They fly, they swim, they meander, they rustle. Then Wild Florida stops for a moment in James Shadle's camera.
By MICHELLE JONES, Times Staff Writer
Published October 21, 2005
VALRICO - Luxury homes now blend in with the oak trees and lush foliage in the woods that James Shadle explored as a child.
"I grew up loving wildlife," said Shadle, now 47. "I just took a different track."
Shadle captures his wildlife on film.
And in November some of his photos will appear in National Geographic Adventurer.
The magazine asked him to submit photos from the Fakahatchee Strand in the Everglades. The strand is a slow moving river without defined shorelines.
A 2,000-foot-long boardwalk provides access to the swampland, and during the winter a ranger gives guided tours one Saturday a month.
"I don't mind wading in waist-deep water or crawling through the mud to get a photo," he said.
Shadle says his love for the outdoors is probably genetic. His father, Harold, was an alligator poacher.
As children, he and his siblings never knew what they would find when they woke up.
Foot-long alligators in the bathtub, larger ones in the pool or hides in the shed.
Taking a different path than his father, Shadle has learned a lot from the environment he played in as a child. Through the University of Florida Extension Service, he earned a designation as a Florida Freshwater Wetland Master Naturalist.
He had to attend classes and several field trips over the eight-week course.
While he studied, he was able to continue his daytime work as an outside battery sales agent.
His son Blake goes on most of the treks, and his other son, Aaron, who helps run the battery business, is also supportive. Donna, his wife of 25 years, shares his love of nature and accompanies him on most expeditions.
"I just can't get her to wade through the Everglades," he said.
His photo of a roseate spoonbill adorned last year's poster for the National Birding Association's annual festival. And his photo of an eagle flying with a fish in its talons was the cover photo for the festival program.
He has also been published in Popular Photography, Las Olas and Disquieting Muses magazines.
But being published in National Geographic is his most prestigious accomplishment so far.
Through the years, Shadle has observed, with great dismay, the destruction of natural places throughout the state. More and more habitats have been replaced by urban sprawl, golf courses and highways.
Animals frequent natural corridors, but now they have to cross roads and highways to get to their habitats, he said. Recently a red fox was killed while attempting to cross a road near where Shadle grew up.
It was a heartbreaking sight.
Shadle lives just a few miles from where his mother, Jackie, still resides. A golf course, new homes and shopping strips crowd the acreage near his home.
Neighbor Angie Roach shares his love of wildlife. Her landscape is full of natural Florida plants and ground cover, a habitat for wildlife. Inside her home are several of Shadle's photos.
"He is a fine young man and a wonderful photographer," she said. "A good neighbor, too, who really cares about the environment."
There are still some places nearby where raccoons, possum, deer, foxes and other wildlife can freely roam. One is a corridor from Apollo Beach to Port Manatee.
"Our county has done a good job of maintaining areas," Shadle said. "The county people care."
Shadle wants to share what he calls Secret Florida.
"There is so much of Florida you don't see from the interstate, and if you don't know it's there, it is of no value," he said. "We want to have people know it is worth saving. We want people to see the beauty."
On a recent Saturday, he shared some of his knowledge and photos at a meeting of the Audubon Society at one of Hillsborough County's natural treasures - Lettuce Lake Park.
When asked of his favorite photo he replied that it is one of a least tern with its baby under its wing.
"It is an amazing picture. It tugs at your heartstrings," he said. "It shows protection of its young."
The photo can be seen on Shadle's Web site - www.wildflorida.net - which he promises to update by November.
