outdoors Archive

The University of West Florida is known for its trails as well as its academics.

Much of the trails traverse through longleaf pine forests. The plant, which once spread over 90 million acres across America, is famously fire-resistant and relies on fires to clear out dead underbrush to make room for its seedlings.

On Saturday, March 7, the University of West Florida will host a community event spotlighting the importance of prescribed burns in wildlife conservation efforts.

Vernon Compton stands on the edge of Clear Creek Nature Preserve, where Longleaf Alliance, a conservation organization he belongs to, is currently working to create trails for public recreation.

He said it’s an exciting time for conservation in Northwest Florida.

Late last month, a Milton resident posted a picture of a river otter swimming through Annie’s Basin near the Blackwater River. The woman was on her dock when a little furry head stuck out of the water.
While not an uncommon sight, river otters are not exactly the poster child for Florida animals. Despite not being as famed as alligators, manatees and Florida panthers, river otters play an important ecological role.

A man has died in Jay following a hunting accident.

Red clay bluffs that look like they belong in Alabama or Georgia tower over a part of Santa Rosa County’s Juniper Creek.

The 2025 bear hunt, approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission after months of meetings and a comment period, has concluded. In total, 52 black bears were harvested.

An approved background check is now required for Eglin Recreation Permitholders who hike on any of the more than 60 miles of the Florida Trail that cross the Eglin Air Force Base reservation, as well as for permitholders who explore other parts of the reservation’s nearly 255,000 acres that are open to conditional public access.

I realize we are at the point where, if there was an eighth day added to the week, college football would be played on it.


I just don’t understand why NCAA Division II has to jump on the ship. Is it too much to ask for D-II to avoid playing college football games on Friday nights?

There are few places in the world where you can walk through swamps, prairies, beaches, flat woods and a Civil War battlefield. In Florida, you can see this all in a matter of a month, or if you are Deanna Doane, 19 days.

At 26 years old, Doane recently completed the fastest supported known time in Florida National Scenic Trail history.