Wannabe vice prez Ryan: Government should stay out of hurricanes

That’s what satirist Andy Borowitz has the presumptive veep saying in this hilarious piece as Hurricane Isaac steers toward Florida.

Man gets prison time for killing Florida Panther

Yet another big-time wildlife crime makes headlines, this time in the Miami Herald.

Better visit Fla. now before sea-level rise takes it away

The underlying reason for sea-level rise in Florida and elsewhere is the human-caused warming of our climate and the melting of glaciers, the Greenland ice cap and polar ice. This isn’t rocket science, buckaroos, even though deniers would like us to think it is. In any case, read here about the forecast for coastal Florida.

Growth in Fla. threatening state’s freshwater springs

Just don’t bother seeking comment from the chamber of commerce or the state’s real estate agents’ association. In Florida, just like in the Phoenix, Ariz., area, its “growth for the sake of growth.” And progress, well we can’t hold that back, now can we? Here’s the lowdown on the fate of a natural treasure in Florida, the sunshine state where sunshine beats down on more asphalt every day of the week/month/year/decade.

Carl Hiaasen 2012 angler of the year

It’s an honor bestowed by Fly Rod & Reel magazine, and no one is more deserving, I just re-read (for the fourth time) Hiaasen’s novel “Double Whammy.” Read about this novelist, angler and conservationist.

Protection today means fishing tomorrow

That’s the theme of this Miami Herald editorial about protecting the waters of Biscayne National Park. Right on.

Coastal erosion hardly a California-only issue; consider N.C., Fla., etc.

The article looks specifically at a San Francisco-area problem, but that place is hardly alone. Try the Outer Banks of North Carolina, coastal saltmarshes of Delaware, much of low-elevation Florida, the list goes on.

Those big (and invasive) snakes are in Florida for good

That’s the theme of this column from the keyboard of veteran Miami Herald columnist Carl Hiaasen. Think about these snakes the next time you visit the Sunshine State.

Report highlights state of Gulf and pressing restoration need

This Associated Press piece is well written and spells out the problems in nice fashion. Saving habitat – native, natural land – is foremost among the fixes, in my view. It’s the same story here in Vermont when it comes to tackling Lake Champlain water-quality problems.

Obama administration to give Fla. $100 million to preserve open lands

This is the kind of public investment that would greatly benefit conservation efforts in many other states, including Pennsylvania, from which I recently moved. Public investment in public lands. Yes.