Frolicking in Florida

27/05/2024

27/05/2024

Show off your photography skills and celebrate the beauty of Florida with us! Enter the 2024 Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest for your chance to win some great prizes while highlighting the natural beauty of Florida.

The submission period will open June 1, 2024, 9:00am (EST) and will close July 1, 2024, 12:00am (EST). Categories this year will include: Wildlife, Landscapes, Native Plants, Recreation, Conservation in Action, and Budding Naturalists (youth photographers). Don't miss out!

For rules and more information, visit: https://floridawildlifefederation.org/photo-contest-homepage/

📸 by Nathanael Herrera | 2018 FWF Photo Contest: Landscape Category Winner

25/05/2024

Memorial Day weekend is looking good from Treasure Island Beach!

If you’re headed to America’s Best Beaches this holiday weekend, please remember to leave them even more pristine than we found them!

Wishing everyone a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend! 🇺🇸☀️🌴

25/05/2024

�EPIC Flower Moon rising LAST NIGHT as seen through Teak St. Pete at the St. Pete Pier�

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23/05/2024

Why did the turtle cross the road? To shell-ebrate World Turtle Day, of course!🐢🌎

Today, we're celebrating the incredible diversity of turtle species that call Florida home. From the Florida box turtle to the Loggerhead turtle, Florida is blessed with a rich tapestry of turtle life!

Let's take a moment to appreciate and protect these ancient marvels of nature, ensuring they have a safe and thriving habitat for generations to come.

As part of our effort to educate the public about one important and native Florida species, the Florida gopher tortoise, the Federation has developed two signs that provide information about how to interact with this threatened species safely.

Help us distribute more signs and continue protecting the gopher tortoise by donating today: https://floridawildlifefederation.org/support-gopher-tortoises/

📸 Florida box turtle

23/05/2024

This is an aerial view of TNC Florida’s Disney Wilderness Preserve (DWP). DWP is home to more than 1,000 species of plants and animals and is a critical part of the Everglades Ecosystem. TNC is bringing together a broad coalition of groups to protect properties in the northern Everglades and to create a continuous swath of wildlife habitat and water connectivity from the Everglades headwaters down to Florida Bay.

The Everglades, once nearly 11 million acres, has been significantly reduced and altered by land conversion and drainage, disrupting Florida’s larger ecology. Climate change also poses new threats like sea-level rise, reduced precipitation, and higher temperatures. TNC and its partners have protected more than 360,000 acres.



Photo credit: Carlton Ward Jr.

21/05/2024

Seeing a bear in the wild is a special treat for any visitor to a national park. While it is an exciting moment, it is important to remember that bears in national parks are wild and can be dangerous.

If you do encounter a bear in the woods, stay calm and remember that most bears do not want to attack you; they usually just want to be left alone. Don’t we all? ⁣⁣Identify yourself by making noise so the bear knows you are a human and not a prey animal. We recommend using your voice. Waving and showing off your opposable thumb means nothing to the bear. You could also read aloud the passive aggressive email you wrote to Carol after she wanted to schedule a meeting at 4:30 on a Friday. The bear may come closer or stand on its hind legs to get a better understanding of Carol’s audacity. However, a standing bear is usually curious, not threatening.⁣⁣

What else should you know?

🐻 Running may trigger a chase response in a bear and you can't outrun a bear. Bears in Yellowstone, for example, chase down elk calves all the time. You do not want to look like a slow elk calf. (Apologies to the elk calf.)⁣

🐻 In most cases, climbing a tree is not your best choice. Many bears can climb trees (especially if there is something up the tree that the bear wants). Also, when was the last time you climbed a tree?⁣
⁣
🐻 Running to a tree or frantically climbing a tree may also provoke a bear to chase you. If the former friend you pushed down somehow made it up a tree and is now extending you a hand, there’s a good chance it’s a trap. Karma’s a bear. ⁣

Find more bear safety tips at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bears/safety.htm

Image: Screenshot of tweet with text, “If you come across a bear, never push a slower friend down…even if you feel the friendship has run its course.⁣⁣”

21/05/2024

21/05/2024

In the 1800s, the “scenic byways” most traveled in Florida were steamboat routes. This image, circa 1902, shows the Lucas New Line on the Ocklawaha River along what is now the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway region.

Another popular steamboat route was the St. Johns River, which touches many byways from Central Florida towards Jacksonville in the North.

📷 Detroit Photographic Co.
loc.gov/pictures/item/2008679617
The Library of Congress

Florida Department of Transportation

19/05/2024

Today is , and we’re celebrating the resilient species facing the threat of extinction, including the 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 🐾💪

Just like us, they call Florida home, and we're committed to making sure it stays that way.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙?
🏠 Habitat Loss
🧬 Genetic Variation

We're dedicated to protecting & preserving critical habitats to ensure these unique plants & animals have a future in our state.

Join us in our mission to save the Florida panther and other endangered species 🫶 Your support helps protect their homes, educate our community, and push for important conservation efforts.

Follow, share, and sign-up for our e-newsletter to stay up-to-date on volunteer opportunities.

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀.

📸:

16/05/2024

Not cool.