I shielded my eyes against the bright summer sun as I hopped out of the county vehicle. We are in the busy tourist season here on the Florida Panhandle, and I could hear the beach-goers before I saw them. I was on the shoreline to check out the recently completed “dune walkovers,” five new structures…
Author: Erika Zambello
Erika Zambello is a writer, birder, and photographer living and working along the Emerald Coast of Florida. She has a master’s degree in environmental management, where she specialized in ecosystem science and conservation. Her love of the outdoors was inspired by a childhood in Maine, where she returned for her National Geographic Young Explorer grant. In addition to Maine, she has lived in New York, France, Washington, DC, and North Carolina. Erika believes in the power of communicating conservation and exploration, which was the inspiration for One World, Two Feet.
10000 Birds – Snowy Plover Chicks on Okaloosa Island
I have seen dozens of Snowy Plovers and other shorebirds along the Emerald Coast of Florida, but until last week I had never seen their chicks! Nesting season has been underway for weeks here, and I was becoming worried I would never catch a glimpse of their tiny forms. Luckily, I met with wildlife staff…
Emerald Coasting – Learning to Scuba Dive on the Emerald Coast
I had always wanted to learn to dive. I knew from photographs, from documentaries, from my friends and family that the underwater world boasted gorgeous landscapes complete with rainbow-colored fish, intricately shaped corals, and larger marine life like sea turtles and dolphins. I had brushed the surfaces of these aquatic environments through snorkeling, but I…