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FOURTH LINE AUTO GOOOpYEAR For All Your Car's Needs Drive Clean Emission Testing Government Safety Inspection Tune-Ups · Brakes · Exhaust · Cooling Systems CAA Approved Shop We Ship Anything, Anywhere. B4IC4MIL B E S T P R IC E IN TO W N 24 H R. A C C ESS C A L L -IN M A IL C H E C K P A R C E L R E C E IV I N G 559 Speers Road (9 0 5 ) 8 4 2 - 3 0 0 1 F M IIS J r W ED N E SD A Y . N O V E M B E R 27. 2<M)2 · I 'age B1 Mail Box Rental<§6 /Yg> Official Media Sponsor 233 Cross Ave. S E fc 905-337-7447 Editor: Wilma Blokhuis Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext. 250) Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: blokhuis@haltonsearch.com Ross Macdonald · S p e c ia l to the B e a v e r Modeling sponge hats found on the beach are from left, Alex Wilson, Gord Phippen, principal. Nick Lorbetskie, Ken Baker and Cameron Peck, teacher - all of West Wind Montessori School. Gord P hippen · S p ecia l to the B ea ver Getting a close look at a baby American alligator held by Nick Lorbetskie are from left Alex Wilson, Ken Baker and Greg M acdonald peering over Nick's shoulder. Trekking along the River of Grass By Gord Phippen S P E C IA L T O T H E B EA V ER M 7 or a week, our group of four r j Junior High students and three M. sun burnt chaperones traversed Southwest Florida, viewing the wonders of a truly remarkable continental mar gin. We discovered beautiful beaches, mangrove islands and a myriad of breathtaking life forms. Our group from West Wind Montessori School had hoped to visit a land still affected by tidal rhythms and the natural cycles of torrential rainfall and drought, an unspoiled wilderness not yet destroyed by the relentless pace of human encroachment. Our journey to the subtropics had been anything but disappointing. Where the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico give way to the mangrove estuaries defining the edge of the Everglades, a remark able environment survives, albeit sus pended in a fragile balance. Cradled by sea breezes and occasionally reshaped by the devastating fury o f hurricanes this empire of the sun was once home to the Seminole and Calusa nations. It still attracts both man and beast. Alligators, sea turtles, armadillos, dol phins and a stunning array of spectacu lar waterfowl abound here. Two of North America's rarest species of mammal, the mystical Florida panther and the gentle manatee make their home in and around the Everglades. Described by famed American environmentalist Marjorie Stoneman as `The River Of Grass,' the Everglades and Florida Keys have attracted naturalists from John James Audubon to entrepreneurs like Henry Flagler, builder of the railway that once connected Key West to the mainland. In Fort Myers, on Florida's Gulf Coast, we learned that Thomas Edison and his friend Henry Ford (15 years his junior) had discovered the joys of Southwest Florida nearly a century ago. As our "group of seven" wandered around their winter estates, now home to fascinating museums, we viewed. Ford's first Model T, produced on his Michigan assembly line. Ford had shipped it to Edison as a special gift in appreciation for the support and encour agement his mentor had provided. Also an inspiration to other American leg ends including Harvey Firestone and aviator Charles Lindbergh, Edison was truly a giant of the twentieth century. Edison's genius for invention is well documented in his Florida laboratory, where he spent countless hours perfect ing his remarkable array of patents. In addition to his interest in light bulbs, Edison was a passionate botanist. He would insist that his many friends bring a slip of their favourite plant to add to his gardens when visiting his winter estate. Exotic flowers and trees from around the world flourish at Edison's former Florida home including an incredible Ficus tree originally from India. Still growing, this incredible specimen has a mind boggling area of secondary growth originating from its primary trunk making it one of the largest trees in America. Other large life forms can also be found in Southwest Florida including gators ... big gators many of which can be found sunning themselves along US Route 41 near Marco Island. Although largely content to lie in the sun like tourists we did remind the boys in our charge that Florida's alligators are capa ble of short burst of impressive speed. After combing the world renowned shell beaches of Sanibel and Captiva Islands for exotic treasures, the boys were happy to get a close look at rep tiles. Morbid jokes about dogs gone missing from their backyards or golfers retrieving one too many balls from gator inhabited water hazards (all apparently true Florida events at one time or another) reminded them that some reptiles are better admired through binoculars. At Everglades City, we enjoyed an Gord P hippen · S p ecia l to the B ea ver A close-up of the baby American alligator held by one of the students. airboat ride through the swamp and at an interpretive centre nearby we had the chance to hold alligators yearlings a lit tle less than a metre in length from snout to tail. Remarkably adapted for their environment, these creatures have remained an evolutionary marvel unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs. Before leaving the Gulf Coast, we spent an afternoon exploring Naples, one of Florida's more beautiful commu nities and nearby Marco Island, where we were led on an outing by my father Peter, a resident bird lover. Exploring the ABC Rookery Islands in his small outboard, we were able to quietly circle the tiny mangrove archipelago which featured trees literally covered in teem ing colonies of egrets, ibis, pelicans, blue herons, tricolour herons, cor morants, and the incredible frigate bird, a largely oceanic species which in flight soars as effortlessly as an albatross with a remarkable split tail and swept back wings. Ospreys nest in profusion in this area and we were fortunate to see many of them as well as a bald eagle during our visit to this richly diverse breeding ground. A decline in the use of pesticides and tougher conservation laws have helped Florida's bird species make a comeback from what was near extinc tion in some cases short decades ago. 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