License Tag Sales Top $1 Million

Sales of the Tampa Bay Estuary specialty license tag passed the $1 million mark in early June, according to recent revenue reports.

Also known as the “Tarpon Tag,” the license plate has been offered since 2000. In just eight years, slightly more than $1 million worth of these tags have been purchased or renewed by Floridians and proudly displayed on their automobiles, boat trailers and recreational vehicles.

The specialty tag costs $27 the first year and $17 per year after that - with $15 going directly to bay improvement projects coordinated by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, including the publication of Bay Soundings.

Are Pythons Coming to a Park Near You?

New research from the University of Florida indicates that the giant Burmese pythons – like the one that died in the Everglades while trying to eat a six-foot alligator – can live anywhere alligators do, including the entire state of Florida.

“People might argue the ultimate boundaries, but there’s no part of this state that you can point at and say that pythons couldn’t live here,” said Frank Mazzotti of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “They’re capable of surviving anywhere in Florida, they’re capable of incredible movement — and in a relatively short period.”

Pythons are very good swimmers and can cover a lot of ground very quickly. Two pythons with surgically implanted radio transmitters traveled 35 miles and 43 miles before trackers stepped in and caught the male, concerned that it was too close to homes near a Miccosukee Indian Reservation.

The best strategy is likely a larger, focused effort to contain and reduce the population by tracking, capturing and euthanizing the invasive reptiles. “We need to do something so that five years from now, we’re not looking at an exponentially bigger population in those areas because we didn’t go in and get the first ones before they started breeding,” he said.

While humans are far more likely to be hurt by animals other than nonvenomous snakes, stopping the spread of exotic predators like pythons must be a priority, he said. State rules that went into effect this year should help, including a $100 annual permit to own “reptiles of concern,” and a mandatory microchip.

Florida Communities Trust, Pasco County Partner on Preserve

Florida Communities Trust, the state’s premier program for helping local communities preserve open space and recreational areas, has joined with Pasco County to purchase the Upper Pithlachascotee River Preserve with each partner paying half of the total $1.57 million cost.

The 122.6-acre preserve, part of a critical wildlife corridor, is the first acquisition by Pasco County’s Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program (ELAMP).  The property encompasses habitat for gopher tortoises and a variety of wading bird species as well as an unusually large bald cypress tree estimated to be at least 200 years old.  

Plans for the preserve include constructing nature trails, picnic pavilions and a tetherball court.  A house on the property will be converted into a staffed nature center to provide environmental education programs.  

Repair or Recycle Rechargeable Batteries at Batteries Plus

Just in time for hurricane season, Batteries Plus has opened its sixth retail store in the Tampa Bay region. While the stores carry thousands of different batteries, they also can rebuild or recycle rechargeable batteries used on everything from electric toothbrushes and cell phones to power tools and lawn mowers.

“A lot of people throw those tools away because it’s less expensive to buy a new one than replace the battery,” notes Dan Snyder, who owns the Batteries Plus stores in the Tampa Bay region. “We can take almost any battery and recharge it so it’s typically better than new – saving money for our customers and keeping batteries and perfectly good tools out of the landfill.”

If Batteries Plus can’t fix a rechargeable battery, they can recycle it through the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, a not-for-profit organization funded by battery manufacturers, Synder adds. “Regular batteries have almost zero mercury now, but the rechargeable batteries contain components like nickel, cadmium, and lithium that can be harmful,” he said.

For more information, visit www.batteriesplus.com.

EnergyStar to Share Stage with WaterSense

Consumers who recognize the environmentally friendly impact of EnergyStar homes, appliances and fixtures can now look for the WaterSense label on everything from toilets to irrigation systems.

The WaterSense label, which rates both water-efficiency and performance, is on more than 160 high-efficiency toilets and over 60 bathroom sink faucets. More than 400 irrigation professionals are certified as WaterSense partners.

“The WaterSense New Homes specification is family friendly and climate-ready,” said EPA assistant administrator Benjamin H. Grumbles. “Homeowners will save water, money, and energy and communities will have an important new tool for sustainable growth and water efficiency.”

For more information, visit www.epa.gov/watersense.

Something to “Whoop” About

The tallest bird in North America has something special to “whoop” about.  For the first time in 100 years, the total population of wild and captive-bred whooping cranes exceeds 500 birds.  In 1945, the flock was down to just 15 birds.  The whooping crane, declared an endangered species in 1971, is still one of the rarest birds on the continent.

An estimated 266 cranes spent the winter along the Texas Gulf Coast, which includes Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  They represent the only remaining wild flock on the continent.  By mid-April, 87% of the flock had begun migrating to their summer homes in Canada. 

Five whooping crane breeding facilities, including Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland, provided eggs or raised chicks in 2007.  The 17 whoopers that followed an ultralight plane to Chassahowitza National Wildlife Refuge in Florida last fall are now making their spring migration back to Wisconsin.

The progress of each tagged crane is recorded in online travel journals and podcasts at Operation Migration and the International Crane Foundation.

Irrigation Checkup Now Available Online 
 
While it looks like our normal rainy season will return this summer, Tampa Bay residents still use nearly half of all potable water outside on their landscapes. A new online tool available at www.TampaGov.net/Water helps ensure that every drop goes to good use.
Adapted from a publication created by Christine Claus of the St. Petersburg Water Resources Department and Dr. Joan Bradshaw of the University of Florida with funding from the Pinellas-Anclote River Basin Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the site contains:

• printable checklists
• definitions of frequently used irrigation terminology
• procedures to determine how much water is being applied by a sprinkler system
• information on rain sensors
• solutions to common sprinkler problems.

Tampa Water Department customers also can request free rain sensors and other water conservation materials at www.TampaGov.net/SaveWater or by calling 813-274-8121 Ext. 1010. Residents of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties can request a hard copy of the irrigation checkup by calling their extension service.