FootNotes * * Newsletter of the Highlanders Chapter, Trail Association January – February 2021 Volume 22, Issue 1

Mission of the Association

The Florida Trail Association develops, maintains, protects and promotes a network of hiking trails throughout the state, including the unique Florida National Scenic Trail. Together with our partners we provide opportunities for the public to hike, engage in outdoor recreation, participate in environmental education and contribute to meaningful volunteer work.

Highlanders Nature Notes – Accepting Nature's Way

I did see the largest Bull Frog (Rana catesbeiana) I’ve ever seen in the wild. It was barely visible under- neath the bushes and trees on the bank it sat on. I had to use my binoculars to get a decent look at it.

As we approached the end of the second boardwalk out over Lake Dora, Nancy was ahead of me and mo- tioned for me to come quickly. When I looked at what she was taking a photo of I saw a Great Egret (Ardea alba) in the process of eating a small, juvenile, Florida Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris). It was crunching the snake in its bill from head to tail and back again, in an attempt to kill it before swallowing Lake May Reserve trail, (Lake County photo) it. Apparently it is too difficult to swallow a live snake, even a small one. It was small enough that Nancy thought at first it might have been a large Yesterday morning my wife, Nancy, and I strolled worm. along the boardwalk at Palm Island Park in Mt. Dora. We saw the usual critters: birds, turtles, lizards, butter- On another occasion, in the Dora Canal, Nancy and flies, dragonflies, and lots of plants, both native and I witnessed a Great Egret in the same situation. Only exotic. But I didn’t see what I’m always hoping to see this time the snake was bigger and had wrapped its on my walks in nature: a snake or two. You know by head and upper third of its body tightly around the now of my love for snakes and reptiles, in general. A bird’s long white neck, in an attempt to save itself. nature walk isn’t complete without seeing at least one The egret had the snake’s tail in its bill, crunching good snake. away in a battle to kill it. But the snake continued to hang on for dear life. It had somehow managed to tie

1 itself in an almost perfect clove hitch! We stayed for ture? Is there such a thing? Or is it more accurate to quite a while hoping to witness the outcome. But we say that nature’s laws prevail for the good of ecology? eventually had to move on, as we were in a rented Our human views of fairness appear biased and pontoon boat due for return. There was little doubt in flawed when they come up against the immovable my mind who the victor would be, as the egret was laws of the natural world. much bigger and stronger. Eventually the snake would have succumbed to the chewing on its tail end. So yesterday I got to see a snake on our nature walk, after all. Just not exactly how I wanted to. We can’t al- It was hard to watch the object of my affection get ways get what we want, and nature certainly has its eaten right in front of me. Nancy and I talked briefly own rules and ways of doing things. Enjoy it for what about the compassionate urge to somehow rescue the it is. Ralph Waldo Emerson told us that, “Nature has little snake on the boardwalk. It was already half dead her own mode of doing each thing, and she has some- by the time I saw it, but even if it wasn’t, did I have where told it plainly, if we will keep our eyes and ears the right to rob the egret of its hard-won meal? open.” Wouldn’t that be just like walking into a public school cafeteria one morning and taking away some child’s There is always something new and interesting to breakfast? Surely, everyone has the right to eat. In the see in nature. Study it for knowledge and insight, and world of nature, it’s eat or be eaten. enjoy it while you still can!

At one of my hospice children’s camps we once –Mike Barnett watched a Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) swoop down from a tree onto an Eastern Gray Squir- Sources: rel (Sciurus carolinensis). It immediately clasped the Bartlett, R.D. and Patricia Bartlett. Florida’s Snakes. squirrel in its strong talons, pinning it to the ground, Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2003. and began crushing the life out of its prey. We were Long, Kim. Frogs: a Wildlife Handbook. Boulder, watching this scene from inside a building through a CO: Johnson Books, 1999. large plate glass window. One of my female staff im- Long, Kim. Squirrels: a Wildlife Handbook. Boulder, mediately sprang toward the door before I could stop CO: Johnson Books, 1995. her, in a futile attempt to save the squirrel. I stopped Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds her before she opened the glass door, but too late. The of Eastern North America. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., hawk saw her movement through the glass and flew off, leaving its prey twitching on the ground, immo- bile and near death. I’d like to think the hawk came back for its meal once we left the area, but we got busy and I didn’t see the end result. I told my staff it wasn’t our place to deny a meal to anything in the nat- ural world, no matter how cute or defenseless we thought the squirrel to be. After all, we had just eaten our own breakfasts earlier.

That may be a difficult lesson for some of us, but nevertheless it is nature’s truth. Predators must eat their prey in order to survive. Lynda Wheelwright Schmidt, in her book The Long Shore, wrote, “Win- ning and losing make sense to me only in terms of hunter and hunted, in the natural order of things. Coy- Sunset at Lake Louisa otes eat rabbits; rabbits never eat coyotes. This may Photo by not be fair, but it is how it is.” What is fairness in na-

2 Notes from the Chairperson – New Highlanders Website

(Article written with input from Wade Williston) ing access and a review of the existing site and Van Tran, Community Outreach Manager, at the Florida Prior to assuming the role of Highlanders Web Admin- Trail Association (FTA) for her part in providing an istrator, Wade Williston embarked on a project to redo understanding of their system, obtaining approval to the chapter's website to bring it towards a standard de- continue to use the highlanders.floridatrail.org URL sign, space for many topics, and a tool that would cre- with the new website, and providing space within the ate a website that would be user friendly but require FTA server for storage of our newsletters. To access virtually no need for programming. the new website, simply continue to use the High- lander's existing URL – highlanders.floridatrail.org. Francis and Bobbi Keenan had been maintaining the Once connected, the URL will show up as existing website for many years and after hearing https://sites.google.com/view/fta-highlanders-chapter. about the idea, asked if he could take over the respon- sibilities as the chapter's web administrator as well. With this new site, it is hoped that additional articles The tool selected, a new version of Google Sites, was about our chapter and the area we maintain can be chosen - as it provided space on the web and standard- added, to continue to provide a means of communica- ized web formatting, with a unique look. tion with chapter members and the public and their families so they may also enjoy the beauty of our trail Finally; after extensive testing, a fix to allow the new segment and it's surrounding environment. website to continue to use the highlanders.florida- trail.org URL, and a new space on the FTA web server Be Safe and Sane to maintain copies of our newsletters (for reading and downloading), the site was launched on December -Mike 18th. Many thanks go out to Francis and Bobbi for provid-

https://highlanders.floridatrail.org

3 Outdoor Photos by Nora

More great photos of Florida's wonderful landscape

4 2020 Recycling Efforts

The following is a list of the types of metal and amount of cash received from recycling efforts this year.

Material Weight (Pounds) Cash Generated

Iron 9,836 $368.21 Aluminum 42 $4.09 Brass 144 $153.30 Copper 144 $299.20 Nickel 47 $14.57 Lead (Battery) 176 $37.04 Lead 6 $1.98

Totals: 10,395 $988.51

The above does not include aluminum cans/scrap that was not sold this year due to a low price. The aluminum we have on hand will be sold when we have a better price. Additionally, the list does not include articles that were sold on Facebook Marketplace.

Nevertheless, the Highlanders recycled more than five tons of material which generated nearly a thousand dol- lars to our organization.

-Bill Leach

To all Florida Trail Members and Prospective Members

Please be considerate of those members with sensitivi- We ask for everyone's cooperation to accommodate ties to various chemical or scented products. Some others' health concerns by trying to use unscented scented products such as hair sprays, perfumes, products before attending a recreational or work hike. scented deodorants, sunscreens and scented body If you are using a long-lasting clothing insect spray, washes can trigger reactions such as respiratory dis- please try to spray a few days before the event to give tress, coughing, migraine headaches and other asth- time to air the clothing. We appreciate your help. matic type symptoms. Thank You

COVID 19 Pandemic – Please Note

Due to the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic, most FTA and Highlanders group activities (including chapter meetings) have been canceled or put on hold to minimize large groups until further time. Chapter trail mainte- nance has been approved with smaller teams in accordance with FTA Covid 19 rules. If the situation changes and we can start our activities and chapter meetings again, we will notify everyone by email.

5 Please note that in the Governor's Executive Order 20-91, that “recreational activities (consistent with social distancing guidelines) such as walking, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, running, or swimming” is allowed. Some locations, such as parks, the national forest, and the state forest may have areas closed (i.e. campgrounds, boat launches, or other areas where people have been found to congregate in large numbers) and that restrooms may be closed and locked. Due to the changing environment surrounding the spread of the COVID-19 Pan- demic, this can change. You may want to check first.

Highlanders Activities

Friday, January 1, 2021 First Day Hike at PEAR Park - Meet at the Nature Center at PEAR Park at 10:00 AM. Easy two to four mile hike depending on your condition. Bring water and a snack. Trip leaders: Gene Bouley Cell: 352-360-3722 and Bruce Zollner.

Directions: Take Routes 27/441 south towards Leesburg. When 27 and 441 split, stay to the right and go straight ahead staying on route 27. About five miles south of Leesburg, at the junction of Route 48 and 27, proceed straight ahead on Route 27 for 1.8 miles. Turn right onto University Avenue. Follow about a mile to the entrance into PEAR Park. Park and meet at the Nature Center Building in the park with a nature painting on it.

Important: You will pass a PEAR Park entrance on Route 27, one mile from the junction of 27 and 48. This is for the dog park. Go .8 of a mile beyond, to the second park entrance at University Avenue. Address: 4800 University Avenue, Leesburg, FL. 28.729290, -81.874755

Saturday, January 16, 2021 Buck Lake Hike - Let's take a Saturday hike at Buck Lake. Meet at 9:00 AM at the Florida Trail parking area on Route 19, about two miles north of the turnoff to Alexander Springs on the west side of the road. This mod- erate paced hike is between five and six miles and will go around Buck Lake. Please bring a mask, adequate wa- ter, and snacks. Contact Dennis or Melodie Hardy, Activity Leaders at 207-646-7881 or email: mhardy222@g- mail.com. 29.073993, -81.629671

Thursday, February 11, 2021 Bicycle Ride on the General James A. Van Fleet Trail - Meet at 9:30 AM to bicycle on the General James A Van Fleet State Trail. We'll start at the Green Pond Road Trail head, located at 4903 Green Pond Road in Polk City and bike south for about eight miles, stopping in Polk City for a snack break (if the Country Angel is open we can enjoy one of their delicious desserts) then travel back the way we came. This ride will be at a moderate pace. Helmets are mandatory. Remember your mask, ample water, and snacks. Activity Leaders: Melodie and Dennis Hardy. Phone: 207-646-7881 or email: [email protected] 28.319100, -81.862234

6 Highlanders Trail Maintenance Schedule

Please Note

This work hike schedule is VERY tentative. Always check the emails sent about one week before the work hike for updates.

All volunteers are expected to protect each other by cooperating with the FTA COVID-19 procedures and Job Hazard Analysis (http://floridatrail.org/covid-19/). Please, if possible, bring your own face mask, gloves, pen for sign-in, and hand sanitizer.

Saturday, January 2, 2021 Trail Maintenance Work Hike, Tracy Unit, Seminole State Forest (SSF) Meet before 9:00 AM at the trailhead at the Clearwater Lake Recreation Area off County Road 42 near Paisley. Please be on time as we will be shuttling to another area in the SSF to work. Please be on time and let us know if you plan to attend so that we can plan teams and equipment. Bring lots of water, insect spray, hats, lunch, face masks, along with any other needed items. If you have further questions email or call Bobbi Keenan at [email protected] or 352-787-8654. 28.976677, -81.550236

Tuesday, January 12, 2021 Trail Maintenance Work Hike, Meet at the intersection of County Road 445/Forest Road (FS) 69 (Paisley Road) in the Ocala National Forest., just south of Alexander Springs before 9:00 AM. Please be on time as we will be shuttling to another area to work. Please be on time as we will be shuttling to another area in the SSF to work. Please be on time and let us know if you plan to attend so that we can plan teams and equipment. Bring lots of water, insect spray, hats, lunch, face masks, along with any other needed items. If you have further questions email or call Bobbi Keenan at [email protected] or 352-787-8654. 29.074541 , -81.586464

Saturday, February 13, 2021 Trail Maintenance Work Hike, Ocala National Forest Meet before 9:00 AM at Clearwater Lake Recreation Area off County Road 42 near Paisley. Please be on time as we will be shuttling to another area to work. Please be on time and let us know if you plan to attend so that we can plan teams and equipment. Bring lots of water, insect spray, hats, lunch, face masks, along with any other needed items. If you have further questions email or call Bobbi Keenan at [email protected] or 352- 787-8654. 28.976677, -81.550236

Tuesday, February 23, 2021 Trail Maintenance Work Hike, Tracy Unit Seminole State Forest Meet in Cassia at the Brantley Branch Road entrance off County Road 44 before 9:00 AM. Please be on time and let us know if you plan to attend so that we can plan teams and equipment. Bring lots of water, insect spray, hats, lunch, face masks, along with any other needed items. Bring lots of water, insect spray, hats, lunch, face masks, along with any other needed items. If you have further questions email or call Bobbi Keenan at bobbis- [email protected] or 352-787-8654. 28.890749 -81.461616

7 Chapter Officers and Committee Chairs

Chapter Chair, Mike Tamburrino, [email protected] or 303-809-3284 Vice Chair, Glenda Moore, [email protected] or 352-324-2570 Secretary, Mary Ring, [email protected] or 352-250-1426 Treasurer, Diane Roesch, [email protected] or 407-469-3638 Trail Coordinator, Hugh (Sandy) Bell, [email protected] or 912-322-4336 Activity Chairs, Mary Ellen Milton, [email protected] or 352-669-3628, Bobbi Keenan, [email protected] or 352-787-8654, and Mary Ring, [email protected] or 352-250-1426 Membership Chair, Mary Ellen Milton, [email protected] or 352-669-3628 Chapter Coordinator, Bobbi Keenan, [email protected] or 352-787-8654 Outreach Coordinator, Cathy Leavers, [email protected] or 352-360-3953 Newsletter Editor and Meetup Coordinator, Wade Williston, [email protected] or 989-891-7540 Program Chair, Ginger Leach, [email protected] or 352-728-6438 Chapter Council Representatives, John Grob, [email protected] or 352-750-0341 & Mike Tamburrino, [email protected] or 303-809-3284 Webmaster, Wade Williston, [email protected], or 989-891-7540 Chapter Photographer, Diane Dammiller, [email protected] or 352-205-9620 Grant Writer, Dee Bender, [email protected] or 352-460-7085 Quartermaster and Archivist/Historian, Christine Pena, [email protected] or 908-499-2215 Media PR Coordinator, Glenda Moore, [email protected] or 352-324-2570 Calendar Editor, Bobbi Keenan, [email protected] or 352-787-8654 Memorial Committee Chair, Stuart Force, [email protected] or 352-303-5623 Recycling Coordinator, Bill Leach, [email protected] or 352-728-6438

Trailmasters and Activity Leaders

Trailmasters: Arlene Beal, Sandy Bell, Dee Bender, Gene Bouley, Richard Devine, Stuart Force, Dennis and Melodie Hardy, Karen Harrington, Greg Hart, Brad Hoopes, Francis Keenan, Bill and Ginger Leach, Mary Ellen Milton, Tom Mowbray, Steve and Bernice Nemeth, Mary Ring, Mike Tamburrino, Wade Williston, and Bruce Zollner.

Activity Leaders: Richard Abrams, Mike Barnett, Arlene Beal, Gene Bouley, Diane and Ken Dammiller, Doris Danzer, Richard Devine, John Grob, Dennis and Melodie Hardy, Brad Hoopes, Bobbi and Francis Keenan, Marilyn LeMire, Bill and Mary Ellen Milton, Steve Nemeth, Diane Paul, Bob and Suzanne Sippey, Mike Tam- burrino, Don Valcheff, Wade Williston, and Bruce Zollner.

8 Links

Florida Trail Association: http://www.floridatrail.org Highlanders Chapter, FTA: http://highlanders.floridatrail.org Meetup for Highlanders: https://www.meetup.com/Florida-Trail-Association-Central-Florida-Chapter/ Highlanders Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/highlandersfta/albums/

Previous Newsletters : https://sites.google.com/view/fta-highlanders-chapter/newsletters Boondocking Tips https://sites.google.com/view/fta-highlanders-chapter/articles/boondocking-101

Note: http://highlanders.floridatrail.org redirects to https://sites.google.com/view/fta-highlanders-chapter/

Looking Out at Lake Dora from Palm Island Park – FloridaHikes.com

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