EnvironmentaL News

Look here for news on environmental issues  in Walton County

Environmental Calendar for May 2025

These events are researched from several different online sources. Specific information, such as meeting places and hours, may change or even be canceled closer to the date, so please confirm all event information before going.

Thu, 1st Sea Turtle Nesting Season begins and runs until October 31st. Never push or attempt to assist stranded turtles or hatchlings to the Gulf. More harm can be done to them, plus it is ILLEGAL, without proper permits. Call the Sea Turtle Hotline to report a turtle in distress: 850-865-4503.

Thu, 1st, 10:00-11:00 am. Camp Helen State Park Ranger led Nature Hike. Take a ranger-guided nature hike to see wildlife, Lake Powell, and 9 natural communities within the park. Dress for the weather with closed-toe shoes, take water and bug spray. Enter the park from 23937 Hwy 98, just past the Walton/Bay County line. Meet at the Visitor Center. The hike is free but there is a small entry fee to the park per car.

Thu, 1st, 10:00 – 11:00 am. Eden Gardens State Park Ranger led Nature Hike. Take a ¾ mile long ranger-guided nature hike through two natural communities in the park, see flora and fauna specific to the natural settings being hiked through. Dress for the weather with closed-toe shoes, take water and bug spray. Enter the park from 23937 Hwy 98, just past the Walton/Bay County line. Meet at the Visitor Center. The hike is free but there is a small entry fee to the park per car. Eden Gardens is located at 181 Eden Gardens Rd, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 23459, north of Hwy 98, off Hwy 395. The hike is free but there is a small cost to enter the park. For more information, call the park at 850-267-8320.

Thu, 1st, 7:00 pm. Presentation on Florida’s Imperiled Snakes put on by the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society. Free talk given by Emeleigh Luckenbaugh, scientist at Eglin’s Jackson Guard. Learn about Florida’s snakes, how they are beneficial to our ecosystem, the threats they face from the modern world, and what these negative threats mean for Floridians. The talk will be held at the Crosspoint Church in Niceville, Room 800 on the 2nd floor of the Chandler Center at 519 Helms St. See the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society’s Facebook page for more info, or their website at choctawhatcheeaudubon.org. 

Sat, 3rd, 10:00 – 11:00. Camp Helen State Park Guided History Tour. 

Discover the past, present, and beauty of this state park on an entertaining ranger-led walking tour. Dress for the weather, take water and bug spray. Meet at the Visitor Center. Enter the park from 23937 Hwy 98, just past the Walton/Bay County line. Tour is free but there is a small entry fee per car.

Sat, 3rd, 8:30 am. Alaqua Animal Refuge’s FORE! The Love of Animals Golf Tournament. Help Alaqua, a nonprofit animal sanctuary in Freeport raise funds to support its mission of finding new homes for pets and rehabilitating wild animals, by entering this golf tournament at The Links Golf Club, in Sandestin. After playing golf, stay for ‘Yappy Hour’, where you can enjoy food and beverages, raffles, auctions, entertainment, the awards ceremony, and making new furry friends. To register and see fees, go to https://app.eventcaddy.com/events/fore-the-love-of-animals-2025.

Sat, 3rd, 9:00 am. Birding with Choctawhatchee and Bay County Audubon Societies at the Beulah A. Laidlaw Preserve. Meet leader Neil Lamb (850-814-1276) at the Laidlaw preserve entrance gate on the west side of FL 79, just north of Vernon, in Washington County. Take bottled water and binoculars, and wear closed-toed shoes, long pants, and a hat. See the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society’s Facebook page for more info, or their website at choctawhatcheeaudubon.org. For more on the preserve, visit wcfla.com/news/in-our-own-backyard-the-beulah-a-laidlaw-preserve/.

Fri, 9th, 5:00 pm to 9:00 am AND Sat, 10th, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. DeFuniak Springs LakeFest. Held in Chipley Park. Enjoy live entertainment, a fish fry, Kids’ Zone, food and merchandise vendors, The ‘Under the Oaks’ LakeFest car show, educational vendors and exhibits. Or rent a canoe or kayak and paddle on the lake. Go to defuniaksprings.net/1101/LakeFest for more information. 

Fri 16th, 9:00 to 11:00 am. Okaloosa County Extension Master Gardeners’ Plant Clinic. Ask questions about ailing plants or get a plant identified by Extension Agents,at the Okaloosa Extension South Office at the Okaloosa Technical College at 1976 Lewis Turner Blvd, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547. See the extension website at sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/events.

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