I outstretched my arms reaching towards the golden beams shining brightly through the airplane’s small excuse for a window. I looked to the man across from my seat and asked “what’s this”? He laughed, acknowledging my humor. But I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen sunshine like this. I had arrived in Fort Myers, Florida. The sunshine state.
On January 12th 2013, I arrived at a small 3-bedroom house. The description is not important, for what lay beyond the house was far more interesting. Before me lay 26,400 acres of pinewood, prairie, and a variety of wetland habitats. I set my 37lb suitcase down on the small cement steps and swung my backpack off to take everything in. I had arrived at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge! Located deep within the heart of the Big Cypress Basin, the Florida Panther NWR is 20 miles East of Naples in Southwest Florida. Bordering the Everglades, this opportunity fulfills a lifelong dream to work and experience one of world’s most famous wetlands. For the next 5 months I would be living on sight and working to manage the refuge alongside USFWS Biologists. As a Biological Intern I have the privilege of doing a vast array of fieldwork, research, public outreach, and management practices at the refuge. My work will focus on providing optimum habitat conditions for Florida panthers, one of the main goals of the Florida Panther NWR. Though many of the management activities such as prescribed burns do not directly increase Florida panthers. By increasing habitat quality and forage for deer, panthers benefit indirectly due to the increase in deer densities. When it comes to Ecology, you begin to understand how everything is connected!
Staff at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge are a crazy group of personalities thrown together to form a cluster of kindness and support. With a wonderful and knowledgable staff its been an easy transition from Oregon. And upon realizing a “Blue hair” was not a rare species of bird, I quickly learned that the Biologist’s Ashlee and Wade had a great sense of humor! Because down here in Naples, Florida wintering blue hairs and snow birds are abundant.
A lot of people have been wondering,
what exactly is a Florida Panther?
I can assure you the Florida panther is not a black mythical beast. In fact, they’re not black at all! Florida panthers are a subspecies of mountain lion that inhabit Florida. Though they can still interbreed with our western mountain lions, these cats have been isolated long enough to diverge genetically. These genetic differences along with a few distinct traits earned these cats the classification of subspecies. Florida panthers are slightly smaller, tend to have more of a reddish coat, and have darker facial features than their western counterparts. Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission estimates there are 100-160 Florida panthers left in the wild. Please click the link below to learn more about Florida panthers and how the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came up with this population estimate.
http://www.fws.gov/floridapanther/panther_faq.html
Why is protecting the Florida panther so important?
Some people believe that resources and funding is wasted on protecting an animal with such few numbers. However, The Florida panther is an iconic species. Similar to the giant panda, the Florida panther acts like an umbrella species. By protecting this species we are in fact protecting every other living organism that lives within its range. This protects countless endangered species that would not otherwise receive enough attention to persist. Not to mention the thousands of migratory birds who make use of the region seasonally. So by protecting the Florida panther we are in fact protecting everything beneath that umbrella.
Amazing what we can achieve together!
A Glimpse Underneath the Umbrella
1/13/2013:
I strapped on my knife not knowing what lay around the bend at the Florida panther National Wildlife Refuge. Some extra security for my first exploration. I began walking through the only jungle I’d ever seen in North America. Pretty special if you ask me. I took in the environment, but I ventured in the hopes of encountering one of its inhabitants. Off the road a clearing in the palms revealed a small body of water. I stopped and admired a pool of life. Insects flew about and fish kissed the surface of the water. But the longer I stood, the more she revealed to me. Birds revealed themselves, and the little anole poked his head above the palm leaf. For a brief moment the noise was broken by stillness. Then I saw it! A water moccasin (Cotton mouth) had slipped into the murky water. Swimming slowly yet gracefully, not breaking a sound and hardly a ripple. Rays of sun revealed a shimmering brown body with broken black circlets dotted at the center. A dark brown eye-stripe crossed through the eye and emphasized the yellow chin. I felt so much respect as I experienced this animal’s beauty and grace. And if you can see the beauty through the irritating plants and biting insects, it is truly a great gift.
Enjoy the Little things!
Stayed tuned. Because I’ve encountered countless critters, venomous snakes, and birds you can hardly pronounce. With Swamp buggies and gators, there’s bound to be a tale or two around the river bend! Feel free to message me questions or comments below!
All the best,
Matthew Solberg
