Ever been to the Everglades?

Thread Starter

DerStrom8

Joined Feb 20, 2011
2,390
Good day folks!

A few years ago I took a train to Florida to stay with some family for a week. While I was there, I visited various attractions, like Edison's estate, the Museum of Science and Industry, and my personal favorite, the Everglades. While I was there I got a chance to see some wildlife that, living in Vermont, I hadn't seen in person before--rare birds, pythons (not indigenous), and lots and lots of alligators :D On my way into the park I passed this little guy sunning himself on the walkway:



I had the privilege to see a fair amount of the park by riding on one of their tour buses. I had originally planned to take a ride on one of their airboats, but the water level was too low and I had to settle for the bus instead.

Anyway, that brings me to the whole point of the thread. Loosewire (I'm sure we all know who he is ;)) mentioned to me that he recently made a presentation, along with a few others, in front of a district court regarding off-road vehicles and air boats in the Big Cypress Swamp in the Western Everglades. They damage they cause to the natural habitat and indigenous species is extraordinary, not to mention the destruction of the overall atmosphere with unnatural noise. Loosie, among others, spoke to promote a ban of such vehicles, thus preserving one of the world's greatest remaining national parks. I've posted links to a couple of articles to give you a little more information about what's going on.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/19...ts-off-road-vehicles-everglades-national-park

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...sBPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DAcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1196,3472958

Has anyone else here ever been to the Everglades and had similar issues with the vehicles previously allowed in the park? What do you think about the ban? Would you support it or reject the idea? I encourage you to speak your opinion freely, and let's try to keep this thread politics-free ;)
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
If they outlawed it, how would they film "swamp people" "ax men" "hilbilly handfishin", and all those other stereotype reinforcing trash TV shows?
 

JoeJester

Joined Apr 26, 2005
4,390
"Swamp people" have "tags" much like deer tags in other states. The state controls the harvest.

I think the "noodling" shows (hillbilly handfishing) is all catch and release. I did see an earlier show where people "paid" to do some noodling on some river in Oklahoma that wasn't catch and release.

I just didn't get what the excitement was about sticking your foot in a hole and catching the catfish on your foot. But ... to each their own.
 

Thread Starter

DerStrom8

Joined Feb 20, 2011
2,390
If they outlawed it, how would they film "swamp people" "ax men" "hilbilly handfishin", and all those other stereotype reinforcing trash TV shows?
So far I've only heard about it being banned in the Big Cypress Swamp, not the entire Everglades area.

But to answer your question, they wouldn't film it, and all that garbage would finally be eliminated and allow more time for GOOD tv shows! :D
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
But to answer your question, they wouldn't film it, and all that garbage would finally be eliminated and allow more time for GOOD tv shows! :D
Hell yeah! Like pawn stars, cajun pawn stars, storage wars, housewives, and jersey shore!

[/sarcasm]

(WTF is the deal with TV these days?)
 

BSomer

Joined Dec 28, 2011
434
One thing I noted while reading through the links you provided is that the articles are dated from 1990. Is this still an ongoing proposition or has something already been done? I have not done any further looking into yet but I would think that since the land is a national park they should do what ever is necessary to preserve it. I may go so far as to say that it should be preserved even if it was not a national park.

As to the T.V. talk... I gave up on that stuff a few years back. My T.V. quit working and rather than fix it or get a new one, I cancelled my cable subscription and now get all my news and weather through the internet or on my phone. My T.V. was about 20 some odd years old when it stopped working. I figure it was no great loss considering the types of shows that were on and what my friends talk about. I do miss watching some sports though... :(
 

monster_catfish

Joined Mar 17, 2011
116
If they outlawed it, how would they film "swamp people" "ax men" "hilbilly handfishin", and all those other stereotype reinforcing trash TV shows?
Ha ha ha We got da Rugarou ! We got eem at last ha ha ha. Choot eem 'Lizabeth ! Choot eem 'Lizabeth !

I am not happy with your disapproval of my favourite TV show Stantor, :rolleyes: but even if that show about generations-old 'gator trapping reinforces stereotypes, well Troy, Junior and the other hunters strike me as some of the most down-to-earth, disarmingly humourous group of people one could ever hope to meet - devoid of all pretentions, and damn proud of their hunting heritage, and their ability to live off the land just as their fore-fathers did.

My all-time favourite joke from Troy would be the time he said that if he died and his heart was transplanted into a New York city-slicker, that donor recipient would head straight to the bayous and embark on gator trapping without knowing why he felt compelled to do so. I laughed heartily when he said that. Yeah, a country boy at heart, literally.
 

maxpower097

Joined Feb 20, 2009
816
Yes I'm in the glades all the time. The regulation of the bus and boat triails is fine, the problem is all the drunken local yocals that take shortcuts home and don't go by the water roads. The glades have a network of highways in them specifically for boats and busses. But its not the official people causing the problem. Its the weekend warriors that feed the gators, and have parties back in the glades and then just make their own route home. On the other hand your not gonna damage the glades too much with anything. No matter what you do even cutting a road right thru the glades, it will regrow itself in a month. I went to camp each year at the FFnW camp in the glades and have gone their just playing, fishing, and swimming naked to make the pythons jelous and go home for years.

But my favorite part of the glades are the road signs surrounding it. The read "IF YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN WAIT FOR ASSISTANCE DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR CAR!"
 

Brownout

Joined Jan 10, 2012
2,390
My all-time favourite joke from Troy would be the time he said that if he died and his heart was transplanted into a New York city-slicker, that donor recipient would head straight to the bayous and embark on gator trapping without knowing why he felt compelled to do so. I laughed heartily when he said that. Yeah, a country boy at heart, literally.
That's my favorite part too. My second favorite is the relationship between Joe and Tommy. You can kind of tell that Tommy would self-destruct without Joe's guidance, while he continues to grow up. And how much Joe in turn depeinds on Tommy. I agree that this is a wholesome show that features hard-working, self-reliant americans at their best ( and sometimes at thier worst :) ) These values are something that's too often missing from our dialog. It's not trash TV by any means.
 

maxpower097

Joined Feb 20, 2009
816
"Swamp people" have "tags" much like deer tags in other states. The state controls the harvest.

I think the "noodling" shows (hillbilly handfishing) is all catch and release. I did see an earlier show where people "paid" to do some noodling on some river in Oklahoma that wasn't catch and release.

I just didn't get what the excitement was about sticking your foot in a hole and catching the catfish on your foot. But ... to each their own.
Then you don't know noodling! The excitment begins when they put their hand or foot in a hole thats currently occupied by a beaver, or gator. Now thats funny!. And even more excitment is when each year a dozen or so noodlers go underwater on a ledge and put their hand inside a good big catfish hole. Then the ground shifts and collapses on their arm having 10,000lb of brick pinning them underwater. Noodling is extremely dangerous. They don't show what happens when the things I've said actually happen.
 

maxpower097

Joined Feb 20, 2009
816
So far I've only heard about it being banned in the Big Cypress Swamp, not the entire Everglades area.

But to answer your question, they wouldn't film it, and all that garbage would finally be eliminated and allow more time for GOOD tv shows! :D
Like Keeping up with the Kardashians!
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
Well I must admit I've never actually watched it. I just saw previews (after seeing previews for lizard lick towing, south beach tow, etc) and lumped into my trash category.
 

maxpower097

Joined Feb 20, 2009
816
Nope.....I guess for me, that would make them the Neverglades! :)
Come to FL and me and loosie will put you in the Neverglades by yourself. I guarantee your calling for help in under 1 hour. ;) I've been around in the wilderness and nothing in the US compares to S FL. Everything here can kill you. We have dang cobra's breeding in the glades along with almost every other pit viper that exists. I went one place up north and they warned me of the moose. We all couldn't stop laughing.
 
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