"The Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, which opened near Naples in 1989, is... about protecting the endangered panther from humans... six years ago, a board of stakeholders decided the refuge needed public access.
To protect both human and beast, the refuge carved out a 600-acre tract lightly visited by panthers... and bounded by fences. Two trails opened in June 2005 as the refuge's contribution to the greater Everglades trail system. The shorter of the two loop trails... is the... driest... The... longer trail loops for 1.3 miles through three of the refuge's four eco-systems -- tropical hammock, wet prairie and pine-oak upland. There's also swamp habitat in the refuge, and at certain times of year the long trail resembles it. In addition to saving the dwindling panther population, the refuge's main work involves restoring its once-abundant orchid growth, decimated by the Gatsby-era appetite for the... flowers. Now the refuge works at reproducing and reintroducing them to save the habitat." URL : http://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/weekly_features/story/435425.html photo : [caption : "Biologist Larry Richardson... with a blooming cigar orchid at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, where workers are trying to re-establish the once-abundant orchid population."] http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2008/02/27/18/218-eco.embedded.prod_affiliate.56.jpg **************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
