Walking with the Alligators

Walking with the Alligators
A Florida Alligator

November 25, 2012

Who Isn't A Sucker For A Baby Turtle?

 A Loggerhead Hatchling
I always go out of my way to look for any news stories about Sea Turtles  because they
are just so darn easy to love.
This year was a record breaker for turtle hatchings in Florida, so when Hurricane Sandy came,
my first thoughts were of them, hoping that they could survive the onslaught of the storm.
But, thankfully, I didn't have a great deal to worry about because most of them had already
hatched and gone out to sea to begin their new lives before Sandy ever got here.
Yes, there were some scattered reports of some nests and babies being lost, but considering the enormity, the overwhelming scope of this disaster, it could have been so much worse for many of them.
Georgia State Wildlife Biologist Mark Dodd, says that losses from storms are
" a part of the turtle's natural life cycle. "
As the massive storm neared each area projected to be affected, biologists and volunteers quickly went to work rescuing baby turtles all along the East Coast.
Overall, Sea Turtle numbers are still quite strong.
Thankfully, they dodged a really big one this time, so we will all be able to enjoy their presence for many years to come on our beautiful Atlantic Coast Beaches.

November 18, 2012

Hoping For A Better Year For The Right Whale

 Right Whale Mother and Calf
Last year was a really bad year for this most Endangered Whale on the planet, with only six calves being born, making it the lowest number of births in 10 years.
Average has been at about 20 per year, so this was a fairly dramatic drop.
Experts are now waiting, watching and hoping that this years numbers will improve.
The thinking for last years alarming low birth rate was the poor food supplies near Canada, where they feed until coming south to Florida and Georgia to give birth to their calves.
Here in Florida, the viewing or whale watching season for the Right Whales' birthing migration, goes from the middle of November until about the end of March.
This most endangered whale still has worrisome numbers at about 400, so this season may prove to be another nail biter for devoted whale lovers.
It seems that their only enemies are the US Navy and the big ships that insist on invading their meager travel lanes along the Atlantic Coast.
Come on, can't we give them some room to stay alive in?
We have gone up the Coast to Flagler twice to see them pass by, with no luck.
Whether we get to see them or not, here's hoping they go forth and multiply~

November 11, 2012

The Florida Wildlife Corridor

 Marjory Stoneman Douglas 1965
For those of you who do not have the privilege of being a resident of the Sunshine State, this story about a new Exhibit may give you an insiders look at the reasons we Floridians fight so hard to protect the Natural Beauty that is found here.
The beautiful pictures on display illustrate the things we have here that are nowhere else and why we will not ever give up, or give in.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas and former Governor Lawton Chiles were only two of many dedicated Wildlife protectors, who have defended Florida against those who meant to strip her beauty barren.
The Photographic Exhibit will be on display in Museum of Botany and Arts in Sarasota, until just about the end of this month.
If you can, please take a short journey to the Gulf Coast to see the "real" Florida and learn about the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

November 4, 2012

About Next Tuesday.....

 Florida's Natural Beauty
Next Tuesday voters in this Country will be making choices that will affect not only their lives, but those of the Planet and the things that live in and on it.
These are the non human items that take forever to get on a Ballot and then become so changed over time, that their supporters barely recognize them.
In every state across this vast land, there will be so many issues and agendas represented on these ballots, that making correct choices for them will be made quite difficult.
In some cases, this is very deliberate, in others, perhaps not.
The point is, that as a free country or Democracy, we are supposed to have freedom of choice, this is one of those civil rights all Americans are guaranteed by the 15th Amendment of the Constitution.
This is where the confusion begins.
Somehow along the way, Amendments, Addendums and the like, have been allowed to become so deliberately confusing, that many feel only a lawyer could really decipher them.
So, your Ballots next week will have not only human choices, but written ones as well.
They have been put in place and written very carefully to hide in some cases, things that you may not have chosen, if you had understood what they really said.
Confused yet?
This is no accident, and this mess is called the Electoral process.
What a strange definition for deceit this has all become.
So, what am I trying to say, you may implore?
Merely this, for God's sake and for the sake of every living thing that has no voice, read and understand what you are voting for in that booth on Tuesday.
A great deal is at stake for them too.
And one last thing that was just on our news this morning, if you leave any boxes blank on your Ballot, some unscrupulous person may just fill them in for you!
Please do think about that before leaving any boxes blank or unchecked!