It’s no secret here at WaterNotes that I have very mixed and rather strong feelings regarding animals – and particularly cetaceans – living in zoos and aquariums. (If you missed it, here’s my take.) The documentary The Cove never sat evenly with me. As an insider in the community of zoological parks, and one with [...]
Posted on April 5, 2010, 9:13 pm, by Sarah, under
conservation.
This morning’s wake up call was nicely provided by NASA and the crew of Discovery, as it thundered into orbit just before dawn broke over the Florida horizon. I have seen a number of launches, even the luminous and beautiful night time variety, but this one was unique for perfect and gorgeously highlighted clouds and [...]
Posted on September 30, 2009, 5:02 pm, by Sarah, under
conservation.
At the close of September I caught wind of a wonderful development for sea turtle conservation that went into effect at the beginning of the month. Starting September 1st all sea turtles are protected from hunting in Bahamian waters. Previously only hawksbill turtles enjoyed this type of protection from the Bahamian government but thanks to [...]
Posted on August 18, 2009, 10:57 am, by Sarah, under
conservation.
Ever seen loggerhead turtles hatch and race for the ocean? No? Well here’s your chance. A turtlecam has been approved by USFWS and installed on a loggerhead turtle nest on Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys. The nest is due to hatch during any of the nighttime hours in the next few days, so [...]
Posted on February 12, 2009, 9:47 pm, by Sarah, under
fun with fins.
One of the best things about living in a tourist capital are the wide variety of entertainment choices available. It almost makes up for having to contend with lost tourist drivers on our highways on a daily basis. Want to dive a 5.7 million gallon aquarium over forty miles from the physical ocean? In Orlando, [...]
This video absolutely breaks my heart and is a scathing example of ecotourism gone horribly wrong. We are literally loving our manatees to the point of harm. I often hear from (probably) well meaning people that they have been to swim with the manatees in Crystal River and other [...]