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After being inspired by Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, 7-year-old Miles Fetherston-Resch decided that he wanted to donate the money in his piggy bank — all $13 of it — to ocean conservancy. But Miles didn’t stop there, and with the help of his moms Jess and Libby Fetherston-Resch, he’s launched launch Kids Saving Oceans, a […]
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As USA Today reported, over the weekend the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. was closing in on 1 million but new cases appear to have reached a plateau, according to one of the nation’s top experts said. “Unfortunately, it is a very high plateau,” said Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins […]
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Last year the City of Key West Florida voted to become the first city on the U.S. mainland to ban the use of toxic chemicals in sunscreen in order to protect the coral reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, a major tourism draw for the region, which locals work very hard to keep pristine. But the ban may never go into effect (unless Governor Ron DeSantis vetos the bill) because on Tuesday the state legislature passed legislation that prevents local governments from regulating any over-the-counter drugs or cosmetics including sunscreen.
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Nannette Wall and Ethel Ford are two volunteers at the Sebastian Inlet State Park in Florida known as the “Recycling Grannies.” They take plastic bags, as well as plastic reclaimed from the ocean by rangers and turn it into “plarn” that can be used to crochet bags, gifts, as well as sleeping mats that Wall […]
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Scientists investigating the highly destructive stony coral disease, which has infected reefs in South Florida and the Caribbean, have zeroed in on a culprit behind the unpredictable spread of the disease: ballast water from big ships.
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The red tide that plagued the West Coast of Florida for more than a year in 2017-18 is back again, and that means no swimming and increased respiratory problems for residents in the Naples-Fort Myers-Sarasota area, not to mention negative impacts to local businesses. According to CNN, scientists say it is difficult to predict where the tide is heading next, or how long it will last, but the last one — which lasted 16 months — was devastating.
Why This Matters: Climate change and runoff from agriculture and development are the culprits and this toxic algae problem seems to be a problem that is here to stay. Locals are worried about their health, wildlife like fish and dolphins, and whether their businesses can survive if this outbreak lasts for long. In the past, red tides happened but they lasted only a week or two — but the previous one lasted 16 months.
Continue Reading 376 wordsRising sea levels, as well as stronger hurricanes, are washing sand off of our beaches. Replacing sand is a lot harder than it sounds and comes with a heavy environmental cost.
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The Florida Panhandle contains hundreds of archeological sites that reveal the lives and culture of the earliest Americans who used stone tools and hunted to subsist and represent a time period of over 2,000 years of occupation, but many of them are at grave risk due to sea-level rise due to climate change.
Why This Matters: Native American sacred sites in the West are better known, but these sites are also important and not contained on federal land where they can be preserved and protected. Once they are submerged, they will be gone for good.
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By Scott Nuzum Over the summer, I returned to my hometown of Venice, Florida for the first time in five years. As I prepared for my trip, I was excited by the prospect of revisiting old haunts, reconnecting with old friends, and reminiscing about my childhood spent exploring the area’s coastal waters. But I also […]
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Tropical Storm Dorian, a “compact” storm that is expected to be upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane by the time it passes the Dominican Republic and to impact Puerto Rico by tonight or early tomorrow, according to CNN. CNN also reported that a team of over 200 people from nearly 30 different fire departments in South Florida were deployed to the Caribbean and Puerto Rico on Monday, according to CNN affiliate WPLG-TV.
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Given that the Democratic Party denies the need for a debate dedicated to the topic of climate change, the location of the first Democratic debate — Miami — is ironic, to say the least. No other American city is feeling the brunt of climate change on a daily basis the way that Miami is — from fires in the Everglades (yes – you are reading that correctly) to record-breaking heat (this past Sunday) to daily flooding to hundreds of million dollars in upgrades to infrastructure, Miamians are already dealing with the climate crisis. But will the candidates get to discuss this important issue beyond the basics of support or opposition for the Green New Deal and re-entry into the Paris Agreement? That is THE question.
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June 1st marked the beginning of hurricane season, which for many Florida residents has returned far too quickly as they’re still struggling to recover from last season. In Panama City, FL residents are preparing for the worst, as last year brought Hurricane Michael and the near destruction of their town. After the disastrous impact of […]
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