FL panther fest the perfect venue to teach residents to care about big cats

By John Osborne

Nov 12, 2014

If you’re interested in helping the Florida panther continue to bounce back from the razor’s edge of extinction, you can pounce on the opportunity to do just that by attending the 4th annual Florida Panther Festival this weekend.

The main event is being held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at North Collier Regional Park in Naples. But then on Sunday, in conjunction with the festival, you can also participate in a swamp buggy adventure at Big Cypress National Preserve or a historical tour of Picayune Strand State Forest.

On Saturday, nature walks, children’s activities, a rural backyard demonstration, exhibits by conservation agencies, live music, storytelling and plenty of food and beverages should ensure that every member of the family has a blast while at the same time ensuring the continued survival of the Florida panther, said Ben Nottingham, manager of the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge in Immokalee.

“Our goals are for festival guests to celebrate the Florida panther and increase their awareness of how to safely coexist with panthers, along with their livestock and pets,” Nottingham said.
Live goats, chickens and rabbits at the rural backyard display will join a demonstration of panther and bear tracking tools and an Exotic Pet Amnesty Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, during which time anyone can surrender an exotic pet with no penalties. Live exotic animals such as boa constrictors and various rodents, reptiles, birds and small mammals will also be on display and up for adoption by pre-registered adopters.

Festival organizers said attendees would also have plenty of opportunities to view videos of live adult panthers and kittens from motion-activated trail cameras.

From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Darrell House, a popular singer-songwriter also known for his children’s books and storytelling, will perform his signature acts, and equally popular musician Raiford Starke will swamp-rock the stage from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

On-site activities Saturday include two “Walk the Panther Mile” hikes guided by Big Cypress National Preserve rangers, where participants can uncover the secret life of Florida panthers, learn about their habitat and meet one of the Preserve’s panther biologists. The free, 90-minute walks begin at 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and require advance registration.

Free “Nature Detective” walks will also take place Saturday afternoon and are open to all on a first-come, first-serve basis.

If you still haven’t had enough after all that, head on out to Big Cypress National Preserve on Sunday for a swamp buggy adventure aboard an authentic swamp buggy.

Guided by a fifth-generation “gladesman,” the adventure will educate participants about the ecosystems of the Florida Everglades, past and present uses of the Big Cypress Preserve, and the plants and animals unique to this part of the world.

Sunday’s tours run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. Cost is $50 per person and reservations are required.

A historical van tour of Picayune Strand State Forest also happens 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, during which participants will stop at key areas to learn about the flora and fauna and the management efforts underway to ensure the forest’s viability for generations to come. Discussion will also include information about the forest’s nature of critical habitat for Florida panthers.
Cost is $10 per person and is limited to 12 participants.

Festival coordinator Allen Loyd said as many as 2,000 people are expected to attend Saturday’s free event that will take place rain or shine, and he’d like every one of them to leave with a greater understanding of how to best ensure the continued survival of Florida’s state animal.

“We need to learn how to live with the wildlife around us,” Loyd said, echoing Nottingham’s statement about the festival’s central focus. “We have the Florida panther in danger, and we need to teach people how to live with them better. If people keep domestic animals or livestock, they need to learn how to protect them from panthers. Because if panthers feed on domestic pets or livestock, they begin to see them as an awfully easy food source, and people get upset and want the panthers removed or eradicated.”

To ease any potential future conflicts, Loyd said the festival would feature a 1:30 p.m. presentation Saturday in The Living with Wildlife Pavilion, where wildlife experts will share advice on building and maintaining a peaceful coexistence between humans and panthers.

Then, for the first time in the festival’s existence, a special 2:30 p.m. presentation for rural residents will focus on financial-assistance programs available for building livestock and pet safety pens, along with technical assistance on how to install and maintain the pens.

“A good pen costs $500 to $1,000, and we understand that a lot of people can’t afford those costs, so that’s where the money comes in,” said Brad Cornell of the Audubon of the Western Everglades, formerly the Collier County Audubon Society. “During the presentation we’ll also pass out construction plans and materials lists, and we’ll even have volunteers who will go out and help construct the pens on site.”

And while that certainly represents a step in the right direction, the burden of protecting the Florida panther doesn’t rest solely on the private sector’s shoulders, said Darrel Land, a panther biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“It’s not uncommon to see 10 to 20 panther vehicle deaths a year, but that number would be considerably higher if it weren’t for the considerable investment that’s been made into putting in wildlife crossings and fencing on significant stretches of highway,” Land said, noting that the latest Florida panther population estimates range from 100 to 180, which is up from 20 to 30 estimate in the mid 1990s. “On Alligator Alley, for example, there’s now 40 miles of 10-foot-high fencing, upwards of 36 structures built to facilitate wildlife movement and a lot of bridges that have been modified so that animals can use them, too.”

For more information, visit www.floridapantherfestival.com.

IF YOU GO
WHAT: 4th annual Florida Panther Festival
WHERE: North Collier Regional Park, Naples
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 15, rain or shine
COST: Free and open to the public
MORE INFORMATION: www.floridapantherfestival.com

1st image credit: J. Pat Carter
3rd image credit: Gregory Smith
Credit: last image by  Lance Shearer/Citizen Correspond

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