Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Paradise!






Yes.

I'm in Florida.

Again.





This time
a
pathology
meeting...












...in
Sanibel
Island.














I think
I'm
in paradise!







Certainly
it's different
than
Death Valley!






Oh,
don't
worry!






I'll get
back to
Death Valley
soon...




But first
I want
to tell you
about
Sanibel!





Sanibel
is a
place of
shared
vision...





It's
a place
where
people
care....







...about
every
creature...



from
the 
over-sized...






photo by davesbirds.com





...to
the
very
small.






from
the
magnificent
osprey...







and
the
other-worldly
anhinga...







to
the
friendly
woodpecker...







and
the
common
catbird.






Sanibelians
love
their
plants....






2/3
of their island
is
protected
habitat!




Down
to the
tiniest
wildflower!




And this
in
prime
Florida
real estate!




What
a
blessing!



I get
to meet
Amanda.


photo by villsolyluna.com














Here's
a person
who loves
her work!







She works
for
the SCCF -

their 
local
conservancy.








photo by sccf



They have
a staff
of 25


and
hundreds
of volunteers!





I think of
Molly
in
Death Valley.

photo by David Brandt













...battling
her tamarisk
almost
alone.




I think
of
Tom
back home
battling
honeysuckle.






We
all
have...










photo by scifiupdates.com






invasive
aliens...




destroying
our
beloved
landscapes.




photo by swfwm







Amanda's
is the
brazilian
pepper.





And
Amanda
is
winning!










image by legaljuice.com





Because her city
has made it
ILLEGAL
to have
brazilian pepper
on your property!




They
mandate
healthy
native plantings,
not lawns.




(My
subdivision
in Indiana
REQUIRES
I have
50% lawn!)



Fertilizer
hungry....

wildlife
deficient....

BORING...

lawn!







Yuch!






That is
why
Sanibel
is rich
with
wildlife.



And in
Fishers
a bunny
could starve
looking
for a clover.




In Sanibel
bikers
have
as many rights
as drivers.










photo by sanibelcaptivablog.com



In Sanibel
police
will stop
people
from disturbing
turtle nests...











photo by Callie Bowdish



...and
the eggs
of the
snowy
plovers.








Photo by Channels.com





Amanda
is the
turtle
expert.












When
a cold snap
stunned
the Gulf...






She
snapped
into action

and
chased
down every
phone call
of a
cold-stunned turtle.

photo by CROW


She hauled
these
helpless
critters...

photo by SCCF


back to
a
climate-controlled
room....






...till they
could be
released
back to the
warm beaches
of Sanibel.





Amanda's
latest
dream?




The
Bailey
Tract!




Twenty-eight
acres
of
habitat
with
history...













...on the
selling
block.






...and
right next
to the marvelous
J Ding Darling
preserve!








It's an
amazing
world
to me...








here
in
Sanibel...






to see
a
community
that puts...






such
value...




on the
world
in which
we live!











9 comments:

  1. lol had to put that osprey pic in! well it is epic!!! FL looks amazing! Wish i could have gone swimming in that gorgeous water. oh and i love the tiny little bird pic!

    ReplyDelete
  2. i second that tiny bird pic :D it just makes me smile. looks gorgeous there. beautiful pics. and a very interesting story with Amanda and the SCCF

    ReplyDelete
  3. I got this site from my friend who informed me on the topic of
    this website and now this time I am browsing this
    web page and reading very informative articles at this place.


    my web blog ... struggle quotes

    ReplyDelete
  4. These are actually enormous ideas in about blogging.
    You have touched some good factors here. Any way keep up wrinting.


    Feel free to surf to my website ... self esteem quotes

    ReplyDelete
  5. Admiring the commitment you put into your site and detailed information you present.
    It's nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't the same outdated rehashed material.
    Excellent read! I've bookmarked your site and I'm including your RSS feeds to my Google account.



    my website - commitment quotes

    ReplyDelete
  6. It's awesome in support of me to have a website, which is good in favor of my knowledge. thanks admin

    Here is my web page :: william shakespeare quotes

    ReplyDelete
  7. Awesome blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?

    A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my
    blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your design.
    Thanks

    Feel free to surf to my page :: nora ephron quotes

    ReplyDelete
  8. It is the best time to make some plans for the future and it's time to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you some interesting things or advice. Maybe you can write next articles referring to this article. I want to read even more things about it!

    my web-site: letting go quotes

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am sure this paragraph has touched all the internet users,
    its really really fastidious article on building up new blog.



    Also visit my web site; depressing quotes

    ReplyDelete