Panhandle Outdoors

The Florida Master Naturalist Program is a series of classes offer by UF/IFAS Extension to educate residents and professionals about the natural history of this great state.  There are three 40 hour classes: Uplands, Freshwater, and Coastal – as well as a series of shorter special topics.  Okaloosa-Walton will be offering the Uplands class from Feb 15 to Mar 22.  For more information on the times and locations for the class, and other classes being offered, read more at http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/.

FDACS Cost Share Program Designed to Help Farmers Reduce their Energy Costs

FDACS, along with Mobil Energy, are providing free energy surveys for farmers in Florida.  Specialists from local universities will walk through the property with the owner and recommend technologies that can help the farmer save energy and money.  They are also offering a cost share program to help ease the financial burden of making some of these retrofits.  However, the program will end in September.  Read more at http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/.

Many people plant trees this time of year but unfortunately the large tree they hoped for years down the road does not materialize.  In many cases this is due to improper plant at the beginning stage.  In this weeks article Okaloosa Extension Agent Shelia Dunning gives some tips on how to plant correctly.  Read more at http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/.

The Gulf of Mexico is full of wonderful and strange creatures, many of which panhandle residents are not aware of.  In 2018, Sea Grant Agent Rick O’Connor will be posting articles about a variety of marine life found along our shores.  In the last edition, we discussed plankton in general, in this one we discuss the more common form of phytoplankton – who they are and what they do.  Read more at http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/.