Six manatees were killed by watercraft in Palm Beach County in 2008, a figure that ties the county record and mystifies conservation officials who had put more police on the water to protect the endangered mammals.
The county's total falls well below the death toll elsewhere, such as that in state leader Lee County, which had 14 deaths. But it follows two years in which no manatees were killed in Palm Beach County and is only the third time the number has been that high.
...
No one knows how many manatees live in Florida, but aerial surveys generally count about 3,000.
Enormous resources have been devoted to protecting them, as scientists research red tide, police patrol for speeding boats and government agencies protect coastal habitats. Tripp said the 30-year protection effort preserves many of the environmental assets that originally drew people to Florida.
"When you protect manatees, you protect seagrass flats," Tripp said. "When you protect manatees, you protect water quality. When you protect manatees, you protect springs. When you protect manatees, you protect all of coastal Florida."
Above, veterinarians check over a five-month-old, female Andean condor named Sierra at the Denver Zoo to prepare the bird to be transferred to the White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, Fla. The condor will be eventually released into the Colombian Andes in late 2009 or early 2010.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Humans are not the only ones seeking refuge from hurricanes and other natural disasters.
So are flamingos.
Hundreds of these unique pink birds fled Florida in the past few weeks, in an effort to find protection from Tropical Storm Fay and both Hurricane Gustav and Ike's forceful winds and rain.
But, where did they fly off to?
Apparently, many of them went to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Many Hancock County residents have spotted them in the waters of Waveland and other nearby cities. This according to an article from the Biloxi Sun Herald. Take a look at the story here and a video here.
No need to worry though. Experts say the flamingos will come back to Florida once the coast is clear.
"Biologists say they will be able to find their way back home to Cuba, the Everglades, the Keys, or wherever they are from,' the article reads.
ST. PETERSBURG — U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said today he would be willing to open Florida's coast for more oil drilling if it meant winning approval for broad energy changes.
"My interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," Obama said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post.
"If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage - I don't want to be so rigid that we can't get something done," Obama said.
Off-shore drilling has become a push-button issue in the presidential campaign since Republican candidate John McCain announced his support to open more of the country's coastline for drilling in order to reduce gas prices. Both candidates are campaigning in Florida today.
Obama has opposed exposing more coastline to drilling, saying that oil companies have not fully explored the areas open to drilling now and insisting that it would have little immediate impact on prices at the pump.
After speaking to a capacity crowd at Gibbs High School auditorium in St. Petersburg, he told the Post he would be open to expanding the current drilling boundaries if it meant winning approval for more fuel-efficient cars, developing alternative energy sources and making the country more "energy independent."
"I think it's important for the American people to understand we're not going to drill our way out of this problem," he said.
"It's also important to recognize if you start drilling now you won't see a drop of oil for ten years, which means its not going to have a significant impact on short-term prices. Every expert agrees on that."
McCain has tried to paint Obama as an obstacle to lower gas prices in a pair of television ads that boast McCain's off-shore drilling position while blaming Obama for $4-per-gallon gas. Neither of the ads have targeted Florida voters.
Once a taboo topic in Florida politics, some Republicans in the state, including Gov. Charlie Crist, have said they'd be willing to explore Florida's coast to combat soaring gas prices.
"The Republicans and the oil companies have been really beating the drums on drilling," Obama said in the interview. "And so we don't want gridlock. We want to get something done."
Meanwhile, watch as McCain makes his statement on off-shore drilling here:
Florida has always been known for its warm temperatures, but this year, they might be just a little too hot.
This according to a report recently released by Environment Florida, a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization that carries out independent research and "tough-minded advocacy" in order to protect Florida's air, water, open spaces, and the quality of the environment overall.
The report, which is entitled "Temperatures in Cities Across Florida on the Rise,"states that the average temperature in cities like Miami, West Palm Beach and Tampa, among many others, are 0.5 degrees higher than last year's average.
“Throw out the record books, because global warming is raising temperatures in Florida and across the country,” said Environment Florida Field Director Holly Binns.
And while the degree difference may not sound alarming, Dr. Jeff Chanton, a scientist and professor at Florida State University warned that: “One degree may not seem like much, but just like in people, a small, relatively rapid temperature rise can have serious consequences.”
Among these consequences, the report states, are "serious implications for human health, causing heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and even death. "
One of the cities that presented this increase in temperatures is West Palm Beach. The report concluded that the average 76.1 degree Fahrenheit summertime (from June to August) temperature in that city was 1.6 degrees higher last year than the 30-year "normal" average of 74.7, according to The Palm Beach Post's article "Scientists say West Palm Beach is getting hotter."
Environment Florida's report explains that "this warmer-than-normal weather is indicative of what Florida can expect with continued global warming, including increased drought and wildfire, stress on already-scarce water resources, and more frequent and intense tropical storms."
Additionally, the organization emphasized the fact that "2007 is on track to be the second warmest year on record globally."
Fortunately, not all the reports' conclusions were negative.
“The good news is that those same scientists (who warn about the impact of global warming) say we can avoid the worst effects of global warming by taking bold action now to reduce global warming pollution... we have the technology at our fingertips to cut global warming pollution and forge a cleaner, more secure energy future," said Binns.
