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Post by htmb on Aug 14, 2013 0:05:14 GMT
I will have to see what I can find out, nycgirl.
While I didn't see the wild monkeys on this trip, I've seen them plenty of times in the past.
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Post by htmb on Aug 17, 2013 14:33:10 GMT
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Post by htmb on Aug 17, 2013 14:42:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2013 15:28:58 GMT
Love your insects and butterflies.... and all of your water shots, which basically means all of your pictures. While France has a number of wetlands, I am not really near any of them and it is something that I miss from the South.
During my trip to Mississippi this spring, when I was looking at Bayou Bernard and the Tchouticabouffa River (we locals pronounce it Chootikabuff), it made me nostalgic to remember that even though my father was usually steering the boat (but sometimes it was me or my brother), I used to know every nook and cranny of those bayous, which ones had deep enough water, which ones had sand flats where you could get stuck, the dead ends and the ones that kept winding around to let you back out into the river, the good fishing spots, places where you could put down nets for bayou crabs, areas where you could pull the boat up close enough to dry land to settle certain needs -- but very quickly before the snakes or other critters came out of hiding -- the location of underwater stumps...
Those places are whole worlds in themselves, but now I suppose we are supposed to just diminsh their wonder and call them ecosystems.
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Post by htmb on Aug 17, 2013 15:42:43 GMT
Not a bad way for a boy to be raised, Kerouac. I felt the same way about the places I would ride my horse as a kid, as well as the large lake where I lived for many years as an adult. I knew where the horse was likely to shy from being spooked by something along the path, where not to venture due to the likelihood of finding snakes, and what rural home to avoid due to unfriendly dogs. On the lake I learned where to find the springs to cool off in the dead heat of summer when most of the water was warm, but the spring water coming out of the aquifer was 72 degrees F. I also learned somewhat how to read the weather to know if there was a possible change in the wind coming us, thus making for a more challenging paddle.
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Post by mossie on Aug 17, 2013 18:53:46 GMT
Lucky kids. Although we had fields and woods to roam about in and build dens and try to shoot rabbits with a bow and arrow.
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Post by htmb on Aug 18, 2013 11:43:37 GMT
Love your insects and butterflies.... and all of your water shots, which basically means all of your pictures. While France has a number of wetlands, I am not really near any of them and it is something that I miss from the South. Those places are whole worlds in themselves, but now I suppose we are supposed to just diminsh their wonder and call them ecosystems. I was thinking about your comment as I was taking my little granddaughters through the local history museum yesterday. You've mentioned your dismay over the use of the word before. I really think it's been incorporated into our language to help instill the idea of how everything in nature connects to the other. At the museum there are different bio-systems exhibits featuring areas such as an estuary, an uplands woods, a prairie marsh, along with the various flora and fauna. I don't think the use of the word ecosystems diminishes the wonder of these areas for my granddaughters, but rather hope it helps to enhance their knowledge and teaches them a sense of responsibility for protection of these interconnected environments.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2013 17:30:08 GMT
Well, it is also possible to teach young people about things without recreating all of the vocabulary. It just makes me think of those other nice new words like collateral damage or sanitation worker. And frankly, I prefer swamp or marsh to "wetlands" in the first place. Pretty soon, Oliver Twist won't even be able to say that he is hungry. "I believe that I may be suffering from malnutrition." How about that for going off topic?
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Post by htmb on Aug 18, 2013 17:56:40 GMT
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Post by htmb on Aug 18, 2013 18:01:18 GMT
Limpid ~~ limpid is the word going through my head. I confess I looked at all the pictures in this thread before going back to read the text. It's all so incredibly pretty! Htmb, you have such a gift for capturing water -- gorgeous photos all of them, not just the ones of water. So sad, although not surprising to read of the problems Florida is having. Really, has been having for decades. The golf courses alone in Florida could probably poison a small country. This brought back great memories of seeing Silver Springs when I was little. Thank you, Bixa, I'm sorry I didn't respond to your comments earlier. Do you remember much from your Silver Springs visit? How old were you?
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Post by htmb on Aug 18, 2013 18:05:06 GMT
In regards to the butterfly photos, those were taken from one of the boats from a long distance away. I THOUGHT I saw butterflies, so twisted around, leaned through a window opening, and focused my zoom lens on the spot. Meanwhile, I STILL cannot take a decent closeup of a butterfly or a bee.
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Post by htmb on Aug 18, 2013 18:12:30 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2013 18:46:44 GMT
Fantastic report about a fragile ecosystem. Those kayak people don't look very energetic, though. Perhaps they are fragile, too.
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Post by htmb on Aug 18, 2013 18:55:22 GMT
I've noticed a trend among the new kayakers of my generation. Many purchase kayaks with foot pedals attached to a fin system that propels the boat. This was the case with many of the kayakers on the river that day.
I suppose, in all fairness, I should also point out that most had paddled six miles to get to the river's spring heads. Either that, or they rented kayaks from the nearby state park, OR trailed their kayak down a 1/2 path to the river.
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Post by htmb on Aug 25, 2013 16:49:25 GMT
Silver Springs renovation work stoppedJust six weeks before Silver Springs becomes Florida's newest park, state environmental regulators have tapped the brakes on the renovation at the attraction.
Senior officials at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said they have stopped most of the planned $4 million upgrade after finding more problems than expected at the 242-acre park.
The officials described the delay as "a step back," taken to ensure they fully understand the infrastructure challenges before them.
Most likely, the work will not resume until after the state takes control of the Silver Springs attraction from Palace Entertainment on Oct. 1, they said. Gainesville Sun Article continued....
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2013 4:30:25 GMT
It's hard to tell from that article how much is posturing and how much is real. It sounds a lot like the usual amount of quibbling between contractors and customers to get things done for as little money as possible.
I confess that I am a bit surprised that natural springs would require pumps.
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Post by htmb on Aug 26, 2013 10:29:47 GMT
I believe pump reference refers to the sewage and drainage systems. Improvements are needed to keep waste water OUT of the springs. It also refers to the water park, across the parking lot, which I haven't yet mentioned in this thread.
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Post by nycgirl on Aug 26, 2013 18:03:26 GMT
Htmb and Kerouac, your childhood explorations sound absolutely wonderful. I've noticed a trend among the new kayakers of my generation. Many purchase kayaks with foot pedals attached to a fin system that propels the boat. This was the case with many of the kayakers on the river that day. That's what my husband and I used on our trip to the Everglades (which I have to get around to posting photos of one of these days). We may have looked like wussies, but I got to go a lot further than I would have using the strength of my arms. I am not a good kayaker.
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Post by lugg on Aug 27, 2013 11:58:39 GMT
Super interesting and visually stunning report Htmb. It is just so beautiful.
It is only when I saw your underwater close ups that began to understand the problems with the springs that you had referred to so tragic if this cannot be stopped and indeed improved.
I wonder why the current owners decided to turn the park over to the state; was it because of falling numbers of visitors?
Looking forward to seeing your future reports.
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Post by htmb on Aug 27, 2013 16:35:04 GMT
The state of Florida has actually owned the park since 1993. I can only assume that Palace Entertainment, the most recent lessee, has had financial difficulties due to deteriorating facilities/expenses and a decrease in revenue. They actually had a long-term lease with the state. As part of the agreement to dissolve the lease, Palace Entertainment has agreed to pay a sum of money towards park improvements.
1993 Florida Leisure sold the property the attraction occupies to the state of Florida and continued managing the park under a long term lease.
1996 Ogden Entertainment of Florida, Inc., acquired the management lease to Silver Springs.
2000 SmartParks, Inc., acquired the management lease to Silver Springs.
2002 Palace Entertainment acquired the management lease to Silver Springs.
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Post by anshjain97 on Aug 27, 2013 17:03:37 GMT
I haven't been following much of the US branch, but from what I've been glancing at, I've learned a lot more about the US. Will certainly devote more time to it soon!
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Post by htmb on Sept 7, 2013 12:55:29 GMT
The local newspaper has been publishing a story each week featuring people who have worked at Silver Springs over the years. I thought the article in the paper today was especially interesting. The story is of how diver Eric Hutcheson was first hired in 1993 to map the caves where water rises up out of the aquifer. Hutcheson tells of tight spaces and the beautify of the underwater limestone landscape. The article ends with a reporting of future plans and possible rules for aspiring Silver Springs divers. Gainesville Sun: Mapping Silver Springs
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Post by htmb on Sept 16, 2013 21:10:25 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2013 21:17:03 GMT
Jeez, those people talk about the place as though everything was being bulldozed and paved over to build a shopping mall.
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Post by htmb on Sept 22, 2013 14:50:51 GMT
In their minds they see the closing of Florida's "first tourist attraction" as the end of an era. Gone are the days of huge crowds, film and television stars, Ross Allen's snakes, and the jungle cruise. But, as articulated in the editorial of the local paper today, the hope now is restoration of the springs and planned use of the area to protect it for future generations. Gainesville Sun Editorial
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Post by komsomol on Oct 8, 2013 18:15:47 GMT
It is good to see that Florida is not just Disneyworld and Miami Beach.
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Post by htmb on Oct 9, 2013 3:11:59 GMT
Thanks, Komsomol. For the record, I've never been to Miami Beach, and it's been at least twenty years since I've been to Disney.
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