Manatees Are Managing The Best That They Can, For Now

As if they didn't already have enough challenges

in their daily lives, now the Manatees on Florida's

A Manatee Mother and Calf

Gulf Coast will have yet another human created 

hazard to threaten their safety; oil drilling.

Recent approvals in Congress will give the big oil
companies a green light to drill away in the fragile
Manatee habitats of the pristine waters of the
Gulf Coast of Florida.

Sierra Club News

Congress Deserves an F

Orlando's New Turtle Trek Brings You Face to Face With Turtles

A Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Yes, this is the land of magic and SeaWorld Orlando
will be making a lot of it for the lucky visitors to their Park.

Their newest attraction which opens today has everything
any turtle lover could ever want, including a 3D 360-degree dome,
to experience their video/film in a setting something like a
theater-in-the-round.

Learn more about this exciting new way to enjoy our wildlife:

SeaWorld's Turtle Trek: Keeping It Hyper-Real

Turtle Trek Opens Today

Turtle Trek At SeaWorld Orlando: YouTube

Today Is Another Twofer

The Rodman Dam

First, the damn dam may finally, thankfully, be coming down.

Nearly fifty years later, the biggest mistake in the history of
Florida's natural environment is about to become ancient history.

The Rodman Dam is facing the final hoop to be jumped through

and wiser/cooler heads in this state may indeed prevail at last.

Can you hear the sighs of wildlife up and down the Ocklawaha River?

After 44 Years, Dam To Be Razed

The Babies Are Headed North

After a tumultuous winter in the South, the fledgling
Whooping Cranes have left Alabama and are headed
North to Wisconsin for the summer.

One female left early and is already up there.

Hopefully next winters trip to Florida will be unfettered
by beaurcratic red tape and human interference.

Safe journey little ones, see you this winter~

Endangered Whooping Cranes End Winter Stay In Alabama

Young Whoopers Take Flight

In Honor of Earth Day Tomorrow

        
 

Please consider these things in your reflections about what this

very important day means to you personally:

Two years after the greatest environmental disaster in this country,

Wildlife in the Gulf are still dying.

For Earth Day: 9 films that will change the way you think about the World.

Court Rules Against Habitat for Florida's critically Endangered Panthers.

In spite of the massive outcries from all over America,

the ugly Keystone Pipeline is still not dead.

April 28th is the Fourth Annual Save the Frogs Day.

And lastly, somewhere in an Ocean near you today,

a whale may respond to some military sonar testing

and become confused, or disoriented and beach itself causing its death.

Please remember on this Earth Day, that we share this entire Planet

with those who have no voice, other than ours, to speak for them.

Please make your voice heard for them on Earth Day and every day.

God Bless.

Is Florida HB 1117 Really Dead or Not?

If you don't read the St. Pete Times, or the Daily Commercial, you could be missing

out on the best Environmental reporter in this or any other state,

his name is Bill Maxwell and he always goes for the jugular.

Case in point, Bill's story today on the true status of the

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my bill,

a subject written about on this Blog on March 15, 2012. (See Blog below)

Only a few short days ago, it looked like Governor Scott was sending this

nasty bill to the junk pile, (See Blog below) but not so fast, Bill says.

As Mr. Maxwell so accurately points out today, nothing is ever really over,

not when it comes to politicians.

They are always looking out for number one and that would be themselves.

So, will this bill really stay dead?

We shall see.

Don't blink, turn your back or close your eyes.

Politicians are counting on you having a short attention span and a bad memory.

But, please do read Bill Maxwell's great story:

Ecological Shortsidedness Alive in Florida

Why Would You Want to Save a Tiny Lizard, When You Could Have Another Car Dealership?

In a world where money is king, animals

have to do the best that they can to survive.

A Florida Sand Skink

Here in Lake County, we have a perfect

arrangement for businesses to get around

those annoying Environmental protective laws

and deal with Endangered Species interference,

they simply donate a sum of money to go towards another area where this particular endangered animal is found and then they are free to build and kill at will.

Does anyone actually oversee this donating process or do we assume it will be done as specified?

God knows that we do not have enough Car Dealerships in Central Florida,

and we certainly should not let an animal stand in the way of new business.

I feel so bad, but not as bad as these tiny lizards who do not know that they are

about to be bulldozed to their deaths, so that a new Car Dealership can be built.

Can you say Boycott?

Until April 23rd, you can send FWS your thoughts at:
 northflorida@fws.gov     SUBJECT:  "Attn: permit number TE65123A-0"

New Nissan Dealership Could Harm Sand Skink

Sand Skinks Have Turned Up in Eight Lake County Projects

There Is So Much Good to Say Today.......

                    

First, the Governor has intelligently rejected the Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my, bill....

Next, the Miami Blue Butterfly has been granted Federal protection, now that no one can seem to find one anymore!

The American Crocodile has not only survived human interference, but has actually blossomed in South Florida.

If you are concerned about the possibility of hunting beginning in the only Panther Habitat in the Big Cypress Preserve, the deadline for comment has been extended, please make your thoughts known to the Parks Department.

And finally, protection for wild turtles in this country from being caught and sold by the millions worldwide may become a reality.

This has been a good, busy week for Endangered Wildlife.

Time to celebrate!

Mighty Marjory, the Mother of the Everglades

Yesterday was the birthday of a remarkable woman,
Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Marjory Stoneman Douglas with a
Miccosukee Tribe member in 1965

She would have been 122 years young and

we could really use her help right now,

because the place that she loved nearly all

of her adult life, is still in trouble.

Today her beloved Everglades is still being

polluted by the big Sugar companies and robbed
of its life giving water supply by the greedy
in south Florida.

This vital Ecosystem has improved very little

since she died in 1998 and it is sad because she

fought so hard, for so long to change the selfish

thinking that put this natural treasure and those

that call it home, in such serious jeopardy.

Well educated and well bred, Marjory was the

daughter of a wealthy father and could have had an

easier life working at his newspaper, the Miami Herald.

But instead, she chose to fight for causes that very few others
at the time embraced, like women's rights, racism, preserving the
environment and saving a wild wilderness called the Everglades.

She was truly a mighty woman and we should honor her lifetime
of struggles, by finishing what was most important to her,

by saving the Everglades.

They're Finally Back!

A few mornings ago when I took our Airedale

A female green treefrog

out in the early darkness, a friend was waiting 
for us on the front porch,
a tiny female green treefrog.

It had been so long since we saw them last,

that we were wondering if we had lost them all over the winter,

but there she was telling us that it was finally warm enough

for them to come out for the summer.

Welcome back little ones and happy hunting.

Right Whales Births

One of the most Endangered mammals on Earth,

the Right Whale, has apparently recorded very low

A Right Whale mother and calf

birth numbers this year.

After two trips and six days last Spring to Flagler Beach,

which normally has frequent sightings and seeing none,

we are not surprised.

Locals there who often see them just off shore at this time, said that there had been few reports of any that year.

Academic thinking is perhaps a lack of food, but we have another thought.

The US Navy, who is now and has been for years very active along the Atlantic Coast, has just begun a new offshore training range in the pathway that the whales use to travel up and down the Coast to give birth here in Florida and Georgia.

It seems like Endangered Wildlife just can't get a break.

We stopped the hunting of these whales in the 1930's,

but now our Military has become their biggest enemy.

Poor Calving Season for Right Whales

Restoration Money Goes To Those Who Best Understand Mother Earth

The Everglades Snail Kite

The Miccosukee people of Florida will get 

Tribal Wildlife grant money of  $199,0000 to

help restore the damage done to the

Everglades, Lake Okeechobee,

the habitat of the Endangered Snail Kite

and to deal with Mercury contamination.

Tribes Receive $4.2 million in Conservation Grants

Salazar announces more than $4.2 Million in Conservation Grants

Can A Tiny Skink Stop A Million Dollar Project?

The only thing that is better than this story is when a

Gopher tortoise shuts down a huge development dig!

A Florida Sand Skink

Although we have lived here since 2004,

I have only seen this elusive creature once.

It slid across the grass one hot summer day,

right up to the front step where it sat quietly for
a moment and then died right it front of me.

I had no idea what it was or even if it was safe to do so,

but I picked it up and carried it into the house.

I studied it, then googled it and learned about it.

It was a beautiful, endangered silver sand skink, that now has its own

page here and hopefully one day, another will bless us with its presence.

Lizards May Be Obstacle For Proposed Sports Complex

I Have Nothing to Say Today

I need time to grieve for HER and somehow deal with her senseless death.

She did not need to die!

She Is Dead

The mother Black Bear who bit a Condo resident

last week is dead, they killed her.

Please lock up your garbage,
I don't want to die! 

Her baby, they say, has been shipped off to a 

Marion County Endangered Animal Sanctuary.

This will, I repeat, will happen again and again.

Do you know why?

Because absolutely nothing, has changed in this

situation, except that this young mother was killed.

The trash crates are all still at the doors of these

Condo residents and likely everywhere else across

Central Florida.

Condo garbage dumpsters are not secured and this

will keep happening until someone at the top ends this 

needless nightmare, by passing some real legislation with teeth in it.

A law must be passed to hold condo management and owners, as well

as home owners responsible for their garbage.

A beautiful, wild, warm blooded animal should not have to die
because lazy, thoughtless, idiots refuse to lock up their garbage.

Remember the line in Avatar?
"This is your fault, they did not need to die."
She did not need to die!

Longwood Sow and Cub Are Caught

What Do Ted Turner and the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Have in Common?

Well, Ted is a gazillionaire who actually uses his wealth
to care for Endangered Wildlife on this planet and

Red Cockaded Woodpecker

this particular woodpecker, the Red Cockaded, 

is one of those fortunate wild animals that he is
helping to save from extinction.

Actually, this very rich, most private man, has done

this repeatedly throughout his life.

He simply, quietly, without a lot of back patting and
press, goes about the very important business of trying
to save Endangered wild things from dying on his watch.

Turner is one of the good guys and even though he
doesn't care one bit for this sort of thing,

"Hey Ted, you truly are a great guy and thank you
from all of those who cannot speak, at least not in a
language that we humans can understand."

Congratulations to Our 2011 Recovery Champions

It Is Mommy and Baby Bear Season Right Now In Central Florida

We have another, let me repeat that, another tragic Black Bear
situation here in Central Florida.

A young bear mother with a cub who may lose her life today.

Read Jarhead's story

Please ask why?

Because she had the audacity to eat at the Condo Bear Buffet in Orlando.

This particular Condo Complex has countless residents and it would appear that every single one of them has a crate right at their front door filled with garbage.

They also have on these same Buffet grounds, very large dumpsters that do not appear to even be closed, let alone bear proofed.

So, enter the mama bear and her baby one night this week, doing what every hungry bear in a buffet will always do, eating the food left out for them.

A woman came up on the snacking pair at the open dumpster with her dog and everybody panicked.

The woman turned to run away, terrified and fell down, the bear bit her on the back side.

No, the lady was not critically injured, just some stitches, I believe.

But.......

Traps have now been set and FWS says that because the mamma bear, with her cub in tow, bit a person, it must be killed.

They say they do not know what will happen to the cub.

Okay, we went through this exact same situation, minus the biting, very recently and there was a tremendous uproar, everybody went nuts about the mamma bear and the baby.

In the end the mamma bear was killed, we were not told what became of the baby.

Now, here we are again.

Yes, I called PETA and asked for intervention on Saturday morning.

They said, they are aware of the situation and that it is tragic.

Translation, they don't want to go up against FWS in this case.

There is a solution, but absolutely no one wants to do it.

Not the Condo Mangers/Owners or the residents of this and countless other similar residences here in Black Bear country in Central Florida.

We must enforce the "keep trash locked up" or Black Bear Trash rule.

If there is no "bear buffet," the bears will go away.

Every time they come into populated areas, the same thing happens, bears get killed.

Being "bear aware" should be a law when you live where they live.

Bears will eat what is easiest to get and when it is constantly put right in front of them......

Condo owners and residents need to look in the mirror when this next mother and baby die because of their lazy, selfish refusal to do what is right to save them.

We should also be going to schools and talking to kids and teachers about this.

You know how this idea works:

"Mommy we shouldn't put our trash there, the bears will come and then the mommy bear will get killed."

Trash Education can save a life, a bears life.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Okay, maybe only giraffes, zebras, rhinos, hippos and tapirs.

This could only happen in Florida, right?

After all, this is the land of the Magic Kingdom and the Orlando Magic.

A bill, HB1117, surprisingly called the Jurassic Park Bill,

has just been approved in Tallahassee and only awaits the governors' signature

to become a law that will then allow zoos to turn wild animals loose to graze.

What ?

I saw this two days ago and had to open my big mouth, of course, in response to a

quite thoughtfully written story by Frank Cerabino of the Palm Beach Post.

My usual, unemotional, unbiased comments in response to his story were as follows:

"How much more can the beleaguered wildlife in this state endure?
The list of endangered plants and animals is now hovering at 200.
Habitats have been given away to developers, golfers, boaters and
let's not forget the Cross Florida Barge canal to nowhere.
Panthers are hit and killed nearly every day because they have nowhere else to go,
Gopher Tortoises are buried alive for buildings, Birds and Butterflies
are driven from their ancestral homes for recreational facilities.
When, where does it end?"

Wildlife Bill is Legislature Unleashed

Concerns Grow Over Florida's Jurassic Park Bill

Florida Zoos Could be Allowed to Breed on State Land

Jurassic Bill for Zoos Heads to Scott

Oh, Joyous Spring

Our Gopher Tortoise, Harriet

This morning our wayward Gopher Tortoise,  Harriet,

popped up out of her hole and sat for quite some time

basking in the warm sunlight at the edge of her burrow.
Once she was warm enough, she began cleaning and sweeping
the opening and as to be expected, sand went flying everywhere~
Her next move was to enjoy her favorite "weeds" that we never
remove in the yard.
Hunger taken care of, she disappeared back down into her domain.

Today is the first time that we have seen Harriet since winter began.

We hold our breath every time that she disappears for long periods,

never knowing if she has left us for a better place to live, or been

run over while ambling down the busy road on the other side of our

fenced property.

So, seeing her this morning is cause for celebration.

She is home, she is safe and hopefully will spend the entire summer eating

everything that she loves here, all of which have no pesticides to harm her.

Welcome to Spring Harriet!

To Keep Hydrilla, or Not, That is the Question~

Lake Toho is engaged in a multisided battle with a plant,

some fishermen and some duck hunters.     

A Florida Snail Kite

The plant is Hydrilla and it was introduced into the lake

many years ago, for what purpose, is not exactly clear to me.

The plant has spread and taken over every place that it touches,

like most weeds do.

Enter the Everglades Snail Kite, the key word here is Everglades Snail Kite.

This beleaguered bird was driven from its ancestral Everglades home by human greed and has just recently fairly successfully taken root in Lake Toho.

The kite's primary food is a snail that loves the Hydrilla, so the snail has food and
the kite has food, problem solved.

But wait........

The recreational people mentioned above, who use Lake Toho are now going head to head

and nose to nose over just how much Hydrilla should be allowed to remain in the Lake.

Each group has their own opinion and legal forces to speak for them, all that is, except for
the Everglades Snail Kite, who was just about to be come the Toho Snail Kite.

This bird has been pushed and shoved to accommodate selfish, self centered groups who
care nothing about it or its ultimate fate.

All that each of these groups want to know is, "will I get what I want?"

Who will speak for the Kite?

This very well written story gives a clear history of all involved.

How Much Hydrilla?The Kissimmee Chain Debate

We the 99%, Say NO!

If you still believe that your opinions, your phone calls, your emails do not matter, please see the page below.

Passionate people like you and me, can and do, change minds and hearts.

Okay maybe not hearts.

But the point is, that the power we now have because of our wondrous wired world, we are able to reach out and touch those who are controlling our lives in Washington and globally, every day.

Thanks to facebook, twitter, texting and just plain email, dissatisfied, issue educated, thoughtful humans everywhere are saying, no more!

We have shown in the few past months that we will not go away because we the people, now have this power and will not stop until we get what we want.

Lesson learned, keep posting on facebook, twittering, texting and sending those emails, keep calling your elected, well paid politicians in the Senate and the House, clearly letting them know, that if they do not do what you/we want, you/we will vote them right out of office.

See how long they can live on what the lobbyists give them then!

So, please read the Roll Call page below and pat yourself on the back for a job done well:

Keystone Pipeline rejected, Arctic drilling rejected, Gulf Spill Restore Act passed.

How Your Elected Officials Actually Voted On the Keystone Pipeline