Rough-Legged Hawk. Print by John James Audubon. Courtesy of Harvard Art Museums. By Lauri deGaris Over the past few years, I have enjoyed sharing numerous picnics on Cumberland Island with …

By Pat Foster-Turley Turtles line the sunny banks on a cool day on the Greenway. There is always something to catch my eye when I walk on the Egans Creek Greenway. This time, it was reptiles. Spring …

By Pat Foster-Turley The sun sets over the Sonora Desert cacti. One of my main motivations for visiting southern Arizona with my brother recently was the attraction of the night skies. Arizona has a …

By Paula Alford Not one supportive comment was heard on March 5, when more than 200 organizations and individuals testified in strong opposition to the draft air, groundwater and surface mining …

  Mocktails. Photo by Betsy Harris By Lauri deGaris This time of year, there is no surer sign of spring than wildflowers. And I am ready for spring in every sense of the word. The renewal, the …

By Pat Foster-Turley A mothballed Titan II missile is displayed near Tucson. There’s a lot going on underground in southern Arizona, the location of my recent road trip with my brother Ken. I did a …

By Paula Alford The quality of life for all of us living near the St. Marys River may be at risk if titanium oxide mining operations at the river’s headwaters near the Okefenokee National Wildlife …

By Pat Foster-Turley A lone young male wild turkey patrols the area near the Port of Fernandina. Photo by Tammi Kosack. There is an avian mystery happening on Amelia Island, and maybe someone out …

By Lyn Panone On April 23, 2023, Nassau County Commissioners Martin, Huppman, Gray and Farmer agreed to give Riverstone the green light to build 11 condominium towers, at least 85 feet high, next to …

By Pat Foster-Turley Animals from Florida and globally adorn their showroom. Whenever I visit my friends in Gainesville I ask them for new column ideas. I’ve written a dozen or more columns about …

By Lauri deGaris February 18, 2024, is World Whale Day. And I am heartbroken to report that two young female right whales have died in the past two weeks along the Eastern Seaboard of the United …

By Pat Foster-Turley Sunset around large retention ponds is the time to watch roosting waterbirds. Every evening around some retention ponds there is a show that is worth looking for. Herons, egrets, …

By Pat Foster-Turley I am always on the lookout for new things to see in our part of Florida, but after all these years of road trips here, it is getting very difficult to find something new. But I …

By Candis Whitney   Did you know that there are more than 25 environmental/conservation organizations in Nassau County working to protect and preserve our beaches, rivers, maritime forests, heritage …

Editor's note: In celebration of right whale calving season on our shores, we are posting whale stories by Lauri deGaris every other Monday through the season. By Lauri deGaris In 1974, “ …

A Crane Island bald eagle carries a bit of nesting material back to the nest. (Photo by Dawn Mayes) By Pat Foster-Turley I love it when one of my columns spawns another one. This happened again now. …

Deceased female North Atlantic right whale. Photo: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute/Michael Moore. Taken under NOAA Permit # 24359. By Lauri deGaris Seventeen -- that is the number of North …

By Pat Foster-Turley The boardwalk is a good place to see the bald eagles in the tall pine tree in the distance. This was a week I didn’t have a column in mind. My mind was burdened with so much …

Andre and his friend, Harry Goodridge. By Lauri deGaris Seals are also known as sea dogs, and they can entertain us for hours. They are a bit like dogs: their young are called pups, and their …

By Lauri deGaris In my mind, few things are more exciting than receiving news about whales close enough to see from the beach. Early on Jan. 20, 2024, I received a call from the Marineland Right …