Age of Nature

Oysters aren’t the only industry depending on water flowing from the Apalachicola River.The trees that make Florida’s famous tupelo honey also need water flowing through the river to survive.

Nature-based tourism holds promise for Northwest Florida communities where jobs are scarce. Getting that industry off the ground has proven challenging in rural Calhoun County, which is still recovering from Hurricane Michael.

Highway 98 is a vital artery running through the heart of Franklin County. But portions of the road are only a few feet away from the sea, leaving it vulnerable to daily erosion and tidal surge from hurricanes. Parts of it have been washed out in past storms. Now, leaders are looking to a new solution: nature.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently postponed making a final rule on its proposal to ban wild oyster harvesting in the Apalachicola Bay until 2025.

As she cared for her ailing father in his final years, Cerulean says everyone must care for an environment that is also in decline.

Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers were one of the first bird species to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Back in the 1970s, their numbers were in the low thousands. It has taken decades for the bird to recover, but it has -- to the point where now federal officials are considering downlisting it from endangered to threatened.