Iguanas threatening butterfly population in the Florida Keys

Photo Credit: Univ. of FL

Iguana were first reported in Miami, Florida in 1964. Not long after they were spotted in the Keys. In the '80s and '90s, iguanas became popular pets, but many people couldn't deal with those that grew bigger than their family dog. Now they are common in waterfront subdivisions in Broward and Palm Beach counties.


In today's Washington Post, was an article by the Associated Press, Iguanas hunted in Bahia Honda, suspected in disappearance of Miami blue butterfly population.


"For more than a year, Bahia Honda State Park biologist Jim Duquesnel traversed the nature sanctuary with two hopes. He wanted to see a Miami blue butterfly and rid the Florida Keys outpost of as many iguanas as he could.


The reason: The Central American invader may be driving the Miami blue into extinction by eating the leaves where it lays its eggs — a bit of butterfly caviar in every bite.


No confirmed Miami blues have been seen on Bahia Honda since July 2010, and with each passing day it becomes less likely any exist there. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last August issued an emergency listing of the Miami blue as an endangered species and three similar butterflies — cassius blue, ceranus blue and nickerbean blue — as threatened."  More of the article.


As stewards of the outdoors, we all need to be concerned when ever a new species of plant or animal is introduced to the environment.  It can cause devastating effects.

Teaching teachers how to navigate.

Yesterday I had the best opportunity to teach a group of elementary education students at the University of Central Florida.  In three hours, they were taught the history of GPS navigation, the "ins and outs" of the sport of geocaching, and had an opportunity to place a cache and hide a cache.  If you're unfamiliar with sport of Geocaching, this link will tell you all about it, but in short it is high-tech treasure hunting.


A few of the important things mentioned included, that children for the most part are not learning skills in any type of navigation these days, at home or in the classroom.  Putting a GPS receiver in their hands and having them get to know how to use it is the easy part.  Most kids nowadays feel comfortable with electronics and holding an instrument and manipulating the buttons.  Some of the reasons geocaching in the classroom is a special  event, is that it gets them outdoors, they get to explore with some autonomy and most of all they get to find a "treasure".  It doesn't really matter that the treasure is science, social studies or match related, they still enjoy it!


I admire teachers who are using this skill, and going the extra effort with our children to help them learn with innovative methods.  I applaud UCF by including this topic with their education students!


The space below is for including some of the good ideas the students have in implementing GPS into K-6 curriculum.  Please check back to see their ideas!

Midway Progress Report - 4-H Fly Fishing Clinic

We're about midway through our 12 week 4-H Fly Fishing program, and it is going incredibly well.  I attribute our success to the overwhelming support of our volunteer experts from local fly fishing clubs, and the sharp, willing to learn young students.  The weather in Melbourne (Florida) this past weekend couldn't have been any better, although the fish weren't biting!  In spite of that, it will be a weekend to remember for a long time.  I am including below, a program summary for those interested in starting a similar program.

Photo credit: Kristen Sanderson

The University of Florida / Brevard County Extension 4-H Program has a goal to attract and teach one of the most challenging clientele bases for the program, the teenager.  It is also a programmatic desire to overlap with other Extension program areas, bring in subject matter experts and additional sources of funding. Partnering with a local fishing enthusiast group, small businesses, and Brevard County’s Marine Science Extension Agent, a 4-H program in Fly Fishing was developed.  Extension’s primary role was to capture the vision of the group and bring them together as a unified team. This six-month twelve session program involves seventeen boys ranging from age 12 to 17 and 13 adult volunteers.  Of the nearly 30 people involved in this program, only 5 have had previous experience in 4-H.  Learning the techniques of fly fishing is only one piece of the curriculum. Youth are also taught knot tying, the artistic form of creating your own flies to imitate insects and marine prey, wildlife conservation, and building lifelong friendships with fellow fly fishers. An evaluation process is in place to report on and expand this program.

Get outside to boost your happiness.

Recently my wife and I have been walking the new Max Brewer Bridge in town. Its a 1.6 mile walk over and back, and I'm always surprised how much better I feel when we're done.

In a University of Rochester study, 90 percent of subjects got a boost in energy and had their outlook brightened by spending time outdoors around trees, grass, and living creatures. Meaning get outside and get some fresh air. Take a quick walk around the block to take in the outdoors. Who knows what you’ll see? Every time you go outside, there’s something new to see; it’s never the same. From Ten Thoughts On Happiness.

Photo credit: cfnews13.com

Keep your family safe by locking your guns.

Most people I know who have a gun in their home do so for the primary reason to keep their families safe.  It is unfortunate that sometimes the home becomes less safe because of that firearm.  What I mean is, that the home owner has the sense of security that they can protect themselves from an intruder, which may or may not happen.  On the other hand, that same home owner puts their family at risk by storing the gun in an unsafe manner that may be accessible to kids.


Moms and Dads, lock your guns and keep the ammunition locked separate.  For those of you who want to have the security against an intruder, ask yourself, "Am I really ready to shoot and kill another human being?".  After seriously considering all of this I concluded that most people would probably be better off by installing or upgrading a security system, leaving outdoor lighting on, buying a dog that will alert you to prowlers or all three.

Securing your firearm is not just a safe thing to do.  It's the law.  If you do not know how to lock your firearm, call any law enforcement officer or agency, gun shop or visit the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Project ChildSafe website.

New UF article on catching that pesky Armadillo.

You know the scientists at the University of Florida / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) do the best job at studying and reporting on issues that concern us all.  When I was a young man we used to trap and BBQ these critters, and now as a Florida home owner they're continually digging in my yard, driving the dog into a barking frenzy!  Here is a good article I'd like to share that was just announced.

Baiting the Nine-banded Armadillo - What is the tastiest treat to tempt an armadillo? Armadillos are one of the most significant nuisance pests in Florida and much of the Southeast. There are no repellents, toxicants, or fumigants registered for use with them. They are good at both burrowing beneath and climbing over fences. There are also no effective methods for baiting them into traps. So the authors of this 3-page fact sheet set up a test to determine which materials have the greatest potential to serve as bait. Written by Holly K. Ober, Lucas W. DeGroote, and Russell F. Mizell III, and published by the UF Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, December 2011.


An excerpt, Armadillo feeding activity causes damage in a wide range of locations such as lawns, flower and vegetable gardens, golf courses, sports fields, cemeteries, nurseries, and orange groves. Armadillos have been blamed for reducing bobwhite quail and sea turtle numbers because of their fondness for quail and turtle eggs. Armadillos are also blamed for causing structural instabilities when they dig burrows around and under buildings. In sum, they are one of the most significant nuisance pests in Florida and much of the Southeast.  For the entire article click here.


Soon I'll post some recipes for your enjoyment.