Reservation Commemorates Earth Day

By Shelley Marmor

BIG CYPRESS — Two baby alligators, Liberty the Florida panther and Ocala the Harris hawk watched the Earth Day festivities from under the shade of the cypress trees across the street from the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum on April 22. The animals were the main attraction at the celebration for the various groups, including the Ahfachkee School students, who made their way to the festivities — but there was much more going on.

Under a large tent, representatives from the Water Resources Department and Environmental Health Program set up interactive booths and distributed a wealth of information on Earth-related topics.

Environmental Scientist Alyssa Jacobs had a table with various types of plants on display, including sawgrass and pine. She distributed packets on wetland plants and explained a little of what her position as an environmental scientist entails.

“I have a really fun job,” she said. “I get to play in dirt all day.”

At another table, Environmental Technician Michele Walts had a display featuring invasive plants. She passed out a packet entitled Weeds in My Backyard and explained that invasive plants are “usually exotic,” meaning they are not local to the area.

She had the Ahfachkee students play a game in which they had to identify several invasive plants, including melaleuca and Brazilian pepper, common around the Big Cypress reservation. The melaleuca is native to Australia and the Brazilian pepper originally comes from South America.

At another table that drew interest, wildlife biologist Sarah Grubs displayed a 13-foot-long Burmese python. She used the python as an example of invasive species that are causing problems in the Everglades. Grubs said she hopes to gather reported sightings from Tribal citizens to assist in a python eradication program in the future.

Her table also featured the skulls of several animals common throughout the Big Cypress Reservation, including the hog, bobcat, white tail deer and Florida panther. Grubs said wildlife biologists often study skulls because they are very telling and help identify many of the animal’s characteristics.

A few feet away from the informational tent, Ray Becerra from Billie Swamp Safari spoke about his animal friends that attended the celebration. He first spoke about Liberty, one of 13 Florida panthers with transmitters that freely roam the Big Cypress Reservation.

Becerra said anyone who sees one of the cats in the wild should exercise caution — although there has never been a recorded instance of a Florida panther attacking a human. He said Liberty allows him to pet her and play with her because he has raised Liberty since she was a kitten.

He added that Florida panthers have lived in Big Cypress for the last 20,000 years and are currently on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Endangered Species list. He also displayed and discussed another animal from the list, the gopher tortoise. He advised everyone, “Don’t make soup with that; it’s an endangered species.”

Becerra then discussed Harris hawks, like the one named Ocala he had on display. He said these birds live in packs and, as a result of their socialization, “can live longer than any other birds on the planet.”

This year’s national recognition of Earth Day marked the holiday’s 37th anniversary. The first Earth Day was observed on April 22, 1970.