You are here

"Save The Florida Panther Day" Is Saturday In Florida

Share

Saturday has been designated as "Save The Florida Panther Day" in the state of Florida. Florida Wildlife Commission photo by Tim Donovan.

This Saturday has been designated as "Save the Florida Panther Day" in the state of Florida, the last stronghold of these big cats.

In making the designation, Florida Gov. Rick Scott noted that it is "proper and fitting for all Floridians to pause and reflect on the plight of the Florida panther and the task of preserving this rare component of Florida’s diverse natural resources as a legacy to generations of Floridians yet to come.”

The proclamation also said preservation of the Florida panther, which also is the state’s official animal, “… is the will of the people and therefore a mission of their government ...”

The Florida panther once ranged across the southeastern United States, but is now found primarily in south Florida, largely in Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), 100-160 adult panthers remain in the wild, south of the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee.

FWC and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials have documented that the population has risen in the past two decades, largely as a result of focused conservation efforts by private landowners and state and federal land managers.

FWC’s panther research, management, and protection efforts are funded through the sale of Florida panther specialty license plates. Money collected from those sales is deposited in the Florida Panther Research and Management Trust Fund to help fund the species’ recovery from the threat of extinction.

To view the governor’s proclamation or to learn more about Florida panthers, visit the PantherNet website. PantherNet also includes a link to a panther-reporting website, where the public is encouraged to share their panther sightings and upload pictures of panthers or their tracks.

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.