Tai Chi class offered for free for seniors 
Classes start Sept. 8 – Register now

Graphic Provided

Information Provided
Published July 29, 2025 at 8 p.m.
     TRENTON – A free 10-week Tai Chi class is being offered for senior citizens at the Trenton Senior Center, 1439 S.W. Gilchrist Count Road 307A, Trenton.
      Classes are each Monday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. Participants should plan to attend both days. The 
subject matter builds on itself from one class to the next. New students will not be accepted after the third class.  
     The start date is Sept. 8. The end date is Nov. 19.
     The class size will be limited to 12 participants and the Trenton Senior Center requires the class to include least six participants.
     The instructor is Susan Levi.
     Tai Chi is a slow-moving, meditative martial art. It is a very low impact form of exercise that studies have shown to be beneficial in improving balance, reducing stress, and improving arthritic stiffness.
     To contact the instructor and register for the class, please call the Trenton Senior Center at 352-463-2940 extension 224. If no one is able to take the call, please leave a message.

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Blue crab trap closure ending early
for Wakulla County through
Hernando County on July 26 

Information and Graphic Provided By FWC
Published July 24, 2025 at 3:30 p.m.
     TALLAHASSEE -- Recreational and commercial blue crab traps may be placed back in the coastal waters of Hernando through Wakulla counties starting July 26.
     The blue crab trap closure included state waters within 3 nautical miles from shore within Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Levy, Citrus and Hernando counties, including all waters of the Ochlockonee River and Ochlockonee Bay.
     Lost and abandoned blue crab traps are a problem in the blue crab fishery because they can continue to trap crabs and fish when left in the water. They can also be unsightly in the marine environment, damage sensitive habitats and pose navigational hazards to boaters on the water.
     The closure is the last of three regional, 10-day blue crab trap closures in 2025 (see map). There are six regional closures in total: three in even-numbered years on the east coast and three in odd-numbered years on the west coast.
     For more information regarding the FWC’s trap-retrieval program, blue crab trap closure dates, and regulations and cleanup events, go online to MyFWC.com/Marine and click “Traps and Debris.”
     For additional information, call 850-487-0554.

FWC scheduled to host
Bowhunting Wildlife Workshop on Aug. 17
Information Provided
By Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Published July 21, 2025 at 9:45 a.m.
     NEWBERRY -- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is partnering with the Easton-Newberry Archery Center to host a Bowhunting Wildlife Workshop in Alachua County.
     The workshop is scheduled to be Sunday, Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Easton-Newberry Archery Center, 24880 N.W. 16th Ave., in Newberry.
     This hands-on workshop is for anyone interested in bowhunting, regardless of experience level.
     Certified instructors from both organizations will cover topics such as fitting bows and release aids, ethics, shot technique and placement, and tracking game.
     Interested participants can learn more and register online by clicking HERE.

Hunting, Fishing and Camping
Sales Tax Holiday starts Sept. 8
Information Provided By Florida Dept. of Revenue
Published July 23, 2025 at 8:30 a.m.
     TALLAHASEE -- Florida’s 2025 Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Sales Tax Holiday begins Sept. 8 and ends on Dec. 31.
     During this sales tax holiday period, tax is not due on the retail sale of certain items related to hunting, fishing and camping. The sales tax holiday does not apply to rentals of any eligible items or purchases for commercial use.
Eligible Camping Supplies
     Sales price of $30 or less: camping lanterns; flashlights.
     Sales price of $50 or less: camping stoves; portable hammocks; collapsible camping chairs sleeping bags.
     Sales price of $200 or less: tents.
Eligible Fishing Supplies
     Sales price of $5 or less if sold individually or $10 or less if multiple items are sold together: bait; fishing tackle.
     Sales price of $30 or less: tackle bags; tackle boxes.
     Sales price of $75 or less if sold individually or $150 or less if sold as a set: reels; rods.
Eligible Hunting Supplies
     Ammunition as defined in s. 790.001(1), Florida Statutes; Bows (hand-drawn, handheld and hand-released); Crossbows which use a non-handheld locking mechanism to maintain the device in a drawn or ready-to-discharge condition; accessories for bows and crossbows – arrows, bolts, quarrels, quivers, releases, sights or optics, and wristguards; firearms including pistols, rifles, shotguns; firearm accessories -- charging handles, cleaning kits, holsters, pistol grips, sights or optics, and stocks.
     To see the whole Tax Information Publication regarding this sales tax break, click HERE.

Bay scallop season opens
July 10 in the Pasco Zone 

The graphic above shows all of the zones and dates for recreational harvesting of scallops.

Information and Graphic
Provided By Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Published July 7, 2025 at 12 p.m.
     TALLAHASSEE -- The 2025 recreational bay scallop season for the Pasco Zone opens July 10 and will remain open through Aug. 18.     This includes all state waters south of the Hernando-Pasco county line and north of the Anclote Key Lighthouse in northern Pinellas County, including all waters of the Anclote River. 
     The daily bag limit is 2 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or 1 pint of bay scallop meat per person, with a maximum of 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or 1/2 gallon (4 pints) shucked bay scallop meat per vessel per day. 
     Throughout the season and region-wide, vessel limits do not allow an individual to exceed their personal bag limit. 
     Harvest of bay scallops is permitted only by hand or by using a landing or dip net. Commercial harvest is prohibited. 
     Although bay scallop season dates can vary by region, regulations do allow the direct and continuous transit of legally harvested bay scallops through closed areas. When transiting, boaters may not stop their vessels in waters that are closed to harvest and instead must proceed directly to the dock or ramp to land scallops in a closed area.
     Recreational harvesters need a Florida saltwater fishing license to harvest bay scallops unless they are exempt from needing a license or have a no-cost shoreline fishing license and are wading from shore to collect scallops (i.e., feet do not leave the bottom to swim, snorkel or SCUBA, and harvesters do not use a vessel to reach or return from the harvest location).  
Boater and scalloper safety
     State law enforcement officers who are part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) remind boaters to designate an operator who will remain sober to ensure the safety of everyone with them and around them. Operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal on all bodies of water and can lead to serious injuries and consequences.
     In Florida, it is illegal to operate a vessel with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher, the same as in a motor vehicle.
     A few things to remember that will make diving for scallops safe for divers and boaters alike:
     When scalloping in open water, divers should stay within 300 feet of a correctly displayed divers-down flag or within 100 feet of a divers-down flag if on a river, inlet or navigation channel.
Always operate your boat at idle speed when traveling within 300 feet of a divers-down flag in open water or within 100 feet of a divers-down flag on a river, inlet or navigational channel.
Seagrass awareness
     It is a violation of Florida law to damage seagrass beds in some areas within state waters. Boaters should stay within the marked navigation channels whenever possible and avoid motoring through seagrass beds in shallow water, which can cause propeller scars.
     Seagrasses are the principal food for endangered marine animals including manatees and green sea turtles, act as natural filters to help purify the water, and serve as important habitat for a wide variety of marine life, like the bay scallop.
Stow it, don’t throw it
     The FWC asks people to please do not discard scallop shells in inshore waters commonly used for recreational activities, such as near boat ramps or swimming areas. Piles of discarded scallop shells can create hazards for swimmers and damage seagrass habitat.
     Scallop shells can be discarded in a trash receptacle or in larger bodies of water where they are more likely to disperse. Also, don’t forget to stow trash securely on your vessel so that it doesn’t blow overboard.

Alligators, turtles, birds and squirrels
call Manatee Springs State Park home

An insect is seen on Saturday in the park. Some insects bug people.

Story and Photos By Jeff M. Hardison © July 5, 2025 at 9 p.m.
All Copyrights Protected By Federal Civil Law
Do Not Copy and Paste to Social Media or Elsewhere
     LEVY COUNTY – Saturday in the park -- it was the fifth of July.
     With air temperatures hovering between 88- and 92-degrees Fahrenheit, people enjoyed the 72-degree temperature of the water in the springs at Manatee Springs State Park on July 5.
     People chatting, a boom box playing, a man selling ice cream and other items at the concession stand -- all made for picturesque scenes, like a 1972 song from the band Chicago.
      The wildlife appeared not to notice the humans as much as humans who were thrilled by the creatures they saw that Saturday in the park. Several turtles were so deeply camouflaged by moss, they were invisible to most park visitors.


A three-foot long alligator rests on a log in the spring run leading to the Suwannee River.


A great white heron steps in front of a giant cedar tree at Manatee Springs Park. Deer and other wildlife have been seen in this park in years past, too.


It may look like goop soup on the spring run leading to the river, but there are five identifiable freshwater turtles in this photo. (Go to the CALENDAR PAGE to see the turtles more highlighted.)

     One young three-foot American alligator rested on a log, smiling as many people took his or her picture.
     It was another day in the park. It was the fifth of July.
     Slow motion paddlers glided on the spring outlet leading to the Suwannee River. 
     The once decrepit and unsafe wooden boardwalk to the river has been replaced.


Aubry ‘E’ a temporary summertime OPS park attendant stands near a homemade poster that asks, ‘How Long Will It Last?’ and it has drawings of things like batteries. She is holding a battery.

People swim in the springhead at Manatee Springs State Park as one person paddles a small kayak there too (upper picture, somewhat hidden behind the leaves in the foreground on the left).

     A temporary summertime OPS park attendant named Aubrey “E” was coy. She felt it was not proper to provide her last name for publication.
     Another young male park worker spurred her resistance on as he announced that he was told that employees are not to engage in conversations with any members of the press. He did not want his picture take, saying he had too much perspiration on his face.
     When asked if the “park ranger” who would provide the public with an opportunity to have breakfast with a ranger at the concession stand area on Sunday (July 6) would be able to have his picture taken and to speak to a member of the press, the young man seemed unclear whether that was possible – instantly removing that from any potential of happening.


The cedar swamp appears relatively healthy.


A type of mushroom grows out of the side of a cedar tree. (Not all mushrooms growing on trees are edible. Some are toxic and can be deadly if consumed.)

 Some people paddling in the spring run on Saturday make their way upstream toward the springs.


Manatee Springs State Park has been designated as a registered natural landmark under the provisions of the Historic Sites Act of Aug. 21, 1935. This site possesses exceptional value in illustrating the natural history of the United States, according to a metal plaque placed near the springs by the United States Department of the Interior’s National Park Service in 1972.


Cute.

     Publisher’s Note:  Among the duties of an OPS park attendant are “Visitor Services: Explains and interprets natural and cultural resources of the park. Answers questions and provides information about the facilities and services provided for public use, enjoyment and education. Attempts to resolve visitor complaints while maintaining good public relations.”
     Not saying one’s last name may not be maintaining good public relations.
     All is not lost - oh no, no. Even if government workers make “funny days in the park” … every day's the Fourth of July -- People reaching, people touching, a real celebration.
     Saturday in the park is fun. Just don’t bother speaking with people dressed up like government workers. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was stopped from a mission to convert Florida State Parks into golf courses – at least for now.
     “The vision of DEP is to create strong community partnerships, safeguard Florida’s natural resources and enhance its ecosystem,” according to one soundbite version of its mission statement.
     Not speaking with journalists does not “create strong community partnerships.” It creates a divisive barrier with the public.