Guest Book

:clapping: Brother Gregory! Woody ,have fun..take time to smell the...well never mind..but being a city girl, there is nothing I like better than the smell of a farm...The grass is always greener , Ya, know? I found the Beacon experience hysterical seeing all the fine Country folk walking around with big !@#-eating grins on their faces, breathing in deep the sights and sounds of my little hometown... Same thing. Please post some of the pix to the art section! I would love to see them. about the FLA Panther, the fact is: The cat we know as the Florida Panther once roamed across the entire Southeastern U.S. There are now only 80-100 surviving in the wild (up from less than 30, due to new breeding programs with Texas Cougars. ) The environmentalists were forced to bring in Texas cats, despite what some felt would dilute the original FLA Panther gene pool. The FLA Panther was so close to extinction, it was believed without these drastic actions, the disease that was appearing , due to so small a gene pool /interbreeding, would be the final blow to this royal creature.) Also a fact, the FLA Panther is not a Texas Cougar, but a cousin to the Texas Cougar, the California Mountain Lion, and the Central American Puma. In fact, they are all Cougars. to clear up any misconceptions out there. Also sometime commonly called Catamount. Naturally, at one time, when they were abundant in all Southeastern states, all the Cougars intermingled. The scientific designation is subspecies, and our FLA cats are considered extremely endangered. Texas cats are abundant and not protected. This large cat once roamed from the Yukon to the tip of South America..yup, thats right..even NYC. anyone interested in learning more, and/or helping support saving the FLA Panther from extinction, should go to websites such as Friends of the Florida Panther and links such as Florida Panther Net... There are incredible pix and new trails now open to the public. Also notable is the incredible array of wild Orchids found in the Panther Refuge, some extremely endangered (due to the draining of the Everglades) I believe one of the largest concentrations of wild Orchids in the world, in FLA's little ole Fakahatchee Strand, which is part of the Panther Reserve. They will tell you all remaining 80-100 FLA Panthers are here in SW FLA. nearly all of the cats from the breeding program (some are kept in a large reserve/natural zoo-type cages, just outside of Jax Beach ,near the GA border) have been killed by cars, etc, shortly after release in Central and North FLA. Only the Glades seem to afford the proctection and space the cats need. We still see Panthers here in Charlotte county as well as Venice, but for the record, they are only recognized to exist, south of the great Caloosahatchee River in Lee County. A FLA Panther, has never killed a human, though they hve been known to stalk a few poor, terrorized souls. science lesson over..collect your diplomas and 🙂 Sav, Kevin recently introduced me to the gal who runs (general manager) one of the largest Car Dealerships in town. As it were, about a year or 2 ago, I witnessed her husband, our fellow :bike: get run down by a Senior in a huge Lincoln Town Car, who failed to see or hear his beautiful big hog. He died while being airlifted, enroute to the hospital. A nightmare come to life. anyway, she is doing incredibly well, burying herself in her work and charitable works , while enjoying the friendship and support of all of us :bike: here in Charlotte.Ya'll take care of that Gal and send her my sympathies and prayers for strength....:wave: Peachies Ca