2000 ORVs vs 100 Panthers

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7828964.post-65967441524066864622008-02-17T09:41:00.006-06:002008-02-17T10:25:05.215-06:002000 ORVs vs 100 Panthers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_3OGGIL-d47k/R7hWLIWeQtI/AAAAAAAAAGk/oyT4NC5yPpU/s1600-h/35738452.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_3OGGIL-d47k/R7hWLIWeQtI/AAAAAAAAAGk/oyT4NC5yPpU/s320/35738452.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167975321627935442" border="0" /></a><blockquote> <div class="storybyline" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 15px ! important; color: rgb(153, 153, 153) ! important;">By Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 17, 2008 </div> Off-road vehicles were prohibited in 2000 in much of the region north of Interstate 75, known as Alligator Alley. But preserve superintendent Karen Gustin decided to reopen the Bear Island area to ORV use a year ago after a heavy lobbying effort by the off-roaders. The previous prohibition against ORVs was influenced by a drop in the panthers' numbers, which fell to about 30 in the mid-1990s. Eight <runtime:topic id="PLGEO100104600000000">Texas</runtime:topic> cougars were introduced to breed with the Florida cat. Schwartz of the Sierra Club counters that 15 panthers were killed in vehicle collisions last year, dropping the population closer to 80. None died due to ORV hits that he knows of, but he suspects the noise and habitat disruption from the off-roaders helped drive them onto highways. Paul Souza, a field supervisor for South Florida from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, confirms that a record number of panthers were killed in 2007. But he disputes that their mortality rate is the result of panthers' being displaced by ORV noise. "I haven't seen any scientific evidence that would support that specific line of logic," he said. The increased deaths and sightings of the panthers on the populated fringes of the preserve "reflects growing numbers of panthers and the fact that we have more development and more people than we had in the past," Souza said. Because of the pending litigation, Gustin said she couldn't discuss what effects ORV traffic might be having on the panthers. But she conceded that with rising air traffic, mining and growth, "we do have some kind of impact, and I don't think anyone would deny that." The preserve has capped at 2,000 the number of ORVs licensed. The rigs are prohibited in all national parks, such as the <runtime:topic id=" PLTRA0000115">Everglades</runtime:topic> immediately south of the preserve, and part of the rationale in expanding access to Big Cypress has been acknowledgment of off-roaders' rights to use some public lands, Gustin said. Lyle McCandless, head of the Big Cypress Sportsmen's Alliance, said: "All I'm going to say is that my alliance is putting forth great efforts in protecting the ORV rights and other rights given to the public by the 1974 act of Congress that created the preserve. Our opponents -- the environmental extremists -- expect these public lands to be closed to anything other than foot traffic." Schwartz says the responsibility for any threat to the panthers lies with the park service and Fish and Wildlife, the government agencies that are the wilderness stewards. "It's not a hunters-versus-hikers issue," Schwartz said. "It's not about people at all. If I were to put it simply, I would say it's about machines versus nature."</blockquote>The LA Times article was edited for brevity and space. To view the entire article, please click on the heading for this post. The Florida Panther is a sub-species of the cougar and is classified as endangered. Starting in 1993, 27 Texas Cougars were introduced to Florida to help stabilize the Florida Panther population. 19 non-breeding Texas Cougars were introduced between 1993 - 1995 followed by 8 breeding Texas Cougars. You can learn more about the Florida Panther at the <a href="http://www.panthersociety.org/">Florida Panther Society</a> and the <a href="http://www.floridapanther.com/articles/FLORIDA%20PANTHER.htm">Florida Panther Home Page.</a>Natashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11091815786829687512noreply@blogger.com