Currently we are still researching more infomormation and photographing more pictures for you. We hope you got a chance to check out our latest pics of our photographs in the Pelicans of South Padre Island Album and our latest album of Harris Hawk photographs!
FINALLY, HERE IT IS! THE NEWSLETTER WE'VE BEEN PROMISING YOU!
The Alligators Observation
(Shingle Creek)
Behind a middle school in Orlando Florida is a trail through what Florida used to look like; with beautiful woods along a free flowing living creek. A canopy of tall gorgeous trees makes it feel 30 degrees cooler than the rest of Orlando. When you first enter there is an information billboard that tells you about the 1930's; when President Hoover had the Army Corps of Engineers move the Everglades in an attempt to create jobs and have more build-able land where they wanted it. The moving of the Everglades has caused it to dry up, becoming murky and polluted. After reading the billboard you walk down a winding wood deck plank 6ft off the ground for about 30ft; entering denser forest with unusual plants. You don't feel the sun beating on you anymore, the air clears, a fresher smell engulfs you. The city sounds disappear. This must be a tiny bit of paradise that the Native Americans enjoyed here long ago. You are beginning to feel how awesome nature could be.
Then you step onto a new aluminum bridge about 20ft long above Shingle Creek. You can see little fish swimming here and there along with water birds and water grasses. Then, what everyone hopes to see when they come to Florida, a young alligator! The baby alligators are an amazing sight. If you ask most native Floridians, they will tell you that they have never seen any alligators in nature; not even one! But then how many people seek out Nature spots? Nature could be right in front of them and they would walk right past it, never acknowledging it's existence.
You move on after the bridge down a mounded path, one side Shingle Creek, the other a never ending bed of beautiful ferns under the trees making the ground no longer visible. It's green, no grass, not a toxic fake green lawn, but Nature's lawn. To make a great hiking experience even better, a large adult doe comes splashing through the water right toward you and brushes past you like you weren't even there. This amazing forest makes you want to be here all the time.
Next time is gravely different; you come back down the plank to the bridge and stop in the middle. Your heart starts pounding, it's harder to breath this time even though it's not more humid or hotter. The smell is different. The water is a bit darker and moving slower. Towards the end of the bridge you freeze, horrified. The edge of the creek is lined with dead fish and baby alligators floating upside down on the poisoned waterways. There are dead birds on the ground. Then you know, a smell you've smelled before, chemical pesticides. You walk on but stop, the whole forest is sprayed. Your eyes tear and sting from the chemicals. You have to leave and can not come back soon; you are too sick.
It is terrifying what some paranoid people can do to ruin nature with toxic chemicals. Before they sprayed it there were no problems with any mosquito's and no one got insect bites there. The wonderful bats and birds in the trees gobbled the mosquito's along with the lizards, and "mosquito fish" that eat the insects. They have simultaneously killed all of Nature's wonderful mosquito eaters. Could it be that the chemical companies want to earn money at any cost? Like losing the Earth by ruining the rest of its indigenous healthy biodiverse forests.
Shingle Creek is the beginning of the top of the tributaries to the Everglades of Florida. The billboard also states that the Army Corps of Engineers has been trying to move the Everglades back to where it belongs to recover the ecosystem, but is failing miserably. It would take years to replace the origonal trees that they have raped from the land by bulldozing 70% of the forests of Florida. The very trees that cooled and filtered the air, attracted the steady mild rain clouds, and sheltered the springs and creeks, are almost gone.
Article Written by Jessica Rose (Jayar) All articles are based on first hand documentary information.
READ: Carl Hiaasen's children's book HOOT or see the movie HOOT as a great example of Florida's forest
destruction. The benefits of trees (especially hardwood trees), forests and how they benefit the Earth and sky will be delved into in our proceeding news letters and stories.
Meanwhile, plant an indigenous tree!
FYI: POSSIBLE SYMPTOMS from chemical insecticide compounds and sprays can cause: Eye irritations, can effect eyes sight and cause vision deterioration. Shortness of breath, coughing. Skin irritations, itching, and swelling. Headaches, sinus irritations, and infections. Joint and muscle pain, and stiffness. Numbness of lower extremities and limbs. Graying of teeth or teeth sensitivity. Heart palpitations and rapid heart rate. Stomach aches, nausea, and digestive problems etc.
Earth B-longs: (Safer, more Helpful products and services)
Featuring this month: Better ways to get rid of mosquitos, gnats and black flies!.....
We just wanted to let you know that its not necessary to use any insecticide chemicals indoors or out. Insecticide Chemicals can kill the fish and cause health problems too. Most landscaping chemicals are toxic and can harm water ways and aquatic life also. There are safer, healthier alternatives that work well. A really good one is Summit Mosquito Dunks. Its a natural fresh-waterway bacteria that targets mosquito larvae. Its safe for all mammals, and is actually protein for the fish! This bacteria was discovered by a scientist that worked for Summit Chemical Co. He was very happy to stumble upon a safe, natural bacteria that would target mosquito and black fly larvae. If you don't know exactly where the mosquitos are coming from, you can break off a piece of the mosquito dunks tablets and put it in a bucket of water since mosquito's lay eggs in still water. And of course you can put them in your natural waterways too or where there is still standing water on your property.
Also you can repell insects using natural plant repellents by planting catnip, marigolds, mums, lavender, rosemary & citronella grass, etc. Insecticide chemical compounds also contain toxic heavy metals and poisonous petroleum industry bi-products etc. The ironic thing about insecticide chemicals is that they are often designed to attract mosquitos and other insects because the chemicals have to land directly on the adult insect to even be effective!
Summit Mosquito Dunks- a low priced easy to use much better alternative, instead of chemical sprays, to do away with mosquitos! It's a safe natural bacteria tablet that eats mosquito & black fly larvae in standing water (bird baths, puddles, buckets, gutters, ponds, streams, creeks, etc.) Mosquito Dunks: For info: www.summitchemical.com or 800.227.8664 We have found them in small cellophane packages of two or six in Ace Hardware, True Serve, Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, only some Wal-Mart's and K-Mart's lawn and garden centers. Try them! Mosquito Dunks are more effective and wont harm fish or other wildlife or people like chemical insecticides do.
Mosquito Patch- (produced by AgraCo Technologies International LLC.) is a natural 36 hour vitamin (thiamine B1) patch for repelling mosquito's and gnats from the skin. 1-800.337.4169 or www.agraco.com
Mosquito patch does not contain any chemicals, pesticides, or insecticides! Just place patch on ankles a couple hours before going fishing, hiking etc, to repel mosquito's and gnats.
There are many other things that eat mosquitos such as: Bats, martin birds and swallows (try putting birdhouses up for them), mosquito fish, lizards etc.; insecticide chemicals can harm all those beneficial creatures also! So please don't do anything to endanger their existence!
Some non-toxic, non-chemical solutions for indoor pests of the home are safe eletronic pluggins such as: Pest Reppeller Ultimate AT by GoodLife, and Riddex Plus Digital Pest Repeller.
The purpose of this BTTE (BelongToTheEarth) newsletter is to let you know of the availability of better, safer, healthier ways of doing things to improve your environment.
Recently: People have been reporting swelling of the feet and ankles from recent Clorox Bleach formulas
*As far as we know, Clorox Company's new Go Green Naturals are okay.
People have also reported similar swelling symptoms from Raid sprays
Beware: Wet Swiffer solutions are causing allergic reactions, redness and swelling
*Dry swifer seems to be okay.
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