Magnolia Branch Honored As Treasure Forest (With Video)
March 18, 2013
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians recently received the Helene Mosley Memorial TREASURE Forest Award for the South Region at the Alabama Natural Resources Council’s Awards Banquet in Auburn.
The event recognized PCI for exemplary dedication to the wise stewardship of natural resources at the Magnolia Branch Wildlife Reserve. (For more information about Magnolia Branch, see the video at the bottom of the page.)
PCI has earned many honors for their forest stewardship. In June 2010, they received three prestigious awards for forest management activities at MBWR: the Alabama Natural Resources Council’s TREASURE Forest Award and certifications for the Forest Stewardshipand the American Tree Farm Programs. This was the first time a landowner had received all three recognitions at the same time.
Magnolia Branch is mostly timberland and is used as a recreational area for the Tribe and their guests. By working with various state and federal agencies, the Tribe has sustained, protected, and enhanced 6,000 acres of timberland and 50 lakes. PCI partnered with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to secure financial and technical assistance for site preparation on about 800 acres planted to longleaf pine, and to install permanent firebreaks and prescribe burn over 2,000 acres of pine plantation.
“Managing for timber is vital to our long-term forest goals. Seventy percent of our forest land is loblolly and 30 percent has been converted to longleaf pine,” said Billy Smith, PCI Tribal elder and manager of the Magnolia Branch Wildlife Reserve. “Whenever we clear-cut an area of loblolly, we plant it back to longleaf pine. Right now we have planted about 800,000 longleaf pines on Tribal land.”
Prescribed burning plays an important role in the longleaf pine ecosystem. It helps control disease and reduces competition of undesirable understory. It also provides wildlife habitat benefits by stimulating the growth of native plants for wildlife food.
“We are on a two year burn cycle and try to burn about 2,000 acres each year,” Smith said.
The wildlife accomplishments include planting 37 acres of food plots to cool and warm season forages, building numerous wood duck boxes and bird houses, and thinning 2,000 acres to improve wildlife habitat.
They are attempting to reestablish native grasses. “After clearing the understory through a controlled burn, we are seeing the comeback of native grasses that have been here all along,” said Smith.
Magnolia Branch is located south of I-65 west of Highway 113.
Pictured top: The Magnolia Branch Wildlife Reserve. Pictured inset: Tim Albritton/ NRCS state forrester; James W. (Billy) Smith, general manager of Magnolia Branch Wildlife Reserve; and Keith Martin, Poarch Creek Indian Tribal Council member. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: Cantonment Cantonment Baseball and Girls Softball
March 17, 2013
Saturday was opening day for Cantonment Baseball and Girls Softball.
The day included filming a commercial with Sandy Sansing, who made a $500 donation to the organization.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Guest speaker was Greg Litton, a former major league player for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and the Boston Red Sox. In 1992, he played all nine positions in the Hall of Fame Game.
Kazoo from the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and the Cat from Cat Country 98.7 were also on hand.
Does your child play at Cantonment? Send us photos and scores this season! Email news@northescambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Photos: NWE Opening Day
March 17, 2013
Saturday was Opening Day for Northwest Escambia at Bradberry Park in Walnut Hill.
For a photo gallery from select Opening Day games, click here.
Does your child play at NWE? Send us photos and scores this season! Email news@northescambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Beautiful Day On The River
March 17, 2013
Saturday was a near picture perfect Spring-like day on the Escambia River at the Molino Boat Ramp. The river remains high, with the boat ramp and dock underwater. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Weekend Gardening: March Tips
March 17, 2013
Here are gardening tips for the month of March from the University of Florida IFAS Extension office:
Flowers
- Annual flowers that can be planted in March include: ageratum, alyssum, amaranthus, asters, baby’s breath, begonia, calendula, celosia, cosmos, dahlia, dusty miller, gaillardia, geranium, hollyhock, impatiens, marigold, nicotiana, ornamental pepper, pentas, phlox, rudbeckia, salvia, sweet Williams, torenia, verbena, vinca and zinnia.
- Caladium bulbs are extremely sensitive to cold soil. There is no advantage to planting early. Purchase caladiums while there is a good selection, but wait until late March or April before planting them in shady beds.
Trees and Shrubs
- Finish pruning summer flowering shrubs such as althea, hibiscus, abelia, oakleaf hydrangea and oleander.
- Delay the pruning of azaleas, camellias, spiraeas, gardenias and other spring flowering shrubs until after flowering is complete.
- Prune any cold weather-damaged plants after new growth appears.
- If needed, fertilize shrubs and small trees with a slow release fertilizer. A good general-purpose landscape fertilizer is a 15-0-15.
- Mature palms should receive an application of granular fertilizer. Use a special palm fertilizer that has an 8-2-12 +4Mg (magnesium) with micronutrients formulation. Apply one pound of fertilizer per 100 sqft of canopy area or landscape area.
- Last opportunity to spray shrubs with dormant horticultural oil.
- Pick up all fallen camellia blossoms and remove them from your property. This practice helps to prevent petal blight next season.
- Prune ornamental grasses.
- If you are in the market for specific colors of azaleas, visit the local nurseries and garden centers this month. Though this is not the most ideal planting time you are assured of the right flower color without having to wait until next blooming season.
Fruits and Nuts
- Time to finish planting bare-root fruit trees.
Vegetable Garden
- This is the month for establishing a spring vegetable garden. Early March plantings have about an even chance of avoiding a late frost.
- The warm season vegetables that can be planted this month are: bush beans, pole beans, lima beans, cantaloupes, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, southern peas, peppers, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes and watermelon.
- The cool season vegetables that can be planted this month are: beets, carrots, celery, collards, endive, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, bunching onions, parsley, English peas, Irish potatoes, radish and turnips.
- More conservative gardeners might wish to wait until the middle to latter part of the month to risk tender plants such as tomatoes and peppers.
Lawns
- Remove excessive accumulation of leaves from the lawn. This will increase the effectiveness of fertilizers and pesticides applied to the lawn.
- If a preemergence lawn herbicide is needed to control summer weeds, it should be applied in early March. Make certain to choose one that is safe on your kind of grass.
- Keep lawn herbicides away from the root zones of desirable flower, shrubs and other plants.
- Fertilize the lawn only after the danger of frost has passed and when the grass has greened up. Fertilize using a complete fertilizer applied at 0.5 lbs nitrogen per 1000 sqft containing 50% soluble and 50% slow-release nitrogen.
- Service the lawn mower: include a sharpening of the blade and adjusting of the cutting height for your type of grass.
- Anyone considering establishment of centipedegrass from seed should hold off until the soil warms up and stabilizes above 70°F. Add Item Here…
Food For America Introduces 1,100 Students To Agriculture
March 16, 2013
Over 1,100 elementary students attended the annual Northview High School FFA Food for America program Friday morning at Northview High School in Bratt.
The students from a three county area had a chance to learn about agriculture first hand up close and personal with farm animals, farm equipment and more to learn how food gets from the farm to their tables. Students were even able to make their own butter.
The Northview High School FFA “Food for America” program has been honored as the No. 1 program in the state multiple times.
The day was dedicated to students from Escambia Westgate School who attended the program for the first time.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured: Over 1,100 elementary students attended the Northview FFA Food for America program Friday morning. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Beulahfest Friday (With Photo Gallery)
March 16, 2013
At Friday’s Beulahfest, headliners Shenandoah and Randy Houser entertained thousands.
The festival features not only great music, but plenty of fun, rides, and of course those delicious sausages. Beulahfest attracts thousands each year, with proceeds benefiting the Beulah Volunteer Fire Department and other local charities. Beulahfest is sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
For a photo gallery from Friday at Beulahfest, click here.
Pictured top: Country star Randy Houser performs Friday night at Beulahfest. Pictured inset: The Cat from Cat Country 98.7 poses with members of the Beulah VFD. Pictured below: The midway at Beulahfest. NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Hospital Employee Named A ‘Legend’
March 16, 2013
An Atmore Community Hospital employee has been named a Baptist Health Care Legend, the organization’s highest honor.
When a recurring transfusion patient returned to live in the more rural area of Atmore, he was no longer able to drive. He lives alone with no family members nearby. Often, he paid for the services of public transportation to bring him to the hospital for blood draws and transfusions.
Patrice Smith noticed that the man needed a helping hand, so she offered to help. She used her own resources to make sure he made it to his health care appointments.
Recently, he was admitted to another facility for a temporary rehabilitation, and on her day off, Patrice drove him from the hospital to the facility. She also helped him complete admission paperwork. She checked on him often and visited him during his stay.
Patrice’s kindness didn’t stop there. She recognized that he could benefit from the Meals on Wheels program and contacted the program coordinators to expedite the enrollment process.
Patrice continues to check on the patient often and drives him to his physician appointments and other places where he needs to go
Weekend Gardening: Choosing Heirloom Or Hybrid Tomatoes
March 16, 2013
Tomatoes are a favorite of backyard gardeners. Fresh-grown tomatoes are packed with flavor and nutrition. Due to their popularity, many different types of tomatoes have been developed and selected over time. Choosing the best type for your individual growing situation will increase your chance of enjoying a mouth-watering tomato sandwich on a hot summer day.
Heirloom vegetables are back in vogue. A tomato must meet three criteria to be considered an heirloom variety. The variety must grow “true to type” from seed saved from each fruit, the seed must have been available for more than 50 years and the variety must have a history or folklore of its own. Heirloom vegetables are also called open-pollinated or non-hybrid.
Heirloom tomatoes are known for their full flavor and excellent taste. Gardeners who start their plants from seeds have always had many choices available to them. This year, I was surprised to see some heirloom seedlings in stores including ‘Cherokee Purple.’ This is an heirloom from Tennessee rumored to have come from Cherokee gardeners. Its rich flavor is said to be similar to the much-celebrated Brandywine.
While heirlooms offer better flavor, they do have a downside. Their biggest weakness is that they are not generally disease resistant and therefore more susceptible to devastating and sometimes fatal diseases. Heirloom varieties also experience more fruit defects such as cracking and catfacing.
To overcome the potential disease pitfall of heirloom varieties, many gardeners are now grafting their tomato seedlings. In the case of heirloom tomatoes, grafting involves connecting the shoot of the heirloom variety to the roots of a disease-resistant rootstock. The cut pieces are held together by a grafting clip until the tissues grow together (pictured left).
To learn more about heirloom tomatoes and grafting, read the UF/IFAS publication entitled, “Growing Heirloom Tomato Varieties in Southwest Florida.” It’s available online at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs174 or by calling your local Extension Office.
Hybrid tomatoes are those that have been breed and selected for their disease resistance and productivity. They are the first-generation cross between two “pure” parental lines.
The simplest way to define an F-1 hybrid is to take an example. Let’s say a plant breeder observes a particularly good growth-habit in a plant, but with poor flower color, and in another plant of the same type they see good color but poor habit. The best plant of each type is taken and self-pollinated (in isolation) each year and, each year, the seed is re-sown. Eventually, every time the seed is sown the same identical plants will appear. This is known as a ‘pure line.’
If the breeder then takes the pure line of each of the two plants they originally selected and cross pollinates the two by hand the result is known as an F-1 hybrid. Plants are grown from seed produced and the result of this cross pollination should have a good habit and good color.
The vigor of hybridization can increase yields, improve pest resistance and impart other desirable characteristics. Some have credited crop hybridization as a prime reason for our country’s ability to feed larger populations with fewer farmers.
A down side of hybridization is that if you collect and save the seed from a hybrid variety, its offspring will show a loss of that hybrid vigor – it will start to revert back to its inbred parents. If you want the vigorous capacity that comes with hybrid varieties; don’t save the seed for replanting. You will have to buy new seed each year.
To learn about tomato varieties recommended for Florida gardens, read the UF/IFAS publication entitled “Tomatoes in the Florida Garden.” It’s available online at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh028 or by calling your local Extension Office.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Emeril Lagasse Show Sunday To Feature Pensacola On The Cooking Channel
March 15, 2013
On Sunday, celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse will feature restaurants in Pensacola on his Cooking Channel show Emeril’s Florida.
“This unique series, hosted by Chef Emeril, gives viewers the chance to experience some of the best food Florida has to offer,” said Carol Dover, president and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “We believe this show will motivate people across the country to visit Florida and taste the state’s vibrant flavors at our wonderful restaurants.”
Emeril begins this week’s show at McGuire’s Irish Pub in Pensacola. He then heads to The Fish House restaurant and samples their various dishes. At Joe Patti’s Seafood, Frank Patti gives him a tour and shares tips on buying fish. Finally, Emeril and his son EJ head to Pensacola Beach, taking a ride on the observation wheel as well as sampling local seafood.
“He was very nice; he was in front of me getting some Beignets,” said Felicia Amerson of Walnut Hill. Amerson and her husband Alex bumped into Lagasse at Joe Patti’s as he filmed his show back in October. “He turned around, and I said ‘OMG’ I’m your biggest fan, can I have a picture with you. He said sure we gotta hurry cause I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
The show airs Sunday, March 17th, at 9:30 a.m. on the Cooking Channel, and again on Monday, March 18th, at 8:30 a.m.
Pictured: Felicia Amerson of Walnut Hill posses with chef Emeril Lagasse back in October at Joe Patti’s Seafood in Pensacola as he filmed a segment for his show that will air Sunday on the Cooking Channel. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.