From the category archives:

Environmental

Prevention of Overfishing of Coral Reefs Reduces Occurrence of Coral Diseases

December 26, 2009

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stignygaard/ / CC BY 2.0
In 1975 I saw my first coral reef (John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park), and in May 2009 I had a chance to do a little snorkeling in the Dry Tortugas.  I’m looking forward to going back soon to snorkel more reefs in the Florida Keys.
Anyone who has ever seen a [...]

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Pelicans Eat the Strangest Things

July 12, 2009

Reverend Steve Jackson was recently vacationing on my favorite island, Anna Maria, when he was given the opportunity to help out a pelican in distress. Most people would have just kept minding their own business, especially if they were here on vacation, but Reverend Jackson stepped right up.
Read Jackson’s account of his pelican rescue adventure [...]

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Littering is so Yesterday

June 6, 2009

By David McRee of BlogThe Beach.com
What does the act of littering say about the one who does it?
Littering is a personal choice. It’s not one of those social activities like smoking dope or getting drunk, where peer pressure plays a role. It’s just an act of pure selfishness. A lack of respect. A sign that [...]

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Port Charlotte Beach Closed Due to High Bacteria Levels

April 23, 2009

This morning, @CHGIFlorida posted on Twitter the news that Port Charlotte Beach has been closed indefinitely due to health concerns over high bacteria counts. This caught my eye because I just visited this beach park a few days ago and snapped the photo above. High levels of enterococci were found in the waters. Read the [...]

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Oceans of Plastic

February 5, 2009

We all know the ocean is polluted. I don’t like to bombard anyone with constant reminders. After a while people get tired of hearing it. Then you get labeled a fanatic and no one will listen to anything you say after that.
But if you enjoy the ocean, the gulf, the sea, this is a video [...]

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Volunteer Seabird Rescue in Florida

January 17, 2009

Volunteer Seabird Rescue Effort in Florida from David McRee on Vimeo.
Recently I’ve posted about the consequences of seabirds coming into contact with fishing line and fish hooks. I’ve put together this little video clip of the day I spent with several local seabird rescue volunteers who were working the south pier on the Skyway Bridge [...]

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Pelican Accidentally Hooked by Fisherman

December 30, 2008

Last week I blogged about a seabird rescue operation at the Skyway Pier. Just thought I’d update you on the condition of the injured pelican pictured in that blog post with a rather large hook in its mouth. The video below is what I shot right after we captured the pelican. The bird rescue volunteers [...]

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Pelicans vs. Hook and Line

December 21, 2008

I’ve just made my first bird rescue trip. Liz Vreeland, a local bird rescue volunteer, invited me to spend the day on the Skyway Bridge State Park Fishing Pier to see for myself what a serious problem exists on the pier, and what she and others are trying to do about it.
The problem is that [...]

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Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary Fly Free

October 31, 2008

The Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary cares for injured wild birds and, when possible, returns them to the wild. All species of wild birds, like this beautiful white ibis (above), benefit from the hard work of the volunteers and paid staff of the Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary produces a very informative newsletter to keep the public informed about their [...]

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Rubber Ducks, Ocean Science, and Curtis Ebbesmeyer

October 28, 2008

Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer with some flotsam from the beach.
What do rubber ducks have to do with ocean science? The same thing flotsam in general has to do with it. Flotsam is that stuff, natural or manmade, that’s floating around in the ocean. Nowadays, there’s an unbelievable amount of manmade stuff, especially plastic, that is floating [...]

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