PHOTO from Thursday 2020-04-23...
COULD I BE THE MANATEE "WHISPERER" (AS THEY SEEM TO HAPPEN-UP ON ME IN THE MOST REMOTE LOCATIONS)? NOT AT THE USUAL TOURIST "TRAPS" LIKE CRYSTAL RIVER, VOLUSIA BLUE SPRING, & SUCH! I reckon that I just might be!
FLORIDA MANATEES ARE ATTRACTED TO "Ocklawahaman" Paul Nosca as they "sincerely know" what my "ANGLE" is: I work only for the survival & increased suitable breeding & living habitat (as Nature had intended it) of just one GROUP of Floridians! This group includes: STRIPED BASS, FLORIDA MANATEES, FLORIDA BLACK BEAR, FLORIDA PANTHER, IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER & some other critters. And after taking this picture, my right arm & hand were too drenched with saltwater to handle my camera for another photo -- maybe you are "catching my drift?"
Of those 5 animal species that I listed above -- STRIPED BASS, FLORIDA MANATEES, FLORIDA BLACK BEAR, FLORIDA PANTHER, IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER -- ONLY the "Ivorybill" has so far eluded my direct observation somewhere in the Ocklawaha River basin. Yes, I did see one Florida Panther back in 1980 within about a mile from the USFS Johnson Field boat ramp off of FL SR-19.
Be aware that the FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM is now 46 months old & has accumulated the names of 3,450 supporters so far (as of today, 2020-04-27) -- who signed FOR-FREE $$$. That number quite likely meets or exceeds the combined number of contributing members of all 3 of the regional "not-for-profit" groups that have been working towards restoration of the Ocklawaha River for many years (I have provided data & other services to all 3 of them in the past FOR-FREE $$$). It is the largest assemblage / listing of Ocklawaha River restoration enthusiasts ever compiled by anyone / anywhere! And the "not-for-profits" have had my permission for some time now to use the PETITION to show support for this cause.
But until Ocklawaha River restoration is officially begun in earnest by the State of Florida (with the U.S. government maybe as a partner) NOTHING done by anybody has really been successful so far -- NOTHING since President Nixon's halt of the Cross Florida Barge Canal in 1971! What President Nixon (R) did in 1971 made it possible still in 2020 to restore the Ocklawaha River. Unfortunately & I don't know about you, but I do not have another 49 years to wait for something done by somebody that actually works -- to breach Rodman Dam.
If HHH (D) had won the 1968 presidential election, we wouldn't have to worry about the Ocklawaha River anymore -- because it would have been gone long ago. And we would have learned to enjoy cruising the Cross Florida Barge Canal (CFBC) from the St. Johns River across the state to the Gulf of Mexico (as JFK, LBJ, & HHH had envisioned). But would there have been enough bottled water in Florida for human drinking needs after a completed CFBC? You tell me!
Most sincerely,
"Ocklawahaman" Paul Nosca, Co-Administrator (& Creator) of this PETITION!
NOTE: I have collected NO $$$ from anybody for my advocacy of restoration since I started my work for the Ocklawaha River back in 2004 -- & don't intend to.