …

Tokitae Totem (Photo/Sacred Seas.org) By Lauri deGaris I wept when I learned Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut or Tokitae, resident Orca from the L-Pod in the Salish Sea, died August 18, 2023 at Miami Sea …

Seaweed on the beach. (Visit Florida Collection) By Lauri deGaris There are many types of seaweed, and their color and grace are emphasized by the sun in the underwater world. Seaweed has been …

Bucko and I have lived in north Florida for decades now, but it doesn’t stop me from trying to find new things to see and do here. Last week I used my trip planning skills to better explore the Big …

Like everyone else these days, I’ve been complaining about the heat, and even dedicated a column last week to this topic. But I haven’t stopped thinking about it and about the animals that are …

This is an open letter from the Nassau County Sierra Executive Board to fellow stakeholders of the local environment: If you have noticed the sidewalks being closed off by FDOT on Atlantic Avenue, …

By Pat Foster-Turley The pool at the Atlantic Recreation Center provides a cool environment for the seniors (called Sassy Athletes) doing water aerobics. It’s hot out there! Everyone I pass on the …

Fresh trout served in north Georgia. It’s no surprise to my friends and family, and even to my loyal readers, that I love seafood of all descriptions and I am always in search of different types of …

By Lauri deGaris On April 12, 2023, the horses of Cumberland Island -- in their own right, along with the Georgia Equine Rescue League, LTD; The Georgia Horse Council, Inc.; Will Harlan; and Carol …

Planning a trip is always fun for me, and always full of unique challenges depending on the location, the time of year and the company I will spend it with. Usually, the company is my husband Bucko, …

A Meditation by Lauri deGaris   Horses have grazed the plains and pastures of Mother Earth for 50 million years. For at least 30,000 of those years, humanity has held these magnificent creatures in …

I am by no means a fisherperson. Bucko has tried to get me interested, but the last time he tried, years ago, it was a total failure. We were at the Fort Clinch jetties and Bucko kindly lugged two …

Any regular reader of my columns knows I am hounded by rabbits in my backyard. These wild critters live in my backyard and appear often, eating our vegetation, and there is no stopping them. Over …