Latest news with #MiccosukeeTribe
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists discover unexpected way alligators help the environment: 'Guardians of the Everglades'
They may look frightening, but alligators are great for the environment, which makes them great for us. Alligators are ancient creatures, with ancestors dating back 245 million years, according to National Geographic. Although these reptiles can grow up to 12 feet, per the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and have a rather fearsome appearance, a new study suggests that they are a vital part of Florida's ecosystem, the BBC reported. When it comes to animals and the environment, much of the debate covers the effects of methane from farming or the destruction of habitats impacting various species. However, what may be lesser known is that some animals have a positive impact on the environment around them, and alligators are one example. The BBC report focused on members of the Miccosukee Tribe in the north of Florida's Everglades who live in harmony with a 60-year-old alligator playfully dubbed Mama Gator. This new research shows that alligators are "guardians of the Everglades" and help protect ecosystems. These reptiles carry around nutrients that enrich ecosystems by traveling from marshes into freshwater, per the study published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. Their habitats and nests also provide shelter for frogs and fish and encourage plant growth, meaning that the area's biodiversity flourishes. Alligators have faced near-extinction due to hunting and the fashion industry's penchant for leather, but conservationists helped save the species from being wiped out. Today, over 3 million alligators live in Florida and Louisiana, according to the BBC. Saving a species from endangerment is a massive win for animals and humans alike. Now, more protections can be put in place to protect the species. With more knowledge of alligators' importance to ecosystems, people will be less likely to hunt them or cause damage to their habitats. Conservation of land and the creatures that live there is vital for the planet's biodiversity. It not only helps prevent the extinction of animals but also provides natural beauty for people to enjoy and protects those who rely on these natural environments for food or employment. From conserving forests and wetlands to eradicating invasive species, many scientists are working tirelessly to protect the flora and fauna that the planet relies on to survive. For members of the Miccosukee Tribe, living in harmony with local animals is a way of life. Kendall Osceola, a staff member at the Miccosukee Indian Village cultural center, said: "We were always told if there's a body of water in Florida, there's going to be an alligator in there. … Yet Miccosukee stories depict them as 'benevolent creatures.'" Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely Depends on the animal No way Just let people do it for free Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Biologist Christopher Murray also hopes that humans and alligators can live in close proximity in peace: "Do they command respect? Yes. But are they monsters? Are they to be feared? No." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
BBC News
19-04-2025
- BBC News
How alligators are breathing life into Florida's Everglades
The Everglades' eclectic alligators are surprisingly diverse builders, bodyguards, commuters, and health-bringing engineers. From the edge of the Miccosukee Indian Reservation, in the north of the Florida Everglades, it is a short fan-boat ride through grassy swamp to get to an island that 18-year-old Hector Tigertail's family visit each year. For decades, this family "hammock" – as the tree-covered islands that poke out from the Everglades are known – has been their retreat; a place where the family can camp, cook and hunt. But they share this particular island with at least one permanent resident: an American alligator that, at around 7ft (2.1m) from nose to tail, is the largest female he's ever seen. Tigertail's family, members of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, and this powerful reptile, which locals refer to as Mama Gator, have lived side by side for much of the 60-year-old animal's life, he explains. This intimate coexistence provides a chance to observe how alligators meticulously shape their surroundings. Through the dry season between December and May, she excavates a "gator pond" with her snout, claws and tail, a depression where water pools and she can wallow, keep cool and mate. At the start of the rainy season (from June to November), she builds a raised nest for her clutch of eggs, from mud, grass and twigs – a time when the humans know to keep a respectful distance from the protective mother. In return, for the next few years, they are often rewarded with the sight of Mama and her baby gators in tow. "We like to call her Mama Gator because she's everybody's grandma," says Tigertail. In recent years, scientific research is adding support to something Florida's Miccosukee Tribe have long known: alligators like Mama play vital roles as "guardians of the Everglades" and engineer their environment in ways that protect freshwater ecosystems. Alligators carry around nutrients that feed ecosystem webs, and their ponds and nests provide refuges where plants, fishand frogs live. New data hints that that alligators may also benefit us. "Apex predator or not, alligators are actually very helpful and they can change the ecosystem significantly," says Tigertail, who researches alligators for the Miccosukee Tribe's Fish and Wildlife Department. "During the dry season, a lot of animals – deer, fish, otters, turtles, birds – follow the alligators." For those like biologist Christopher Murray who has spent decades closely studying alligators, it's high time to move past their reputation as cold-hearted killers and recognise the varied roles they're playing as caring and constructive ecosystem engineers. While the cute, herbivorous beaver is widely celebrated for stewarding temperate wetlands, it is the "gnarly swamp monsters" who deserve plaudits in the southeastern United States and many other places, says Murray, associate professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. "I think we're just beginning to understand that crocodilians, in general, and specifically alligators, do a lot more good than we think." From near-extinction to mass appreciation Alligators are often called "living fossils", relatively untouched by major evolutionary changes for at least eight million years, with remarkably similar ancestors already hunting swamps alongside the dinosaurs. Yet, beginning in the 1850s, the arrival of rifle-wielding European settlers into the wetlands of Florida and Louisiana drove this evolutionary line to the verge of extinction. More than 10 million alligators were killed by commercial hunting up to the 1960s, driven by the popularity of their hides for bags, belts and boots, with others shot for sport or "just for fun" according to historical accounts. In 1967, American alligators were placed on endangered species lists, leading to nationwide hunting bans that allowed populations to recover. Today, the species is recognised as a standout conservation success story, as the population has rebounded to more than three million alligators estimated to live in the wild in the states of Florida and Louisiana, and thousands more spread across the south-eastern United States. Just as conservationists began fighting to save the species from extinction in the 1960s and 1970s, researchers began documenting their important ecological roles. In the wet season, the raised ridges around the edge of these nests are relatively dry land where some plants can escape flooding and provide platforms where smaller reptiles build their own nests. Meanwhile wading birds build their own nests above alligators, which act as "bodyguards", keeping raccoons and other predators away from the birds' eggs. (More recent research has shown that this is a macabre but overall mutually beneficial arrangement with alligators being rewarded with snacks from chicks that fall from the nests.) Mike Heithaus, professor of biological sciences at Florida International University, explains that, despite its lush appearances, the Everglades can be a nutrient poor environment. A largely flat wetland, dominated by grass-like plants, many key nutrients are carried out to sea by great slow-flowing seasonal rivers, some kilometres wide. In the dry season, when the water level falls, research since the mid-20th Century has shown that alligators' habit of excavating holes created variety in the otherwise monotonous landscape, with unique communities of plants, animals and algae around ponds. These holes can be architecturally diverse – created by one alligator or up to a dozen together – incorporating eclectic "burrows and hidey-holes", says Heithaus, including underwater caverns, where the alligator can stay submerged for hours. These aquatic environments form refuges in which fish like juvenile largemouth bass survive the dry season but can also be "death traps" which lure birds in search of a snack, he adds. We're now learning these are surprisingly dynamic systems. Research in 2023 showed that it was not only the construction of the ponds that counted "but actively being in the pond matters", says Heithaus. As the alligators move, they continually stir up the sediment to keep those nutrients in the water. "The alligators are moving around; they're pooping in there. That's providing nutrients which algae – that form the base of the food web – rely on. So, you kind of prime the pump: you feed the bottom of the food chain and [the nutrients] come all the way up." Without alligators, there would be much less nutrients circulated in the water, says Heithaus. "You put alligators there, and you get food and water, and that's happy times for most critters in the Everglades." Eclectic alligators This research also reveals a lesser-seen side of alligators, spotlighting them as remarkably sophisticated and adaptable creatures. The alligator's reputation as a "man-eating monster" was inspired long ago by accounts like William Bartram's widely reproduced (and wildly inaccurate) stories of encountering alligators in Florida swamps with "clouds of smoke" erupting from their nostrils. Although attacks on humans are very rare, these cold-blooded animals remain feared by many as killers or "weird swamp things", says Murray, who has worked with alligators for more than two decades. Those who live up close with alligators see other qualities. One alligator in the state of Georgia, named Wally, was even docile enough to be domesticated as an "emotional support alligator", providing comfort and "hugs" to help alleviate his owner's depression. Despite the reported gentleness of some individuals, it is recommended to stay at least 9m (30ft) away from alligators in the wild. Alligators are carnivores, powerful enough to bring down a wild deer or feral boar but "naturally they're going to be more of a flighty, non-confrontational animal," says Kendall Osceola, who worked at the Miccosukee Indian Village, the tribe's cultural centre. The Miccosukee learn a strict set of rules from a young age for sharing their coastal homes with gators. "We were always told if there's a body of water in Florida, there's going to be an alligator in there. So, keep a careful eye on any pets or anything small around the water line," she says. Yet Miccosukee stories depict them as "benevolent creatures", she says. More like this:• How do you re-home a rhino? Upside down• Elephants hate bees - here's how that helps humans• A wild 'freakosystem' has been born in Hawaii Today, alligators have adapted to live in the urbanised environments of golf courses, canals and sewers. Researchers have been surprised by how varied and flexible alligators are, explains Heithaus, yet research in 2011 found behaviours that have shocked even those who study them. Near Miccosukee village, in an area where alligators live in mangrove forests alongside a fast-flowing river, Heithaus and Adam Rosenblatt fitted trackers to alligators, finding that similar alligators lived very different lives – some were "couch potatoes" who remain close to home, while others were "commuters" who travel long distances to coastal areas. "Tag two alligators – same size, both males, 20m (65.6ft) apart on the shore – and one will not move more than 7km (4.3 miles) in total in three months, and the other might do 800km (497 miles)," says Heithaus. While American alligators have been spotted swimming out in the ocean in the past, prior to this research this behaviour was believed to be extremely rare, says Heithaus. Unlike crocodiles, alligators lack specialised glands to process salt, yet this monitoring showed that some alligators frequently venture out into the ocean when there are abundant saltwater fish and crabs to feast on. "When we first got some data suggesting the alligators were down in these saltwater environments for maybe 18 hours at a time, we were looked at like we had two heads – people didn't believe it at all," says Heithaus. "And I think it's one of the cool things we're finding across sharks, alligators, and lots of animals – that there's a lot more behavioural adaptability and individual specialisation than we would have thought – bold individuals, shy individuals; exploratory individuals, stay-at-home individuals." Carbon-consuming monsters Heithaus is aiming to figure out what causes these different behaviours – whether genetic or influenced by environmental factors – as well as what role "commuting" plays in cycling nutrients around wetland environments. Already, studies have shown that alligator ponds are richer in key nutrients like phosphorus and commuters are carrying nutrients up into the wetlands from coastal areas, by eating in the oceans and excreting upstream. "We know that they're moving these nutrients upstream," says Heithaus. His team at the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research Program is seeking a more granular understanding of how this affects the overall "nutrient budget" of the ecosystem, where nutrients are deposited, and how it affects the overall system. Crucially, at a time when the Gulf Coast is being hard hit by the impacts of climate change, we are also learning that alligators may affect their environments' ability to capture carbon. By analysing soil samples across Louisiana, Murray was recently able to demonstrate in a study that areas with high numbers of alligators are rich carbon stores. "What this paper says to me is: look, we rescued the American alligator from extinction," he says, "but what we didn't realise, back then, was that maybe we were actually doing a lot more for the environment – in the context of carbon sequestration and the battle against climate change – than we previously thought." The next step, says Murray, is to show that alligators are actively contributing to higher carbon storage in these areas – and how. We have good reason to think alligators, as apex predators, may be playing a similar "top-down" role to the famed wolves of Yellowstone, whose return has reduced herbivore grazing on small trees and helped forests to regrow. The theory of trophic cascades developed by Utah State University ecologist Trisha Atwood has shown that apex predators are not only vital for ecosystem health but could have big impacts on CO2 dynamics. This could be particularly important in freshwater ecosystems like Louisiana's tidally inundated wetlands, which store enormous amounts of carbon, says Murray, but can turn into a carbon source when they dry out. Murray hopes his forthcoming research can provide further evidence about the value of supporting healthy alligator populations. Although hunting bans were the most important step to save the species from extinction, efforts to protect and restore populations are ongoing and involve groups who are often less recognised, he says. Among them are commercial alligator ranchers who retrieve eggs from the wild, incubate them and raise them through the first few years of life in enclosed or semi-wild environments, safeguarding them when they are most vulnerable to predation and disease. This form of early-years care, known as "head-starting", is common in conservation initiatives that aim to help endangered animals – from Eastern indigo snakes to burrowing owls. But, in Louisiana, this is a "self-funded" system driven by ranchers, says Murray. These ranchers are required to release 5% of alligators they raise into the wild, while the rest are treated as livestock that can be butchered for meat and hides. In the Everglades, head-starting is also carried out by the Miccosukee, who rescue eggs in years when water levels in the Everglades rise, threatening to drown eggs, or temperatures fall to levels that can harm baby alligators. "Sometimes I would be at home and my uncle would tell me: 'Hey, the temperature is dropping really fast. It's going to be a really cold night. So get on the airboat and we have to go out there before the cold weather kills them'," says Tigertail. Despite their fearsome reputation, all this hints at a future where humans and alligators coexist, with these reptiles recognised as "helpful participants" in solutions to the challenges we both face, says Murray. "If you think historically, alligators and other crocodilians have been revered as a sacred entity in cultures around the world. Do they command respect? Yes. But are they monsters? Are they to be feared? No." -- For essential climate news and hopeful developments to your inbox, sign up to the Future Earth newsletter, while The Essential List delivers a handpicked selection of features and insights twice a week. For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook and X and Instagram.
Axios
12-03-2025
- General
- Axios
Composting for the Everglades: New project to benefit Miccosukee garden
Your food scraps could be used to help support the Everglades through a new partnership between the village of Pinecrest and the Miccosukee Tribe. Why it matters: Instead of dumping food waste into crowded landfills, which produce methane emissions, the Everglades Earth Cycle Project will expand Pinecrest's residential composting program and deliver nutrient-rich soil to the Miccosukee Tribe. Driving the news: The project, funded with a $400,000 federal grant and other contributions, calls for installing four new composting bins in Pinecrest and three around Miami-Dade County District 7. The initial phase of the program will supply compost to the Swampy Meadows Community Garden, which grows vegetables just outside the Miccosukee Indian School. Another proposal that's been floated is adding new soil to the Everglades' tree islands, though that would need tribal approval, says the Rev. Houston R. Cypress of the Love the Everglades Movement, a partner in the program. What they're saying: Cypress told reporters on an airboat ride through the Everglades last week that the tribe teaches "the essence of being in harmony with nature is giving back to it." With the Everglades Earth Cycle Project, "we're giving back clean and healthy soil; we're giving products that might eventually improve the water quality out here, but we're also giving directly back to local indigenous communities here," he said. How it works: Pinecrest already has two free public composting bins, one at the Pinecrest Public Library and another between the Community Center and Pinecrest Gardens. The new program, in partnership with Fertile Earth Worm Farm, will add seven more to the village and lower-income areas of District 7. You can compost food scraps, including prepared foods, meat and dairy, per Pinecrest's composting website. Also OK: food-soiled papers like pizza boxes, coffee filters and napkins. Plants, untreated wood and soil are compostable — but flowers aren't. Stunning stat: Since Pinecrest started its composting program in late 2023, it has created over 90,000 pounds of compost, per city spokesperson Michelle Hammontree. The bottom line: Hammontree said composting is a natural alternative to building another incinerator for Miami-Dade's trash. "You're taking the food waste, you're turning it into compost, you're putting it back into the environment — here it would be the Everglades — and then the Everglades is giving you clean water so you can continue living this life that we have."
Miami Herald
07-03-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Pinecrest food scraps, carefully composted, bound for Miccosukee garden in pilot project
What if the banana peel, egg shells and chicken bones you threw away could —instead of rotting and turning into polluting methane — become something that enriches the soil where we grow plants? The village of Pinecrest has launched an innovative effort to do just that. The pilot project converts food scraps into nutrient-rich compost that will be delivered to the Miccosukee Tribe in the Everglades which, for starters, plans to use it in a community garden. The project called the 'Everglades Earth Cycle' is the first large-scale compost program in the county sponsored by a local government. It's funded by a $400,000 United States Department of Agriculture grant, a $40,000 grant from the office of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado and a $10,000 donation from Fertile Earth Worm Farm. 'It really has fostered a sense of environmental responsibility in our community,' said Shannon del Prado, a Pinecrest council member. The village, which includes some of Miami-Dade's most affluent neighborhoods, has already collected 90,000 pounds of food waste in just one year. There are currently three drop-off locations: The Pinecrest Library, Pinecrest Gardens Community Center and the farmers' market on Sundays. The village plans to expand the operation to nine total locations. Fertile Earth Worm Farm, a commercial composting operation in South Miami-Dade County, picks up the food scraps twice a week, power-washing the bins to keep them from smelling and collecting bugs. 'It's what nature intended. It's a cycle,' said Lannette Sobel, the founder of Fertile Earth Worm Farm. 'There's no such thing as waste. Whatever is waste in one cycle is just a resource in another. And that's exactly what we're trying to do, just replicate what mother nature does with composting.' Read More: Meet Miami's queen of composting Reducing the volume of garbage heading to near-capacity landfills would help Miami-Dade, which is still deciding how to handle its waste in the future. There's also a climate benefit from composting, which can reduce damaging methane emissions from food rotting in landfills. The grants help support Pinecrest's free residential food scraps drop-off program, the first in Miami-Dade county, and to truck the compost to the Miccosukee's 4-year-old community garden. The garden currently boasts a row of plant beds with vegetables like lettuce, swiss chard, and dill – and the plan is to expand the garden by an acre. Rev. Houston Cypress, a Miccosukee artist and activist who runs Love the Everglades, an organization that stewards environmental protection and cultural preservation, said this pilot project could maybe one day help solve some of the larger problems the Everglades is dealing with like water quality issues from fertilizer run-off and tree islands eroding because of high waters in some areas. 'It may not directly address problems, because we're talking about a pilot project in the south, but these are solutions that could be potentially applied throughout the whole watershed,' Cypress said. Because the Everglades is such a sensitive environment already impacts by water pollution, the tribe is approaching the use of compost carefully, Cypress said. Scientists will have to test trucked in soil to determine if it might one day be suitable for restoring natural areas as well, he said. The grant will also be used for educational workshops to start a compost operation and food scraps program to be on-site at the Miccosukee reservation. The money is expected to hit the village's bank accounts in the summer. Cypress said that he thinks the project is about more than just composting. He see's it as a way to 'thrive together' and take a step towards a healthier future by keeping waste out of landfills while fostering a sense of teamwork: 'When we talk about the Everglades you got to remember the folks that live out here,' Cypress said. 'I think this is about engaging the local communities and making sure that nobody gets left out and making sure that everybody is supported in the solution.' Ashley Miznazi is a climate change reporter for the Miami Herald funded by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SBA Loans Deadline Reopened in Florida - New Deadline April 27, 2025
FORT MYERS, Fla., March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The SBA has extended the SBA's Physical Damage loan program deadline for Florida businesses and residents impacted by recent declared disasters. Due to the extensive damage caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helen, the deadline to submit applications has been reopened, with a new deadline of April 27, 2025. This extension applies to businesses, homeowners, renters, and nonprofit organizations in the following counties: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, as well as the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. Loan Assistance Available: The following information is for the SBA's Physical Damage loan program ONLY. The standard timeline for the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) remains open for businesses impacted and can show economic injury. Business Physical Damage Loans – Up to $2 million available for businesses and nonprofit organizations to repair or replace disaster-damaged property, including buildings, equipment, inventory, and fixtures. Home Disaster Loans – Homeowners can apply for up to $500,000 to repair or replace their primary residence, while both homeowners and renters can request up to $100,000 for damaged personal property, including furniture, appliances, and vehicles. Mitigation Assistance – Eligible applicants may qualify for additional funding of up to 20% of total physical damages to enhance resilience against future disasters, such as by installing wind-resistant roofs or storm shelters. Loan Terms & Interest Rates: Interest rates range from 4% for businesses and 3.25% for nonprofits to 2.813% for homeowners and renters. Loan terms can extend up to 30 years, with no interest accumulating and no payments required for 12 months after the initial disbursement date. How to Apply: Economic Disaster Loans is committed to helping businesses, homeowners, and nonprofit organizations secure disaster recovery funding. We offer a free eligibility analysis to determine whether applicants qualify for disaster loan assistance. For those who need expert support in navigating the application process, we provide professional packaging and administrative services for a fee to ensure accurate and timely submissions. For personalized assistance and to begin your application:Call us at 239-291-6162Email us at Kristin@ our website at Let us help you access the funding needed to rebuild and recover. Final Deadline: All SBA Physical Damage Loan applications must be submitted by April 27, 2025. For more information, reach out to Economic Disaster Loans today! Contact: Economic Disaster LoansPhone: (239) 291-6162Email: Kristin@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Economic Disaster Loans Sign in to access your portfolio
