2 minute read
Don’t Let them Slither Away Python Elimination Program Accepting New Participants
By Jon Duka
Non-native Burmese pythons have established a breeding population in South Florida and are one of the most concerning invasive species in Everglades National Park. Pythons compete with native wildlife for food, which includes mammals, birds, and other reptiles.
The Burmese python is now distributed across more than a thousand square miles of southern Florida, including all of Everglades National Park and areas to the north including Big Cypress National Preserve and Collier-Seminole State Forest. A number of Burmese pythons have been found in the Florida Keys, but there is not yet confirmation of a breeding population in the Keys.
The South Florida Water Management District Governing Board is taking aggressive action to protect the Everglades and eliminate invasive pythons from across the landscape. Starting in March 2017, the Python Elimination Program incentivizes a limited number of public-spirited individuals to humanely euthanize these destructive snakes which have become an invasive apex predator in the Everglades. The program provides access to python removal agents on designated lands in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier, Hendry, Lee, and Palm Beach counties.
The program is now accepting applications for new python removal agents. All submitted applications will be kept on file and reviewed whenever positions become available. Python removal agents will receive $10.00 per hour or $15.00 per hour depending on the area for up to ten (10) hours each day while actively searching for pythons on designated lands. For all eliminated pythons, the District will make an additional payment per python: $50.00 for pythons measuring up to four (4) feet, and an extra $25.00 for every foot measured above four (4) feet. See example below:
To be eligible, python removal agents must:
• Be at least eighteen (18) years of age • Possess a valid driver's license • Possess a valid email address • Have a bank account for direct deposit • Have an iOS or Android mobile device that allows for download and utilization of the required
Program Software • Consent to be tracked using the
GPS tracking app • Sign a waiver of liability • Have not been convicted of a felony or wildlife-related offense within the last seven (7) years • Consent to submit to in a criminal background check
▸To learn more about the Python Elimination Program or to apply to become an agent, visit https://www. sfwmd.gov/our-work/ python-program or follow the QR code.
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