environment Archive

If you have ever enjoyed a peanut M&M, then you can likely thank Ryan Jenkins for growing that peanut in his fields in Jay. Recently, Jenkins received recognition as the 2023 Farm Press Peanut Efficiency Award winner for the lower Southeast. Jenkins, whose family has been farming in north Santa Rosa County for generations, was named the award winner for using farming practices that manage resources such as water and seed more efficiently.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has confirmed that a road-killed 4.5-year-old female white-tailed deer in Holmes County sampled during routine surveillance activities has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). It is the first known case of CWD in Florida, a contagious disease of the brain and central nervous system that is fatal to deer. The first case of CWD in North America was described in mule deer in Colorado in 1967. Florida is the most recent of 31 states to detect the disease, which also has been confirmed in four Canadian provinces, Finland, Norway, Sweden and South Korea.

On 640 acres off County Road 182 near Allentown, you’ll find the Jay Research Facility, which is a part of the UF/IFAS West Florida Research and Education Center. UF/IFAS, which stands for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing the quality of human life by making that information accessible. The college has a dozen research facilities across the state.

The more than 25,000 Floridians with recreational crab traps will soon have to make some changes. A new Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission regulation, which went into effect March 1, requires crab traps to have a rigid opening no larger than six-by-two inches. The purpose of this change is to help reduce the bycatch of diamondback terrapins in crab traps.

Once every 10 years or so, Navarre Beach goes through beach nourishment, a process in which sand, lost through erosion, is replaced through other sources. This can help widen the beach, making it more resistant to the effects of erosion and storms. The last time Navarre Beach went through this process was 2016 and it was due to happen again in 2026. That was until Hurricane Sally’s impact bumped up the timetable. Now, nearly three years after Sally hit the Gulf Coast, the beach has still not been restored.

Santa Rosa County Environmental staff have noticed an increase in recycling and recycling contamination in the form of holiday lights, electrical cords, inflatables, and garlands (also known as tanglers). Staff would like to encourage residents to “Know Your No’s” when it comes to unacceptable recyclable materials. The following should NEVER be placed in the recycle bin:

About 100 Milton-area residents attended a workshop Tuesday at the Santa Rosa County Auditorium to learn about possible threats to the Blackwater River from the city’s proposed new wastewater treatment facility.

The Florida Forest Service’s Blackwater Forestry Center is issuing words of warning for anyone considering any outdoor burning activities in the coming days: Use extreme caution or simply don’t do it.

According to the Florida Forest Service, it has been more than two weeks since most of the three-county area (Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties) has seen rainfall and wildfire danger is on the rise. Add to that a forecast calling for increased winds and low humidity for the next three days and firefighters are bracing for the possibility of significant fire activity.

Following a reported positive test result for rabies in a kitten, the Florida Department of Health has issued an alert for the East Milton area. The alert was issued on Aug. 10 and will be in effect for 60 days.

The Department of Health wants all residents and visitors in Santa Rosa County to be aware that rabies is present in the wild animal population and domestic animals are at risk if they are not vaccinated. An animal with rabies could infect other wild or domestic animals that have not been vaccinated against rabies.

Editor’s Note: This continues our Celebrate Community series on nonprofit organizations that improve Santa Rosa County residents’ quality of life. MILTON — Three Rivers Resource Conservation and De…