Female panther killed on U.S. 41

Naples Daily News

Contributed by Darrell Land, Panther Team Leader, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Originally published 2:57 p.m., Thursday, April 9, 2009
Updated 2:57 p.m., Thursday, April 9, 2009

NAPLES — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received calls this morning about a panther that was struck and killed at 10:20 a.m. on U.S. 41 near Turner River in Collier County. The panther, UCFP119, was a 2-3 year-old female that had a cowlick but did not have a kinked tail. No subcutaneous transponder chip was detected. The carcass is being transported to Gainesville today and a necropsy has been scheduled for Friday. The remains will be deposited with the Florida Museum of Natural History. This is the sixth known panther mortality for 2009, five of which have been caused by collisions with vehicles.

The following is a statement from Laurie Macdonald, Florida program director for Defenders of Wildlife:

“Today’s tragic incident is deeply upsetting because it could have been avoided if there had been wildlife crossings and fencing in the area. The panther killed today was a breeding age female panther - a critically important individual in the very small wild panther population – and she was killed along a road segment where a wildlife crossing has been proposed.

“We hope that today’s event once again underscored the pressing need to move quickly ahead with reducing the threats caused to panthers crossing the road in Big Cypress. We are urging Florida Department of Transportation and Collier County to slow traffic down on US-41 with speed-calming structures, such as speed bumps and rumble strips, warning lights, a lower legal speed limit and increased enforcement.

“Defenders of Wildlife has been working with agency partners for over a year on a conceptual design for two wildlife underpasses and fencing that would reconnect panther habitat and allow for safe passage of panthers and other wildlife. A public meeting to review the speed-calming and crossing designs will be held in late spring or early summer.

“Once improved measures are in place, we hope that incidents such as these will become less frequent, and panther population will have a real shot at reproducing to sustainable population levels.”

Panther advocates call for solution to dangerous stretch of U.S. 41

New orangutan population found in Indonesia

New orangutan population found in Indonesia

from Associated Press

Budget forces Everglades deal to shrink

naplesnews.com
Associated Press
Originally published 1:29 p.m., Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Updated 6:43 p.m., Wednesday, April 1, 2009

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Charlie Crist’s celebrated $1.34 billion deal to buy 180,000 acres of U.S. Sugar Corp. land to help restore the Everglades is being scaled back by more than half because the state can’t afford the original deal, the governor announced Wednesday.

The reduction means the state will now buy 72,500 acres of land for $533 million, and hold a 10-year option to buy the remaining land. The decision means the original deal — hailed by environmentalists — will be far less ambitious than planned.

“The economy has been what it has been and we have to deal with the parameters that we are given,” Crist said.

U.S. Sugar, the nation’s largest cane sugar producer, owns a vast amount of land between Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. Environmentalists have long criticized the sugar industry for cutting off the natural flow to the River of Grass and contaminating it with fertilizer.

The goal of the land purchase is to convert farm land into conservation land, allowing water managers to create a system to clean and store water before sending it south into the Everglades. (read more)

Rescuers find injured manatee, but it dies

South Florida Sun Sentinel
6:35 AM EDT, April 3, 2009

POMPANO BEACH - A sick, young manatee that was being sought by state biologists because it was showing signs of distress has died, according to local television reports.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission made a public appeal Thursday for help in locating the manatee that appeared to be emaciated, lethargic and thought to be suffering from prolonged exposure to cold temperatures.

Biologists had last seen the animal Monday night in a canal near the intersection of McNab Road and Southwest 6th Avenue.

Some people who live in condos near Southwest 5th Avenue and McNab Road spotted the sick mammal on Thursday afternoon, and rescuers were eventually able to get it aboard a small boat.
But the young manatee died.

Florida wildlife biologist Christy Hudak told CBS 4 the weak animal may have succumbed to the stress of the rescue, along with the deep gash on its back that was likely caused by a strike from a boat propeller.

"Right here, along this propeller wound is what we believe may be the cause of death," Hudak told the station.

According to CBS 4, this puts the South Florida manatee death count at a record 43 this year.

Last year, 38 died during the entire year.

State rescuers looking for injured manatee in Pompano Beach waters

South Florida Sun Sentinel

7:44 AM EDT, April 2, 2009

POMPANO BEACH - State biologists are seeking the public's help in locating an injured manatee.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the animal appears to be emaciated and lethargic and may be suffering from prolonged exposure to cold temperatures.

The manatee has a white scar on its head and a thick coating of green algae on its back.

Biologists last saw the animal Monday night in a canal near the intersection of McNab Road and SW 6th Avenue.

Anyone who spots the manatee is urged to call the
FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

President Obama Signs Omnibus Public Lands Management Act

This legislation will put into law the 26-million acre National Landscape Conservation System within the Bureau of Land Management. It will add 2 million acres of new wilderness across the country. It will preserve 1,000 new miles of wild and scenic rivers. And it will better protect some of America’s most special places - from Oregon’s Mount Hood to the dinosaur tracks of New Mexico to Virginia’s wild forests.

This bill is a Herculean first step in President Obama’s agenda for our open lands.(read more)

Panther killed near entrance to Southwest Florida International Airport

naplesnews.com

Originally published 10:50 a.m., Thursday, March 26, 2009
Updated 10:50 a.m., Thursday, March 26, 2009

An endangered Florida panther was killed by a vehicle late Wednesday night near Southwest Florida International Airport, according to a report this morning from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A Florida Gulf Coast University student discovered and reported the panther about 10:20 p.m. halfway between Terminal Access Road, the new entrance road to the airport, and Daniels Parkway, the Conservation Commission reports. Time of death was shortly before that, according to the report.

The panther, which did not have a radio tracking collar, was a male, about 1 1/2 years old. It did not have a transponder chip, cowlick or kinked tail, but it did have two descended testicles.

The carcass was placed in the freezer at the Naples office of the Conservation Commission and a necropsy will be performed at a later date. The remains will be archived at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Wednesday's incident marks the fourth panther to be killed on Southwest Florida roads so far this year. A fifth panther was killed by another panther at the Seminole Indian reservation in February.(read more)

60 Earth Hour

60 Earth Hour
Saturday, March28
8:30PM (local time)

THIS SATURDAY 28 MARCH AT 8.30PM YOU CAN VOTE EARTH BY SWITCHING OFF YOUR LIGHTS FOR ONE HOUR - EARTH HOUR.

60 Earth Hour 2009 Global (flickr)
Photos

Wading birds vanishing in Everglades National Park

Courtesy of Aida Villaronga (Email)

BY WHITNEY SESSA

wsessa@MiamiHerald.com

It seems even Mother Nature is going through a recession.

After three years of enjoying increases in the wading bird population, the number is down in Everglades National Park.

From 2007 to 2008, the park's total wading bird population dropped by 29 percent, with seven of the nine species showing a decrease in numbers, according to an annual report issued by the South Florida Water Management District.

There is still an abundance of the birds that draw tourists and locals alike at the national park. But this marks the first season of an actual decline in numbers since 2005.

The years of increasing numbers of wading birds was halted by last year's drought, researchers said.

''Last year was pretty poor,'' said Mark Cook, the district environmental scientist who co-edited the annual report. ``We weren't really surprised, because you expect fluctuations of rainfalls and these kinds of issues. The birds fluctuate quite wildly naturally.''

Great white herons, small dark herons, great egrets, white ibis, wood storks, small white herons and glossy ibis all saw a decrease in population for 2008.

Great white herons experienced the largest reduction at 51 percent.

Only two species -- the roseate spoonbill and great blue herons -- jumped in numbers.

The wading bird population, surveyed annually in the park, allows researchers to help judge the park's overall health.

''Wading birds respond to what they find in the environment,'' said Sonny Bass, a coauthor of the report. ``They're a good indicator of the health of the system.''(read more)

Great Blue Heron, reflexión

Photo by Juan C Aguero (juanKa)
Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park
Mar27.09

Everglades National Park Park Celebrates Archaeology Month with Turner River Tour

Everglades National Park Park Celebrates Archaeology Month with Turner River Tour March 28 and 29

Date: March 11, 2009
Contact: Linda Friar, 305-242-7714
Contact: Susan Reece, 239-695-3311

Everglades City, Florida: Join a park ranger guided tour of the striking Turner River Complex Saturday March 28, 2009. This special program is being offered only one weekend during 2009 to celebrate Florida Archaeology Month and will depart from the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades City.

The Turner River Complex is a prehistoric shell works site located in the 10,000 Island Area of Everglades National Park. Located directly northeast of Chokoloskee Island, one-half mile from the mouth of the Turner River, the Turner River complex cover 30 acres and extend for a quarter-mile along the river. Smithsonian Anthropologist Ales Hrdlička, who visited the site in 1922, considered the Turner River Mounds to be “the most noteworthy group of shell heaps and mounds in the entire region” In 1955, William H. Sears, of the Florida State Museum, secured permission from the owners of the property (Ted Smallwood’s family) to conduct excavations at the site. Sears’ work at the Turner River Shell Works Complex provided the first contour mapping of a mound complex in south Florida and was the first professional archeological excavation within the Ten Thousand Islands.

Motorized boat tours will leave at 1:00, 1:30, 3:00 & 3:30 pm and will make a thirty minute stop at the site. Visitors should arrive at least 15 minutes before hand. The tours cost $35 per adult (regular boat tour price). Space is limited to six persons per trip. In addition to the motorized tour, there will also be a ranger-led canoe to the mounds. People can either bring their own canoe/kayak or rent a canoe. Canoe rental is $26.50 (includes tax). Canoes can hold 2 or 3 people. Singles can pay for 1/2 of a canoe.

On Sunday, March 29, there will be a special boat tour that includes a stop and short walk on Sandfly Island, another important prehistoric mound site. This will be the 2:30 boat tour. This trip will accommodate 46 people. The tour costs $26.50 (regular boat tour price).

All tours will depart from the Gulf Coast Visitor Center. Space is limited, so reservations are required for all trips. For more information or reservations call the Gulf Coast Visitor Center at 239-695-3311. The Gulf Coast Visitor Center is located 5 miles south of Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) on State Road 29, in Everglades City. From Interstate 75 (Alligator Alley), take exit 80 (State Road 29) south and proceed 20 miles to Everglades City. Once in Everglades City, follow the signs to the park. The visitor center is on the right.

-NPS-

Photo by Juan C. Aguero
Turner River,2006

Significant Wildlife Die-Off Under Investigation

Courtesy of Aida Villaronga-Email

BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE
Significant Wildlife Die-Off Under Investigation

Roy McBride, a member of the interagency panther capture crew, came upon a dead black vulture along Turner River Road on the morning of March 16th, then spotted several more dead vultures on Fire Prairie Trail. McBride notified chief ranger Ed Clark, who in turn notified dispatch and asked for rangers and resource managers to respond. Ranger Mary Jo Shreffler and resource management staff subsequently located 32 dead or dying black vultures and three opossums. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was advised and one of their officers responded. Park resource management employees Annette Johnson and Steve Schulze, outfitted with personal protective suits, collected the specimens while hydrologist Paul Murphy collected water samples from nearby water sources to test for contamination. The dead animals are being sent to various labs for testing. A US Fish and Wildlife Service special agent visited the park the next day; while he was on-site, two more black vultures were found. The investigation continues.

Contact Information
Name: Gary Shreffler, Park Ranger

____________________________________________________

Federal wildlife officials report mysterious vulture deaths (read more)

_____________________________________________________

Black Vulture

Photos by Juan C. Aguero (juanKa)

The State of the Birds (Very important)

The State of the Birds

Birds are a priceless part of America’s heritage. They are beautiful, they are economically important—and they reflect the health of our environment. This State of the Birds report reveals troubling declines of bird populations during the past 40 years—a warning signal of the failing health of our ecosystems. At the same time, we see heartening evidence that strategic land management and conservation action can reverse declines of birds. This report calls attention to the collective efforts needed to protect nature’s resources for the benefit of people and wildlife.(read more) and (watch video)

The State of the Birds
United States of America
2009
(full report pdf)

Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

Welcome to the official Website of the
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

We sincerely hope that your visit here is pleasant and rewarding. On our web site, you'll get tips on enjoying the Refuge safely. You'll also learn about some of the things we are doing to be responsible stewards of the Florida Everglades, and the things that live here. Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is the last northernmost portion of the unique Everglades. With over 221 square miles of Everglades habitat, the Loxahatchee Refuge is home to the American alligator and the critically endangered Everglade snail kite. In any given year, as many as 257 species of birds may use the Refuge's diverse wetland habitats. Please help us protect the resources so your children and their children will have the same opportunity for enjoyment in the future. If there's anything we can do to make your experience more enjoyable or rewarding, just ask a Ranger, volunteer or any Refuge employee.

For more information contact us at:

Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

10216 Lee Road

Boynton Beach FL. 33473

(561) 732-3684

Cold War history revived in the Everglades as former missile base opens to public

SunSentinel.com

By SARAH LARIMER |Associated Press Writer

9:27 AM EST, March 2, 2009

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Fla. (AP) — At the height of the Cold War, anti-aircraft missiles stood at the ready here in Florida's swamplands, protecting the South from a potential Soviet nuclear bomber attack launched from Cuba.

For almost two decades, beginning shortly after the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the HM-69 Nike Hercules Missile Site was manned by about 100 military personnel, one of the last lines of defense if the unthinkable happened. When it closed in 1979, the park took control of the site.

Now the site is undergoing a rebirth of sorts as a public exhibit, drawing the curious who want to see the Cold War relic along with those who stumble upon it while visiting Everglades National Park.(read more)

If You Go...

NIKE MISSILE SITE TOURS: Everglades National Park: http://www.nps.gov/ever/. Tours are offered Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. through the end of March, but they are filling up fast, with tours March 7-8 already full. The tours depart from the Ernest Coe Visitor Center, 9 miles southwest of Homestead, Fla., on State Road 9336. Reservations are taken at the Ernest Coe Visitor Center up to 30 minutes before each tour or by calling 305-242-7700, ext. 7300. Participants must arrive in the park by 1:30 p.m. and be prepared to drive 14 miles round trip from the visitor center.

Bird-lovers gawk at eagle nest in Pembroke Pines (update photos by juanKa)

Bird-lovers gawk at eagle nest in Pembroke Pines

crop

(2) crop

(1) crop

Bird-lovers gawk at eagle nest in Pembroke Pines

Photos by Juan Aguero (juanKa)

Bird-lovers gawk at eagle nest in Pembroke Pines

By Eileen Soler
Special to the Miami Herald

On the south side of Pines Boulevard, about a half-mile east of U.S. 27 in Pembroke Pines, a group of bird-watchers, animal lovers and curious gawkers gather every day with binoculars and cameras.

They set their sights up high on a four-foot-wide nest bustling with eagle activity that is considered a blessing and a rarity.

One watcher said it makes her proud to be an American.

Inside the nest is the first parental pair of American bald eagles in Broward County since 1972.

The mother eagle spends most of her day feeding and pruning her two fuzzy-feathered eaglets, about five weeks young, while her mate keeps a proud watch perched nearby in a lean forest of skeletal melaleuca trees.(read more)

Avian ecologist says seven charged with killing 21 wading birds should ‘hunt each other’ (updated)

Via EMail: by Aida

By RYAN MILLS (Contact)
Originally published 8:19 p.m., Thursday, February 19, 2009
Updated 7:54 a.m., Friday, February 20, 2009

On Tuesday night, 21 wading birds dropped abnormally from the skies above Goodland, victims of what authorities say appears to be a small group of people with guns who waited for the birds to return to roost, and then shot them for no other reason than to watch them fall.

“Basically they were sitting in the birds’ bedroom waiting for ... the birds to return to go to bed for the night,” said Officer Dan Sterman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, who was working on land patrol nearby and heard the volley of gunshots.

The gunfire came from the direction of a bird rookery near Curcie Lake, off County Road 92 between U.S. 41 East and Goodland.(read more)

Naples: 7 accused in rare bird kills

Naples: 7 accused in rare bird kills

February 20, 2009

Authorities say seven people have been arrested after shooting and killing protected birds in rural Collier County.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the six men and a woman were arrested Tuesday night.

Officers say they found 21 dead birds at the scene, including the protected white ibis and blue heron.

Authorities also found dead tree swallows and cormorants, protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Bear left to mend its broken bones

From Orlando Sentinel

Mike Clary |(Fort Lauderdale) Sun Sentinel

February 6, 2009

MIAMI - A black bear struck by a car on Florida's Turnpike three days ago was returned to the wild and released Thursday afternoon despite having two broken legs and a large open wound in its rear flank.

The decision to truck the young, 200-pound male to Picayune Strand in Big Cypress National Preserve was made by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials after the animal was examined by a veterinary surgeon in Miami.

"Our policy is to let it recover on its own," wildlife commission spokesman Jorge Pino said. "We did what we could do. Now it's time for it to fend for itself." The bear was struck near U.S. Highway 27. The bear had been spotted earlier that day eating cattle feed nearby, according to Lt. Pat Reynolds, a wildlife officer.

Officials decided against trying to pin the fractures.
"We want the bear to know he's injured," said Mike Orlando, biologist and assistant coordinator for the wildlife commission's bear program. "If we put pins in to fix the fracture, he'll think the leg is functional and . . . five, 10 days later he will re-break it.

"Bears are extremely resilient. They get hit by cars all the time, and a ton of them survive," said Orlando.

Orlando said that the bear was likely to hibernate. He gauged this animal's chances of recovery as "excellent."

In 2008, Orlando said, 165 bears were killed on Florida roads.

“The Endangered Everglades – Part II” exhibit at Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park (News Releases)

Donna Marxer, a veteran painter for 55 years, will exhibit her environmental works at the Ernest Coe Visitor’s Center gallery at Everglades National Park during the month of February, 2009.

Marxer, a former Floridian who is now a New York City-based artist, is a lifelong devotee of the Florida Everglades. In 2001, in response to the passage of the Water Restoration Bill planned to resurrect the Glades, she founded “Artists In Residence In Everglades (AIRIE). She says, “To mark that historic moment, and as one who respects this unique environment, I felt that it was important for artists and writers to be able to take part in these new beginnings. With the cooperation of loyal Park employees, Everglades became the 28^th National Park to offer artist residencies in the wilderness.”

Marxer herself became the first resident, who now number more than 50, to create in the Park, and the current exhibition represents Part II of a body of paintings that deal both with the great beauty and the threatened loss of this magnificent part of America, Part I shown in 2008 dealt with small works; Part II in February 2009, exhibits larger pieces made during her residency and beyond.

“It is impossible for any landscape artist working today to ignore the effect of environmental change on our wilderness areas. Because of its biological wealth, there is no greater example of this than the Florida Everglades. These works address that change.” Donna Marxer

“The Endangered Everglades – Part II” will take place at the Ernest Coe Visitors Center gallery, 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, Florida, February 1 - 27, daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.