May is American Wetlands Month, and with one-fifth of the nation’s wetlands, Florida is the perfect place to appreciate the beauty and importance of these ecosystems. Home to various types of wetlands, these areas provide crucial habitats for threatened and endangered species, help maintain water quality, and protect our communities from flooding while contributing to the state’s rich biodiversity. Tiger Creek Preserve Wetlands are unique and complex transitional areas betwee

A love for nature and science landed Natural Resources and Conservation Extension Agent II, M.S., Shannon Carnevale, her dream job. Now she spends her days researching, planning programs, hosting a podcast, and sharing that love with others. We chatted with Carnevale about her career, the “Naturally Florida” podcast, civic engagement, and small changes citizens can make to foster Florida’s wild spaces. Shannon Carnevale and her husband, City of Winter Haven Public Works Dir

“The Earth is what we all have in common.” – Wendell Berry Have you ever wandered the boardwalk at Alligator Alley in Circle B Bar Reserve or admired the overhead canopy reflected on the still blackwater during a hike through the Peace River Hammock? If so, you have benefited from the Polk County Environmental Lands Program. On November 8, 1994, Polk County citizens voted in favor of levying a tax on themselves to fund a local environmental lands program. “The purpose of the

“There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth; remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them.” These words from iconic conservationist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, speak to a truly magnificent and unique place, The Everglades of Florida. Most people when they envision the River of Grass, think of South Florida and a National Park. However, the Everglades ecosystem is so much more than the Sou

Black Skimmer by Adam Strang Bass A Florida Wildman in spirit (and Instagram handle), Adam Strang Bass captures timeless shots of old Florida in the name of preservation. His images are striking. Photographs that are in and of themselves an argument for protecting our wild state. Bass has a knack for capturing moments seldom seen or at least seldom appreciated by modern man – the speckled golden gaze of an alligator contrasted by it’s dark scaled armor, a black and white shot