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Dear Earth to Florida readers,
We understand that with many disruptions and concerns related to the ongoing global pandemic, getting caught up on Florida's environmental news may not be at the top of your list. Feel free to use this newsletter as a welcome distraction, or file it away for later reading.
We must also note that as our team is adjusting to a remote working environment, our Scientist in Every Florida School program team has been working to provide daily doses of educational enrichment activities for families and children during these unprecedented circumstances.
If you're a regular reader of our newsletter, you may also notice that many of our events have been postponed. Please refer to the "Upcoming Events" section at the bottom of this newsletter to see those changes.
And, as always, if you have any feedback, feel free to email us at earthsystems@floridamuseum.ufl.edu. We would love to hear it!
Take care and stay healthy.
Sincerely,
The TESI team
If you know someone interested in subscribing to Earth to Florida, they can do so at: http://bit.ly/EarthtoFL
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Recommendations to practice social distancing mean we may be spending a lot more time in our homes. Consider filling your time and satisfying your curiosity by watching one of these nature documentaries recommended by our team.
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Our team has also compiled a list of free educational resources to expand your world without leaving your home.
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Oftentimes keeping up with our state’s environmental news can be daunting — and sometimes discouraging as we tend to focus on the long list of problems to be solved. But, it’s just as important for us to focus on the good news.
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Last month, our team sifted through thousands of bills to find those that pertain to our state’s environment. For some, we talked to policy experts and scientists to help provide context into what this proposed legislation might mean for our state.
The legislative session came to a delayed end on Thursday, March 19 as lawmakers approved a $93 billion budget. The budget also included emergency funds to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Though, representatives say the budget will likely need to be revisited as the numbers were tallied before the economic consequences of the pandemic began to show.
We have updated our post Florida's Environment: Bills to Keep Tabs on this Session to reflect where the legislation stands today.
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State climatologist David Zierden opened his Jan. 29 presentation at the University of Florida with a sobering video of devastation from Hurricane Michael.
While Zierden prepared Floridians for what's to come — stronger storms, sea level rise, warming temperatures and droughts — he also ended with words of hope and how he believes Florida can respond and adapt. Learn more about what's to come in this month's feature story.
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Each month, our team curates Florida's environmental news and puts it into context by explaining what’s going on, why it matters and what we can do about it. Read below for some stories you may have missed.
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Monkey Populations Up, Lionfish Down — Florida Invasive Species By the Numbers
Over 1.7 million acres of Florida’s natural areas have been overrun with more than 500 different nonnative plants and animals. While invasive monkeys are on the rise, lionfish numbers are down and farmers have devised ways to combat the Brazilian pepper tree.
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Human Activity Can Lead to Smaller Oysters, Coral Disease
Our human activities on land can impact ocean life below. Warmer waters are leading to smaller oysters, while the dumping of ships' ballast water can exacerbate the spread of coral disease.
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Water Bottling Company Requests Permit to Tap into Florida Springs
A water bottling company is looking to pump up to 1.1 million gallons of water a day from Ginnie Springs. While the company assures the practice is sustainable, opponents worry about how the withdrawal will impact water quality and quantity in the state.
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Earth Systems & the Economy
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Increasing Property Values Lead to Sale of Conservation Lands
One way Florida’s water management districts help protect Florida’s water is by purchasing conservation land surrounding water bodies. But, sometimes increasing property values can lead districts to rethink their purchases.
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Climate Responsibility and Natural Hazards
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Living Shorelines and Crop Insurance: Florida Preps for Climate Change
State representatives and residents are gearing up to prepare for how climate change will impact the state's coastlines, agriculture and important natural habitats.
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Want to impress your friends with all you know about our beautiful state? Follow us on Instagram @KnowYourFlorida and get to know your state, your nature, your history– your Florida. See below for some fun facts from this month.
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Small in both size and population, the endangered key deer can only be found hidden within the Florida Keys. They are the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer, with the largest males standing at only 1 meter tall.
Though there are no natural predators in their Florida Keys area, habitat degradation, poachers, and motor vehicle collisions threaten their tiny population. Today, their population is slowly bouncing back through the National Key Deer Refuge.
Info from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and image by Paul_dennehy (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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Coreopsis is Florida’s official state wildflower. There are 17 species, many of which are Florida natives. It has been used extensively for the state’s highway beautification program and can be found on many roadsides.
Coreopsis is featured on a Florida specialty license plate and is also called “tickseed” because of the oval-shaped seeds in the center of the flowers that resemble the insect.
Image from iNaturalist user jh1792 (CC-BY-NC). Info from the FL Department of State and FL Wildflower Foundation.
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Wild hogs are invasive to FL and were introduced by early Spanish explorers. These non-native omnivores cause significant damage by eating and trampling native vegetation, farmland, and crops as well as by competing for food with native species.
Hogs are also known for “rooting,” or digging in the dirt with their snouts, which can cause erosion and further damage to land and water quality.
Info from UF/IFAS and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Image from iNaturalist user Chris Martone (CC-BY-NC).
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Every Friday, we publish a weekly sampling of free and inexpensive environmental learning opportunities around Florida on our Facebook page.
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Do you have a learning opportunity for us to include on our Facebook page? Email earthsystems@floridamuseum.ufl.edu to let us know!
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Florida Springs Film Series
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Earth Day: Dawn to Dusk Celebration Featuring Audrey Peterman
- POSTPONED until an undetermined date. We will keep you posted as soon as we have more information.
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Started in 2018, the mission of the UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute is to advance communication and education about Earth systems science in a way that inspires Floridians to be effective stewards of our planet.
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