Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Wildlife is too precious for us to do nothing

By DIANE STEINLE
Published July 16, 2006

Some people forget that part of Florida's appeal is its abundant wildlife. On the central west coast, where development is creeping toward even the most pristine locales, wildlife is threatened and declines in animal populations are well-documented. Education, planning and sacrifice will be required to save what is left.

Sometimes that means giving up what you would like to do for what is right. Some boaters who visit the undeveloped islands and sandbars off the coast of North Pinellas and South Pasco counties aren't willing to sacrifice for the sake of the animals living there. They make these public park lands their playgrounds, arriving by the hundreds on sunny weekends or holidays like the Fourth of July, reveling in the islands' wild beauty and the lack of law enforcement.

If all they did was socialize and play in the surf, they would do little harm. Mother Nature would erase their footprints and the animals could raise their young in peace.

But that isn't all they do. Uncaring visitors shoot illegal fireworks into flocks of seabirds. They allow their children or dogs to romp through designated bird nesting areas.

St. Petersburg Times news staffers had been on North Anclote Bar, a shifting spit of sand north of Anclote Key, for only a few minutes when they saw beachgoers let their unleashed dog run through a nesting colony of least terns, a threatened species in Florida. The frightened birds flew away, exposing the eggs and chicks to dehydration or predatory birds.

According to the state, these islands are among the top five sites in the state for diversity and numbers of beach-nesting birds. That is one reason dogs are not allowed on several of the islands. On North Anclote Bar, dogs are permitted, but only on 6-foot leashes. Yet witnesses report seeing dogs cavorting freely on the islands. One visitor to Three Rooker Bar, where pets are not permitted, detailed a horrific sight on a recent Sunday: A dog invaded a nesting area and killed several adult birds and four chicks.

Shore birds, as much a part of Florida's ambience as the sea and sand, already have been pushed off mainland beaches where they once nested and raised their young. If the actions of man make undeveloped islands like Caladesi, Three Rooker Bar, Anclote Key and small sandbars untenable for nesting, where will the birds go?

The state is not helping matters with its inadequate protection of nesting areas and nearly absent enforcement of rules. The photograph on this page shows the state's standard approach to designating bird nesting areas: a line of twine strung between PVC poles. That keeps nothing out of the nesting area. The state relies on humans to read the signs and stay away.

The system does not work. In places where human encroachment endangers nests, the very least the state should do is erect multiple lines of wire or rope to keep out marauding dogs while still allowing the chicks to walk to the water. Bigger and more specific signs are needed to educate visitors about why they should avoid invading a wildlife nursery.

Meanwhile, irresponsible boaters should consider the possible consequences if they continue: new rules or even being banned from the islands, or worse, the eventual loss of these birds along our coastline.

The solutions are so simple: Look for nesting areas and give them a wide berth. Don't take your dogs ashore in areas where they are banned. Where dogs are allowed, keep them on leashes and out of nesting areas. Don't harass the wildlife or shoot off illegal fireworks.

Remember what brought you and others to Florida and make up your mind to do all you can to erase your mark on its remaining wild lands.

[Last modified July 15, 2006, 23:23:58]