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My new friend Fergy

By Jack Hughes 3 min read
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The way of life of turtles such as this one nicknamed “Fergy” is being threatened in Florida by new housing developments and other developments.
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Jack Hughes

Hi, my name is Fergy. I live in Florida near the Everglades on Marco Island.

This past winter I met this guy Jack who says he is from Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He was riding his bike and stopped for a bit of a rest since there is a bench near my burrow. Jack says he enjoys coming to Florida in the winter since we have such a mild and dry climate. He loves riding his bike and hiking in the Everglades.

Jack told me that winter in Pennsylvania is so different than here in Southwest Florida. He tried to explain to me about cold and snow and I had to confess that I really have never experienced cold and snow. Even in the winter we seldom go below 40 and snow is hard for me to comprehend. I know about rain since a few weeks ago we had over a foot of rain in one day and our burrow was filled with water.

A few years ago when I was young we had a series of brush fires that forced us to leave our home and seek shelter. Jack said a lot of people coming to Florida don’t realize that in the winter when it gets dry, fires are easily started. This year is different with all the rain.

Jack said the weather is changing in many areas and forcing both people and animals to adjust and get out of harm’s way. There is talk about lots of hurricanes forming in the Atlantic and Gulf this year and not too far away Hurricane Beryl has caused a lot of destruction.

In the winter lots of people come to Florida and it is truly getting crowded. More homes and developments are being built and our homes and way of life are being threatened. Since we are close to the Everglades we get some protection, however very few open areas are available for our burrows. So much of Florida is being developed and access to the ocean is becoming more difficult for us.

There are people who want to help us and when a new development threatens us new homes must be found and sometimes they even block off our nesting sites with that yellow tape to protect us during our mating season. I have a girlfriend and we are planning on a family this coming season. Perhaps when Jack comes to visit next winter he will be able to meet my little ones.

Life is still pretty good here. We have a good climate and people are starting to help us move out of harm’s way. Perhaps with the increased awareness people will be less likely to continue to build near the water although the amount of construction worries me.

Jack told me the past few winters have been mild where he lives and that Florida has become very expensive, however I see no signs of it slowing down. Perhaps if the forecasts are right and we get a lot of hurricanes this season people may begin to think differently.

I hope so but I do like Jack and hope he comes to visit my new family this coming winter.

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