Local nature centers joined the national celebration of public lands for the first time Saturday, and it included local Girl Scouts digging in the dirt and watching for butterflies. ...more

September 28, 2008

The night before the deadly Polk County crash on Interstate 4, the two highway patrol troopers working the overnight shift knew to look out for smoke and fog that could make travel dangerous. ...more

January 12, 2008

State forestry officials are re-examining their policies after a controlled burn in Polk County raged out of control, blowing smoke across Interstate 4 and perhaps contributing to a 70-car pileup Wednesday morning. ...more

January 11, 2008

The controlled burn blamed by some for contributing to one of the worst traffic disasters in Polk County history on Wednesday was conducted under treacherous conditions. ...more

January 10, 2008

Tilapia are not even supposed to be here, but like many other aquarium escapees, they are now found in just about every lake and river across the southern two-thirds of Florida. The fish originally came from Africa, where there are at least a half-dozen varieties. It also has been imported by American fish farmers, some of whom sell it as "rose snapper." ...more

January 4, 2008

A lost hunter was rescued Sunday from the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area. ...more

December 11, 2007

Jim Rapp has one hand on the wheel and the other holding a pair of binoculars as he drives his truck slowly down a gravel drive on the banks of a Chesapeake Bay marsh. ...more

September 23, 2007