L.
Jack Moller
May 26, 2001
Even
while the anti-hunters and NPS are trying to remove the hunters from the
Big Cypress National Preserve in SW Florida sportsmen and their families
continue to show their conservation attitude.
A
mere four days before May 26th we learned of a plan to clean
up Loop Road. This is a road that leaves US 41 (Tamiami Trail) in Dade
County, goes through a portion of Monroe County before it turns north through
Collier County and back to US 41. It is a poorly paved road on the eastern
portion and crushed rock on the western portion. The NPS has recently taken
ownership of the Monroe section of the road because they said they could
maintain it better than the County. However, the NPS has not been able
to grade the entire length of their portion because they do not have the
funds to do so.
With
short notice and on a weekend, Memorial Day, when we would have rather
been in the woods enjoying the Cypress or fishing for dolphin of the coast
of Miami a good number of sportsmen and women decided they would attend
this work outing and help the NPS clean up their road side.
As expected we out numbered the none hunting participants about 16 to
one. There were two members from the Florida Hiking Trail Association and
they were the only none hunting members of the work group.
If
you have never been to Loop Road it is a very pretty drive and most of
the time a regular car can make the trip. You will see open prairies, pine
ridges and deep cypress strands. As the road turns back north it goes through
Robert’s Lake Strand. This is a major natural watercourse that starts many
miles to the north and eventually joins the Florida Bay.You are likely
to see all types of wildlife as you travel this road.
Young and old
alike pitched in for a morning of work. Ben Wolfe, 88-year-old Loop Road
resident and Cody James Kimmel, are seen bring in another load of trash
they collected along the side of the road.
Many parents brought out their young conservationist to help take care
of NPS trash.
We met at 9:30
a.m. and had a short safety meeting with an NPS maintenance employee thanking
all and reminded us of traffic and the possibility of snakes. He did not
mention the alligators in the canal and there were plenty as the water
was low. Florida is in the worst draught in 200 years and this is a part
of the problem. Because the canal normally is a good place the fish and
there are no trash cans where people fish and because many people are just
plan thoughtless with their trash it seems every place one can get to the
canal there was a lot of trash. Thus over the years of people acting improperly
a lot of trash is in the canal and watercourses bottom and now visible.
Thus the sportsmen in a morning’s work collected enough trash to fill
a stake side truck.The entire time we working for the NPS as volunteers
we could not help but think while we are doing this the NPS and the anti-hunters
are in the air conditioning figuring out how to get rid of us. To bad they
do not care enough about the environment to come out and help clean up
what visitors to the Preserve have discarded. It is not like these folks
did not know of the activity because I learned of it on an environmental
list serve that we know these groups are also on.
It is interesting that Superintendent Donahue paid
each 'volunteers' from the student Conservation Corps to do the same type
of work we are doing as true volunteers at no cost to the NPS or taxpayer!
Who really cares about the environment and the
Big Cypress National Preserve?
This page created June 1, 2001, click this link to go to
"Steve's
Big Cypress Swamp" home page
The first group is briefed by the National Park Service
on safety
Ben Wolfe and Cody Kimmel bringing another load
Ronald Booth with his "Bounty"
Dennis Kenworth & Karen Browning