Environment

Wind, tides, and storms can change its progress on any given day, but so much sand is flowing south from a recent beach renourishment on Captiva Island that the pass is expected to close up hard; beach rebuilding would barely be a thing if the most expensive real estate in Florida were not built on barrier islands

Millions of shorebirds use Florida's beaches and dune systems during nesting season, with about 20 species along the Gulf from February to August. Watch where you step.

The size and scope of the wildfire that's been burning in the Big Cypress National Preserve for over a week took a small step back Friday with a reduction in fire area and a small increase in containment. Better mapping helped make those changes and placed the National Fire at 35,027 acres burned and at 67 percent contained by late Friday, according to a press briefing issued by the command structure of the wildfire. That was about 300 fewer acres and three percent more containment.

Urgent warnings about wildfires breaking out throughout the north and northeastern portions of Florida Saturday will shift south to the Tampa Bay region Sunday, and into Southwest Florida Monday.

Big girl! The same waters where the first tarpon was taken on a rod and reel in 1885 will host dozens of anglers in May for a catch-and-release tarpon tournament that awarded more than $65,000 to the five top teams last year.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary's “super” ghost orchid has not only bloomed every year except last since it was discovered, it’s bloomed multiple times some years. And over the years, it bloomed during all 12 months.

The Collier Community Foundation has continued its financial support of Audubon Florida’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, the popular environmental attraction east of Naples, with a $100,000 grant. The foundation’s money is being added to donations from many other individuals, groups, and businesses in the sanctuary’s $20 million renovation effort to transform and expand the aging sanctuary.

The Lee County Courthouse was the home for a legal showdown between The Immigration Detention Center known as Alligator Alcatraz and several former detainees.

A new study shows how algae blooms can infiltrate ecosystems populated by dolphins, creating a neurological connection between the toxic algae and the development of Alzheimer’s in dolphins.

An environmental group has sued the National Marine Fisheries Service over the agency's lack of a decision on whether the horseshoe crabs need federal protection.