Regular readers know I'm a big fan of a general movement toward more use of electric power for transportation, heating (using heat pumps), and for other applications where fossil fuels are currently used directly. Yesterday I discovered another reason to like electric motors: They are quieter on a river that is rich with wildlife. You end up finding more of the noisy wildlife.
In my case the wildlife was on the Silver River in Florida. In particular, we were looking for the Rhesus monkeys that are descendants of monkeys that escaped (I am told) from the sets of Tarzan movies back in the 1920s. We went up the river on internal combustion engine power and didn't find the monkeys. We couldn't use the electric motor because it wasn't powerful enough to make much speed up-river and the battery wouldn't last. But on the way back down river power of the electric engine was sufficient. We found one of the Rhesus money troops (easily 50 monkeys) because under electric power we could hear the sounds they make on the branches swinging from tree to tree.
What's needed once again: Better batteries. We could have put more lead acid batteries on the boat. But we would have needed to trade off on other things we carried. With better batteries and another Minn Kota electric motor we could have made the whole trip on electric power.
Parenthetically, we went all the way down to where the Ocklawaha River joins the Silver. The differences between the two rivers are stark and I wonder if either agricultural run-off into the Ocklawaha or the fishing allowed on the Ocklawaha explain the differences. The Silver has huge numbers of birds. We probably saw 20 bird species. It also has lots of turtles and alligators (all small fwiw). We went several miles up the Ocklawaha and saw 1 gator, no birds, no turtles, and no monkeys. What's with that? Overfishing or agricultural run-off or something natural?
You can also kayak on the Silver and we saw over a dozen kayakers and canoers. But we wanted to see both rivers and so went under engine power.
By Randall Parker at 2009 November 29 06:24 AM Energy BatteriesThe problem is global warming. As the permafrost melts, methane is released, which affects animals as far south as the equator. Runaway warming results, which explains why you saw no animals up the Ocklawaha. They had run away due to global warming.
All of this controversy about Climategate should change no one's mind about global warming. The Arctic is still ice free. The Antarctic is losing ice so fast that Cuba will be completely submerged by 2020. It has been 20 years since North Americans have been able to ski in their mountains, due to lack of snow. Don't be fooled. Run away from global warming if you can.
I don't know if it appears in the US, but up here in Canada, a TV commercial makes the same point: It shows a family driving up to a doe and her fawns on electric power, watching the deer graze, and finally driving away. After they leave, an acorn falls spooking the deer.
Looking at the map, I would suggest if a human presence has made a difference, it did so on the Silver River not on the Ocklawaha river. The Silver River goes much closer to human settlement--especially at its headwaters--than the Ocklawaha.
Agricultural run-off or human sewage may have increased the nutrient density of the Silver River working its way up the food chain. I also notice a boat club near the mouth of the Silver River. It's possible that conservation measures by the boat club may have preserved and improved habitat on the Silver River. It's also possible that proximity to humans has exerted selective pressure on the alligators, for example, favouring lots of small immature alligators in the Silver River and driving larger mature alligators into the Ocklawaha.
Then again, turtles, alligators and especially birds are highly mobile creatures. Around here, when the smelt run, the bird populations near certain streams increase dramatically. It's possible that weather conditions or seasonal variations caused some species of small fish to congregate in the Silver River and the birds and reptiles to follow them.
Bob, The Silver River water is fresh out of the ground. It is not run-off from civilization. Where the river starts is where the water comes up from deep underground (and quite warm btw). You can look down in the very clear water and see the rock outcrops from under which the water comes.
The Ocklawaha comes from a much longer distance to where it joins with the Silver.
Perhaps water temperature makes the difference.
While the Ocklawaha comes from a much longer distance, it does so far from people. The Silver is much closer to human settlement.
Zooming out farther and following the Ocklawaha farther than where I thought it started, I see I am wrong. The Ocklawaha does go close to built up areas for considerable distances.
In the show "Weeds", the drug gang leader buys all his lts. Prisus because using them you can "sneak up on a muthafucka" for drivebys.
Motors are allowed on the Silver, and boat drivers ignore wake-controlling speed restrictions. The banks are severely eroded, and many cypress trees are propped up on their roots, the soil having been washed away.
The silver has few nutrients, so little growth. The bottom grass grows slowly, and the lack of dissolved nutrients, plus the fast turnover of the water (from the spring) keeps it clear. Typical of Florida springs.
Did you see the feral (non-indigenous) monkeys?
You should also try Ichtucknee Springs west of Gainesville for a similar experience. No motors on this one, so the erosion damage is not present.
Florida has for the most part gone to hell in a handbasket. I moved out many years ago.
JPS
JP,
As I said, I saw the monkeys and they are there due to movie-making.
Few nutrients? So why does the Silver have so much more wildlife than the Ocklawaha? If the Silver supports little wildlife then the Ocklawaha supports even less.
Florida going to hell: It was a lot more wild when I visited it as a kid. There used to be large undeveloped areas that were not part of national and state forests and parks. But those areas are shrinking.
But Florida doesn't hold a candle to California for ecological decay or other forms of decline.