Organized, Operated & Supported by Volunteers
Tucked neatly into the mangroves overlooking Charlotte Harbor is the Peace River Wildlife Center -- a rescue, rehabilitate and release facility for locally injured and orphaned wildlife. Stroll the paths meandering through the palms and meet pelicans, sandhill cranes, red-tail hawks, great horned owls and American bald eagles. Listen carefully as their story unfolds.
Look closely at the snowy egret, delicately perched on a ficus branch.Watch as he preens his splendid feathers and think back in time, to the laterpart ofthe 18th century when Florida was much more primitive and pristine. The wadingbird population was an estimated 2.5 million. There were so many that John Audubon wrote when he first visited the area that the sky would gradually darkenand the sun disappear. Thousands of birds, flying overhead, transformed daylightinto darkness.
Fast forward to the early 1900's when poachers and hunters, representingthe fashion houses of Paris, New York and London, slaughtered millions of these birds. Primarily, they were after the white nuptial feathers of the great and snowy egrets. Laws were created to stop this butchery but were not readily enforceable. In a few short years, this once bountiful population plunged to 500,000.
In 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act became law. Under its long reaching guidelines, these birds were finally protected. By the 1930's, their numbers increased to 1.2 million.
Simultaneously, homesteaders were arriving in droves and with their arrival came the spoilage of many wading bird habitats. Once again, their populations took a nose-dive as fertile breeding and feeding grounds weredecimated.
It became very apparent that if something wasn't done to curb growth, or at leas tmanage it more wisely, the birds would eventually vanish. Egrets, herons, ibis, spoonbills, woodstorks - all are part of the wading bird family. Incredibly, since the early 1970's they have made a remarkable turnaround.
Of course, wading birds aren't the only wildlife to feel the sting of man's encroachment. Many species are no longer evident in their former habitats -they're gone forever. So many others are endangered or threatened such as the panther, key deer, manatee, black bea, gopher tortoise, and burrowing owl.
Fortunately, hosts of people in both the public and private sectors are seeking ways to satisfy the concerns of both wildlife and man's increasing need for space. We're clearly not out of the woods on this one, but at least we're beginning to see some light through the trees.
