La Ley del Agua de Florida de 2016, una política integral de agua que aborda los problemas críticos del suministro y la calidad de agua en la Florida, entró en vigor el 1 de julio de 2016. Creó la Ley de Protección de Acuíferos y Manantiales de Florida, que protege los manantiales alimentados por el acuífero floridano. Written by Michael Olexa, Tatiana Borisova, and Jarrett Davis and published by the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe1047
Hundreds of millions of years of geologic processes lead to the formation of Florida. This 7-page fact sheet written by Kyle W. Bostick, Shelly A. Johnson, and Martin B. Main and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation describes the 3 primary processes that created Florida as we know it today: plate tectonics, carbonate production, and siliciclastic invasion, as well as major processes like sea-level change that continue to reform the morphology of the Florida Platform today.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw208
Tatiana Borisova y Tara Wade, Departamento de Economia de Alimentos y Recursos, UF/IFAS. This is the Spanish translation of “Florida’s Water Resources,” available in English here.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe1044
Nationally, there is great interest in wildlife forages. Florida's light and sandy soils, hot and humid summers, and seasonal droughts pose unique challenges for successful food plot plantings. This 5-page document provides updated cool-season forage recommendations for wildlife food plots in north Florida. Written by A. R. Blount, M. Wallau, H. K. Ober, E. Rios, J. M. B. Vendramini, J. C. B. Dubeux, Md. A. Babar, C. L. Mackowiak, and K. H. Quesenberry, and published by the UF/IFAS Agronomy Department, revised November 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag139
Brazilian peppertree is encroaching upon nearly all terrestrial ecosystems in central and south Florida. This 5-page document discusses the plant's habitat, identification, characteristics, and biology as well as control methods. Written by K. T. Gioeli, S. F. Enloe, C. R. Minteer, and K. A. Langeland, and published by the UF/IFAS Agronomy Department, revised November 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa219
Shallow-water coral reefs have seen large declines in coral cover over the last 40 years. This 19-page guide written by Joseph A. Henry, Roy P. E. Yanong, Maia P. McGuire, and Joshua T. Patterson and published by the UF/IFAS Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation describes Scleractinian (stony) corals that were once prevalent on reefs in Florida. The Coral Reef Protection Act in Florida prohibits damaging coral reef habitats in any way, and several of these species are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act. In their natural environment, these corals should never be handled or touched. Although several of the species discussed here are growing more numerous due to their wide tolerance, the overall condition of coral reefs along our coastline is declining, and the reefs are highly threatened because the most important reef-building corals are in a state of decline.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa210
Hurricanes are capable of affecting almost everything in their paths. Their strong winds and heavy rains can directly impact both inland and coastal areas in short periods that usually last about a day. This new 10-page document reviews basic facts about hurricanes and their effects in Florida and discusses ways they might affect Florida's agriculture and natural resources. Written by Young Gu Her, Ashley Smyth, Pamela Fletcher, Elias Bassil, Ulrich Stingl, Zachary Brym, and Jiangxiao Qiu, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, October 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae528
A disease first reported in the summer of 2017 has been causing skin ulcers in invasive lionfish off the coasts of Florida and the Caribbean. Fish health scientists are investigating this disease, but initial evaluations have not yet found the cause. This 7-page fact sheet written by Holden E. Harris, Alexander Q. Fogg, Roy P. E. Yanong, Salvatore Frasca Jr., Theresa Cody, Thomas B. Waltzek, and William F. Patterson III and published by the UF/IFAS program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation describes research efforts to discover more about this disease and its potential to spread to other species as well as its effect on lionfish populations, the lionfish fishery, and reef fish communities.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa209
Published by the UF/IFAS Florida Sea Grant College Program, this manual provides an overview of the coastal ecosystems along the Florida Panhandle and shows how dunes can be restored and enhanced in this region of the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
In addition to direct experience acquired over many years of field work and experimentation, authors Chris Verlinde, Mack Thetford, and Debbie Miller consulted peer-reviewed academic journals, government documents, and various online resources to create the manual. Undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Florida and local professionals worked together with the UF/IFAS researchers to develop and test practical restoration techniques for Florida’s dunes.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/sg156
Recreational scalloping has become an increasingly popular activity within the Big Bend region of Florida, and Hernando County is the southern extent of healthy, harvestable bay scallop populations. State resource managers and County administrators expressed a need to know how the recreational scallop season impacts the local economies. This 10-page fact sheet written by Brittany Hall-Scharf, Charles Adams, Alan Hodges, and Stephen Geiger and published by the UF/IFAS Florida Sea Grant College Program and the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department presents results from a UF/IFAS study to determine the economic benefits derived from coastal and waterway access during recreational scalloping season in Hernando County.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/sg161
Scutellaria species (spp.) are perennial, herbaceous plants that are cultivated for both their ornamental and medicinal value. This 5-page document describes the uses and growing requirements of this species. Written by Amanda Morgan and Brian Pearson and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department, September 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep564
This 9-page fact sheet written by Huiping Yang, Natalie Simon, and Leslie Sturmer and published by the Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences of the UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation focused on basic aspects of triploid oyster aquaculture, including the general oyster aquaculture industry, the approaches for triploid induction, performance of triploids, and correlated ploidy determination to convey basic knowledge of triploid oyster aquaculture to the oyster industry and the general public.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa208
If you catch a fish you are not going to keep, help it survive and get back to the deep! Throwing back your unwanted catch is good practice because healthy released fish can live to grow and reproduce, which benefits the fish population and the future of fisheries. But deepwater fish can have trouble getting back where they came from without a little assist from the angler. This 4-page fact sheet written by Betty Staugler, Holly Abeels, Angela Collins, Shelly Krueger, and Kai Lorenzen and published by the UF/IFAS Florida Sea Grant College Program describes barotrauma, a problem that, if left untreated, will kill otherwise perfectly healthy fish, and explains a few quick and simple methods to relieve fish suffering from barotrauma and help them get back home healthy and strong.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/sg160
Heavy rainfall with Hurricane Irma in 2017 and a rainy spring in 2018 set the stage for large-scale summer algal blooms in Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers and Estuaries. Concerned residents and visitors flocked to social media. Authors Lisa Krimsky, Ed Phlips, and Karl Havens read their posts and tweets and now respond to concerns and questions about algal blooms in this 7-page fact sheet published by UF/IFAS Extension and the Florida Sea Grant College Program.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/sg159
Ocean acidification is the ongoing decrease in ocean pH caused primarily by the ocean’s taking up excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Other impacts related to climate change (increased sea level rise, coastal flooding and extreme weather events) often receive more attention, but the acidification of the Earth’s oceans is well documented and is a major concern for the marine science community. This 4-page fact sheet written by Joshua Patterson and Lisa Krimsky and published by the UF/IFAS Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, School of Forest Resources and Conservation is the first in a series that addresses ocean acidification in Florida. It specifically explains the changes that are occurring to the chemistry of our coastal and oceanic waters because of elevated carbon dioxide levels. Additional publications address potential environmental, economic, and social implications for Florida.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa206
While natural areas are conservation lands that have been set aside for the purpose of preserving (or restoring) native plant and animal communities, they do require active management. One of the greatest management issues in natural areas is invasive plants. This 35-page publication provides land managers in Florida with current methods used to manage non-native plants. Written by Stephen F. Enloe, Ken Langeland, Jason Ferrell, Brent Sellers, and Greg MacDonald, and published by the UF/IFAS Agronomy Department, revised July 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wg209
This 3-page document is one in the Key Plant, Key Pests series. It helps identify common pests found on the Chinese fringe. Written by Juanita Popenoe, Caroline R. Warwick, and Jianjun Chen and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department, July 2018.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep562
Wasp and bee stings are familiar to most people, but some might be surprised to learn that several caterpillars can also sting. Unlike wasps and bees with stingers, these caterpillars have barbed hairs that break off the caterpillar when it brushes against something. The hairs embed in skin and cause sudden or gradually building pain. The severity of a caterpillar sting varies based on the person and number of spines in the skin. Many stinging caterpillars also release a toxin on contact, which may cause health problems for some people. This 4-page fact sheet written by Rebecca Perry and Adam Dale and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Entomology and Nematology describes several stinging caterpillars commonly found throughout the southeastern United States.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in014