UF IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences SFFGS

09/04/2026

Raise your hand if you think Florida needs thousands of tree stewards!

Municipal, county and agency representatives throughout Florida joined the UF/IFAS Urban Forestry Extension for two days of hands-on training for team leaders in the Tree Stewards Volunteer program.

The workshop, held on August 25 and 26 at the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County office, was led by UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences (SFFGS) Urban Forestry Extension Program Coordinator Stephanie Cadaval and UF/IFAS Hillsborough Extension Agent Alyssa Vinson.

The goal of the training is to prepare participants to plan, lead, and implement a successful Tree Stewards program in their community.

“The project is one we have been working on for the past couple of years,” said SFFGS Professor of Forest Systems and Extension Specialist Michael Andreu.

Municipal, county and agency representatives throughout Florida joined the UF/IFAS Urban Forestry Extension for two days of hands-on training for team leaders in the Tree Stewards Volunteer program. The workshop, held on August 25 and 26 at the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County office, was led b...

09/04/2026

Trick or treat!

Come dressed as your favorite forest critter and run, walk, or stroll with us through Austin Cary Forest on Halloween, Oct. 31, starting at 8 a.m.

Race proceeds support forestry education and outreach.

https://runsignup.com/Flatwoods5K

09/03/2026

Congrats to UF/IFAS Taylor County Extension Agent Victor Blanco for your American Fisheries Society Award for Excellence in Public Outreach!
Victor earned his Master of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (MFAS) in 2022 with Committee members SFFGS Prof. Shirley Baker (chair), SFFGS Prof. Josh Patterson and SFFGS Distinguished Prof. Kai Lorenzen.
The title of his technical paper was "An outreach program for recreational scalloping in Taylor County, Florida."
Click here to learn more about Victor’s impressive achievement: https://bit.ly/4yhLWWd

09/01/2026

Thank you National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Foundation for helping us continue to educate K-12 students on potential careers in geomatics.

The project received $28K from NCEES in 2025 based on a proposal by SFFGS Assistant Director for Geomatics Extension Katie Britt. And this year the award has increased to $38K.

SFFGS has been awarded funds to expand a library of surveying and mapping hands-on activities for K-12 clubs, camps, and classrooms.

The first ten kits aka “field trip in a box” were developed in 2025 and contain lessons about communicating with maps, measurements and field notes, compasses and directions, triangles and geometry, surveying with total stations, GPS, landforms and topography, photogrammetry, hydrographic surveying, and GIS and spatial analysis.

Read all about it:

  The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Foundation recently announced that the UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences (SFFGS) has been awarded funds to expand a library of surveying and mapping hands-on activities for K-12 clubs, camps, and cla...

09/01/2026

The August 2026 newsletter for SFFGS is here! Come check out what we've been up to. The PDF version with clickable links is athttps://ffgs.ifas.ufl.edu/media/ffgsifasufledu/docs/pdf/monthly-sffgs-updates/2026-August-Newsletter.pdf

08/30/2026

Film viewing and panel discussion:
"Our Gulf, Our Future: Voices from Cedar Key"
September 1st
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EDT
In person at UF's Pugh Hall Ocora on the main Gainesville campus or streaming online.

The new documentary short highlights Cedar Key—a fishing community that has weathered multiple hurricanes in recent years.

SFFGS Professor and Director of the UF IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station at the University of Florida in Cedar Key Mike Allen will be on the panel.

His research has focused on population dynamics and ecology of fishes. He uses field studies and computer models to explore population dynamics of fishes that support important recreational fisheries. He has evaluated habitat requirements for fish populations, and identified fisheries management strategies for recreational fisheries in lakes, reservoirs, and marine environments.

Read about the event and other panelists here:
https://calendar.ufl.edu/bobgrahamcenter/event/55687-our-gulf-our-future-voices-from-cedar-key

Watch live on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/live/K9KuDdwS37g

08/30/2026

The Yale Climate Connections podcast featured SFFGS Urban Forestry Extension Coordinator Stephanie Cadaval in their recent episode.

Hear what Cadaval had to say about the importance of proper tree maintenance in urban areas:
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/08/Proper-maintenance-can-help-trees-withstand-hurricanes/

08/29/2026

SFFGS Professor of Ecotourism Taylor Stein, Ph.D. and his team are conducting a study of commercial and recreational air boat ramp use that will help guide the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) in managing an increase in boat ramp public traffic.

They are focusing on two boat ramps in the Everglades where commercial activity is creating challenges: The Loxahatchee Road boat launch (WCA 2A) and the S-356 Airboat Launch on Tamiami Trail.

Read more about how their findings will help shape boat ramp use policy:

A team of researchers from the UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences (SFFGS) is conducting a study of commercial and recreational boat ramp use that will help guide the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) in managing an increase in boat ramp public traffic. SFFGS Pr...

08/28/2026

August 28, 2026 Florida Land Steward Update: Hurricane Season is Ramping Up - Are you Ready? Deadline Extended for Florida Block Grant Disaster Relief Program Applications, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Announces Financial Assistance Opportunities through the Environmental Quality Incentives and Conservation Stewardship Program, Two Regional Conservation Partnership Programs to Provide Opportunities for Financial Assistance and Conservation Easements to North Florida Landowners, UF Seeking Newly Planted Loblolly Pine Sites Impacted by Drought, Get Ready to Treat Cogongrass, Apply for Conservation Florida's Private Lands Stewardship Program, Participate in a Florida Rancher Survey, Last few days to Report Your Summer Wild Turkey Sightings, New Florida Land Steward Program Video Released, Forest Health Module released in Forest Landowner Academy, and more.
UF IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences SFFGS Florida Forest Service Florida Invasive Species Council Alachua Conservation Trust Conservation Florida Florida Forestry Association MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife American Tree Farm System USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service National Woodland Owners Association

Have land? Get a plan and stay connected. Florida Land Steward is your source of news, events, and opportunities.

08/28/2026

Shoutout to the Alachua Conservation Trust crew for the HUGE amount of help that they have provided for Hickory Sink Forest stewardship efforts.

They assisted with the planning and implementation of four prescribed burns for a total of 112 acres and provided an entire crew of staff and supplies to conduct three separate treatments of cogon grass for a total of 12 acres.

We are grateful for your continued support.

Read more about the newly acquired Hickory Sink Forest: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/education/uf-ifas-hickory-sink-forest