VOLUME 40 NUMBER 1 • PH. 813-737-NEWS (6397) • E -MAIL : FARMR ANCHNEWS@AOL.COM • W W W.FARMAND R A N C H N E W S .C O M
Agriculture’s Most Trusted Source For News, Views and Advertising Since 1974 UF/IFAS Researchers Say Florida Panther For now, however, there is no specific timetable for such an effort. He Effort Likely Saved Big Cats From Extinction said the cats continue to face threats from When wildlife managers imported eight female Texas pumas in hopes they would mate with native Florida panthers, they knew they were taking a bit of a risk. But a new University of Florida research study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, suggests their gamble paid off. “We found that the Florida population would’ve declined, on average, by about 5 percent per year,” said Oli, a UF population ecology professor and Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences faculty member. “And that’s essentially telling us there was a high chance that the population would’ve eventually gone extinct.” There were an estimated 20 to 25 panthers left in the state when the Texas female cats were brought to Florida in 1995. Officials believe the population
has since grown about 4 percent per year, and their estimate now ranges from 100 to 160, said Dave Onorato, a panther expert with the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Florida Panther Project. The Florida panther had been listed as an endangered species since 1967, and although it was named the official state animal by 1982, it was in peril by the 1990s. The cats suffered from numerous inbreeding-related problems, including poor sperm quality and other reproductive abnormalities, kinked tails, heart defects and heavy parasite loads. When the Texas cats were brought to Florida, officials weren’t sure how they would fare or that the breeding effort would work, but with the success of the genetic restoration, Onorato said a similar effort could be initiated again in the future.
loss of habitat, cars and inbreeding. The recent UF study, which examined several decades’ worth of field data and genetic information about the panther, found that the robust survival of the Florida-Texas hybrid kittens played a large role in the panther population being reeled back from the brink of extinction. “I would say that at least in the short term, the outlook is good for the Florida panther,” said Hostetler, who worked on the project for more than four years as part of his doctoral studies. “But there are still a lot of threats to their survival that could be important in the long run.” The research study was funded by the Florida Panther Research and Management Trust Fund (via sales of the Florida “Protect the Panther” license plate), National Park Service, the University of Florida and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Sound the Alarm
A New Year of Taxes and Grand Schemes are in the Works! It seems that everywhere there is talk of new taxes, nowhere is this more evident than in Washington, yet at the state level there are whispers and at the local level advocates for big government along with the usual cadre of special interests are again beating the drum to raise taxes for public transportation. President Obama may be able to argue that his re-election gives him grounds to press for higher taxes. However, just over two years ago the voters of Hillsborough County resoundingly rejected an effort to raise our sales taxes in order to build light rail in Tampa and increase overall spending on buses and public transportation. Even though “we” the voters clearly rejected this tax increase scheme in 2012, by a wide margin, now, the same group of big government bureaucrats and special interests are preparing to spend millions of dollars in another campaign to “educate and inform us”. Again, they will try to convince us to give them even
more of our hard earned money, and the liberal media will assist them every step of the way. Most concerning of all is an effort by a powerful state legislative leader who is using the levers of power in Tallahassee to try and force HART and PSTA (the two public transportation systems in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties) to become a multi-county regional agency. Those who support this proposal claim cost savings, but in reality two things are happening here: 1. PSTA’s financial position is simply unsustainable and they have been forced to spend millions out of their emergency fund. The Pinellas County population is on the decline and as a result their share of state and federal funds are decreasing. Pinellas County leaders see a merger between HART and PSTA as a way to solve their financial problems. By contrast HART has its fiscal house in order and has contributed millions to its rainy day fund over the past 2 years.
2. Light rail advocates see the combined agency as the best hope for building a multi-county regional light rail system. Normally, the merger of two large taxing authorities from different counties would require referendums to pass in both counties, but at the joint meeting of HART and PSTA on January 10, the CEO of PSTA advocated merging the two agencies through a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA), openly stating that this approach would avoid public referenda. Of course, The Tampa Bay Times (formerly The St. Petersburg Times) Editoral Board is strongly supporting the proposal and is promoting a vision of a massive regional public transportation agency. Bottom line for residents of East Hillsborough: whether new taxes are levied in Hillsborough County, the two agencies are combined or both we will be forced to pay a disproportionate share of the costs, while receiving virtually none of the benefits or services. Even now, property taxes paid into HART go
By Josh Burgin
mostly into routes, services and jobs that are west of I-75. The great thing about local politics is that your voice can make a difference and fortunately, many of the current HART board members are not in support of the merger or any effort that would increase taxes, but they need you to publicly stand with them. The HART Board will meet at 9AM on January 7th and there will be a joint meeting of HART and PSTA Boards at 9 AM on January 14th. Both meetings will happen at the HART building located at 1201 East 7th Avenue, 3rd Floor, Tampa Florida 33605. (Editor’s Note If you are unable to attend, please consider sending an email expressing your position on these matters to Josh Burgin josh@joshburgin. com a friend of Farm & Ranch News, member of the HART Board of Directors and someone who has lived here in East Hillsborough most of his life).