Take it easy in Hemingway's Key West Earthtimes, UK - Jan 7
Is it 4 pm or maybe already 5? Nobody cares much as details like that are
unimportant on the island of Key West on the southernmost tip of America.
Coral Reefs Under Attack From
Global Warming And Acidification Of Oceans AHN - Dec 13 2007
The world's coral reefs are
being killed. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday
that new research finds carbon emissions are threatening coral reefs. The
findings are timely as 2008 is the International Year of the Reef.
Report says climate change could cost Florida billions of dollars
Tallahassee.com, FL Nov 28 Climate change could cost Florida an additional $27
billion by 2025 and $345 billion by 2100 if carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gas emissions continue to increase at current rates, according to a Tufts
University report.
Key
West Area Parks Everglades National Park Safety Tips
Viewing Wildlife
You will see a large variety of wildlife while
visiting the Everglades National Park.
Remember the animals are protected and move freely throughout the park. They
are wild and are fairly unafraid of humans. Please do not feed the wildlife.
This
can not only be dangerous for you but is bad for the animals themselves. It is
a bad
diet for the animals and makes them associate food with humans. Remember
adult alligators have powerful jaws and a brain the size of a walnut. To
them all other creatures are rated as potential food or threat. This includes
you.
Do not get any closer than 15 feet they may look big and slow but they can
outrun
you. Swimming is not allowed at in most the freshwater bodies of water in the
park.
Keep you kid and pets close to you out of hands reach may be too far. They are
attracted to the same areas alligators like the waters edge. Plus they are
about the
same size as the alligators natural prey. The best place to view alligators is
the
elevated boardwalk at Anhinga Trail. If you see anyone feeding or harassing
the
wildlife report it to a ranger or call 305-242-7740.
Those little rascals Raccoons
Anyone who has spent any time in any of the parks
on the east coast knows about
these little guys. Here in the Everglades it is no different. Use the usual
precautions
Keep your food either in your car or in a hard sided cooler. If out camping
hang it
up in a tree out of reach. Raccoons are very attracted to our food water and
garbage. If confronted they can get nasty. They are also a carrier of rabies.
So enjoy
these little rascals its always a pleasure to see them, but give them no
reason to
hang out and become a pest to you or the next person.
Heat
The heat and humidity can be overwhelming in the
summer months, but you can
be overcome by heat anytime of the year. Just keep drinking lots of water.
Don't
wait till your thirsty and avoid sodas. Working outside in Key West I joke
with the
tourist who asked how do you stand the summers down here. I tell them it's not
hard you simply drink a gallon of water a day and don't go to the bathroom
once
by the time October gets here we have a totally clean system. After sweating
out all the impurities all summer.
Park Snakes
I don't know about you, but I don't do snakes
period. Their are about two dozen different species of snake in the park four of
them are
venomous eastern diamondback rattlesnake, dusky pygmy rattlesnake,
cottonmouth,
and coral snake. for the most part snakes will stay away form people but if
you come
across one and not sure what it is just give it a wide berth. From my point of
view
I give any snake a wide berth of about 1/4 mile, but that's me.
Thunderstorms
Usually in the summer it is not uncommon to get
that daily thunderstorm. If you
have ever visited Florida you have notice its very flat. the only elevation we
have that you see is usually either a landfill or a highway overpass. So as
you see
these thunderstorms approaching. We call these Florida Mountains you will see
why. Don't let the rain dampen your spirits they seldom last very long but
they can
be very severe while they last. This is even more so if you are on the water.
The
safest place to be is either in side a building or just in your car till it
blows though.
Again in most cases this should only be 15 - 20 minutes.
Remember this is their Home
The parks in south Florida are home to a great
variety of wildlife. They should be
enjoyed but in at the same time left alone. If you approach any wild animal
and
it changes its behavior you have gotten too close so back away letting them go
about their business. We are guest in their home so treat them the way a guest
should when they visit you in your home.
Poisonwood
Contact with this poisonwood can lead to a rash
that many say is worst then
poison ivy. I will try and get some good color pictures of this with out going
looking for some. The new leaves are bright to deep green in color. The older
leaves have black spots. The branches and trunk sometimes have black oozing
wounds. Good rule of thumb if you don't know what it is don't touch it.
Attention Boaters
Manatees
It is not uncommon to find manatees in the
waterways of the Everglades. Living
in Florida for the past 9 Years, and vacationing since 1971 I have never seen
a
adult manatee without scares on its back from boat propellers. Now we use
these
scares to tell one from the other. Because they are slow moving and like
shallow
water many are killed each year by careless boaters. To the best of my
knowledge
there are less than 3000 alive today so the loss of any number is not
acceptable.
If you come across an injured or dead manatee call the Florida Marine Patrol
at (1-800-DIAL FMP).
Don't forget what is left in your boat
While driving in the Everglades you see very
little litter. Thanks to the fact that
most of you who visit Parks are very aware of littering. The only place I have
notice it on a regular basis is when you are approaching Flamingo. The main
reason for this is boaters who leave trash in their boats after they pull them
out
of the water, and are trailer them away. Not one of them would throw trash out
the window of their truck. But by leaving it in the boat it blows out as they
leave
the area and pick up speed. So please police you boat before you leave for
anything that might blow out as you leave.
Safe Boating
Boating In the Florida Bay as well as the
Everglades Backcountry can be challenging
The waters are very shallow and you can run your boat aground very quickly.
Not
only do damage your boat. You are also destroying the bay bottom that provides
food and shelter to many of the marine sea life. Refer to nautical charts as
well
tide charts. These should help make for a safe and more enjoyable boat trip.
If you are driving to Key West
either from home or after
flying into Miami this is a must side trip.
Clyde's Key West Parks
