Browse Environment Stories - Page 23

If a mandatory evacuation is declared in your area, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent Tim Davis says residents should prepare to be away from home for a few weeks.

Hurricane Irma strengthened to a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 175 mph as of Monday, Sept. 5. It’s moving west-northwest on its present track, but longer-term models project that it will make a sharp turn to the north later this week, which could threaten parts of the Southeast, including Georgia.

Trash discarded in waterways kills fish and other aquatic life, and trash thrown out on roadsides is an eyesore that clogs drains and other infrastructure. To combat this problem, the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension office in Camden County, Georgia, coordinates annual Rivers Alive cleanup events.

As Atlantic hurricane season peaks, Georgians may be uncertain about how to prepare for an emergency. The state may not be directly affected by a hurricane, floods or high winds from a storm this year, but it’s always good to be prepared. September is National Preparedness Month, and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency have resources available to help Georgians prepare for an emergency.

As concerns grow over the ability of the Upper Floridan Aquifer to keep up with demands for water from residents, farms and forests, four universities are teaming up to look at the economic sustainability of agriculture and forestry in north Florida and south Georgia that rely on this water supply.

On the afternoon of Aug. 21, Georgians will have the opportunity to share in the experience of seeing the summer afternoon sky darken as the moon’s shadow covers the sun, and they are excited.

After a month of below-normal temperatures, Georgia’s summer temperatures returned in July. Most of the state, except for the southeastern counties, was warmer and drier than normal, but climatologists don’t believe a drought is likely to develop over the next three months.

When it comes to backyard wildlife, the cup plant does it all. To me, it is like the flag-bearing perennial for bees, butterflies and birds. It is a stalwart and is native in 34 states, from Louisiana, north to Canada and sweeping across all states east. Its size makes it seem like it is the composite, or aster, that ate New York. It is big, bold and wonderful, and this is the time of the year it shines the most.

Georgia farmers had fewer opportunities to effectively harvest watermelons in June thanks to an increase in rain, but disease pressure is what truly led to lower yields in the crop this year, according to University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable horticulturist Tim Coolong.

June’s heavy rains meant that many Georgia farmers were able to cut back on irrigation, but the rain also contributed to fungal diseases in vegetable crops and hampered vegetable farmers’ harvests.