As a Photographer, No One is a Stranger For Long

One of the cool things about being a photographer is that you get to meet some of the best people. It’s rare that I go out in nature and not run into someone who is interested in what I am looking for or what I have found that day. They often have stories to tell of the sights they have seen and I get to know them a little as we share stories of nature and wildlife.

While I am mostly focused on landscape, nature and wildlife photography these days, I still can’t resist taking photos of unusual scenes or just going into a downtown area and getting photos of life in the city. On a recent trip to the Everglades, my wife and I decided to stop for lunch in Goodland, a small fishing village (pop. 267) off the beaten path on Marco Island. We met someone on the trail in the Everglades who suggested we go to Stan’s. She was a fellow photographer and had been documenting the 10,000 Islands area for a while.

We grabbed a table next to the water and ordered our lunch. I had my back to the bar and my wife nudged me to turn around. We hadn’t noticed when we walked in that there was a dog sitting at the bar. It was one of those photo moments I couldn’t resist. I grabbed my camera and headed for the bar. There I met Wilson, a terrier mix, who had been coming to Stan’s for 11 years. He was a fixture at the bar. So much so, that Wilson’s 18th birthday party will be held at Stan’s on Dec. 14.

I talked to Mark Bromley, Wilson’s traveling companion/bar mate/designated driver, who clearly enjoyed a bit of celebrity status thanks to his pup. Wilson had his own super-sized mug that he brings to the bar. It is filled with water these days, although at one point Wilson had a penchant for a bit of the hard stuff, but he had to give it up. A woman on the other side of Mark, delivered a treat for Wilson. The terrier wasn’t about to wait for someone to get around to opening the package so he helped himself.

Mark told me Wilson was famous around Goodland, his picture was hanging at several bars. The framed photo at Stan’s was a beat beat up after hurricanes and repairs and pressure washing but Mark was ready to print and frame a new photo for the new season.

We chatted long enough to get an email address and to score an official invitation to the Dec. 14 birthday party. If you don’t see us around that day, you can be sure we’re having some cake…I wonder if it will be peanut butter or carrot.

Conservation is at the Core of The Bishop's Mission

In conservation, saving imperiled species is at the top of the priority list. At the same time there’s an ongoing effort to keep species from becoming imperiled. My exhibit at The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is all about imperiled birds and their environment, but The Bishop has so many other conservation efforts going on, I think it’s important to make everyone aware of what’s going on there right now.

Probably the most visited area of The Bishop (my exhibit not withstanding) is the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat. The Manatees are a favorite for children and adults alike, but the Manatees are not there just for the public’s entertainment. The Bishop has a mission of rehabilitating sick, injured and very young Manatees. The Bishop has been rehabilitating Manatees since 1998, when it was known as the South Florida Museum, and it helped found the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership in 2001.

Manatees are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978. It is illegal to feed, harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill or even annoy manatees. Still, despite the protections, Manatees face many threats including watercraft strikes, cold stress, red tide, entanglement, entrapment, and habitat loss. That’s where the rescue and rehabilitation partnership comes in. That partnership offers a concerted effort to rescue, rehabilitate, release, and monitor sick and injured manatees.

The Bishop’s role in all of this is as a Stage 2 rehabilitation facility. Manatees arrive at The Bishop after their critical health needs have been met. Two new young Manatees have recently made The Bishop their new home for now. Juveniles Felicia and Doscal are the 39th and 40th Manatees to be rehabilitated at the facility since 1998, according to The Bishop. Both are being monitored daily for signs of stress, but they seem to be calm and are both eating well, as you might notice in the photos I took.

Felicia, who hammed it up for the camera, is a female Manatee about 7 feet long and nearly 400 pounds. She was rescued April 22 from Ruskin Inlet with her mother who was hit by a boat. Felicia’s mother died from her injuries. Doscal, the male Manatee, is also about 7 feet long and weighs 347 pounds. He was an orphan who was found emaciated when he was rescued from the Orange River in Lee County on April 3. They will stay at The Bishop until they are old enough to survive on their own and healthy enough to be released.

While conservation is at the core of The Bishop’s mission in Manatee County, it’s also a great place for children to be educated about that mission while having fun. Today The Bishop celebrated its grand opening and ribbon-cutting for its new Mosaic Backyard Universe. It is designed to encourage exploration in fun and interactive ways and to discover a passion for lifelong learning about science and nature.

Giants, Dragons & Unicorns: The World of Mythic Creatures recently opened. It’s an exciting exhibit that explains the roots of some of the world’s most enduring mythic creatures, such as unicorns and dragons. If you think about it, you can see what prompted those myths in nature even today.

And if you do go to The Bishop to take part in all of these new amazing opportunities, please stop by the imperiled birds exhibit on the second floor and let me know what you think. You can comment below or on my Facebook page.