Here's a grayt story and photos of a recent Pelican rescue by our friend Edmond Alexander of Grayton Beach. When Edmond isn't rescuing local wildlife, he's painting it, or photographing it. Or he's down on the beach helping our local charter fishing Captains in the Grayton mosquito fleet launch their boats.
Alys Beach is truly one of the most beautiful coastal towns in Florida but did you know about the nature preserve situated on the northern portion of the community? What a perfect time of year to get outdoors and explore one of South Walton's hidden gems.
Mark your calendar and plan to join eco-tour guide Snookie Parrish for a nature hike through a wetland preserve and trail at Alys Beach! Tour dates are set for March 12, March 19, March 26, and April 2 from 1-2pm. Wear comfortable shoes and meet at Fonville Press to begin your adventure.
Grab your opportunity to explore nature with experienced guides and see the real Florida through an exclusive series offered by the University of Florida. Panhandle Outdoors Live offers exciting adventures to entertain and educate.
Come celebrate Earth Day in Walton County on April 20, 2013 at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park!! This festival is free to the public and will feature environmental education exhibits and hands-on activities, children’s programs, cooking demos and MORE! Organizations are invited to participate in this fun-filled event, now in its fifth year, attracting over 600 visitors yearly.
We live in a great place to get outdoors but sometimes we get stuck inside during the course of living life. What better New Year's resolution than to get outside more? Our local state parks are giving us a great way to start the year off right on January first.
It's called Expedition Florida 500 and Justin Riney and his crew launch from Pensacola on New Year's Day 2013 for 365 straight days spent on the water covering the whole of Florida.
They will paddle a majority of Florida's interior and coastal waterways - from the Gulf Coast south to Key West, visiting the Dry Tortugas (by powerboat), and then paddling north up the Atlantic coast to arrive in Jacksonville by July fourth. The remainder of the year will be spent exploring the state's major springs, lakes and rivers.
Kent Mundy delights in showing people the part of South Walton most can’t even imagine. Mundy is owner and operator of Wetland Wilderness Tours, a one-man, one-boat tour company that explores the outbacks, sloughs and bayous of the Choctawhatchee River, IntraCoastal and other four waterways that spill into the Choctawhatchee Bay.
We get quite a few snowbirds in South Walton, but a pair of eagles swimming and frolicking on the beach recently take the cake. Actually, these two are likely permanent SoWal residents, probably a mating pair with a nest nearby.
This time of year our local eagles venture out for a good meal and to gather material (seaweed?) to build their nests for chicks coming soon. We've never heard of any on the beach though.
Sally Edwards and her husband Larry from Birmingham got quite the show from their Seagrove condo, and sent us the photos to share.
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is an amazing place to experience any day of the year. But one of our favorite things to do is hang out with the rangers and get educated. Check out these programs coming up at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park on the west end of Scenic 30A in South Walton!
South Walton was once home to a large black bear population. Hunting and development nearly eliminated Florida's largest land mammal. But lately we've seen bears return to the area in large numbers.
Just like it is for SoWal vistors and locals, Fall is an active time of year for Florida black bears as they stock up on calories for the coming winter. Though black bears don’t really need to put on pounds to survive the state’s usually mild winters, they behave as if they do need to – eating about three times as much as usual.
