Nature

The intrepid team is on their way through the heart of Florida wilderness from the Everglades to Georgia. They started in Flamingo bay and are journeying north through natural lands as part of a vision to protect an ecological corridor for people, ecosystems, and watersheds. This story will be continually updated with new stunning photos, video, and maps from the trek across Florida - http://www.floridawildlifecorridor.org/geostory.

The Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve has announced the Spring-Summer Panhandle Habitat Classes. 

Sandhills and Ravines Tues, April 3, 2012, 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time at the Bear Creek Forest Education Center on Hwy 267 in Gadsden County.

Pine Flatwoods and Savannas Tues, May 15, 2012 (rain date May 16), 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time at the NEW Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Center in Eastpoint.

Everyone should visit Eden Gardens State Park in Point Washington at least once in their life. And it's never better than it is in the spring with butterflies, birds, kids, and flowers blooming.

The Friends of Eden Gardens State Park pay tribute to the blooming Camellia Saturday, Feb.25th from 10am to 2 pm at the park, north of US 98 off Scenic Hwy 395.

The Florida Wildlife Corridor has the noble aim to protect and restore connected landscapes throughout the Florida Peninsula to create a viable corridor from the Everglades to Georgia.

SoWal.com Partner YOLO Board has joined in to support the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition, a campaign to raise awareness and generate support to connect remaining natural lands, waters, working farms and ranches from the Everglades to Georgia, protecting a functional ecological corridor for the health of people, wildlife and watersheds.

Just like the birds Lisa Miller rehabilitates, she too was given a second chance at the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center.

Miller is the head of the Center’s Birds of Prey Program. It is a job she has held for seven months and came to hold quite by accident.

“I started my life at age 50,” Miller told audience members at her Jan. 19 presentation at E.O. Wilson.

The E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center in SoWal is an amazing place, named after one of America's premier biologists. You may have heard it is one of the must-see attractions in SoWal for locals and visitors. Well, now you have an even better reason to go and something that will no doubt be a magnet for the wildlife and education facility.

For the past several months, there has been a flurry of exciting activity at the Center.  Some of you may have noticed the construction activity centered between the grass mounds and the classroom buildings. 

Through an agreement with the Walton County TDC, the environmental facility on the Nokuse Plantation near Freeport will be open to the public Fridays through Sundays from June 1 to Aug. 31, and on Saturdays from Sept. 1 to May 31.

The agreement may be extended after that. For more information visit www.eowilsoncenter.org.

Visitors to the center have been limited mostly to school groups.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill drove home the point that counties along the Panhandle would need to diversify in order to secure economic development for their residents that were not dependent upon the tourist industry.

Two south Walton businessmen have a hot idea to encourage growth in the renewable energy market,

Of course the truth is that all of SoWal is special in October. Instead of setting our clocks back on November 7th, I wish we could set our calendar back a month. There are just not enough days in October.

Camp Helen is a special place any time of the year, butlower temps and humidity, and a calm gulf bring magic days and amazing sunsets. Buzzing Dragonflies fill the air and Monarch butterflies flutter through on their great migration.

Monster or myth? Tales of ‘Creature of Powell Lake’ persist - Animal some say was otter or blacktip shark remains a mystery