For five days, 20 high school students of the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station dived reefs, snorkeled and learned from field experts on issues of marine biology and conservancy in Key Largo as part of an annual field trip. Station Director Charlene Mauro said the students begin learning to dive in August, then spend the […]
Glove-clad volunteers lined up along the Navarre Beach bridge April 24 intent on protecting the beach’s feathered residents. The nesting birds are back, and local expert Caroline Stahala of Audubon Florida said threatened least terns and black skimmers will be settling into their nesting colonies soon. Read the full article in the May 2 […]
Rescuers followed the protocols April 24 on the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier, but sometimes the sea turtles do not cooperate. That was part of the problem when a visitor accidentally snagged the flipper of a 200-pound Loggerhead sea turtle off the pier. Read the full article in the May 2 issue of Navarre Press. Visit […]
An endangered sea turtle hooked April 13 on Navarre Beach Fishing Pier is set to make a full recovery. This was the first rescue of the upcoming sea turtle nesting season, which officially starts May 1. Read the full article in the April 25 issue of Navarre Press. Visit https://navarrepress.com/subscribe/ to view subscription options – […]
The Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce will kick off its 12th Annual Free Summer Concert Series May 30 at the Sand Crab Pavilion in Navarre Beach Park, just east of the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier. Co-hosted by the Okaloosa Gas District, Navarre Press, Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Office and Chamber Foundation, the summer […]
National conservation organization Turtleman Foundation has awarded a $6,500 grant to the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center (NBSTCC) to purchase a new all-terrain vehicle. The center will use the UTV (utility task vehicle) in its conservation efforts for sea turtle nesting surveys, sea turtle strandings, research and education, said Animal Care Team member Alex […]
Navarre Beach Marine Science Station students once again took home the trophy from the 2019 Regional SeaPerch ROV (remotely operated vehicle) Challenge. Team Octobots consists of documenter Ovella Hines (not pictured) and vehicle builders/operators Tiara Winbery and Miguel Homar, pictured here with their ROV. Read the full article in the March 21 issue of Navarre […]
Navarre Beach’s new crop of lifeguards have already been presented with a challenge from their new supervisor: no drownings. Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Chief Danny Fureigh threw down the challenge for their first season but promised to support the guards to achieve it. Read the full article in the March 14 issue of Navarre Press. […]
The brown and white seabirds are a common sight along the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier, shuffling along the railing or dive-bombing the water. Pelicans frequent piers along the Gulf Coast because their favorite food, fish, is usually plentiful there, said Caroline Stahala, Audubon Western Florida Panhandle shorebird manager. Read the full article in the March […]
Volunteers of Navarre Beach’s month Trash Bash pulled more than 300 pounds of marine debris from the coastline Feb. 24, but mother nature may be to blame for a big chunk of that junk. Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center volunteer Nicole Stephens organizes Trash Bash. Read the full article in the March 7 issue […]
Navarre Beach’s multiuse path could be seeing a makeover, but just what that will look like is up for debate before the Tourist Development Council (TDC) this week. County Tourist Development Director Julie White has proposed redoing “islands” along the path that runs parallel to Gulf Boulevard for nearly the entire length of Navarre Beach. […]
While not the caliber of facilities initially proposed for pit stops along the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier, the Gulf front pier has been outfitted with a temporary Americans with Disabilities Act compliant toilet for guests. Pier management firm Growing Santa Rosa Enterprises head Kenneth Fountain said a permanent solution will be installed. Read the full […]
In roughly nine weeks, a new set of lifeguards will take to the shores of Navarre Beach to protect the ever-growing number of visitors who flock to the Gulf during tourist season. Sunday, people hoping to join this team showed their stuff in a rigorous physical tryout set by […]
Winter beachgoers at Navarre Beach Marine Park may have noticed black silt fencing, work crews and heavy machinery since early November along their coastline. The work underway is part of new visitor amenities coming to the park, coordinated and paid for by roughly $3 million in Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) grants through the Florida […]
Testing along Navarre Beach last week showed high concentrations of karenia brevis (k. brevis), the organism commonly referred to as red tide, bringing with it concerns for fish kills and respiratory irritation. Elevated levels along the beach have persisted since mid-October. Read the full article in the Dec. 6 issue of Navarre Press. Click here to […]
As lifeguard season along Navarre Beach closed out Oct. 28, records show that the guards have been busier than in the past. Rescues along Navarre Beach more than tripled since last season, and the number of people visiting guarded areas has nearly tripled since 2016 with almost 303,000 visitors between March 3 and Oct. 28 […]
More than playing with bones, the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station made another first last week as fifth graders visiting the station got hands on with a real-life manatee skeleton. The activity is led by high school dual enrollment students, and station Director Charlene Mauro said the activity is the first time fifth graders have […]
From tiny beach mice to soaring osprey to the famous sea oats, the natural splendor of Navarre Beach will be on display in a guided tour this month. Robin Otto, a member of the Navarre Beach Neighborhood Watch, helped to spearhead the idea. Read the full article in the Oct. […]
Navarre Beach’s super reefs are almost completely installed. The reef builder, Walter Marine of Orange Beach, Alabama, placed roughly 12 of the 40,000-pound, 15-foot-tall structures along the sandy bottom. A boat-mounted crane and GPS were used to position the “tetrahedrons” based on a pre-approved grid system. There are still hundreds of smaller structures waiting to be […]
In an attempt to better protect natural sand dunes, the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation has agreed to donate $1,200 of signage to Santa Rosa County. The signs will replace a handful of metal stake boards posted along the northern edge of the beach’s sand dunes. Read the full article in the Sept. […]
Rough, high seas halted deployment of hundreds of reef modules along Navarre Beach, but the project is still on schedule according to representatives with deployment company Reef Maker, Walter Marine of Orange Beach, Alabama. Company founder David Walter said they are getting back to work after Tropical Storm Gordon put things on hold. Read the […]
After two years of dwindling nest numbers, shorebirds along Navarre Beach produced nearly 100 chicks that reached fledgling status. Audubon Florida Panhandle Shorebird Program Manager Caroline Stahala said this has been a good year for black skimmers and least terns, both listed as threatened species by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Read […]
Lei Lei is much like any other loggerhead sea turtle. She cruises the waters of the Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Navarre Beach, munching on shellfish. But there is something unusual about Lei Lei. Read the full article in the Sept. 6 issue of Navarre Press. Visit www.navarrepress.com/subscribe to view subscription options. […]
Did you see the picture of the cat in the article about cat health last week? That feline looks scared to death – and I do too when I go to the vet. I don’t know where the thermometer is going to go next and I sure don’t like where they take my temperature. That’s […]
In a case of situational irony, angler Shawn Wilson hooked a shark off Navarre Beach Aug. 15 as visitors were gathered to watch the classic killer shark film “Jaws” as part of the Toes in the Sand movie nights at the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier. Wilson lived in the Navarre area for several years before moving […]
Construction of additional picnic pavilions and parking facilities in the Navarre Beach Marine Park will get underway shortly after Labor Day, according to Santa Rosa County Grants and Special Programs Director Sheila Fitzgerald. The planned improvements are funded largely by a roughly $2 million Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) grant through the Florida Department of […]
From the moment that the last grain of sand was piped from the last dredge onto Navarre Beach during the 2016 renourishment project, the shore has been shrinking. But County Engineer Roger Blaylock said there is no reason to worry. This is all just part of the process. Read the full article in the Aug. […]
A project to deploy deep water “nearshore” artificial reefs has been tentatively scheduled to begin the week of Aug. 13. Orange Beach, Alabama contractor Walter Marine will install the reef modules. The contractor has also installed several artificial reef projects for the county in the past including the snorkel reef in the Navarre Beach Marine […]
Since sea turtle nesting season began May 1, Navarre Beach has only seen three turtle nests, a far cry from the nearly record-breaking 19 nests that were found last year. The nesting number is also lower than the average for the past decade. Read the full article in the Aug. 2 issue of Navarre Press. Click […]
Water rescues along Navarre Beach are on the rise and rip currents are the leading cause said head lifeguard Charles Marek. Marek, who has been a lifeguard on Navarre Beach for roughly six years, said the lifeguards are averaging about 25 rescues a day when yellow or red flags are flying. Read the full article […]