Miami resident Dean Warhaft, 36, is the star of Endurance Traveler, a new Fox Sports Net series that premiered yesterday.

“I call it a lifestyle series,” Warhaft said to the Sun Sentinel’s Craig Davis. “I wanted to create a television series based on my hobby, and show all the different facets of what goes into traveling to compete in an endurance event and what I’m doing while I’m there.”

According to Davis’ article, “while in Austria for an ironman, (Warhaft) visited majestic Hochosterwitz Castle, purportedly Walt Disney’s inspiration for the castle in Sleeping Beauty. He toured the Clock and Watch Museum in Zurich and a bourbon distillery in Kentucky; sampled rum in Puerto Rico and beer in Bavaria. He had a blast racing mud buggies and exploring bat-filled limestone caverns in Cozumel, enjoyed whitewater kayaking in Brazil and got scared witless bungee jumping off the 708-foot high Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa.”

To read the Sun Sentinel’s article, click here.

Channel 7 morning news anchor trains for half marathons as a means to keep in shape, stay healthy and deal with stress. “Running is my therapy,” she says.

Click here to read a Q&A that SFA editor David Raterman wrote for the Sun Sentinel.

These lionfish were captured in Biscayne National Park off Miami.

One year after the first Indo-Pacific lionfish was discovered and removed from Biscayne National Park, almost 50 additional ones have been removed. Lionfish are invasive, exotic animals with few natural predators in the waters off Miami. The animal feeds voraciously on native fish, especially members of the snapper and grouper families.

Local predators do include human beings who find lionfish tasty when prepared properly.

Government biologists believe the discovery of new lionfish, all of which were small at under six inches in length, indicates a new wave of invasion that is in its early stages. Young lionfish are being swept in with currents from the south, where populations are more established.

“It is unlikely that we will be able to completely eliminate lionfish from Biscayne National Park,” said Vanessa McDonough, the park’s fishery and wildlife biologist. “We do hope, though, that we can keep on top of this invasion and circumvent the issues associated with other South Florida exotic species invasions like pythons and iguanas.”

After the initial lionfish sighting in June, 2009, new reports were rare and sporadic. The recent sightings have occurred in many parts of the park, such as reefs, wrecks, seagrass beds, hardbottom communities and around dock pilings. Seventeen lionfish were removed from a single site.

The park is calling on visitors to capture and report lionfish, which are generally unafraid of divers.

But be careful. The mane-like assemblage of spines that give the fish its leonine appearance are tipped in poison that can cause severe pain, swelling, nausea, headaches and convulsions. If visitors cannot safely remove a fish themselves then they should note its location with GPS coordinates. Sightings can be reported at 305-230-1144.

For further information about lionfish in Biscayne National Park, including photographs, click here.

Explorers Club member and Miami ophthalmologist Stan Spielman treats the Amazon's Cat People. Photo / Margaretha Spielman

On March 13 the Southern Florida chapter of The Explorers Club will hold its next monthly meeting in Fort Lauderdale. Chapter members Casey McKinlay and Jarrod Jablonski will give a presentation titled “Exploring the Flooded Cave Systems of San Men Hai, Guangxi Province, China.”

At the invitation of the Chinese Government, the multinational Global Underwater Explorers team recently completed its fourth expedition to the remote karst region of south-central China. The GUE team included Jablonski and McKinlay plus Australia chapter member Steve Trewavas.

According to an e-mail from chapter secretary Beth Jones, “Their mission was to explore, map and unlock the underwater mysteries of San Men Hai, which is located within the massive Fengshan Karst National Geopark.”

“The mysterious underwater rivers, world-renowned dry caves and breathtaking pinnacle karst landscape presented formidable logistical challenges for the GUE team as they worked to physically connect the massive, flooded underwater cave systems, map the flooded chambers and gather water-quality and water-flow data in an effort to support the Chinese government’s pursuit of UNESCO World Heritage site designation in addition to baseline measurements necessary for future protection of these unique and vulnerable natural resources.”

The Explorers Club, founded in 1904, is an international multidisciplinary professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research and the ideal that it is vital to preserve the instinct to explore. Since its inception the club, which is headquartered in New York, has served as a meeting point and unifying force for explorers and scientists worldwide. The club’s members have been responsible for an illustrious series of famous firsts, such as first to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean, first to the moon.

To RSVP for the March event at Tropical Acres Steakhouse, e-mail Beth Jones. The cost is $32. A cash bar opens at 5:30 p.m. and dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. with the lecture to follow.

Part scavenger hunt, part wandering party, part workout, The Great Urban Race took place in South Beach on Jan. 30. A total of 220 participants, in teams of two people, navigated around the island by completing challenges. According to Lauren Shield, who helped organize the event, challenges included waxing a surfboard atF1RST Surf Shop, salsa lessons at Mango’s Tropical Café, using chopsticks at Konexpress Japanese Food, sharing cookies at Oasis Restaurant and polishing each other’s fingernails at Salon Blanco.

Elias Jimenez and Patrick Cowan of Team HOPS finished in 1 hour and 36 minutes and were followed seconds later by Team DunkN. Team Blue Barracudas rounded out Miami’s Top Three, with all three teams qualifying for free entry into the 2010 National Championship in Las Vegas.

Rachel and Mickey Planker of Team Planker Power earned the St. Jude Challenge award and the St. Jude Top Fundraising award for raising $550 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The St. Jude Heroes from Miami helped raise a total of $2,006 for St. Jude.

Becky Fromm and Michael Borja of Team Peanut Butter Jelly Time were crowned the Best Costume winners, ending with a show-stopping, high-energy dance to “Peanut Butter Jelly Time!.” The Top Family team was Team Ambach (Kathy and Blake Ambach).

Sierra Club attendees at Titanic Brewery in Coral Gables.

Since 1892, the Sierra Club has been working to protect communities, wild places and the planet itself. It is the oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. And its Miami Club members enjoy a good beer or two.

Join them on the third Thursday of each month at Titanic Brewery in Coral Gables, which serves award-winning micro-brews. According to the chapter’s newsletter, “Come to Sierra & Beer, and get a free beer.” Attendees must be at least 21 years old.

The Sierra Club has general meetings on the second Monday of each month at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club and meetings at Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood.

Visit these sites for info on a club near your home:

Florida.SierraClub.org/miami/

Florida.SierraClub.org/broward/

Florida.SierraClub.org/loxahatchee/

Xavier Cortada's Smalltooth Sawfish.

Miami artist Xavier Cortada is mounting a major installation at Biscayne National Park this winter and spring, part of the park’s celebration of the United Nations’ “International Year of Biodiversity.”

According to a statement from the park, “Endangered World: Biscayne National Park will feature 360 brightly colored flags lining the roads and trails at Convoy Point for over a mile, each representing one degree of the planet’s longitude. Individuals and organizations will adopt an endangered or threatened animal that lives at that longitude and paint an image of that animal on one of the flags. At the same time, participants will commit to an ‘eco-action’ that directly or indirectly mitigates the plight of that animal.”

Cortada has created art installations around the world to raise awareness about issues like global climate change, deforestation and the plight of endangered species. In 2008, he traveled by icebreaker to the North Pole to create an installation that generated awareness about the imminent threat climate change poses to the planet’s biodiversity. In 2006, his Reclamation Project sought to remind Miami Beach residents and visitors of the island’s origins as a mangrove forest by having over 2,500 mangrove seedlings displayed in shop windows. He has created collaborative works at universities and cultural institutions around the world.

South Floridians are being recruited to take part in the Key Biscayne project as individuals or as part of community organizations. Participants can create flags and commit to actions on their own, or they could take part in flag-painting workshops held in December and January in various Miami locations. The flags will be on display from February 14 to May 1, leading up to BioBlitz, National Geographic’s 24-hour project to count as many living things as possible in Biscayne National Park.

“I am honored to bring this participatory eco-art work to a national park that serves as a refuge for 17 threatened and endangered species in my community,” Cortada said in a written statement. “The Endangered World: Biscayne National Park installation will do more than generate awareness about global biodiversity loss, it will engage participants—artists, teachers, business owners, community organizers, concerned citizens—in local action.”

On May 1 flag creators will be invited to participate in the event’s closing ceremonies. The flags will then become a part of an Endangered World traveling exhibit that will go to national parks around the country. Details, including lists of available species, instructions for participation and applications, are available by clicking the “Endangered World” link at XavierCortada.com.

For more details on the project, visit NPS.gov/bisc or call park ranger Gary Bremen at 305-230-1144.

Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff recently led the unveiling of new workout equipment at Kennedy Park in Coconut Grove. According to the Miami Herald, “The outdoor gym, which was installed in late November, overlooks Biscayne Bay.”

Sarnoff told the Herald, “‘This is really what government should be doing, giving people the opportunity to keep movement in their lives… The reason this is important is the economy. People who had gym memberships are cutting back. Here you can exercise for free.’’

The equipment includes benches, cross-trainers, parallel bars, leg presses, a horizontal ladder and rowing machine. It cost $24,500, which came from Sarnoff’s quality-of-life funds.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays personal trainers from Equinox, the Downtown Athletic Club, Paradise Gym and 24 Hour Fitness will be at the park.

To read the Herald’s article, click here.

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 newsletter, “There we’ll hike south, wet or dry, about 3.4 miles, have lunch and backtrack to Oasis. We may get our feet wet and slosh through a pond on this section of the orange-blazed Florida Trail. This is Big Cypress Preserve in pristine condition. No swamp buggies allowed here, so bring hiking stuff and your own lunch for this potentially strenuous and varied walk amid cypress trees, slash pine, tall grass, saw palmetto, hammocks, wild flowers, orchids, air plants. We’ll look sharp for bald eagles and other natural sightings.”

The number of hikers is limited to eight and the cost is $10.

For details, contact Kaatje Bernabei at kaatjebernabei@bellsouth.net / 305-332-6551.

The Miami Herald reports that “Carlos G. Bertonatti struck cyclist Christopher Lecanne with a silver Volkswagen Jetta on the Rickenbacker Causeway on (Jan. 17). Lecanne’s crushed bike was reportedly dragged for blocks before the driver was stopped by police in Key Biscayne.”

Bertonatti has been charged with numerous crimes, including DUI manslaughter. He posted the $100,000 bail and was released.

To read an updated Herald report about the incident, click here.