Tag: ecology
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Okra Occasion Brings Unique Flavor for 9th Year
Presented by New Port Richey FarmNet & New Port Richey Environmental Committee Hosted by New Port Richey Public Library Major Sponsor ~ Rotary Club of New Port Richey Announcement of Winners of the 2024 Okra Tasting Everyone who participated in the 2024 Okra Occasion was a winner: the chefs, library staff, volunteers, guests, and hosts…
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Mango Mania at New Port Richey FarmNet
August 1, 2024 By Dell deChant Contributor: Tia Rowe Did you know that you have a choice of which mangos to enjoy this mango season? While you can always buy mangos in the commercial grocery store, all of those mangos come from Mexico. Luckily for our Florida readers – and especially our New Port Richey readers…
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Maine Takes the Lead on Food Sovereignty—But Can Florida Catch Up?
by Lana Chehabeddine November 2022 Maine has officially broken U.S. (food) history, by opening the doors for its consumers to embrace and implement the idea behind ‘the right to food’. You may be thinking, “but doesn’t this exist already”? The answer is not so black and white. Typically, state and local regulations prevent consumers from…
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Protect the Keys
An Ecology Florida Feature October 6, 2022 by Monica Starr The Florida Keys is a marine protected area that includes productive seagrass beds, mangrove forests and over 6,000 species of marine life [1]. North America’s only coral barrier reef is often subject to activities including snorkeling, fishing, sailing, scuba diving, kayaking and boating. The 120-mile-long…
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Monarch Butterflies Added to the Endangered Species Red List
Ecology Florida August 2022 by Monica Starr The monarch butterfly embarks on an annual migration which can reach up to 2,800 miles from southeast Canada to central Mexico [1]. These beautiful insects have two pairs of orange-red wings with black veins and distinguishing white spots along the edges. The males have black dots along the…
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Citrus Greening Still Impacting Farmers in Florida
July 2022 An Ecology Florida Feature by Monica Starr As the end of citrus season approaches here in the state of Florida, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated a record-low harvest. Compared to the previous growing season, the production of oranges, grapefruit and other specialty crops is already down about 22% [1]. This season,…
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Giant African Snail Infestation in Pasco County
It was confirmed on June 23rd that a Giant African land snail was present in Pasco County. The recent snail sighting was discovered by a Master Gardener in the New Port Richey area near Massachusetts Avenue and Rowan Road [1]. This first snail confirmed was nearly eight inches long which is about the maximum size…
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Earth Day History in Florida
by Monica Starr April 2022 An Ecology Florida Feature Every year, April 22nd represents the start of the modern environmental movement. Since 1970, we have been celebrating the planet while providing a voice to the environmental concerns here in the United States. Today, there are almost 200 countries around the world that are engaged with…
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3D Printing Tech Helps Treat ZooTampa Hornbill’s Tumor
by Monica Starr April 2022 An Ecology Florida Feature Advancements in 3D-printing technology has been represented in the medical community all over the world. Most recently in Tampa, researchers were able to save a resident that developed a fatal form of cancer. Crescent is the 25-year old female hornbill who currently resides at ZooTampa. After…
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Manatees Continue to Struggle Here in Florida
by Monica Starr February 2022 Along the Atlantic coast, Florida manatee mortalities continue to increase and organizations like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are currently investigating why. Similarly, various environmental conditions in the Indian River Lagoon are also of concern. It is extremely important to…