Should Florida ban alligator wrestling?

In an old video, a Miccosukee man wrestles an alligator. | Here's an AP video of Seminoles who are trying to turn alligator wrestling into an extreme sport.

Seminoles and Miccosukees have been wrestling alligators in Florida for generations. It used to be for survival. Now its more for entertainment, and though it was quite common a couple of decades ago, the practice seems to be dying out. There's a petition online at thepetitionsite.com to get the Florida Legislature to ban alligator wrestling. What do you think? Comment below.

Lessons after Deep Horizon oil spill?

United States Coast Guard

Deep Water Horizon oil well

"Every so often, a major event involving [the Gulf of Mexico] reminds us that we are not the sole animating force in our history," writes UF history professor Jack E. Davis. "Nature is an equal, sometime greater, influence (something history books fail to teach), and from Texas to Florida, the Gulf is nature supreme."

"We should pause to understand that for the past 150 years our behavior has been on a collision course with the Gulf and its enriching presence," he writes in an op-ed piece for the Tallahassee Democrat.

Read the full article Treat the Gulf right and it will return the favor

Baby coachwhip on the Nature Coast

Pure Florida blogger floridacracker, who is a native of Florida and lives on the Nature Coast, has some interesting video and photographs of a baby snake he discovered the other day. He thinks its a baby coachwhip but acknowledges that it could be a black racer. See what you think.

Voice of America features the Glades

National Park Service

More than 350 bird species and 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish live within the park.

Steve Ember and Faith Lapidus presented an audio report on the Everglades on Science in the News, a VOA program in Special English. 

Yankee loses in island showdown

Harry Stolzfus

Remember that tale a couple of weeks ago about the battle between the transplanted yankee and the old-time, deep-roots Floridian (Ed Chiles, Lawton's son)? Well, it has played itself out now. For the moment, at least. The Anna Maria Island Sun reports that City Commissioner Harry Stolzfus has been recalled. His term is to be filled by the man who ran against him. The town's other newspaper, The Islander, reports that Stolzfus is challenging the legality of the recall election. So it all may end up back in court again. Meanwhile, Bill Yanger, author of the island blog Our Anna Maria wonders if the new commissioner will honor his promises. The drama continues.

Is it illegal to dig in the sand?

Don't plan to dig on the beach at the Gulf Islands National Seashore. You could be in big trouble. UPDATE: Here's a followup to that earlier report. Apparently a staffer was misinformed. Digging is okay at the beach, where you might dig up oil, just not near Fort Pickens, where you might dig up an artifact.