201502Newsletter - Broward County Airboat, Halftrack and

BROWARD COUNTY AIRBOAT, HALFTRACK, &
CONSERVATION CLUB
Please help the Broward County Airboat, Halftrack, and Conservation Club
Preserve the Everglades and Pass on the Gladesmen Lifestyle to our Youth.
We are a partnership dedicated to preservation of the Everglades and the
Gladesmen lifestyle since 1952.
*An Application to Renew Your 2015 Dues is on the Back of this Sheet*
Please fill out the application, even if you were a current member in 2014, so that our records
can be updated and we can keep you up to date on Club news and events. Your address, email
address, and mobile phone number (if applicable) are necessary as that’s how the bulk of our
communications are sent out.
If you received a digital copy, please print out Pages 1-2 or if you received a hard copy please
fill out and submit the form, along with your dues, to:
BCAHCC
PO BOX 291022
Davie, FL 33329
Dues are Due by January 1, 2015.
Thank You for Your Support,
The Broward Airboat, Halftrack, and Conservation Club Officers and Executive Board.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM
year: 20______
Broward County Airboat, Halftrack and Conservation Club, Inc.
POBOX 291022 * Davie, FL 33329
[email protected] www.browardairboat.org
MEMBERSHIP FEES – Choose One
___ Single Membership Dues $35
PLEASE CIRCLE ONE:
New Member
___ Family Membership Dues $50
Current Member
____Life Member
Address change only
YEAR YOU JOINED THE CLUB:____________
Name __________________________________
Date of Birth ______/______/______________
Address______________________________________________________________________________
City ______________________________ _____ State _______________ Zip ______________________
Phone ( _____)________________________ Cell Phone ( _____)____________________
Email address______________________________________________
Occupation & Employer _________________________________________________________________
I would like to join or renew membership and support the work of the Broward County Airboat, Halftrack and Conservation Club and
I shall abide by all laws and bylaws of the club. I understand my application must be voted on favorably by the membership in a
regularly scheduled meeting on the fourth Wednesday of the month. I also understand I am responsible for myself and any guests I
bring to club sanctioned functions in the event of an injury.
Signature____________________________________________________________
Dated:______/______/______
Member Sponsor:___________________________________________________
Do you belong to any other clubs? If yes, which ones? ____________________________________________________
Circle all that apply
Airboat (Aluminum, Fiberglass) (Aircraft Motor, Car Motor) / Off Road Vehicle / All Terrain Vehicle Wheel Buggy / Full
Track Half Track / Boating Camp Owner / Hunting / Fishing Other:___________________________________________
The Club has many functions during the year. Of those listed below, which would you prefer to help with? Please circle
all that apply, and please know that you will be called on to participate in those that you indicate an interest.
Airboat Show (March) / Banquet / Newsletter / Website / Cook Outs / Committees / Fund Raising
Club Trailer (Retail Sales) / Attending Conservation Meetings / Picnic Island Maintenance /
Club Camp Maintenance / Public Information Parades
Other_____________________________________________________
Please fill out and return with dues payable to: Broward County Airboat, Halftrack and Conservation Club
Official Use Only: Date approved _______/______/______ Paid by Check (# ) or Cash Welcome packet and membership card shipped on: _____/______/__________
2014-2015 OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
Brett Holcombe
(954) 684-4858
[email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT
Barney McDougall
(954) 914-8387
[email protected]
SECRETARY
Sean L’Italien
(561) 239-2298
[email protected]
TREASURER
Bill Sirola
(954) 543-3709
[email protected]
E-BOARD
John Storms
Neil Ruddy
Peter Hora
(954) 444-6836
[email protected]
John Rosier
(954) 806-6323
[email protected]
Past President:
Damon Carroll
(954) 931-6760
[email protected]
Past Treasurer:
Bruce Ward
(954) 658-2714
[email protected]
February’s here and 2015 is flying by so let’s all remember to get those club
dues paid up to date. Attached to the newsletter are the forms to fill out and update
your information so we can better keep record of all our members. We will be
working hard this year to update all of our records so we may keep all of you up to
date on the calendar of club events this upcoming year so please take the time to
bring your dues current.
Our 2015 Airboat Show is right around the corner and the ball is already
rolling for this year’s show. Barney has worked extremely hard on bringing some new
and exciting features to the show this year so make sure you mark your calendar and
spread the word to all your friends. The dates this year will be March 21st & 22nd at
the Bergeron Rodeo grounds in Davie, Florida. We are still looking for volunteers to
help out with the setup and tear down on Friday the 20th and Monday the 23rd so
head on out to the general meeting Wednesday February 25th and be a part of our
great show. If anyone knows of a business that would be willing to donate to our
raffle table please let Barney know we are looking for things such as sunglasses,
coolers, grills, TVs or a Go Pro. Any items will be appreciated.
Our club camp is in its final stages of planning for the addition of our great
hall. Tom Kripps construction has agreed to build this for us but we will still need
airboats and volunteers to transport all the building materials out to the camp from
the boat ramp so anyone that wants to help please keep this in mind as the time is
drawing near. It is our goal to have this project completed in time to host our Youth
Alligator hunt April 10-12th, so please everyone let’s all pull together and help make
this goal happen.
We have an upcoming Hunt Master course scheduled March 13th& 14th at
the Everglades Youth camp in Palm Beach. We currently have about 20 people signed
up for this training class so if you are interested in attending please contact John
Storms to sign up. The club will be donating all the food for this class.
As many of you may or may not know there were some untrue comments
posted on social media (Facebook) regarding vehicle hunting in the Management
areas. These comments were posted in manner to try and get the attention of hunters
that may or may not support our causes in these areas through several clubs, as I
understand the purpose of these comments I must say the method in delivering it was
not fully thought out (in my opinion) and I must say that the members of this club and
others were extremely upset and shared their displeasure in the way these comments
affected them and other hunters in our area. As President of this club I thought it was
necessary to address this issue on behalf of the members that expressed their
concerns in this matter. As I personally believe that I understand the reasoning behind
the comments I also understand the power of social media and the need to keep the
facts (factual) when making a statement that would so greatly affect the hunting
heritage in our areas.
The Davie Orange Blossom Parade will be coming up February 28th at 10 am
this is an all-day event and we will have several buggies and airboats in it so come on
down and join us for a fun day. The club store will also be in attendance.
Finally our general club meeting will be held Wednesday February 25th at 7
pm so come on out and join us we will be discussing several new events, as always
food will be served.
Always remember be safe out there
Brett Holcombe
President, BCAHCC
Calendar of Events
DUES ARE DUE! January 1st of every year!
Please fill out a membership application today & all
Lifetime members please fill out one today & send
it or bring it in so we can update our files. Thank
you!
General Membership Meeting
February 25th 2015
Davie Women's Club, Meeting starts at 7pm sharp,
please arrive around 6:30 to get food and be ready.
Annual Palm Beach Airboat Show
February 28-March 1st, 2015
Everglades Youth Camp
Huntmaster Course
March 13-14
Everglades Youth Camp
2015 Airboat Show
March 21-22, 2015
Youth Alligator Hunt
April 10-12th, 2015
Annual Memorial Run
1st Week of August, 2015
The Largest Snake in the World Has Invaded the United
States
By Jackson Landers
On a muggy day about 10 years ago in the Florida
Everglades, Jack Shealy was riding his bike along a dirt
road leading into the Trail Lakes Campground, where he
has worked for decades. Like any good gladesman,
Shealy has a substantial portion of his brain wired to
recognize snakes in places where the rest of us would
see only leaves and shadows. He skidded to a stop at the
sight of a serpentine form stretched out in the sun.
This particular snake was not especially large—only
about a meter in length. Yet the color was something
different. Greenish brown with dark, oval spots. This was
not a snake that belonged in the Everglades. Shealy did
something that comes naturally to the family. (His
nephew Jack M. Shealy recently became notorious for
jumping into the water to wrestle an invasive Burmese
python.) He jumped off of the bike and captured the
angry snake by hand.
Trail Lakes Campground just happened to have a
herpetologist on staff. Rick Scholle, who runs the
campground’s roadside zoo, examined the snake and
realized that he was looking at a juvenile green
anaconda. A nonvenomous constrictor native to South
America, the green anaconda is the biggest, heaviest
species of snake in the world. It definitely does not
belong in the Florida Everglades.
I met Shealy and Scholle while I was on an expedition in
February to hunt invasive Burmese pythons in the
Everglades. The Burmese pythons have become a wellpublicized problem, but once I got down there and
started spending time with the fishermen, bikers,
reformed gator poachers, tour guides, smugglers, and
biologists who inhabit the sparsely populated southern
Glades, I found that the situation wasn’t everything it
was made out to be on the evening news. The pythons
were less of a problem than the media had made them
out to be. And many other invasive species were
crawling around without receiving nearly as much
attention.
Hanging out with other python hunters, I realized within
a few days that the vast majority of pythons had been
captured by locals who just happen to bump into them
while doing other things. Those locals see a lot of other
weird things out there in the swamp. This is, after all,
the home of the legendary skunk ape. Most people who
think that they spot a skunk ape tend to keep the news
to themselves for fear of sounding crazy, and until
recently they felt the same way when they caught sight
of a strange green snake big enough to swallow a Great
Dane.
I had a long conversation about green anacondas with
Scholle one morning while he showed me the live 15foot specimen in his own collection. The anaconda that
Shealy had brought to him 10 years previously had
refused to eat in captivity and died within a few
months—which suggests the snake may have been born
in the wild. Another green anaconda was later captured
in the Everglades and given to Scholle. That snake gave
birth to the behemoth wrapped around Scholle’s body
as he spoke to me.
He pointed out that the Burmese pythons, as bad as
their invasion seems, face a constraint on their numbers
that the green anaconda doesn’t. The Everglades are
riddled with another invasive species that has
conquered most of the Gulf Coast: fire ants. Fire ants
were brought to Gulf of Mexico ports accidentally by
cargo ships from South America. They are notorious for
attacking in swarms with extremely painful stings. Most
ants have a bit of formic acid in their bite, but the fire
ant also has a stinger equipped with a necrotizing
venom.
Normally an animal stung by a fire ant will flee and
survive. But creatures that can’t or won’t move away are
at risk of being swarmed, killed, and eaten. Newborn
calves are sometimes killed by fire ants before they can
get to their feet. Burmese pythons are sometimes at a
similar disadvantage. The females spend several months
each year guarding their eggs by wrapping their bodies
around them and defending against any would-be egg
thieves. This places the python—and her leathery eggs—
at risk of attack by marauding ants. One Burmese
python at Trail Lakes, captured in the wild and kept in a
large outdoor enclosure, was swarmed by fire ants that
tunneled up from beneath her while she guarded her
eggs. By the end of the day she and her brood had been
reduced to little more than scales and bones. Given the
ubiquity of fire ants in the Everglades, it’s imaginable
that the ants are limiting the population growth of the
pythons.
The green anaconda does not have this problem. Unlike
its smaller relative, the anaconda gives birth to live
young rather than laying eggs. It can easily slither away
from fire ant bites. What’s more, the anaconda would be
less likely to encounter fire ants in the first place. Unlike
the Burmese pythons, which are found on land and in
trees as often as in the water, the green anaconda is an
almost wholly aquatic snake. Perhaps this is why the
green anaconda can afford to be about 50 percent
heavier than a python of the same length. All of that
enormous bulk is borne by the water most of the time.
Really large anacondas are rarely reported by white
people, but African-Americans who live in or near the
Everglades tell stranger stories. White people there
usually go fishing the same way that I do—noisily and
conspicuously. Standing up, constantly casting, and
moving along to new spots when nothing is happening.
But African-Americans of the Everglades have different
fishing traditions. They sit very still and quietly along the
water for a very long time with a piece of live or cut bait
under a bobber. Waiting. When you wait quietly in
nature that way, you tend to see things that other
people don’t see. Like a great green and black snake as
big around as a Hula Hoop, gliding slowly and smoothly
past you through the dark water, so close you could
almost touch it.
These stories of what could be record-breaking snakes
are impossible to substantiate. Eyewitnesses are usually
alone, and everything grows in a fisherman’s
recollections. In most environments, a snake that large
would be difficult to hide. But in the Everglades, living
almost entirely in the water, a number of snakes large
enough to swallow a man could spend their whole lives
without ever being photographed or captured.
It is impossible to contemplate a snake so large without
wondering whether it would swallow a human. The
evidence for this ever having happened anywhere in the
world is sketchy, but then again I suspect that the
anacondas haven’t been filing their reports diligently
and the victims have also been slow to talk.
Green anacondas haven’t gained much attention as an
invasive species, but the state of Florida has become
concerned enough about them that photos for
identification were included in the study guide that I was
assigned before participating in the “Python Challenge”
hunting contest. Based on the specimens that people
I’ve spoken to have collected, I am convinced that a
breeding population of anacondas has become
established. The questions are how many there are and
how big they can really get.
In the long run, anacondas make the Burmese pythons
look like garter snakes. Between their advantage over
fire ants, sneaky aquatic lifestyle, and sheer size that
discourages even the largest of alligators from messing
with them, the green anaconda could eventually prove
to be the biggest problem in the United States’ wildest
place.
Secret hunting trips to King Ranch in Texas have been
terminated for Florida GOP leaders.
U.S. Sugar is a big backer of elite Republicans in Florida.
They will continue to support GOP leaders, but without
the accompanying trips to King Ranch they’ve funded in
the past, says the Tampa Bay Times. Republican Richard
Corcoran says it’s just fine with him. He wants to raise
money with transparency, so he can maintain credibility.
U.S. Sugar did not comment on their sponsorship of
these secret trips to the Texas hunting ranch. Reporters
noticed a correlation between the gifts and the dates
the GOP leaders registered for Texas hunting licenses.
This correlation led to the discovery of how “in-kind”
contributions were made. Currently, there are no laws in
place requiring companies or politicians disclose the
nature of in-kind gifts.
A reporter for several national publications discovered
U.S. Sugar has contributed at least 20 King Ranch trips
for the state party. The secrecy behind these trips has
lead to public distrust for many.
Corcoran stated only transparency will help prevent
further special interest groups from making too many
waves in the state party.
South Florida Deer Study
The South Florida Deer Study is a multifaceted research
collaboration involving the University of Georgia (UGA)
The Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Conservancy of Southwest
Florida (Conservancy) and National Park Service (NPS)
investigating factors influencing deer population
dynamics in Bear Island and North Addition Land Units
of Big Cypress National Preserve, and the Florida
Panther National Wildlife Refuge. These study sites
were selected based on availability of historical data,
presence of Global Positioning System (GPS)-collared
Florida panthers, existing camera grids, access and
feasibility, consultation with area biologists and
managers, and variation in hydrology and hunting
regulations.
The goal of this project is to gain a better understanding
of the factors that influence white-tailed deer
population trends in South Florida and to develop a
methodology that allows for monitoring deer
populations. The specific objectives are to:
•
•
Understand the effects of hydrology, hunting,
and predation on deer population dynamics in
South Florida.
Develop a monitoring program based on camera
trapping for deer populations in South Florida.
During January 2015, UGA Deer Lab graduate students
Brian Kelly and Daniel Crawford led a research team that
captured over 100 deer in the Florida Panther National
Wildlife Refuge and Big Cypress National Preserve. They
are using GPS radio collars and trail cameras to monitor
this deer population that is the prey base for the
endangered Florida panther and prized game for many
hunters. Deer population declines in portions of South
Florida have raised concerns among deer managers.
The UGA Deer Lab is working with the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission to investigate factors
influencing population dynamics and the spatial ecology of
this deer herd to inform harvest and habitat management
decisions.
Obama proposes $240 million in 2016 for Everglades
restoration
The Obama administration signaled it’s serious about
fixing the Everglades Monday by unveiling a budget that
proposes spending $240 million on restoration work.
Of that, at least $124 million would go directly toward U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers construction projects, nearly
double the current budget and more than four times what
was spent the year before, said Everglades Foundation
CEO Eric Eikenberg.
Brian and Daniel coordinated capture efforts that included
deer capture experts Dragonfly Aviation and a NPS aviation
unit. Working in tandem this two ship operation was able
to catch 109 deer in seven days. The research team fitted
100 adult white-tailed with GPS collars and ear tagged
several fawns.
The money builds on $1.6 billion the administration says it
has so far spent to complete chronically-delayed repairs to
one of the nation’s largest ecosystems. Restoring the
wetlands drained for development in the 1940s was first
authorized under a landmark act signed by President Bill
Clinton in 2000. But in recent years, the large public works
bill intended to pay for projects failed to pass a divided
Congress.
“We’ve been very vocal that if we’re going to avoid
Everglades fatigue not only in Florida but around the
country, we’ve got to move to finish these projects,”
Eikenberg said. “So the White House coming out with $124
million just for the Corps is a very positive development.”
Eickenberg said he now hopes Congress follows the lead
and “at least starts at that baseline.”
For more updates to the study, navigate to:
http://www.ugadeerresearch.org/south-florida-deerstudy/
While the administration did not name specific projects to
be funded, Julie Hill-Gabriel, director of Everglades policy
for Audubon Florida, said top contenders include two
older canal projects in South Miami-Dade County
authorized nearly two decades ago, along with four
projects inserted into a major 2014 water works bill.
Among the projects are a water preserve in western
Broward County and two reservoirs needed near Lake
Okeechobee to keep polluted water from fouling the St.
Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers. In 2013, water from the
lake triggered toxic algae blooms.
Florida bear hunt likely to happen this fall
JACKSONVILLE — It looks as if the great Florida bear hunt is
on. All that's left are the details.
Florida wildlife officials Wednesday decided to move ahead
with a proposal to allow sportsmen to hunt bears for the
first time in more than 20 years. Their decision, reached
after a five-hour public hearing in Jacksonville, came
despite pleas from naturalists and animal lovers who
wanted to hold off at least until the state had finished a
survey of the Florida black bear population.
More than 50 people voiced their support and objections
to the hunt as the governing board of the Florida Fish &
Wildlife Conservation Commission met to consider
changing its policy, which had forbidden bear hunts since
1994.
"They missed it — hunting isn't the answer," Kate MacFall,
of the Florida chapter of the Humane Society of the United
States, said after the meeting.
The agency's move toward a hunt is intended to keep the
bear population in check.
Throughout the state – especially Central Florida -- humanbear confrontations have been on the rise. Four of those
encounters led to serious injuries, including the mauling of
two Seminole County women.
But FWC's Executive Director Nick Wiley said hunting alone
will not solve the conflicts, but is an important
management tool for wildlife officers who constantly plead
with residents to lock up their garbage and stop feeding
bears.
Commissioners began considering the possible bear hunt
before 10 a.m. and heard a presentation from bear
biologist Tom Eason, known as "Dr. Bear." He told
commissioners that, among states that do not allow a hunt,
Florida has by far the largest population.
Based on an old population estimate he predicted 275
bears could be taken in a hunt, but that number might be
higher based on more recent population estimates.
Nick Wiley, executive director of the FWC, has said that the
hunting strategy is not an "end-all and "be-all solution."
But it's time, he said, that the hunting option is considered
again. The hunt would likely take place in the fall. Florida
listed the bear as a threatened species in 1974, then
delisted it in 2012. The state then banned bear hunting in
1994.
Opposing the hunt are the Sierra Club and the Humane
Society of the United States. They say a hunt will not solve
the continuing clashes between people and bears that
have plagued areas of Seminole County such as Alaqua,
Carisbrooke, Heathrow and Wingfield North.
Velva Peterson of Apopka also opposes the hunt. Peterson,
the first person to address FWC, blamed people – not
bears – for the problem. Peterson pinned the increase in
bear-human conflicts on overdevelopment in natural bear
habitats. However, about half of those addressing
commissioners favored a bear hunt — including some who
hoped they would be able to use hunting dogs.
Joi Hosker is OK with a hunt, as long as the rules are
written in a way to protect mothers and their cubs. Hosker
took issue with those who said that hunting bears in area
forests would do nothing to limit human-bear conflicts in
the suburbs. "Some of those bears will be the problem
tomorrow," she said. "Overpopulation has to be
addressed."
Bryan Wilson, Central Florida coordinator for the Animal
Rights Foundation of Florida, picked up on that theme. "It's
not an abundance issue," said Wilson, of Winter Springs.
"It's a concentration issue." Wilson said, "We're forcing
bears into smaller and smaller habitats as we chew up
their territory by building new neighborhoods and new
toll-roads."
In its decision Wednesday, the commission directed FWC
staff to draft formal rules that would govern a bear hunt.
Those rules will be presented to the commission in April.
FWC is also considering other measures aimed at curbing
human-bear conflicts. One would ease some rules by
allowing residents who are beleaguered by bears to use
paint balls, sling shots and other non lethal ways to scare
away the beasts. Another would strengthen penalties for
illegally feeding bears.
Skinning & Grinning
Your Reptile Trophy Hide Specialists
Mitchell Schall (561) 358-0893
Broward County Airboat,
Halftrack & Conservation Club, Inc.
P.O. Box 291022
Davie, FL 33329-1022
Address correction requested
Airboater’s Code of Ethics
1.I will respect the rights of all users of the recreational waterways of the State of Florida, on public waters and
on adjacent private property.
2.I will be considerate and courteous at public vessel launch ramps and docks. In an effort not to disturb other
boaters, I will launch and retrieve my vessel promptly.
3.I will always operate at a safe speed in posted "No Wake" zones.
4.When approaching the shoreline, I will be especially aware of swimmers and other water vessels near the
shoreline.
5.I realize that my vessel's equipment, ability, weather conditions, and especially other vessel traffic should
determine my vessel speed.
6.In case of an emergency, I will volunteer assistance.
7.I am aware that my vessel creates air propeller wash and will use idle speed near the shoreline and in close
proximity to boat ramps.
8.I will ensure that all passengers in my vessel are equipped with safety equipment, including life vests and
required safety equipment.
9.I will avoid unnecessary disturbance of wildlife and will not enter posted "No Trespass" areas.
10.I will pay close attention to the engine sound levels that my vessel may create and be aware of how others on
the shoreline will react to it.
11.I will not litter and will bring back all trash. I will be careful in handling my fuel.
12.I will not interfere with or harass others. I realize that people will judge all airboaters by my individual
actions