A fellow journalist and I were sent to the Florida Keys to report on how the islands are bracing for the effects of the Deepwater Horizon blowout that is still spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It was a week of hard work, hot sun and interesting interviews — and now that I’m home, [...]
It’s been awhile, but this weekend I have to post. I’m on my way to Key West for work, doing some coverage of the preparations for the oil spill — in case it reaches the environmentally sensitive Florida Keys.
We crossed the Everglades on Tamiami Trail, past Shark Valley, Wooton’s, Miccosukee and Seminole lands. Now we’re [...]
Last weekend 10 manatees that had gotten into trouble around the state were rescued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and their partners.
Most of the manatees had cold stress, which happens when temperatures drop below 68 degrees for too long.
Four juvenile manatees were rescued in St. Petersburg, Bradenton and Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge [...]
Florida has a lot of popular and often heard about endangered species: Manatees, panthers and sea turtles, to name a few. But endangered wood rats don’t sound so glamorous.
(Though they are quite cute.)
I discovered them when I was researching Burmese pythons, because apparently the invasive snakes eat the woodrats.
They’re called Key Largo woodrats, and at [...]
All you need is a hunting license, a $26 permit and the desire to slog through the swamp.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Monday that it has created a special hunting season for “reptiles of concern” from March 8 to April 17. Right now, hunters can take reptiles of concern — as it’s small [...]
It’s like a horror movie plot. A devastating storm hits and huge snakes that squeeze their prey to death are escape into a jungle. They start reproducing, and soon, the population spirals out of control.
In Florida’s Everglades, it’s actually happening. No one knows exactly how many Burmese pythons there are out there in the swamp, [...]
It’s still cold here, and I’ve been wondering how it’s affecting wildlife. Awhile back I wrote about sea turtles, manatees, iguanas and Burmese pythons changing their habits because of the cold.
But what about fish?
Turns out, it’s bad for them too. According to an article I found in Field and Stream, up to 7 percent [...]
A swamp might not sound glamorous, but this swamp is of international importance.
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was named a wetland of international importance by an intergovernmental wetlands convention. To celebrate the swamp’s designation, Florida governor Charlie Christ and other officials from U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Audubon, and the convention will be there.
The convention’s goal is to [...]
You’ve probably heard about Burmese Pythons and how they’re a threat to the Everglades.
There’s a reproducing population of the invasive, non-native snakes, after pet owners released unwanted snakes into the wild. I’ve even heard stories of pet shops being leveled by Hurricane Andrew and their snakes escaping.
Sen. Eleanor Sobel has introduced a bill to ban [...]
They call us “citizen scientists.”
I’m not sure if I qualify, but I gave it my best shot. My friend and I walked along the beach at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park on Sunday and counted birds, joining the tens of thousands of people who count birds each year for the Great Backyard Bird Count.
Last year, 93,600 [...]
