Gary, Again just my understanding from what I've read, but it seems to me that a healthy lake that isn't being overly manipulated _ drained until it's dry then allowed to fill until it has to be drained again _ would help most of the people who make their livings on or near the lake. The people who run bass fishing tours have been devastated in the past few years. And the boating and fishing in the St. Lucie River has been a mess too. A lot of the draining that was done in 2006 was done to protect people from having their homes and farms flooded, but it didn't do that because we can't simply predict how many storms we'll have. Wouldn't it be better to restore the lake and the surrounding area to a more balanced system that can take care of itself, and not flood people's homes or dump fresh water that we need into the ocean? I've covered a lot of floods, including deadly ones like Katrina in New Orleans and the 2004 floods in Haiti, which killed more than Katrina did. Believe me, I've seen what can happen to people. But both of those were aggravated, if not outright caused, by mistakes people made over the years trying to manipulate giant systems nature had devised over thousands of years. So send the check if you like, but understand, I think most folks here are on your side, if not Rush's side. Susannah

I think it is Apios americana, ground nut, as that grows along streams and is in your area. It has shown up at my lake. The flowers are lovely, and the fruit does look like beans. In fact, they are edible as are the tubers. American Indians used them for food, and there is a movement in the sustainable groups to encourage planting these vines. Good for the soil, too. Negative part is that they really sprawl and take over. We burn that part of the shoreline in early spring to attempt to keep Apios in check and to allow other plants to emerge. I was hoping someone else would post. I am not good at ID via photos, although I did collect the seeds several years ago for a friend. Here is a link that might be useful: Apios americana

It seems there is a similar situation occurring in N. MI (fox squirrels swimming/washing up on beaches) and noticeable movement in Long Island NY (LI acorn crop failed). This is rare and usually not just one factor involved, food shortage, over population, some large change in habitat, can all figure into it. In some areas the power companies are doing major clearing of lines, might be enough, along with other issues, to push a 'emigration' (probably a more correct term than migration). Where are they going? hard to say. Maybe now with more sophisticated tracking devices someone might decide to find out, since mass movement of squirrels also disrupts the predator base as well and they in turn can start moving. I have been watching here and so far nothing out of the ordinary, hope it stays that way. There is always the fall shuffle which is the young of the year leaving natal areas to find to turf, but it is minor and hardly noticed.

Diane, You're welcome. Yes it is fiction but it is based on the drought that hit the Great Plains from approx. 1949 through 1957. During that period of time, rainfall averaged less than 40% of usual and many cattle ranchers were driven out of business. In one year in the 1950s, Lubbock, Texas, recorded no rainfall. So, the conditions were not unlike the Dust Bowl days although by the late 1940s the Soil Conservation Service had put many programs into place that prevented, largely, a repeat of the dust storms of the Dust Bowl years. I believe Mr. Kelton wrote this incredible book to put a human face on the suffering of the Texas ranchers during that time, when many of them were driven out of the cattle business. It was because of the 1950s drought that Texas embarked upon an ambitious program to build reservoirs so they could stockpile water to avoid a recurrence of the Dust Bowl Years and the 1950 Drought years. When you read "The Time It Never Rained", you can just put yourself in Charlie Flagg's shoes and imagine how horrible it was to not even be able to feed your cattle or sheep and, eventually, yourself and your family. For Charlie, there were some things more important than 'saving the ranch at any cost'. He wanted to do things his way and maintain his independence. He didn't want to take a 'handout' from the government and he didn't want the government telling him what to do or how to do it. He just flat didn't want to compromise his own principles. That's part of what makes the book so fascinating---it wasn't just a struggle with nature, but an internal struggle to stay true to what he believed in. I had relatives who farmed and ranched in Texas in the 1950s and 1960s and they thought Elmer Kelton captured the reality on paper so well. "The Time It Never Rained" is a great classic western tale and it is one of the reasons the Western Writers of America named Elmer Kelton the greatest western writer of all time. For as hard as times are now, this novel is just such a chilling representation of one fictional man's life during some incredibly hard times, and that's why I like it. It reminds me how easy we have it much of the time, and it reminds me that when you make your living from the land, it can be a hard life with, perhaps, more downs than ups. Can you tell I love this book? Dawn