Page 4 - Jupiter Spotlight - October '22

Page 4, Jupiter Spotlight
Northern Notes

Stuart Air Show from page 1

twilight performance against the setting sun, a spectacular Preserving The Preserves
fireworks presentation and – at the end – the infamous
Wall of Fire to the night. By Katie Roundtree,
The Twilight and Fireworks Show is a very different Director of Finance and
experience from the daytime shows and something you Administration, Northern
definitely won’t want to miss. Palm Beach County
Following the show, enjoy a rockin’ fun concert by the Improvement District
Rotorheads. Vendors and concessions will be open. Northern owns and
The TD Bank Dirty Flight Suit Party takes place in the maintains approximately
VIP area at Witham Field and includes front row center 2,000 acres of preserves
seats from which to view the Friday Night Air Show and throughout the 128-square-
fireworks, buffet dinner, open bar and a meet and greet mile district. It is an
with show performers, sponsors, VIPs and pilots. Also integral part of many of our
included is an ideal location from which to watch the residential communities
Rotorheads and access to air-conditioned bathrooms. and a pristine area of native Florida that we strive to that the woodpecker was feeding. Even more importantly,
Pilots and crew come to the party directly following protect. Since these areas sometimes lie behind residents’ many of these birds and their nests/eggs are protected by
their twilight performance, even if they’re sweaty or houses, we get many calls to trim back trees or take out federal law (The Migratory Bird Treaty Act).
stained with grease, hence the party’s unusual name. trees that are not aesthetically pleasing. If it is warranted We also get requests to remove rodents from preserves.
Gates open at 5 p.m. Tickets to the TD Bank Dirty or threatening to property, we will trim back or remove Northern staff does not treat for rodents or any other
Flight Suit Party are $115 per person and include general vegetation, but in most cases, trees should be left in their pests in the preserves. The baits and poisons used for that
admission to the air show that night. Children aged 5 and native state. Why is this? Why can’t we make the preserve purpose are designed to attract and kill rodents but are also
under are free. areas look like parks? known to attract other nontarget mammals. Aside from
After you’ve decided which of these lively events First and foremost, we are required through permit with the risk of primary exposure to nontarget mammals in the
you’d like to attend, it’s easy to purchase your tickets at South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), not preserves, there is also the risk of secondary exposure.
www.stuartairshow.com/tickets. to remove or kill any native trees or plants in the preserve. Rodents, including mice and rats, are a key component
As for other more ecological examples, native trees and of the food chain in the natural ecosystems throughout the
vegetation provide many benefits to wildlife. Cabbage preserves. Many of the desired animals in the preserves
palms are Florida’s state tree. They provide housing for rely on rodents as food, including animals such as hawks,
many animals such as squirrels, racoons, frogs, lizards, owls, bobcats, foxes, and snakes. When the rodents
etc. Small rodents, lizards, insects, and even rare plant are poisoned, they become weak and are easy prey for
species rely on the uncut “boots” on a palm for a home. predators. If these predators eat the poisoned rodents, they
Squirrels and birds will use the palm thatch as nesting will get secondary exposure to the poison and will likely
material and will often nest in the palm. Recently staff and die. If we start targeting organisms on the lower end of the
preserve crews removed three cabbage palms from behind food chain, this will disrupt the rest of the food chain and
a resident’s home. When one of the palms dropped to the could cause serious harm to the health of the preserves.
ground, seven newborn squirrels fell out of it. Staff had to An essential part of preserving the preserves is to let
build a temporary “home” for the babies close to the tree nature be nature. Removing exotic species of plants and
and hope that the mother came back to find them. Many allowing for nature to take its course are important for the
bird nests can also be lost because of cutting plants down. health of the preserves and the rest of our environment in
Photo provided by Stuart Air Show A 2019 study in south Florida found that cavity nesters, South Florida. Nature is not always perfectly groomed,
native woodpeckers specifically, favored palm snags but for everything there is a purpose. What may seem like
over pine trees or maples in urbanized tropical regions. A an old ugly tree to you, may be home to birds and other
snag is a dead tree. This is even more of a reason to keep wildlife. Leaving the preserves in their natural state is
standing snags in the preserve. We had a resident request required and the right thing to do.
to take out a maple snag from behind his home. It wasn’t NPDES tip: Planting a rain garden with native plants
threatening any property, just was a bit of an eyesore. somewhere around your home helps lock rainwater in
Northern staff went to check it out and as soon they got the ground, reducing the flow of pollutants and poisons
close to the tree, a woodpecker flew towards them and into the drains. Using organic fertilizers and pesticides
into a small cavity it had built in the tree. Not only was in your garden further protects and brings health to your
there a nest, but there were several baby chicks inside yard and all the species living there.

Photo provided by Stuart Air Show

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