Page 14 - Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens - November '20

Page 14, Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens
Northern Notes

Please Don’t Feed Wildlife

By Katie Roundtree,
Finance Director, Northern
Palm Beach County
Improvement District
As temperatures in
Florida start to drop in the
fall, people and animals will
be outside more often in the
daylight hours, creating the
potential for contact and
conflicts. Throughout the some cases, illegal. In Florida, it is illegal to feed the safest and most effective way to attract animals is to
years, The Florida Fish gopher tortoises, sandhill cranes, bears, raccoons, foxes, provide good wildlife habitat. This is best accomplished
and Wildlife Conservation manatees and alligators. Intentionally placing food or through the use of native vegetation. The FWC has
Commission (FWC) receives many complaints regarding garbage, allowing the placement of food or garbage, or publications online with information on developing
wildlife causing damage to private property or creating offering food or garbage in such a manner that it attracts your own backyard wildlife refuge. For those without
a public safety issue. Many complaints are the result of black bears, foxes, raccoons, gopher tortoises or sandhill Internet service, copies or more information about
communities where intentional feeding of wildlife is cranes and thereby creates a public nuisance is prohibited. planting a backyard refuge may be obtained by calling
tolerated or where domestic animals are fed outdoors. Because people establish an emotional connection or writing your nearest FWC regional office. (Source:
Whenever such conflicts arise, wildlife loses. While with wildlife that they feed, these situations often prove www.myFWC.com)
the species involved in each of these cases may be difficult to resolve, because they involve changing NPDES Tip: Please pick up after your pet. When pet
different, the issue is always the same. Concerned and peoples’ attitudes and behaviors. Fortunately, educating waste is washed into lakes or canals the waste decays,
well-intentioned individuals start feeding wildlife, often individuals how to responsibly attract wildlife often using up oxygen and sometimes releasing ammonia.
without regard for the quantity or types of feed being resolves the problem. Communities can pursue a variety Low oxygen levels and ammonia combined with warm
offered. Wild animals have a complicated diet with of approaches to affect a remedy. In communities with a temperatures can kill fish. Pet waste also contains
specific needs. If people feed them “treats,” they may not homeowner’s association, residents may apply remedies nutrients that encourage weed and algae growth. Overly
get the correct balance of nutrients to keep them healthy. available to them through the association. fertile water becomes cloudy and green – unattractive for
All wild creatures have evolved over the millennia with The FWC’s advice to anyone who enjoys wildlife is boating and fishing. Perhaps most importantly, pet waste
an instinct to locate and eat a diet best suited to their own to keep it wild! For those who enjoy viewing wildlife, carries diseases which make water unsafe.
digestive systems. Thus, they have a specific niche in the
wild community where they feed and live in balance with
all other species. This balance is interfered with when
well-intentioned people feed what they think is a healthy
diet to wildlife.
This practice also inevitably leads to unnatural
concentrations of animals, both wild and domestic,
looking for a handout. Wild animals are thus conditioned
to associate humans with a feeding opportunity and the
results are predictable – animals become a nuisance
to property owners. Artificially high concentrations
of wildlife found at feeding stations also increase the
transmission of diseases that normally occur in low
concentrations.
Feeding wildlife is generally discouraged and, in

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November 2020 / Jupiter Inlet Tide Chart

Day High Low High Low High Day High Low High Low High
Sun 1 3:16 AM 9:19 AM 3:40 PM 9:24 PM Tue 17 4:18 AM 10:31 AM 4:51 PM 10:40 PM
Mon 2 3:49 AM 9:56 AM 4:14 PM 10:00 PM Wed 18 5:10 AM 11:22 AM 5:44 PM 11:33 PM
Tue 3 4:22 AM 10:35 AM 4:49 PM 10:37 PM Thu 19 6:05 AM 12:15 PM 6:42 PM
Wed 4 4:58 AM 11:15 AM 5:27 PM 11:16 PM Fri 20 12:28 AM 7:04 AM 1:10 PM 7:43 PM
Thu 5 5:37 AM 11:59 AM 6:09 PM Sat 21 1:27 AM 8:06 AM 2:07 PM 8:47 PM
Fri 6 12:00 AM 6:23 AM 12:48 PM Sun 22 2:30 AM 9:11 AM 3:05 PM 9:49 PM
Sat 7 12:52 AM 7:19 AM 1:42 PM 8:02 PM Mon 23 3:33 AM 10:12 AM 4:01 PM 10:44 PM
Sun 8 1:54 AM 8:24 AM 2:40 PM 9:09 PM Tue 24 4:34 AM 11:08 AM 4:52 PM 11:34 PM
Mon 9 3:01 AM 9:34 AM 3:41 PM 10:13 PM Wed 25 5:27 AM 11:57 AM 5:39 PM
Tue 10 4:09 AM 10:39 AM 4:40 PM 11:12 PM Thu 26 12:18 AM 6:15 AM 12:42 PM 6:22 PM
Wed 11 5:13 AM 11:40 AM 5:35 PM Fri 27 12:58 AM 6:57 AM 1:23 PM 7:02 PM
Thu 12 12:06 AM 6:12 AM 12:35 PM 6:28 PM Sat 28 1:36 AM 7:37 AM 2:01 PM 7:41 PM
Fri 13 12:58 AM 7:07 AM 1:28 PM 7:19 PM Sun 29 2:12 AM 8:16 AM 2:38 PM 8:19 PM
Sat 14 1:48 AM 7:59 AM 2:18 PM 8:09 PM Mon 30 2:47 AM 8:55 AM 3:14 PM 8:58 PM
Sun 15 2:37 AM 8:50 AM 3:09 PM 8:59 PM
Mon 16 3:27 AM 9:40 AM 3:59 PM 9:49 PM
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