Underwater Again

Every time Mark schedules me for a hunting survey, it's an underwater hunt for hunters. As I woke at 0430, I could hear the gentle wash of rain against the cabbage palm outside my window. It's a soothing sound on those rare days when I can stay home with some hot tea and a good book, but there aren't many of them! If I were less enamored with my job, I would have rolled over and called in sick. I am such a geek!

I tried to dawdle at the office, hoping that either the rain would clear or the temperature would rise with the sun. Neither seemed to be in Mother Nature's plans today, so I loaded an ATV, hopped in a truck and headed to Santa Rosa. Arriving at that park area, I was immediately soaked through when I unlocked the gate. No worries though -- with 14 miles of beach to cover, I was destined to be drenched anyway! There were, of course, no hunters. They were all at home, warm in bed. Smart men.

Perdido Key was the same story. At least the ATVs got a really good rinsing, and the ducks got a day off. Hunting in the park is only open until the 28th, so the season is almost over. I'll have to talk to Mark about his survey schedule -- maybe we should have just picked the days based on weather instead of trying to pre-plan.

The rest of my day is back to Pensacola Beach lighting. Since we can't just appeal to the public and get the lights changed, my new method is to personally invite all property managers and owners to one of our two upcoming Sea Turtle Lighting Conferences/Workshops, offer sea turtle talks and maybe some hatchling release invitations later in the season. Tourists love that stuff! My theory is that they'll have a harder time saying no to my face, and they certainly can't ignore me. I only have a short time left here and I have goals to meet. The turtle season last year was the worst ever -- there's no where to go but up, and I'm doing all I can to help make that upswing a reality.

Now that work is done, the sun still hasn't come out, but it's not raining. I think it's still a great day for a book -- I got two from Amazon yesterday: new sea turtle books from Frank Paladino and Carl Safina. I can't wait to snuggle up with a good read!