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Upcoming Events
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Recent News
1) Recent, significant changes and reductions have been made to the NWFLEC website.
Material on this original site has been greatly reduced to make it easier to navigate this site and find basic information
on NWFLEC.
A second, supplementary NWFLEC website has been created entitled "Northwest Florida Environmental
Conservancy, Part 2". This new site will specifically cover the unique and extraordinary biodiversity and natural
history of northwest Florida and the adjacent Gulf Coastal States. This new site contains detailed information
on the natural history of the northern Gulf Coatal area, and much of this information is difficult to find in one internet
location. Extensive additional information will be added to the new site, including checklists of various groups of
animals.
A link to this new, NWFLEC supplementary website is found below:
Northwest Florida Environmental Conservancy, Part 2 Biodiversity of the Northern Gulf Coast
If you have any questions or comments about this new
website, feel free to contact NWFLEC:
NWFLEC
P.O. Box 1221
Marianna, FL 32446
Enjoy the new site and information!
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WE HAVE A BUILDING!
The Northwest Florida Environmental Conservancy is pleased to announce that
we have a building for the Chipola Travel and Nature Center!
2) We are pleased to announce that the Oak Station,
LLC is sponsoring a new Travel and nature center in the old K-mart garden center! After much hard work and dedication the Northwest Florida Environmental Conservancy now has a
site and a building to open a travel and nature center!
We are also pleased to announce the
support and partnership of SHS Management and the Oak Station, LLC. SHS Management and the Oak Station, LLC are
providing space to NWFLEC for one year to open the Chipola Travel and Nature Center! The space is located in the old K-mart garden center.
The
website below has the full details of the Center. Please take a look at it!
Chipola Travel & Nature Center:
Due to lack of public support and
involvement, the nature center plans at Oak Station have failed! This was an incredible opportunity for Marianna, Jackson
County, and the region that was lost!
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3) In March, 2007 Karl Studenroth was hired to assist businesses at the Oak Station shopping
center in Marianna, FL with problems with bats roosting and being found inside buildings. This project started
under Chipola Environmental and Wildlife Services but quickly grew into other aspects. Through time NWFLEC and the Florida
Bat Conservancy became involved with the bat roosting issue.
Over time the bats were slowly excluded from their roosts. Simply, one-way devices were installed that
allowed the bats to leave the roost but not return.
I'd like to recognize and commend the Oak Station, LLC for dealing with the bats in a humane and environmentally
friendly way! I'd also like to thank numerous businesses for their support and patience, especially Goodwill and Sears!
We're now pleased to announce that the Florida Bat Conservancy (and NWFLEC scientific advisors)
has purched a bat house and related materials for the Oak Station shopping center! We wish to extend a special
thank you to the Florida Bat Conservancy!
The bat house has now been installed at the Oak
Station Shopping Center in Marianna, FL! I'd like to thank Joe Retherford for making arrangements with FL Public Utilities
to finally get the bat house installed. I'd also like to thank Rhondon Gray and Kevin Harris of Florida Public Utilities
for instaloing the bat house!
Now, we're trying to raise the funding ($425) to install
an educational sign next to the bat house. Once we have the educational sign completed and installed, and the fence
reconnected, we'll be having an official bat house grand opening event! Announcements will be made soon for the bat
house grand-opening event.
(Above) The bat house is being installed by Kevin Harris & Rhondon Gray
of Florida Public Utilities.
(Below) The bat house after installation. The bat house will hold up
to 400 roosting bats!
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Past Presentations & Meetings
A complete list of all past NWFLEC public presentations, TV programs
& interviews and public meetings can be found at the link below.
NWFLEC TV, Media, Newspaper Articles & Public Presentations
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Continuing Events & Projects
Alligator Snapping Turtle donation
for NWFLEC and the future nature center!
Tommy and Joal Clyatt are amazing and long time friends of
mine! In 1987 I founded the Florida Panhandle Herpetological Society, and Tommy & Joal were among
the most supportive and active members. Since then I had kept in touch with them over the years, and visited them from
time to time when I was doing wildlife research in their area, and we remained good friends over the years.
Unfortunately, Tommy, Joal's husband passed away about two
years ago now. I was deeply saddened by this news, but kept in touch with Joal. When I founded the NWFLEC, Joal
was one of the first members to join, and also became a lifetime member!
Sometime after becoming a member, Joal contacted me and asked
me if NWFLEC would be interested in adopting a large Alligator snapping turtle that her husband had raised. Tommy had
raised the turtle for 26 years, since it was a small juvenile! In honor of Joal's husband,
I have named the large turtle "Tommy"! In the future, the large Alligator snapper will be one of the center
pieces and highlights of the NWFLEC nature center!
I sincerely thank Joal for the donation of the incredible
turtle and for all her support of NWFLEC! I'm also honored to have the chance to display the awesome turtle in
our future nature center. The turtle will play a crucial role in NWFLEC environmental education efforts and I'm sure
it will certainly make quite an impact on visitors.
I'm also indebted to Tommy Clyatt for raising such an
incredible turtle for so many years, with such love and care for the remarkable animal! I will greatly miss my
late friend Tommy, but his love and committment for wildlife lives on through his wife Joal, and will impact many
people for many years to come through his incredible Alligator snapping turtle! Thanks Tommy!
(Above) Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temmincki). This is the actual
turtle that WE NOW HAVE! The Alligator snapping turtle has been named "Tommy", in honor Joal Clyatt's late
husband. Pictured with Tommy are Tim Walsh & George Heinrich of the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust.
(Below) Tommy
& Joal Claytt. Joal is a lifetime NWFLEC member & supporter!
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