The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s panther team has released its “Annual Report on the Research and Management of Florida Panthers.” Hikers and mountain bikers in western Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties should stay informed since they might encounter the large carnivore, which can weigh more than 150 pounds. A sampling [...]

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s panther team has released its “Annual Report on the Research and Management of Florida Panthers.” Hikers and mountain bikers in western Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties should stay informed since they might encounter the large carnivore, which can weigh more than 150 pounds. A sampling of panthers [...]

  Two Palm Beach County men were airboating in an Everglades canal on Monday when one saw a snake he recognized. The Miami Herald’s outdoor writer Susan Cocking describes their encounter. “Having completed a ‘Pythons 101’ crash course given by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission less than an hour earlier, Vasquez recognized it [...]

  From now until March, guided swamp walks are being offered off the Tamiami Trail, behind the Big Cypress Gallery of renowned Everglades photographer Clyde Butcher. Naturalist Rick Cruz guides a walk at 10 a.m. and another at 2 p.m. every Saturday. The cost is $75 per person, which includes a $25 credit in the [...]

  The Sierra Club of Miami is hosting a 3.4-mile hike off the Tamiami Trail on Feb. 13. Members and newcomers can participate. Hikers will meet at the Oasis Ranger Station, off Tamiami Trail in the middle of the Everglades, then embark on the Robert’s Strand portion of the Florida Trail. According to a club [...]

  Fears of a new “super snake” surfaced in Miami-Dade after a recent state-coordinated hunt encountered five African rock pythons, including a 14-footer. According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, scientists fear that a proliferation of the carnivorous serpent will endanger indigenous animals and possibly even humans. “In Africa, the rock python eats everything from [...]

  A North Fort Myers hunter hiked into the Everglades by himself and ended up lost for four days. He was rescued on Nov. 20. The News-Press reports that Jamey Mosch, 30, “lost most of his clothes except his underwear, plus his shotgun, cell phone and other belongings in the Big Cypress National Preserve. His knee [...]

  According to the Associated Press, South Florida snake hunters caught 37 Burmese pythons during a trial hunting season to eradicate the non-indigenous reptile. In July state wildlife officials granted 15 permits to snake experts. The program ended on Oct. 31 but officials plan to start it again in 2010. Meanwhile, hunters are still allowed to [...]

  All-terrain vehicle owners in South Florida for years have wanted open land to ride, without hassle. Now Miami-Dade Park And Recreation Department planners believe they’ve found just the spot, reports the Miami Herald. “Supporters insist the proposed 1,608-acre park — just north of Tamiami Trail at the Collier-Miami-Dade line — will do the Everglades more good than [...]

    Nature photographer Clyde Butcher, renowned for his large black-and-white photographs of the Everglades, is exhibiting in Boca Raton until Nov. 8. According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “Wilderness Visions” is now at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, offering 46 of the romantic and monochromatic pictures the self-taught Butcher has made since [...]