Fish start swimming into newest artificial reef

The weather was a bit uncooperative, so it was delayed a couple weeks, but with July came the start of the newest artificial reef off the Franklin County coastline. The Buddy Ward Memorial Artificial Reef, named after a longtime leader of the area’s seafood industry, was deployed successfully on July 1 to its one-nautical-mile square…

Littlest All-Star Darlings score district title

Sometimes, it’s the littlest ones that make the biggest sound. The Dixie Youth League Franklin County All Stars in the Darling division, for ages 7-8, emerged victorious at last week’s district tournament in Bristol. “We never left the winners bracket with a 3-0 record to be district champs,” said Leigh Sheridan, head coach of a…

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Collins posts impressive collegiate golf debut

The Gulf South Conference (GSC) last month named Spring Hill College redshirt freshman Melanie Collins to its 2020-21 All-Conference second team, marking the first time a Badger women’s golfer has earned an All-Conference spot since joining the association during the 2014-15 season.  An Apalachicola native and 2019 graduate of Franklin County High School, Collins paced…

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Turtle patrol gets busy during nesting season

 Summer sea turtle season is right around the corner. Starting in May, sea turtles – including loggerhead sea turtles, green sea turtles and, very rarely, leatherback sea turtles – will come ashore on Florida’s coastlines and barrier islands to nest. A lucky few visitors and residents might catch a glimpse of these mothers-to-be during their…

Become a Scallop Sitter!

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and UF/IFAS Extension – Florida Sea Grant have partnered to implement an innovative community-driven effort to restore scallop populations, and we need your help! “Scallop Sitter” volunteers are trained to assist in Bay, Gulf and Franklin Counties. The goal of the program is to increase scallop populations in…