CRESTVIEW — Tons of dirt driven by spring rains fill retired forester John McMahon’s 10-acre wetland off Texas Parkway.

 “We received more than 10,000 square feet of dirt and trash that washed on our property,” McMahon said. “It’s ironic, me preaching the environment, that I would be the recipient of environmental pollution.”

McMahon, who founded the city’s McMahon Environmental Center park, said the damage began before the April 29 rains and continued with May and June's subsequent deluges.

What was a small stream 30 years ago when McMahon bought the property has since been incorporated into the city’s storm water runoff system, bringing water from as far away as the Crestview High School area, McMahon said.

“That’s part of the problem,” he said. “Over the years we got more erosion. The latest rains were the most destructive.”

STREET WASHOUT

Several years ago runoff washed out part of Phillips Drive between Gil-Ava Street and Texas Parkway, forming a large gully that the Public Works department and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service tried to mitigate.

This spring’s heavy rains further eroded the gully, bypassing the erosion control structure built by NRCS, bringing the washout within feet of Gil-Ava Street and a Phillips Drive home’s side yard, and dumping more sand and debris in McMahon’s property.

“The weight of saturated soil and the force and weight of water is just unbelievably strong,” McMahon said.

Saturated soil weighs 100 pounds per square foot, he said, meaning his land received more than 1 million pounds of debris, or in excess of 500 tons.

“When I bought the property, it was a beautiful spring-fed stream,” McMahon said. “It has received serious damage to a wetland area, which environmentally is a no-no.”

PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE

Public Works Director Wayne Steele said the city is seeking funding from FEMA and the NRCS to address the recent erosion, but it can’t clean up McMahon’s property because it is private and the city was not negligent, Steele said.

“Because this is a natural disaster, Mr. McMahon is eligible to get funding (from FEMA) to clean it up, if he qualifies,” Steele said.

McMahon said the county tax assessor’s office estimated the damage to his property at $20,000.

“It does impact the environmental conditions of the wetland,” Steele said. “It’s not something that can’t be mitigated, but we don’t have the funding. FEMA and NRCS won’t give us funding to do the clean-up on private property, but the owner can get assistance to do it.”

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Federal mitigation funds sought by city can’t be used on private land

LAUREL HILL — A severely ill, dehydrated 17-year-old horse is under veterinary specialists' care after being discovered last week in Holt.

A Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences official was working with the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society on the case, Safe Haven Horse Rescue Center staffer Brittany Coplen said.

Both departments learned about the horse, named Justice by Safe Haven, early last week, PAWS Executive Director Dee Thompson said.

Thompson said she is unaware of any charges being filed against the original owner, who handed Justice over to Safe Haven on July 4.

“The veterinary reports were inconclusive of neglect of any kind,” she said. 

The horse was relinquished on Friday to the Northwest Florida Animal Clinic in Milton for additional treatments. Justice returned to Safe Haven on Monday.

Veterinary specialists' tests confirmed the horse was not spreading illness to other horses at the Holt property.  

 “It’s not malnourished; it’s just very ill,” Thompson said.

PAWS is watching over the horse while he remains in Safe Haven's care in Laurel Hill, she said.

Due to the level of dehydration, specialists used an IV treatment on the horse, Coplen said.    

 “He wasn’t eating when he got here (at Safe Haven),” she said. “Now he is trying to eat and drink.”

Still, Justice has an uphill battle; veterinary specialists diagnosed liver failure, Coplen said.  

Safe Haven director Jim Bryan said Justice has a 50/50 chance of surviving the illness as of this time. However he and his family are doing their best to help the horse recover to full health.

HOW TO HELP

Contact Safe Haven at 652-3350 to make donations toward Justice's recovery. Visit Safe Haven Horse Rescue Center's Facebook page, on.fb.me/1rJ0slv, to follow Justice's progress.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Holt horse remains in critical condition; no charges filed

Crestview Toastmasters announces its 2014-2015 officers.

They are, from left, Clara Dunham, president; Kathy Morrow, vice president of education; Wanda Walker, secretary/treasurer; and Michael Dunn, sergeant at arms. Not pictured are Gloria Jones, vice president of membership; and Antwon Simpson, vice president of public relations. The officers were installed during the club's June 24 meeting.

WANT TO JOIN?

Crestview's Toastmasters International chapter meets 6-7 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesdays at the Holiday Inn Express, 125 Cracker Barrel Road, Crestview. The public is invited.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Toastmasters elect new officers

CRESTVIEW — Calvary United Church members want to provide school supplies for needy local students.

But they'll need the community's help.

The school supplies will be given to area children Aug. 15 during the 9th annual Back-To-School Bash at Old Spanish Trail Park.

Riky Edwards, an event organizer, said attendees can expect attractions similar to last year’s event, which attracted nearly 3,000.

The event features live entertainment under the pavilion, including martial arts demonstrations, prize giveaways and an eating contest for kids.

“We just want the kids to know that the community cares about them," Edwards said.

 On Aug. 9, event sponsor Hub City Ford will have two vans available at the Crestview Wal-Mart ready to be packed full of school supplies, Edwards said.

Event organizers need paper, pencils, glue and other supplies.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT:  ‘Stuff the Van’ with school supplies

WHEN:   8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 9

WHERE: Crestview Wal-Mart at 3351 South Ferdon Blvd.

CONTACT: Riky Edwards, 682-1776 or yankeeandyankeedoodle@cox.net

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Donations, school supplies needed for 9th Back-To-School Bash

CRESTVIEW — Guys who think Boy Scouts is all about rubbing two sticks together to make a campfire might change their minds after viewing the Crestview Public Library's new scouting exhibit.

Just as scouting in the United States has evolved over more than a century, scouting activities and merit badges earned for acquiring new skills have evolved as well.

The library lobby exhibit emphasizes programs such as NOVA, which augments school studies in science, technology, engineering and math.

Holt Cub Scout Pack 532 has incorporated the NOVA program into its summer camps for two years, local Boy Scouts Unit Commissioner Rae Schwartz said.

“In Cub Scouts, everything is geared toward the kinds of things they’re doing in school,” Schwartz said. “It supplements what the kids are doing in their grades and makes it fun.”

The exhibit includes more than a dozen merit badge handbooks, giving a sampling of the many projects a scout can undertake.

“There’s 133 merit badges now,” Schwartz said. “No matter what you’re interested in, scouting has something for you.”

In addition to traditional outdoor skills, scouts can earn badges in diverse skills such as rocketry, robotics, astronomy, programming and game design.

The Boy Scouts’ Cyber Chips program lets scouts earn Internet safety patches. Requirements are knowing how to be responsible online and what to do if they encounter an unsafe situation online.

“We know all our boys are using the Internet and we want them to be safe and responsible,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz expressed her appreciation to the library for allowing the local Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs to share information about their diverse programs for all boys.

“The great thing about scouting is, whatever your interests, it’s there,” Schwartz said.

INTERESTED?

A Boy Scouting exhibit will remain at the Crestview Public Library lobby display cases through August. Visit BeAScout.org and enter your ZIP code, or contact Unit Commissioner Rae Schwartz, 585-5672 or bakerny@yahoo.com, for information about local Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Library display highlights Boy Scout opportunities in STEM, cyber safety

CRESTVIEW — Unlike the snowbirds residents welcome to Okaloosa County in December, a gaggle of the real thing took up summer residence rather than returning to Canada.

More than 30 Canadian geese have settled in the northeast Crestview neighborhood around Overview Drive, industriously “fertilizing” the private park running between its two lakes.

“I talked to a couple of people who said the numbers they are seeing, and the time of year, is unusual,” University of Florida Okaloosa County Extension Director Larry Williams said.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission water fowl expert Jamie Feddersen said it’s possible the geese landed in town from a nearby location.

“There’s a potential that those are not migratory geese,” Feddersen said. “It’s completely possible, and most likely, that you got an expansion of a local resident population.”

The late spring’s cooler weather may have driven the fowl south from Alabama, Feddersen said.

‘THEY GIVE LIFE TO THE AREA’

The geese aren’t as aggressive as their larger American cousins, leaving residents divided in their opinion of their northern neighbors’ prolonged visit.

“What I like is they give some life to the area,” Isabelle Mills said. “It’s part of nature. We also have a blue heron who comes once in awhile. I think it is a good opportunity to teach children about nature.

“Sometimes the geese come over to our yard, but most of the time they go over to our neighbor because he feeds them. That causes problems because the neighbor next door to him doesn’t like them.”

Mills said during her morning walks with a friend, they sometimes encounter the geese in the park between the lakes, but they are careful to skirt the gaggle to avoid disturbing the birds.

And they watch where they step.

“Their droppings can be a problem around areas where people frequent, like parks and walking paths,” Williams said. “They can be a nuisance, especially with larger numbers.”

WATCH OUT FOR YOUNG ‘UNS

Should the gaggle take up residency, nest and produce goslings, the adult fowl could become protective of their young, Feddersen said.

“They are a tight family group,” he said. “When they have young, that’s when they get a little aggressive. If you start seeing young geese you might want to be careful around the adults.”

The visitors seem to be performing a public service for their Crestview hosts, Mills said.

“I’m afraid of snakes, and I think they are keeping the snakes away,” she said. “As long as they don’t swim in my pool, I like them. They are really no problem.”

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at brianh@crestviewbulletin.com, follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Snowbirds who stayed: Canadian geese summer in N. Crestview lakes

CHIPLEY — The left inside lanes of U.S. Highway 98 east and westbound, between Cody Avenue and the Hurlburt Field runway in Okaloosa County, will be closed from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Monday, July 7 through Thursday, July 10. The closures will allow crews to complete median and paving work.

All planned construction activities are weather dependent and may be rescheduled in inclement weather.

More information and the latest traffic advisories are available via Facebook. You may also follow the Florida Department of Transportation District Three on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Evening lane closures planned for U.S. Highway 98 in Okaloosa

CRESTVIEW — Great Aunt Fanny and her trusty Model A, the family gathered on Grandma’s porch, Maw-maw as a child playing with the pig, and that memorable 1948 Blackwater River church outing when Pastor Breitenkopf fell out of his canoe.

Similar memories lurk in family photo albums and attic shoeboxes.

Next Thursday, we’d like you to pull them out and bring the best ones — and the stories behind them — to the Crestview Public Library.

The News Bulletin, in partnership with the Northwest Florida Daily News and the Destin Log, will share Okaloosa County's history and heritage in time for the 2015 county centennial.

Our group is publishing “Okaloosa County Memories,” a hardcover coffee table book full of vintage photos.

Since the county was born in its northern reaches, especially when the railroad came through in the late 1800s, we want to be sure our north end is well represented.

Your family photos and stories will be instrumental in sharing Okaloosa's story.

ONLINE

• Click here>> www.OkaloosaCo.PictorialBook.com for a photo submissions form and to pre-order "Okaloosa County Memories" for $29.95

• Follow the Okaloosa Centennial Book on Facebook

HOW TO HELP

The News Bulletin, in partnership with the Northwest Florida Daily News and the Destin Log, seeks photographs of commerce, transportation, school, sports, rural life and public service within these guidelines:

• Photos taken between 1915 and today in Okaloosa County

•Preferably originals (no newspaper clippings or photocopies)

•One submission form per photo

•10 photos maximum per family

Bring these photos between 3 and 6 p.m. July 10 to the Crestview Public Library, 1445 Commerce Drive

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Long-time locals invited to scan photos for history book

The National Council on Fireworks Safety offers these common sense safety tips for using consumer fireworks in the hopes that injuries to consumers can be greatly reduced this season.

To that end, they offer the following tips:

•Parents and caretakers should always closely supervise teens if they are using fireworks.

•Parents should not allow young children to handle or use fireworks.

•Fireworks should only be used outdoors.

•Always have water ready if you are using fireworks.

•Know your fireworks; read the caution label before igniting.

•Obey local laws. If fireworks are not legal where you live, do not use them.

•Only light one firework at a time.

•Never relight a “dud” firework.  Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.

•Avoid using homemade fireworks or illegal explosives.

•Lastly, soak spent fireworks with water before placing them in an outdoor, fire resistant garbage can away from buildings and flammable materials.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fireworks safety tips for a happy Fourth of July