Screw the Everglades Build a city and when it doesnt work out screw the taxpayers

This is a great article that shows exactly why you should not rush development. Shove it down the peoples throats tell them its good for them, make some shady deals. Use tax money to furnish it and tell them its going to be an economic explosion for the area. Then when it all goes wrong make them pay for it again, and when they demand to trim the fat cut services everyone needs. Or tell them we need to increase the taxes to pay for it all. Oh and in the middle of all it all give yourself a raise because after all how can you afford to get by any more on what the people pay you ?. It`s a good thing you made a lot of lucrative side deals along the way otherwise you would have to live like the rest of us on a hope and a prayer.

Virtual Treasure Trove

If you are interested in the history of the Everglades I highly recommend the Everglades Digital Library . Use the search or the browse features and keep going through them. The old photo`s are amazing. There are also some books I can recommend and will in a later post but for now you can use the Amazon search here and it will take you straight to most of them. I do have a couple of out of print books that are great and I will scan the covers and post them as well.

Slow down and enjoy the scenery

Here is something else you will be glad you know. If you are entering the Park notice those speed limit signs ?, the rangers are serious. If you speed and get pulled over you will be asked whether or not you have ever been given a warning for speeding in a national park. And if you have you will get a ticket and I guarantee if you are going over the speed limit it almost a sure bet you will be pulled over. Usually they are mobile and not parked on the side of the road but there are plenty of places to hide. Dont get me wrong if something were to happen to you they would be the only one that could help you . But getting a ticket on the way in tends to ruin the day and getting one on the way out will ruin whats left of the day.

Planning an Everglades Trip

I just was searching the web and struck me that many people are not aware of the many facets of "The Everglades". There are many different regions of the everglades from Homestead in South Miami Dade, to Naples on the west coast, to Lake Okeechobee and beyond. The term everglades is a broad one and to not understand the differences could mean a disappointing trip to say the least.
When I first started exploring the glades I wanted to see everything and that took me to a lot of different places some of which I liked more than others. That gave me a better idea of what I wanted to pursue and then I started concentrating on those areas. This was no problem for me because I am close by and have time to search. For me the mangrove swamps are the areas of the everglades that I like best and they fit in well with my hobbies. Now if you are a hiker this is not the place for you (at least for hiking) because there is almost no hard ground, a canoe or kayak is the only way. On the other hand The Big Cypress National Widlife Refuge is exactly the place for you. Here`s where it gets interesting, if you like to fish almost anywhere in the everglades is good but what you catch and the way you do it will vary. Fly fishing is my passion as is canoeing/kayaking and saltwater fly fishing is the majority of the fishing that I do. After a while I put it all together and saltwater backcountry kayak/canoe fly fishing is me and no place fits the bill more than the everglades. People that know me always ask "Where can I see an alligator?" or "Where can I go on an airboat ride ?". Although I see more alligators and crocodiles where I go telling anybody to go there would probably be a big let down for them. Most of those people are not going to get into canoe or kayak and paddle 20 miles through mangrove tunnels, spiders, mosquitos, just to see them and without knowing where they are going they will probably never make it back. So depending on what you are expecting to see and do you have to match it to the best place. I cant tell you how many people I have seen on the main park road in Everglades National Park that dont know where to go or what to do, and most of them are from Europe and put alot of time and money for their vacation. You have to get off the road and into the glades thats the only way. I catch and release more fish than the guy fishing from shore for food, I see more birds canoeing than the guy from Canada on a birding vacation to Mzarek Pond can even imagine and its all because I get off the road. You probably heard this before but the everglades is not like Yellowstone it is flat and sometimes you can see for miles. But take a boardwalk trek into mahogany hammock and you will see the largest mahogany tree in the western hemisphere, but from the main park road you cant even make it out. Its the same thing for me when I go to the northeastern states and dont know where to fish for striped bass or trout. Do your homework and I hope that you find what you are looking for.

Florida Boat Registration fees increased

Boat registration fees increase, with the additional $10 million going to pay for 66 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission law enforcement officers whose jobs would have been eliminated because of FWC budget cuts, plus some other FWC expenses. The cost to register a boat 16-25 feet increases to $28.75 from $18.50. Boats 26-39 feet cost $78.25, up from $50.50. Boats that do not have to be registered include any non-motor-powered vessel less than 16 feet in length, i.e. a sailboat, or a non-motor-powered canoe, kayak, racing shell or rowing scull of any length. I guess it wont be long before non motorized craft will have to register as well. First the gas increased then the launch ramp fees now the registration, enjoying the outdoors is getting expensive. And you can bet that the citations issued to boaters, fisherman, and outdoorsman will be on the rise as the budget cuts in Florida take there toll.

More on Big Sugar Buyout

Everglades done taking its lumps — U.S. Sugar selling to Florida

by Barbara Murray, July 17th, 2008, 7:00 am

If you rebuild it they will come

Looks like there finally may be plans to rebuild an eco friendly village at Flamingo. This means air conditioned rooms to stay at besides camping. Anyone who has ever been to Flamingo after dark in the warmer months knows how much this means.

Everglades Snail Kites are disappearing

How ironic that what was killing off the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow is what`s needed to save the Everglades Snail Kite. Because of severe drought conditions in the prime habitat of the Snail Kite the food on which it is named for is disappearing as well. But I would not put the blame squarely on the drought rather those who have caused it to begin with. Sadly the Everglades restoration may not come quick enough for the bird which bears it`s name.

Too much sugar ?

Possible Flaws in State Plan to Rescue the Everglades

By DAMIEN CAVE

Published: July 2, 2008

Skeptics of Florida’s proposed purchase of a large swath of the Everglades fear the oft-fertilized farmland could take at least a decade and billions of dollars to rehabilitate.

Florida Panther Deaths

I was crossing Alligator Alley recently and noticed that along State Road 29 south of I75 all the way to Tamiami Trail there were new sections of fence being erected. Clearly this was to keep wildlife off of the roadway especially the Florida Panther. The only problem was that there were so many gaps of unfinished sections of fencing. So if anything entered the roadway it would have to go back the same way or find a new gap which would mean basically being trapped on the road. Yeah there is a grassy shoulder but haven`t we all seen cats or squirrels that without warning dart across the road?. Anyway I decided to see what the roadkill statistics are. Hopefully the fence when completed will dramatically decrease the deaths, here is the link to the statistics