Bears, Bats, And Beyond

An Emerald Coast bestiary

It’s funny how reliably we humans gain animal emblems. One might say spirit animals or just those animals that seem to stick around in our brains. Case in point: Bats are my thing. When I was about 10 years old and playing tennis with my family at dusk, a bat swooped down out of the sky and tried to carry away the neon ball I’d just sent flying. I was awed to say the least. Fast forward two decades, and I’ve accrued plenty of bat merch, trips to the bat houses in Gainesville, and failed attempts to install bat boxes at my home. I’ve stopped to pause countless times as the sun falls to watch the bats slipping out from their nearby hiding places. At this point, though, my love of bats feels less arbitrary and more like an avenue to advocate for an animal whose charm and environmental benefits often go unnoticed. 

Places gain these animal emblems, too. In an ecological area like the Emerald Coast, the species that come to act as figureheads are its flagship species: the recognizable, exciting animals that are capable of motivating the population to pro-environmental action. I’m proud that our summer issue on conservation will allow you to meet not only these animal mascots—featured in both Paige Aigret’s feature on Emerald Coast flagship and keystone species, but also Mike Fender’s feature on conservation expert Jessica Valek and her work with sea turtles—but also some of the vital, lesser-known fauna of our region’s green scene. 

Many of these stories are also motivated by tangible ways we can support the welfare of native animals and their habitats. Carrie Honaker introduces us to director Arix Zalace’s feature film The Paper Bear on page 93, a coming-of-age tale that involved years of Zalace carefully interacting with the black bear population of Grayton Beach. On page 15, Daniela Ghelman identifies local wildlife refuges making an impact for nearby animals in need. I was also delighted to learn that Jack Sparrow’s own infamous Black Pearl was sunk off the coast of Panama City Beach for divers to explore. The site also serves as a burgeoning artificial reef. Fabrizio Gowdy tells us about it on page 20.

Wishing you a memorable summer with all the creatures you adore, 

Olivia Sokolowski

Photo by Photo by Nathan Saczynski / NASCO Photo