Monthly Archives: February 2011

The Apalachicola Water War

Posted on February 20, 2011 by

As they say out West, “whiskey’s for drinkin’ and water’s for fightin’.” Well, the same folk wisdom has applied in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river system since the 1980s, when the upstream neighbor, Georgia, wanted to start taking even more water … Continue reading →

Posted in Water Issues | 2 Comments

The Perils of Petrol: Perspectives on Oil, Gasoline, and the Gulf

Posted on February 15, 2011 by

Though I haven’t shared the story widely up until this post, our 3rd Coast Connect adventure got off to a perilous start. It all had to do with the fossil fuels that propel the Boudreaux—along with so much else in … Continue reading →

Posted in BP Oil Spill | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mardi Gras: Dauphin Island Style

Posted on February 12, 2011 by

Dauphin Island’s Mardi Gras parade is the first in the nation each year, and with a warm sun shining down upon us this morning we couldn’t resist staying on the island an extra day for a little bons temps as … Continue reading →

Posted in Gulf Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Oysters and Us

Posted on February 12, 2011 by

Yet again yesterday, our explorations reinforced connections between the well-being of Gulf Coast natural and social environments and those of us who live far from the shore. Our lessons came from a field excursion to some fledgling oyster reefs and … Continue reading →

Posted in Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Deer Hunt

Posted on February 11, 2011 by

This post is by Nat, who joined Adam Brack on a deer hunt last Sunday morning when we were staying with Jane Shepard in Panama City Beach. Adam is Jane’s son-in-law, married to her daughter Erin. Here is Nat’s story: Within … Continue reading →

Posted in Wildlife | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Strange Symmetries at Seaside

Posted on February 8, 2011 by

Apalachicola’s unassuming, rough-edged historic charm comes from its relationship with the sea and the river that feeds it and its people, whose livelihoods are tightly bound to the waters surrounding them (for more on Apalachicola, see the earlier post, “Cradle … Continue reading →

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Turpentine and the Long-lost Longleaf Pine

Posted on February 7, 2011 by

Like so many of the world’s natural resources that have proven useful for the human cause, the longleaf pines that once blanketed much of the southeastern U.S. are now nearly gone. Yesterday we visited a historic site that revealed what … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Development | Leave a comment

The Alligator Hunters

Posted on February 5, 2011 by

In this episode, our two travelers set off by kayak into a setting sun in search of the King of the Swamps. Werner Herzog narrates. Copyright © 2011 Cascade Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Posted in Wildlife | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Cradle of Life: Introducing the Estuary

Posted on February 4, 2011 by

Estuaries—those incredibly fertile environments where freshwater from the mouth of a river mixes with the saline waters of the sea—are often called cradles of life, and for good reason. We’ve spent the last three days in the quiet historic fishing … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Development, Water Issues, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Remarkable Parallel Journey

Posted on February 3, 2011 by

As Nat and I have been making our way along the edge of the Florida Panhandle on the Boudreaux, a parallel journey is happening not far away aboard an extraordinary solar-powered vessel called the Dragonfly. Bill Carlsen, an environmental education … Continue reading →

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