A Naturalist In Southern Florida

Archie Carr (1909-1987), the eminent naturalist, writer, and conservationist, was particularly entranced by the wildlife and ecosystems of Florida, where he lived for more than 50 years. This book - which includes some of his essays - is full of details and anecdotes about the flora, fauna, and humans that have inhabited Florida's colourful landscape.

For centuries, the southernmost region of the Florida peninsula was seen by outsiders as wild and inaccessible, one of the last frontiers in the quest to understand and reveal the natural history of the continent. Seeking the American Tropics tells the stories of the explorers and adventurers who—for better and for worse—helped open the unique environment of South Florida to the world. Beginning with the arrival of Juan Ponce de León in 1513, James Kushlan describes how most of the famous Spanish explorers never made it to South Florida, leaving the area’s rich natural history out of scientific records for the next 250 years. It wasn’t until the British colonial and early American periods that the first surveyors were commissioned and the first naturalists—Titian Peale and John James Audubon—arrived to collect, draw, and report the subtropical flora and fauna that were so unique to North America. Moving into the railroad era, Kushlan illuminates the activities of scientists such as Henry Nehrling and Charles Torrey Simpson alongside the dabbling of wealthy amateur naturalists. He follows the story to the 1920s, when tourism was flourishing and signs of ecological damage were starting to show. Years of wildlife trade, resource extraction, invasive species introduction, and swamp drainage had taken their toll. And many of the naturalists who had been outspoken about protecting South Florida’s environment had also played a part in its destruction. Today the region is among one of the most thoroughly studied places on the planet—but at a cost. In this absorbing and cautionary tale, Kushlan illustrates how exploration has so often trumped conservation throughout history. He exposes how much of the natural world we have already lost in this vivid portrait of the Florida of yesterday.

An insider's guide to the natural areas of south Florida, from Hobe Sound in the east and Punta Gorda in the west down to the Keys and the Dry Tortugas. Includes Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, the coral reefs of both Biscayne National Park and Pennekamp State Park, and Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge and Corkscrew Swamp, as well as many smaller state and county parks, recreation areas, and nature centers. Includes maps and information on camping, boating, hiking, fishing, tours, and more.

This memoir captures the essence of light tackle fishing in its prime from Palm Beach to the Florida Keys, from the Everglades to the Ten Thousand Islands. In short, the best snook-fishing spots on the planet. Author chronicles his fishing adventures from Sanibel to the tarpon capital of the world—Boca Grande—to rivers like the Manatee River and the Little Manatee in Manatee County, the Myakka River in Sarasota County, the Peace River, and the Caloosahatchee River, which teemed with fish. Colorful characters like Fat Wally, Dick Clevenger, and Frank the Net (as rugged and eclectic as his ’66 International Harvester) take the author under their wings and show him where the fish are. Others, like Dennis Hart, Walt Winton, Mark Riehemann, Pete Stroble, and Ray Moss (a.k.a. Fertile Myrtle), become lifelong friends. In addition to being an immensely entertaining read with a colorful cast of characters, this book has a strong environmental message and is a cautionary tale about the loss of over seven million acres of pristine wetlands, the explosive growth of the sugarcane industry, the abomination of large-scale citrus farming, the foolhardiness of removing the oxbows and dredging Kissimmee River, and the damaging effects of damming and diking of Lake Okeechobee.