The eagles have landed
I took these photos while I was researching my story on the eagle pair nesting atop a cell tower near the Ed Smith ballpark. 
Essay on the Everglades Snail Kite
An essay I wrote on the Everglades Snail Kite was published today on Sugar Mule Literary Magazine’s Web site. The essay is about this unusual Everglades hawk, but it is also about what happens when we let a species start to slip away. “In Peril: An Essay on the Everglades Hawk” began as a post on this blog, and morphed into a journalistic endeavor as I became more obsessed. Read more »
Virginia Key planned as Port project’s dumping site
UPDATE: This post was picked up by the industry news Web site Dredging Today after it was posted on this blog. Virginia Key Park’s North Point is the targeted site for excavated debris drilled from the billion-dollar Port of Miami project. The North Point proposed dumping site is located on the northern stretch of the mostly-undeveloped 1,300-acre barrier island adjacent to a state-designated critical wildlife area.
Everglades Roseate Spoonbill nests decrease
This is the third in my series on how Everglades Restoration would change the wildlife and landscape of South Florida’s River of Grass: A 2010 study overlooked by the media shows that the overall number of Roseate Spoonbill nests in the Everglades watershed was more than 60 percent lower than wildlife officials had set as a threshold for the Spoonbill’s recovery at the time. A copy of the report can be found here on the Web page for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (SFERTF).
Unknown Future: Troubles on horizon for endangered Everglades Snail Kite
This is the second in my series on how Everglades Restoration would change the wildlife and landscape of South Florida’s River of Grass: The Everglades Snail Kite population has been declining steadily since 2001, and one scientific model projection puts the species on a track towards near extinction in 2030 if conditions don’t change. That means fewer than 50 Snail Kites by as early as 2030. “The bottom line is the population is not doing well. That is not an overstatement, it is an understatement,” said UF Research Ecologist Dr. Wiley Kitchens. 
Rescued Florida panther, now 12 months old, will graduate from conservation center to the wild
The rescued Florida Panther Kitten I wrote about last month is set to be released into the wild soon. “He’s grown up,” Steve Steve Shurter, Director of White Oak Conservation Center, said Monday.
Trouble on Lake Okeechobee for Snail Kites
For those who have been following the recent story about the Everglades Snail Kites and how they are being impacted by water pumping from Lake Okeechobee, the National Audubon Society has posted a full report and started an online petition against the pumping.
Florida Panther Kitten Rescued
After reading about the four Florida Panther kittens that died in the recent Jarhead Big Cypress forest fire, I’m glad now to report on another panther kitten that was lifted out of harm’s ways twice.
How Glades Restoration Would Impact One Hawk
Environmental Journalism: This is the first in a series on how Everglades Restoration would change the wildlife and landscape of South Florida’s River of Grass.
