# Big Reptiles, Alien Trees Hamper Everglades Fire Fight



## News Bot (May 25, 2008)

*Published:* 25-May-08 09:20 PM
*Source:* Reptile Related News

Excerpt from National Geographic
Firefighters in Florida's *Everglades National Park* are encountering large, *dangerous reptiles* and poisonous trees as they battle a fire that has consumed about 39,000 acres since last week. Fighting the *Mustang Corners blaze* in the remote, trackless Everglades has "_posed a lot of challenges_," said *Mike Dueitt*, a firefighter from Florence, Mississippi. "_We're seeing everything from *boa constrictors* and *pythons* to *iguanas* and a few *alligators*._" When they cross paths with a large reptile, firefighters "_do the best we can to work around it and move on, and wait until it clears the area before we go in_," Dueitt said.

*Poisonwood trees*, whose effect Dueitt described as "_poison ivy on steroids_," also pose a hazard. At the same time crews are struggling to keep the flames away from stands of invasive *melaleuca* trees, which can grow more than 60 feet (18 meters) tall. "_Melaleuca does create a challenge because of the very flammable, papery bark that it has_," said *David Hallac*, chief biologist for Everglades National Park. Firefighters fear that melaleuca stands near the park's northeastern boundary could help the fire spread into the area near *Fort Lauderdale* and http://www.nationalgeographic.com/places/places-of-a-lifetime/miami.html*Miami*, where about six million people live.

*Native Species Safe?*
So far experts are optimistic that the fire will have a minimal impact on the roughly *20 species* of native *endangered wildlife* that live in the Everglades. For example, the flames have not done much damage to the habitat of the endangered *Cape Sable seaside sparrow*, Everglades biologist Hallac said. About 3,000 of the birds, which live _only_ in the swamp, are left in the wild. "_Overall, we've been extremely lucky, I guess, because the more important areas where the birds are nesting have been relatively unaffected_," Hallac said. "_Some of that was luck, but it's also due to the really hard work of the firefighters, who fought very hard to keep the fire out of those areas._"

In addition, rare *Florida panthers* probably would move away from the fire, and *crocodiles* live in an area that is _not_ threatened by the blaze, Hallac said. The park's *alligators* could lose some habitat, but Hallec said he didn't think there would be population declines because of the fire.

Park service and firefighting officials think the blaze was caused by human carelessness or arson.

*Read More...*


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## Kathryn_ (May 26, 2008)

> Park service and firefighting officials think the blaze was caused by human carelessness



Human carelessness such as planting a whole lot of eucalypt and paperbark species without thinking about what happens to them in summer, I'd say. America wins at ecology once again.


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