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But the birds' trek wasn't the only story on the environment to find its way into print throughout the year.
By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 31, 2002
The arrival of whooping cranes was once again the highlight of Citrus County's environmental news. But 2002 was full of other notable events, from the rededication of the Wysong dam to the first scalloping season in nearly a decade.
Building on the success of the previous year's effort, researchers were able to lead even more whooping cranes to Citrus County in 2002. Using ultralight aircraft, they guided 16 young birds 1,204 miles from Wisconsin.
On the morning of Nov. 30, a crowd of hundreds watched as the quirky aircraft led the cranes over the Crystal River Mall and on to Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.
If all goes as planned, the cranes will spend the winter amid the salt marshes and return north on their own in the spring, as happened with the inaugural flock.
Some of those more experienced birds made their way to Chassahowitzka days before the new class arrived. Two have taken up residence with the flock of 16.
About 400 whooping cranes are alive today, but the population remains precariously small. Researchers hope the ultralight methods will re-establish a migratory flock in eastern North America.
SCALLOPS REBOUND: This year marked the first time in eight years that scalloping was allowed in Citrus County. State officials lifted the ban in light of studies showing the shellfish population had rebounded.
Scallops were plentiful and decent sized, and the crowds were heavy each weekend, giving a boost to the tourist economy and making it likely state officials will allow the popular activity to continue.
"Business was unbelievable," said Larry Skidmore Sr., whose sports shop in Crystal River sold more than 200 dive flags, 400 scallop bags and "many, many" masks, snorkels and fins.
WYSONG DAM REBUILT: After years of struggle, the Wysong dam rose again in October. During a rededication ceremony on Oct. 11, state officials credited the citizen group TOO FAR with moving the project along. The original dam was removed in 1988 after more than two decades of operation.
"It's here because all of you cared. It's here because all of you gave of your time and your money. It's here because you wouldn't take no for an answer," said Swiftmud official Al Coogler, who took up TOO FAR's cause.
The dam, renamed the Wysong-Coogler Water Conservation Structure, cost $2.1-million. It is intended to hold water in a reservoir of sorts and maintain levels in the lake chain and Lake Panasoffkee and feed the groundwater system that eventually releases its flow into Citrus County's coastal springs.
Not everyone was happy with the decision. Some residents downstream of the dam contend the structure could choke off life in their part of the river because, when water levels are low, not as much water will flow down the Withlacoochee.
CONTROVERSY IN POTTS PRESERVE: The controversy over Potts Preserve spilled into 2002 when Dade City resident Chester Bradshaw turned himself in on a charge of illegally removing a dike road within the preserve. Bradshaw, who used a bulldozer, acknowledged the deed but said he did nothing wrong.
"It's something that should have been done a long time ago," he said at the time. "Why are we still fighting a problem that has existed for 50 years?"
Bradshaw and others argue that the network of dike roads, installed decades ago to drain the land for cattle ranching, choke the lake system and keep water from reaching sinkholes that recharge the aquifer.
In October, state officials announced a plan to clear away berms and fill in ditches in the eastern section of Potts, restoring 550 acres of wetlands.
But Bradshaw and others were not entirely happy since the Southwest Florida Water Management District said it would hold off on removing dikes in the western section until a management agreement for the submerged land and uplands in the preserve is developed. Birders, hikers and others who use the roads for recreation, say they should remain.
MANATEES: The battle over manatee sanctuaries came to a head late in the year when state and federal authorities placed restrictions on 1.6 acres in the Blue Waters of the Homosassa River, a popular gathering place for boaters and swimmers hoping to encounter one of the mammals.
Statewide, the number of manatee deaths was 281 through November -- 91 as a result of watercraft, a new record. In Citrus, nine deaths were recorded through November. Three were watercraft related.
DAIRY FARM: A Tampa company's plan to develop a large-scale dairy farm on County Road 491 in Lecanto proved controversial as residents worried about environmental effects of animal waste. Some complained about odors; others question the treatment of the cows, which will mostly be kept inside.
The developer played down the concerns, saying the farm was being built with the environment in mind. Ground radar tests showed the soil is relatively stable, easing some concern. To be sure, the Southwest Florida Water Management District said it would dig two wells on nearby property to monitor groundwater.