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Thanks to sponsors, more than $30,000 up for grabs at the 2023 Florida Python Challenge®

Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, participants of the 2023 Florida Python Challenge® have the opportunity to win a share of thousands in cash prizes! The event, which is hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), features an Ultimate Grand Prize of $10,000 sponsored by Inversa Leathers. There is also a prize of $7,500 for the Grand Prize Runner Up, sponsored by the Bergeron Everglades Foundation.

“This year we’re going to have $30,000 worth of prizes,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “We want to thank the private sector. Without them we couldn’t offer such great incentives.”

Prizes will also be awarded in the professional, novice and military categories courtesy of Edison National Bank/Bank of the Islands and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida.

Under the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis, the FWC, SFWMD and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida host the Florida Python Challenge® to raise awareness about invasive species in Florida and their impacts. The event, which runs Aug. 4-13, encourages people to get directly involved in Everglades conservation through invasive species removal. Read more

Ripening mulberries attract many migrating birds in the southern half of the United States, such as a Scarlet Tanager (above) and a Cedar Waxwing (below). Everyone needs a “magnet tree” in their yard.

Planting a tree is a long-term proposition, but trees are key to attracting many birds to our yards, and the right trees can create a special attraction in the form of foods. Fruits or berries, flower nectar, small insects attracted to flowers, and small caterpillars among the foliage create a buffet for migrating birds and local nesting species. Each tree also provides cover, nesting sites, and shade – all so important in creating backyard habitat.

A single tree can make all the difference in your yard; one that flowers in the spring can attract orioles, tanagers, waxwings, hummingbirds, warblers, and other birds looking for flower nectar, small insects, and caterpillars they need during a migration stopover, or throughout the nesting season. The same tree may also produce fruit later in the year that benefits robins and other thrushes, waxwings, tanagers, and catbirds. Read more

This makes the seventh MI county with an HWA detection

LANSING – The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) recently verified the detection of invasive hemlock woolly adelgid at Nichols Arboretum in Washtenaw County on May 9, 2023. This detection makes Washtenaw County the seventh county in Michigan to have a confirmed infestation.

“Our team of invasive species specialists is currently working with the arboretum to determine an appropriate treatment and response plan,” said Mike Philip, MDARD’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director. “There isn’t a way to determine how long hemlock woolly adelgid has been there or how it got there, but it’s possible HWA has been there for a number of years.”

Previously HWA detections have been found in Allegan, Benzie, Mason, Muskegon, Oceana, and Ottawa counties and have been within five miles of the Lake Michigan shoreline.

“Unlike western Michigan, where the other infestations are located, hemlock trees are not native to this region of the state,” added Philip. “Although the pest still poses a problem for homeowners who may have planted hemlock trees or where they may have been planted in other landscaping, this HWA detection does not pose a significant threat to Washtenaw’s natural resources and environment.”

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