Levels of Comfort and Safety
There is a continuum of comfort and safety that you need to
consider as you travel through Florida. Comfort encompasses things like air
conditioning, clean food service, clean rest rooms, potable water, and places
to sit in the shade. Safety is being free of the fear of crime and bodily harm.
The fence is to keep panthers safely inside.
The trail. and the big cats, are beyond this gate.
Feel safe?
Top Tier Amusement
Parks like Disney, SeaWorld, and Bush Gardens are spotlessly clean. There
are some scary rides, but you end up with all your fingers and toes. You expect
a near perfect day, and you usually get it. These parks have the budget to keep
things fixed and clean. The Big Parks are crowded, but there are quiet places
hidden within them. These parks typically have ample closed circuit television
surveillance and professional paid uniformed security staff. They also train
every employee to interact with guests long before a situation develops. Wild Kingdom, Sea World, and Busch Gardens
cater to nature lovers. In EPCOT, the Living Seas and The Land Pavilions teach
nature ethics with the help of animated characters. The Disney Wilderness Lodge
is a grander version of the Great National Park Lodges- Disney style. Disney
also has a mega-campground near the Magic Kingdom where you could spend a week
without hitting the parks. The lake between the Lodge and the campground has
water sports and a nature reserve island.
Attractions like
Dinosaur World and Lion County Safari are not mega parks, but they are mostly
clean and safe. There are some attractions that try to look like the big parks,
but don’t have the money or fan base to keep them up. These attractions are between the big boys
and the smelly roadside zoo where the monkey smokes cigarettes and throws poo.
Small roadside attractions can be rewarding, but if it looks like a sideshow,
maybe you should move on to the big top.
Large Zoos and
Aquariums have professional reputations to uphold. Many are a cross between
a museum and a top tier park. The newer the facility, generally the better the
experience. They have transitioned from barred cages to open moated living
environments. Busch Gardens is a top tier amusement park with a top level Zoo
inside. Sea World is a top tier amusement park with an aquarium and a small zoo
inside. They are not “Natural”, but are as close as some people want to come to
the real outback. Many of these have rescue and treatment facilities for wild
animals. Some of the parks maintain injured animals that cannot be released
back into the wild. These typically have ample closed circuit television
surveillance and professional paid uniformed security staff.
Nature Centers
and nationally ranked private preserves are typically a not-for-profit
organization whose mission is to inspire people to care for the environment by
providing experiences that lead them to understand their connection to the
natural world. Some are based on conserving and preserving areas of land, and
some are based on a specific plant or animal. Generally they offer hands-on and
“dirty boot” experiences that involve and envelope the participant. Typically
the fees they charge for admission are only a small part of their fundraising
needs, and they solicit donations from the public to remain in operation. The
volunteers act as rangers keeping the center clean and protecting both the
wildlife and the visitors. Crime is usually low because the volunteers are very
helpful and are often leading guided walks. These may or may not have park like areas with
trails and observation towers. Some of these Nature Centers are part of a
larger zoo, museum, arboretum, or botanical garden.
Arboretum or Botanical Garden may be part of a city
park, state park, museum, or be sponsored by a private corporation. They
usually have formal gardens that display featured plant types. Ethyl M Candies
in Las Vegas has a Cactus Garden sponsored by the company. The BOK Tower
Gardens in Florida features a bell tower and large formal gardens built by a
former magazine editor and given to the American People. These are usually tended by low key volunteer
docents, and the setting is similar to a museum.
Animal Rescue Centers
are similar to zoos, but are closer in operation to a nature center.They are
typically a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to inspire people to
care for the type of animal they provide care for. Most have one class of
animals like elephants or horses, or “Big Cats”, some of them target “Retired
and Rescued Circus Animals”. The Audubon society has several “Raptor” Centers
where large predatory birds are rehabilitated or retired. These rescue center
may have large cages or moated display areas where the animals can be viewed,
and often have visitor centers that have films and displays on the conditions
of the captive animals before their rescue. Like the Nature Centers, these are
typically non-profit and staffed by volunteers. They have limited amenities,
but typically have rest rooms and a gift shop. Most are well patrolled by
trained volunteers to protect both the animals and visitors.
State Parks are the
best maintained and most maintained self-service wilderness. There are many
more facilities in most State Parks than in a typical State Forest. Many have
vendors, hotels, formal campgrounds and playgrounds. They are wild, but during
the day the main areas resemble a city park. Poisonous snakes or large
predators are more frequent than in a city park, and both the flora and terrain
can cause injuries to the unaware or unprepared. In Florida, some museums and
historical sites are State Parks. The State Park system in Florida has rangers,
DEP Police, and local Sheriff Departments patrolling them. Technology is
creeping into some parks. In addition to interpretive signage, a placard gives
a phone number to call from your cellular telephone, and a site code to key in.
Then a narrative with background music and sound effects tells you about the
site.
National Parks have
front areas near the welcome centers and interpretive areas that have good
lighting, beautiful facilities, and ranger presence. The back country areas are
the proverbial “waste howling wilderness”. Most Park Rangers have Law
Enforcement training and arrest powers and patrol the front areas frequently. Many
National Parks have vendors, hotels, formal campgrounds and playgrounds in
developed areas and just outside the main gates. Venomous snakes, alligators,
or large predators are common, and both the flora and terrain can cause
injuries to the unaware or unprepared. Some Parks have re-introduced top level predators
like wolf and mountain lion. Others have herds of elk, wild horses, caribou,
and bison. Some Parks are swamps, while others have mountains with sheer
cliffs. The key to safety and comfort is knowing the Park, knowing your
abilities, and knowing where you are within the Park.
City Parks can
range from baseball diamonds, dog parks, and boat ramps, to wilderness
preserves. Most of them are small and surrounded by dense urban development.
The rest rooms may only be open during daylight hours. There are larger
facilities that combine public open space ringed by other recreational facilities like libraries, cultural theatres,
and mega-playgrounds with lighting and mood music. The larger cities may have
rangers and landscapers in the parks 18 hours a day. Smaller towns may have
local police drive through during the day and lock up the gates at dusk. They
normal only have an occasional nuisance animal complaint, and poisonous snakes
or large predators are rare.
County Parks can also range from baseball diamonds to
wilderness preserves. The larger or more urban counties may have rangers and
landscapers in the parks 16 hours a day. Some counties have portable housing
where off duty Sheriff’s Deputies live. Smaller counties may not have county
parks. Many smaller county parks have an occasional Deputy or ranger drive
through during the day and lock up the gates at dusk. They normally have more
nuisance and vandalism complaints, and venomous snakes, feral dogs and coyote
encounters are possible even within city limits.
National Forests
are managed for long tern sustainability of wood, water, grazing, wildlife, and
recreation. Wildlife is not only possible,
but encounters are frequent, and both the flora and terrain can cause injuries
to the unaware or unprepared. Most National Forestshave active forestry
harvesting and grazing of livestock. Recreation within the Forests is usually
clustered near specific features, and may not be allowed in all areas due to
on-going operations.
State Forests are
managed for wood, water, and wildlife. Recreation is allowed, but it is not
necessarily the primary target function of the design. Poisonous snakes or large predators are not
only possible, but encounters are frequent. Both the flora and terrain can
cause injuries to the unaware or unprepared. Many State Forests have active forestry harvesting. They are
often adjacent to, or contain a Wildlife Management Area.
Wildlife Management
Areas and Wildlife Environmental Areas are large areas where the primary
“crop” is wildlife. They have few trails, fewer facilities, and many are closed
to the recreational public during hunting season. Hunters vie for permits to
thin the herds and harvest the non-endangered wildlife during the appropriate
season. The rest of the time, the public is free to roam most of the WMA’s to
hike, bike, or horseback the true wilderness.These areas might be patrolled by
contract with the local Sheriff’s Department. State Law Enforcement Officers
from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission may also check these
areas for fishing, hunting and other issue compliance. Some WMA’s are closed to
the general public and the land may be privately owned.
National Wildlife
Refuge’s are managed as a national network of lands and waters for the
conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife
and plant resources and their habitat. The Refuge System maintains the
biological integrity, diversity and environmental health of these natural
resources for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans. Federal Fish and Game Officers patrol these
vast expanses of wilderness.In addition to its task of conserving wildlife, the
Refuge System also manages six wildlife-dependent recreational uses
specifically: Hunting, Fishing, Wildlife Observation, Photography, Environmental
Education, and Interpretation. More than 170 refuges in the System have special
management areas of one type or another – Cultural Resource or Historic Sites,
Research Natural Areas, Wild and Scenic Rivers, or National Natural Landmarks.
These designations are made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Wilderness Areas”, however, must be
designated by Congress.
(C) 2012 Will Holcomb
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