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February 15, 1996 - Amid the Wilds of the Sunshine State4A • The Suffolk Times • February 15, 1996 Amid the Wilds of the Sunshine State We thought we could pull away from this million - plus -acre Everglades Na- tional Park and head back north but the natural attractions to this vast area only let us go 20 miles to another campsite in another unique setting. This time it would be Long Pine Key Campground amongst the Everglades' slash pines. Elevation down here is measured in inches and a slight rise of only a few inches makes a dramatic change in the vegetation. They call this huge area at the end of Florida "The River of Grass" for it's but inches deep and is covered with a matrix of grasses, shrubs and occasional trees. Saw grass is the outstanding plant in this river of grass and, as the name implies, its edges are like the teeth of a saw. As we drove into this new area the park rose just enough to let the pines take hold and it was in these pines we set up camp. Evidence of hurricane damage was all about us, for pine trees were broken off, ripped up or mutilated in some way or another. Hurricanes and fire are part of the ecology of this prairie setting and the overwash of silt during the hurricanes from Florida Bay can be found every- where. This was a change for us and we pedaled our bikes around the park seeing the various license plates of other campers from as far away as Alaska. The next day we did get out of the park and back into civilization, where everyone was busy scurrying about in a way we all have taken as normal today. We had to do some shopping and so we stopped at a roadside stand and bought four huge avocados for $3. We just couldn't pass them tip. I'm sure our cho- lesterol count will go up in the next few weeks as we eat ourselves through them. Then it was off to Homestead shopping centers for the more mundane supplies. After that short spending spree we checked our maps and found a campsite called Chekika on the east side of Ev- erglades National Park and pulled in there for the night. It had little to offer but peace and quiet, which was just what we were looking for after our busy days at Flamingo. Much of the area was flooded, the result of the various rains they'd had during the winter. We turned in early in anticipation of an early rise so we could be at Shark Valley, the north- ernmost entrance to the park, before the crowds. This visitors' spot is a long road running out into the Everglades made by an oil company looking for oil years ago. None was found and the park took advantage of it to give access to this vast area in the northern part of the park. We were up early, and on our way out of Chekika we had to stop and watch a sora rail feeding along the roadside. These shy little marsh birds are seen occasionally on our East End, but because of the lack of freshwater wetlands it's not often we get a chance to see them. Off again and we were soon on the Tarniami Trail, that straight and long stretch of elevated (three feet) road that runs through Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. Focus on Nature by Paul Stoutenburgh Shark Valley Oasis At Shark Valley we took our bikes off the camper and pedaled ourselves along the long 15 -mile loop to the observatory. It would be a leisurely ride with frequent stops to look at snail kites or pick up their empty snail cases that they feed on along the roadside. These snail kites are endangered because their only food is the walnut -size apple snail that is found along this particular part of the Everglades. We saw three or four of the kites. One actually dipped near us and picked up a snail, only to fly off to a nearby tree where he started to enjoy his find, using his specially adapted bill to scoop out the "escargot" quickly and efficiently. You literally had to maneuver around the alligators that had come to warm themselves on the blacktop of the road. Let's Kook Back Photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh ALLIGATOR —If you want to see alligators, 30 or 40 of them, go to Shark Valley, in the northern part of the Everglades. They come out in the morning to warm up on the blacktop of the road. We must have seen 30 to 40 alligators along our way. All were like stuffed an- imals — perhaps an eye would blink as you passed by but nothing more moved. (Thank goodness!) All were good sized and all seemed to have that alligator smile that sort of left you — should I say — apprehensive? All along the "borrow pit" (areas that were dug out alongside the road to borrow fill to make the road) were Louisiana herons, glossy ibis, snowy egrets, great egrets,, little blues, great blue herons and others that kept us anticipating what would show up next. The anhingas were a special interest, for all along we'd find them with their wings outstretched to the sun drying and warming up. They are often called snake birds because of their ability to sub- merge all their body except for the long thin neck, giving them the appearance of a snake, which, by the way, we saw many of along the way. They, too, were sunning themselves, elevated a bit out of the water on a bed of reeds or grass. Later we'd find the fresh- picked skele- ton of one that had been killed and cleaned of all meat so that its three-foot - long length was nothing but a series of 75 Years Ago 25 Years Ago fine rib cages. Crows and vultures had done a job on it. At one point a huge flock of a hundred or more wood storks flew overhead. What a sight against the blue sky and billowing white clouds. Our weather couldn't have been more perfect but I must say my bottom was becoming a bit weary from our biking adventure. Lucky for us we were able to recoup ourselves at the observation tower. This structure looms out of the vast prairie and lets you grasp the immensity of the park. As we looked around and below, black tire -like bodies of alligators lay in the grass snoozing. We were awakened from our paradise by the double tram tour bus arriving with 50 or more excited school children. Two Rangers were their guides, plus teachers and parents. Our oasis was turning into a classroom so we quickly slipped out and headed back to finish our 15 -mile loop. A Primitive Paradise After finishintour visit to Shark Val- ley we continued on the Tamiami Trail until we found a campsite labeled "Primitive Camping" in Big Cypress National Preserve, where we pulled in to a man -made lake — another borrow pit. It is in this huge preserve that the endan- gered panther is trying to make a come- back. There are 10 other campers scat- tered around the lake where I am writ- ing. The sun is just setting, an alligator slowly moves by, its head and nose just showing. A pied -bill grebe pokes along the shore. A fish breaks the water. The afterglow of a sunset fires the lake in an orange spectacle. Barbara's fixing din- ner. We're at peace with the world. Learn Boating Skills PECONIC —A nine -week boating skills and seamanship course will be offered by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxil- iary Flotilla 18 -08 beginning Wednes- day, March 20. Sessions will run from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. through May 29 at the Southold Town Recreation Center, with no classes on April 3 and May 1- The course covers basic material ap- propriate for recreational boaters, in- cluding boat handling, safety and legal requirements, navigation rules, trailer - ing, piloting and more. The course is free, but there is a mate- rials fee of $20 per person or $25 per couple. To register, caII_765 =5182: " Feb. 16, 1921 Feb. 12, 1971 A Million Miles at Sea: Capt. Harold Cunning- Moon Rock Price Drops: Inflation seems to have ham of the Panhandle State, U.S. Mail Steamship Line, hit everything but moon rocks. A 12 -gram moon rock, which sailed this week for London, will on his arrival which will be exhibited at Greenport High School next have completed his millionth mile of sea journeying and Tuesday, was worth $32 million last week and this week is will be the guest of honor at a dinner in celebration of down to a rock- bottom $800,000. the event to be given by the Glad Club at the Cafe Increase in supply has affected the price of the very pre - Royal. cious rocks. The astronauts brought back a bag full of lunar Capt. Cunningham, a Greenport boy who has made good, samples from the moon expedition this week, which drove is 36 years old and one of the youngest commanders of a the price down. big liner. He will be presented with a portrait of himself by 'No Industry in Southold': For Southold Town the president of the Glad Club as navigation officer of the people to accept anything less than an AAA -rated industry, Leviathan during the war, when he was a lieutenant in the "you'd have to be out of your minds," warns Lee Koppel - Navy. man, executive director of the Nassau - Suffolk Regional 50 Years Ago Planning Board. The planning director told 100 or so town residents at a Feb. 15, 1946 meeting of the North Fork Environmental Council last Greenport News: Contractor Clinton Hommel has Thursday, "If I had my druthers, I'd say absolutely no purchased the property, corner of Main and South streets, industry for Southold Town." The area is not suitable for where his office, showroom and shops are located Contrac- such development, he said, and it is not geographically well for Hommel, who has been in business for about 15 years, located for industry. has occupied the building for the past two years. The two- "Let's face it," he said, "the only industry that would story building, with store, on Main Street extends back on come in here is one that couldn't go anywhere else." South Street to the Village Hall. The bicounty planner defended the regional master plan Library Closes: Floyd Memorial Library will close he has worked on for six years and the Southold master Monday, Feb. 18, and will remain closed until further plan, which he called "one of the most sensible develop - ..�on .. pgtie @ -¢ge to the critical fuel situation. _ . _ _ ... �_. �. ment plans in the United States." fine rib cages. Crows and vultures had done a job on it. At one point a huge flock of a hundred or more wood storks flew overhead. What a sight against the blue sky and billowing white clouds. Our weather couldn't have been more perfect but I must say my bottom was becoming a bit weary from our biking adventure. Lucky for us we were able to recoup ourselves at the observation tower. This structure looms out of the vast prairie and lets you grasp the immensity of the park. As we looked around and below, black tire -like bodies of alligators lay in the grass snoozing. We were awakened from our paradise by the double tram tour bus arriving with 50 or more excited school children. Two Rangers were their guides, plus teachers and parents. Our oasis was turning into a classroom so we quickly slipped out and headed back to finish our 15 -mile loop. A Primitive Paradise After finishintour visit to Shark Val- ley we continued on the Tamiami Trail until we found a campsite labeled "Primitive Camping" in Big Cypress National Preserve, where we pulled in to a man -made lake — another borrow pit. It is in this huge preserve that the endan- gered panther is trying to make a come- back. There are 10 other campers scat- tered around the lake where I am writ- ing. The sun is just setting, an alligator slowly moves by, its head and nose just showing. A pied -bill grebe pokes along the shore. A fish breaks the water. The afterglow of a sunset fires the lake in an orange spectacle. Barbara's fixing din- ner. We're at peace with the world. Learn Boating Skills PECONIC —A nine -week boating skills and seamanship course will be offered by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxil- iary Flotilla 18 -08 beginning Wednes- day, March 20. Sessions will run from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. through May 29 at the Southold Town Recreation Center, with no classes on April 3 and May 1- The course covers basic material ap- propriate for recreational boaters, in- cluding boat handling, safety and legal requirements, navigation rules, trailer - ing, piloting and more. The course is free, but there is a mate- rials fee of $20 per person or $25 per couple. To register, caII_765 =5182: "