Wild things: 10 amazing places to show kids exotic animals

Posted 10/25/09 - Miami Herald
Manatees. You don't have to leave Florida to see exotic animals -- and they're not all in theme parks. About 500 of the state's 3,900 manatee population live at Crystal River National Marine Wildlife Refuge, 60 miles north of Tampa, where kids of all ages can snorkel with the friendly 800-pounders. Though the endangered creatures are protected against hunting and harassment, low-impact snorkel tours are offered by Bird's Underwater Manatee Tours (year-round; $35 plus $8 snorkel rental; www.birdsunderwater.com), Florida Manatee Tours (year-round; $49.50 including gear and lunch; www.floridamanateetours.com) and others. Learn more at www.savethemanatee.org
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Marion roadways recognized as National Scenic Byways

Published October 19, 2009 - Ocala.com
Members of the Corridor Management Entity already have plans in place for a wide array of regional improvements and are only waiting for funds to become available.

The projects include designing a trailhead near Juniper Springs, expanding the Ocklawaha Visitors Center on CR 315, creating a bike trail from Silver Springs to the Ocklawaha River, building information kiosks and adding wildlife crossings along SR 40 and SR 19, where more bears are reportedly struck and killed by cars than anywhere else in the state.
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Federal Water Rules Could Hurt Fla.

Published October 16, 2009 - TheLedger.com
This crisis stems from a lawsuit filed by the group EarthJustice, which is demanding stringent new one-size-fits-all standards governing the level of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphate in all Florida waterways. Driven by litigation rather than sound science, these regulations could be imposed as early as October 2010 - disrupting Florida's existing science-based process for protecting and restoring the quality of Florida's waters.
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Should Groveland, Lake Co. Pay Niagara’s Legal Fees?

Published October 16, 2009
Taxpayers in the city and Lake County could be forced to shell out even more money in the fight with a water bottling company.

Niagara Bottling said their legal fees and costs are between $2 million and $4 million, and the company said Groveland and Lake County should have to cover their expense.
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Manatee refuge puts river flow project on hold

Published October 16, 2009 - Tampa Bay Online
One of the spots where manatees are known to congregate is Sulphur Springs Park, where temperate water from an underground artesian spring flows into the river.

Tampa also relies on the spring, but for a different reason. The city has, for decades, pumped water from the spring to the Rowlett Park dam to supplement the millions of gallons a day it takes from the river to provide drinking water for its huge population.

The Sulphur Springs project calls for modifying the series of barriers the city has to prevent brackish tidal water from entering the spring to compensate for increasing the amount of fresh water the city plans to pump back up river below the dam.
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Experts address future of water supply

Published October 16, 2009
Part of seeing that no harm comes to water resources in determining minimum flows and levels for rivers and lakes. Still said a 2007 study looking at minimum flows and levels found there was not enough water in the Suwannee River Basin to accommodate future demands.

The districts must complete water supply assessments every five years by law. They must project how many people are going to be living here and how much water they will use, then predict how that water use will impact the district.
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Fewer Injuries from Jumping Fish

Published Oct 16, 2009 - Wctv
The potentially dangerous sturgeon fish are migrating out of the area, and Florida Fish and Wildlife officials say this has been an unusually quiet season.

Officials say that's a big difference from 2006 and 2007 when several injuries were reported from the jumping fish along the Suwannee River.
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