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  • August

    Roseate Spoonbills and the endangered West Indian manatee are among the species that call the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge home. If approved to fly the restricted airspace over the refuge, unmanned aircraft systems may provide potential, unobtrusive opportunities for research, environmental and wildlife data collection.

    Unmanned Aircraft Systems working group examines capabilities, future opportunities

    A group of leaders from the University of Central Florida, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of Florida, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), Space Florida and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) gathered June 24 to discuss the possibility of using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) around the Cape Canaveral area.

  • January

    A warmer than normal winter and heavy early season rains contributed to the highest levels of water hyacinth on the St. Johns River and Lake Okeechobee since 1986.

    Invasive Species biologists combat explosion of aquatic plant growth

    The year 2012 brought many challenges for the Invasive Species Management (ISM) Branch to tackle. Multiple factors led to the highest levels of water hyacinth on Lake Okeechobee since 1986. Water hyacinth invades lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes and other types of wetland habitats. According to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System website, water hyacinth can reproduce and quickly form dense floating mats of vegetation, sometimes doubling in size over a two week period. These dense mats reduce light and deplete oxygen levels for submerged plants and aquatic invertebrates.

  • December

    During an informal signing ceremony, Jacksonville District Commander Col. Alan Dodd added his name to a cooperative agreement along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Florida field office supervisors to help manatees and insure the Corps' navigation mission moves forward.

    Cooperative agreement promises to aid both manatees and navigation

    During an informal signing ceremony, Jacksonville District Commander Col. Alan Dodd added his name to a cooperative agreement along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Florida field office supervisors to help manatees and insure the Corps' navigation mission moves forward. The group used the authority provided in the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to develop a cooperative agreement which provides both agencies flexibility when developing real world solutions to help the manatee in the face of growing pressure.