Today is Save the Frogs Day

Do you think that anybody really cares?

They should care, a lot!

Frogs, like Canaries, are one of many markers on the health of our planet.

I know this because we have Green Treefrogs in our yard and each

year since moving here, we have watched their numbers shrink.

These Frogs have both human and animal enemies,

the Southern Racers and other snakes that live all around us

and the pesticides that everybody uses in their yards and gardens.

The snakes are doing what they always do, eating.

But when we use pesticides without thought for the impact that

they are having on the planet, then we become the enemy too.

Here are two things that you can do to make a difference:

Sign the Letter to the Head of the EPA

Learn More About Frogs

Clean and Green Energy Must Be Balanced

Everyone accepts that we must wean ourselves off of petroleum based energy, but whichever new, clean, green choice we make, there are significant impacts on wildlife that must first be taken into consideration.

The answer to all of this, scientists say, is balance and

for the sake of our Ecosystems, we have to get it right.

These new energy choices can work for all of us living on the planet,

humans and animals, just as long as we find the correct balance.

Here are three stories to show how:

Producing Power, Protecting Wildlife

Win-Win for Wind and Wildlife

The Original Research Article

The Lake Wales Ridge in Florida

Ok, I admit this is mostly selfish, because I happen to live in the area of this Ridge.

Millions of years ago, this narrow strip of land was Florida's only dry land.

The Ridge was in fact a chain of islands, the rest of Florida was under water.

It is also the highest elevation in the peninsula of the state at about 300 feet.

If the glaciers ever do melt from Global Warming, those of us who live here,
will be the last in Florida to need a boat!

The Lake Wales Ridge is one of the most unique ecosystems in America.

Wondrous things can be found here, with feet, wings and leaves that exist no where else.

Why you might ask, do we need to keep this narrow piece of land safe?

Have you ever been to the Black Hills in South Dakota?

These two areas share something rare, they are both microcosms.

What lived and lives in these two places can and should, be studied forever.

But they will need a little help from their friends to keep them safe,

they will need you and me.

Saving the Ridge

Out of the Mouths of Harvard

You have read my rantings here for the past few months,

about what really brings the tourists to Florida

and now it would seem that others may agree.

People do not travel across the country, nor half way across
the world to see concrete, they come here because we have,

for a little longer at least, the greatest array of animal species

still approachable on the Planet, our Florida Wildlife!

Harvard says it is so, so it must be:

Endangered Species Economics

How Much Should We Spend to Save Manatees?

In Brevard County Florida, gates were recently installed on the Canaveral

Locks Barge Canals to reduce the number of Manatees from being crushed.

But, some local residents seem to think that too much money was spent.

Brevard County has the highest number of Manatee deaths in Florida,

but not all of them die in the locks, many die every year from boat strikes

and many more died this year from the extreme cold.

Should we treat wildlife deaths like the car companies do with humans,

and call their deaths, "Acceptable Losses?"

So, what amount is the right amount to spend?

Can you really put a number on cruelty?

$1.4 Million Spent to Prevent Manatees from Being Crushed

Is GE, Genetically Engineered, Food a Runaway Train?

Several days ago I watched a Documentary on TV about GE,

(Genetically Engineered) Food and Monsanto, et al.

This was the first time that I had seen the film and the impact that it had on me was both crushing and devastating.
The abusive, disgusting treatment of the animals was sickening and vile.

The information presented was very difficult to see and even harder to learn about.

On this Blog, I have repeatedly pointed out the kinds of activities Monsanto and others in the field of GE Food have been taking part in for years.

Now in one brief moment of film, all that I feared, was presented so swiftly,

with no time for catching a breath, no chance to digest, just slapped in the face and knocked on your backside.

You had to just deal with it.

I had felt since beginning this Blog, that perhaps I was just a little too critical of Monsanto and others in regard to their products and their involvement in the production of our food.

I worried about the effects that these companies were having on all life on this planet.

Now, I can absolutely say that I did not go far enough.

The situation is much, much worse than I ever could have known.

I am sickened to have to encourage people to see something with the very, very difficult content of this film, but what if no one ever finds out?

What if we wait too long to act?

What if it is already too late?

If you are unable to watch this Documentary, please find it, rent it,

download it, or go buy it.

But, for the sake of every living thing on this Earth, please see it.

Life Running Out of Control

This Documentary is not fit for children or the faint of heart, under any conditions!

Write, Call or Fax, please just do something, anything!

If you have never written a letter to a Public Agency like the FWS,

please let this day be your first.

The most critically Endangered Animal in Florida, in fact,

in the entire U.S., is our Florida Panther.

It has been killed by cars, shot by Ranchers and chased out of its ancestral

homes all over Florida by greedy developers with nothing on their minds,

except building something, anything!

Now the lawsuit fighting to protect the very last piece of Florida Panther Habitat, was just ruled against by a Judge, (see story below) and the only

thing standing between its complete and total extinction is YOU!

The man at the helm of the FWS is Mr. Nick Wiley:

Nick Wiley Executive Director

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Nick.Wiley@myfwc.com

Office Phone:(850) 487-3796  FAX: (850) 921-5786

Please respond, you are their only hope now.

Federal Judge Rejects Plea for Panther Habitat Protection

When I first moved here in 2004 from Southern California, I was excited to see the wonderful wildlife in abundance all over the state and the apparent concern for living things.

Since then, I have watched as each year wildlife gets pushed farther away

from their ancestral lands and into unfamiliar new territories,

where their chances for survival are slim because so many others

are already competing for the same space and food there.

Today Federal Judge John Steele has put Florida one step closer to

becoming exactly like California, a place with lots of concrete,

but very little animal life.

When the last wild Panther in Florida draws its final breath,

how can we as a species not feel guilty?

We put development, buildings, concrete and Golf Courses ahead

of their tiny remaining speck of land and care nothing for what we

have done to them.

Gandhi once said that a Country will be judged by how it treats its animals,

so what does this say for our Country?

Or for this state?

We prefer Golf Courses and Condos to the sight of wild life just doing

what they do best, living.

Soon, Florida will have one less species to annoy all the land developers here,

the Florida Panther.

Federal Judge Dismisses Law Suit

A great story about our critically Endangered Florida Panther:

Dead Cat Walking

Wild Fires Not as Bad for Them as They are for Us

In 1998, when my parents first moved to Central Florida there was

a devastating Wild Fire that spread across the entire region.

It pretty much wiped out everything in its path.

Although the destruction was unbelievable in human terms,

for the plants and animals, these fires are necessary to maintain

an ecological balance few humans care to deal with, ever.

For more about the fires and how they really do benefit our Wild Florida:

FWS Says Fires Not as Dangerous as You Think

Will Loggerheads Ever Make the Endangered List?

Loggerhead Turtles have been on the Threatened Species List
for thirty years, but they are still not on the Endangered List.

While the experts disagree, the Turtles and those who want

to protect them, can only wait to see if they will finally make

the safest level, Endangered.

Although recently their nest numbers have slightly increased

in Florida, so has development and beach front condos that
steal the places where they have always made their nests!
Loggerheads Wait for Approval

Tree Islands in the Everglades Caused by Early Humans

A recent study has shown that these Islands in the Everglades were actually a result of the accumulated trash of our ancestors and were used by many of the local residents then and now, human and animal alike.

Prehistoric Trash

When is a Scrub Jay like a Termite?

This unlikely comment came from Councilman Bill Deile in Cape Coral Florida, while discussing the costs that might be involved in their town's dealings with the very endangered Florida Scrub Jay.

The wide range of nonsensical, bordering on callous remarks, made about the Scrub Jay, who by the way, is our only Native Florida Bird, by those who run this town, are an affirmation that Wild Things or Endangered Birds are not terribly high on their agenda.

Another example: Thinking that a wild bird who prefers quiet, isolated scrub lands would be happy to relocate to a noisy, busy city park?

Would any of these Council Members be willing to put their bedrooms outside in this same park?

They could still carry out their mating/courting rituals there, right?

It all seems fair to me.

Endangered Bird May Scrub City Plans for Park

Do You Know What's in your Can of Tuna?

If you eat Tuna as much as I do, please read the following.

Do you know how the Tuna you eat is caught?

Do you know about Sustainable Catching?

Did you know that overfishing is eliminating many necessary large fish?

Are you wondering why on Earth this subject would be addressed on a Blog about Endangered Wildlife?

Read on, you will learn....

There are different ways to catch tuna and if it's done wrong, innocent sea creatures may die needlessly, including: Sea Turtles, Dolphins and Sharks.

AHA!

What happens in the World's Oceans affects all of us, whether we eat tuna
or not.

Huge Win for our Oceans

Canned Tuna Guide

Save Our Tuna

Do You Know What's in your Can of Tuna Video

Decline of Predator Fish

Overfishing

Is the Endangered Species Program Endangered?

With a new leader at the top, this last line of defense

for the defenseless, may itself become endangered.

Is the man at the center of all the controversy, Paul Souza,

merely a mouthpiece for the White House or a man on a mission?

His past decisions say that perhaps both may be true.

Trouble for the Endangered Species Program

It's a big "no thank you" to Golf Courses in Panther Habitat

A bill only just introduced last week to allow 5 new golf courses be built

in State Parks and Panther Habitat are all done, almost before they began.

The Bill introduced by Florida Republicans Rooney and Thrasher would have put these golf courses in Panther Habitat and nearly certainly have finished off the already beleaguered Panther.

The idea for the new courses according to Nicklaus, who would have designed and built them, was endorsed by Governor Scott when the two met to discuss ways to increase tourism.
We only have 1,000 plus Golf Courses in Florida right now, making us number one in the country.
If only our Panther numbers were that high!

Can you hear the sighs of relief from the Panthers and Wildlife Officials?

Habitat Protection Hole-in-One for the Panthers

New Bill Would Put Courses in State Parks

No Golf Courses in Panther Habitat

Who will Stop the "Eco-Train Wreck" in Florida

As hoped for, a lawsuit has been initiated by multiple Environmental groups against the NPS, the DOI and the USFWS to stop the attack on the pristine Ecosystem known as the Big Cypress Preserve in Florida.

And the fox most responsible for not protecting his flock, has just been put in charge of the hen house: Florida's "Eco-Train Wreck"

This last bastion of hope for the critically Endangered Florida Panther and other species cannot be sacrificed for the selfish weekend pleasure of recreational vehicle users.

ORV Plan Triggers Lawsuit

Panther Tracks Found

A sign of hope for the beleaguered Florida Panther, could it be?

In an area where it historically most probably once roamed freely,

before Humans took away it Habitats, Panther Tracks have been found.

The sighting along the St. John's River is fairly near us and as one can only imagine, the hope for more is unspoken for those who love the Panther.

Panther Tracks Found Along the St. John's River

Wildlife Officials Celebrate Panther Sighting

What was in that Glass of Water you just drank?

If you live in rural Florida as we do, you have reason to be concerned.

In our part of Florida, there are field after field of cows and mountains of their waste.

Florida is basically a huge aquifer and our drinking water lies just below the surface, so everything on the ground eventually ends up in our water.
It rains constantly here and guess what happens to all of that cow waste when it does?
It is filtered down right through the sand and into our water tables.

We are reminded quite frequently on local news to be vigilant in our use of pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals on our lawns because it can contaminate our water.

But I have yet to hear a single story on the news here about all of the cows and the mountains of their waste that must surely be polluting our drinking water.

Every living thing in Florida depends on fresh, pure water for life,

human and wild, we all need water!

It would seem that California is already very aware of this fact and hopefully they will force this issue to front page news.

Yes, we do "Got Milk" , but what we need is clean drinking water!

Massive Pollution from California Dairies

This is the way it should be~

In the world of Endangered Species, the Whooping Crane is at the top of the list.

The future of this and so many Endangered Animals depends on whether or not we get it right and how soon!

So, when two countries like America and Canada come together for the benefit of a rare and beautiful creature, the result can be extraordinary.

The heroic efforts of many people from our countries just may hold the greatest hope yet for the Whooping Cranes and it would seem that this time, we may have gotten it right and it just might work.

Whooping Crane Population Gets Baby Boost

It's Turtle Time In Central Florida

After spending the last 3 days at Flagler Beach looking in vain for Right Whales, came home to find out that the Nesting Season for our East Coast Turtles has begun.

Volusia and Brevard Counties are revving up for what could be a great season and the Lights Out Campaign is now underway:

Caution: Sea Turtle Nesting is Starting