Zoo celebrates conservation with grant to help students come out of their shell | Causes – Pensacola News Journal

From staff reports Published 2:37 p.m. CT Dec. 10, 2019

University representatives visit the Zoo and meet another threatened species, the Galapagos tortoise.(Photo: Gulf Breeze Zoo)

The Gulf Breeze Zoo recently awarded a 2019 Zoofari Parks Conservation Grant of $5,000 to the University of West Floridas Biology Department. The universitys project manager, Phil Darby, will use the grant to protect a threatened local species, the gopher tortoise.

UWF students have been particularly interested in this species because wild gopher tortoises are found living in and around the 1,600 acre campus. In 2007, Florida Fish and Wildlife Services named the eastern gopher tortoise as a threatened species, which means without intervention the species will likely become endangered in the foreseeable future.

The Zoo solicited and received grant applications from across the world, but when it came time to select a winner CEO Eric Mogensen decided the best project was in our own backyard.

The Gulf Coast Areas award-winning Gulf Breeze Zoo is home to more than 900 exotic animals. The Zoo supports wildlife conservation in 25+ countries globally through financial aid, public education, captive breeding, and habitat preservation.

The Zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located just off U.S. 98.

Visit GBZoo.com for details.

Dr. Alexys Hillman and her team at Pensacola Osteopaths are hosting Winter Queerstice, a public fundraiser aimed at raising funds to support the health needs of the LGBTQ+ community, from 6 to 10 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Pensacola Opera, 75 S. Tarragona St. This festive evening includes refreshments, raffles, and live entertainment.

All funds raised will allow Pensacola Osteopaths to supplement patient programs such as sexual/reproductive health, informed consent for transgender hormone replacement therapy, and primary care for the uninsured/underinsured community. Pensacola Osteopaths will partner with inclusive community organizations to make a greater positive impact in the health and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community.

Call 850-368-7528 for details.

Pensacola Fire Department installs 66 smoke alarms during Woodland Heights Neighborhood Canvas.(Photo: City of Pensacola)

The Pensacola Fire Department installed 66 smoke alarms during a neighborhood canvas in Woodland Heights on Nov. 16, where firefighters went door to door offering to install smoke alarms for residents free of charge.

This area was selected for the neighborhood canvas due to recent house fires where there were not working smoke alarms in the home.

Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. According to the National Fire Protection Association, a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half.

Call 850-436-5200 for details.

Santa Rosa County Animal Services launches Doggy Day Out.(Photo: Santa Rosa County)

Santa Rosa County Animal Services is launching the Doggy Day Out program to pair members of the community with shelter dogs for daytime field trips. Outings can last from one hour to all day and can include a hike, puppuccino from a local coffee shop, or even lunch at a pet-friendly restaurant.

Participants will be provided with everything needed for a successful outing. Individuals interested in the program can find more information and fill out an application online or contact Santa Rosa County Animal Services at 850-983-4680.

Donations are urgently needed for Pensacola Humane Societys pet pantry, which provides dog and cat food for pet owners in need of temporary assistance. Due to a higher than expected demand in recent days, the pet pantry has been depleted.

The Humane Society accepts donations of any brand of both wet and dry dog and cat food and cat litter. The pet pantry provides the food at no cost to pet owners who come to the shelter and present an acceptable form of identification, such as a drivers license.

Donations may be delivered from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Pensacola Humane Society at 5 Q St.

Call 850-466-3945 for details.

Gulf Breeze Will Do, a womens philanthropic group, recently awarded more than $60,000 in grants at its annual meeting on Nov. 17.

Gulf Breeze Will Do was born out of a group of Gulf Breeze women who formed an organization that could serve as a funding tool to help other nonprofit organizations and individuals who are trying to make a difference in the Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach communities.

Grant funding at GBWD is provided by collective annual membership dues, of which 100 percent is distributed back to the community. Every member has a vote on which organizations receive grant funding.

This years grant recipients include:

Art, Recreation & Sports The Arc Gateway Inc.;Gulf Breeze High School Track Team.

Education Gulf Breeze High School Air Force Junior ROTC;Gulf Breeze Elementary School;Gulf Breeze High School Mathematics Department.

Hardship Support Services South Santa Rosa Ministries (Interfaith Ministries); Take Stock In Children, Santa Rosa Education Foundation.

Public Safety Midway Fire District.

Environment Ocean Hour.

Gulf Breeze Will Do has awarded more than $300,000 to initiatives in the Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach communities since its inception in 2014.

Visit gulfbreezewilldo.org for details.

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Zoo celebrates conservation with grant to help students come out of their shell | Causes - Pensacola News Journal