I like to write; that much is obvious. However as I prepare to marry the most wonderful woman I have ever known my mind has not focused much on nature writing, nor photography and conservation. Actually the same may be said for eating, sleeping, breathing, and any thing else required to function normally. After my wedding, I plan to be a excellent husband. I swear.

This past week I reunited with my two good friends and fellow photographers, Tom and Muck, at Mile Marker 0 on the Chesapeake & Ohio Bike Trail in Washington DC. They had just completed the entire trail in a matter of days and it was a blast to spend some time with them. These two awesome dudes live in the rugged Alleghenies of North Central Pennsylvania so seeing them was a real treat. As we talked about what we had been up to I mentioned how I spent a few hours with an endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel a few days prior.

The hamster in my mind finally began to turn that wheel. Of course I should write about the Delmarva Fox Squirrel. That large, gorgeous, but still endangered, fox squirrel is the poster child for the conservation of fauna of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Though most people can not discern between the Delmarva Fox Squirrel and its ubiquitous backyard loving cousin.

"Hendricks, I hate squirrels. They're everywhere and they destroy my bird feeders!"

Sorry about that. You should invest in a squirrel resistant bird feeder, and the squirrel you're seeing at a prolific rate is the Eastern Grey Squirrel. The Delmarva Fox Squirrel is a large, almost three feet in length, silver coated squirrel that may only be found on the Delmarva peninsula. Labeled as an endangered species in 1967, the squirrel, whose historic range once extended from southeast Pennsylvania and New Jersey into the entire Delmarva region, had been hit hard by habitat destruction, agriculture, and development. By the time it received its endangered label it only resided in 10% of its former range (all in Maryland).

I remember fondly the first time I encountered a Delmarva Fox Squirrel at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland. My girlfriend at the time (since upgraded to financee and very soon to be wife) saw a big fluffy silver tail and said "I think I see a Fox Squirrel." It was raining steadily and I was focused on watching a Great Blue Heron stand stoically in a marsh when I instantly moved my gaze towards her and in the corner of my eye I saw a silver furry thing, that looked the size of a house cat, run along the forest ground. It turned around and gave us a humorous look of surprise, complete with wide black eyes and open mouth, then took off. Unlike their counterparts who spend the majority of their time in trees, the Delmarva is mostly a ground dwelling species who only ascends trees to find food and nest.

These shy squirrels, which I find to be more wary of humans than the grey, inhabit the remaining wild mature hardwood-loblolly pine forests of Delmarva. There have been eleven successful reintroduction attempts, including Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (the Virginia portion of Assateague Island) and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. Presently the Delmarva fox squirrel resides in 28% of its historic range, which is mostly in Maryland. While predation is a major concern on its recovery a large portion of mortality comes from automobile collisions. When driving through wildlife refuges, such as Blackwater, it is normal, and required, to drive at a slow rate of speed. Additional signs informing visitors they are driving through Delmarva Fox Squirrel habitat have been made because of collisions from within the refuges. Yet the future looks bright for this beautiful mammal, so bright that federal official are looking into possibly delisting the species from the Endangered Species. Personally, as much as I want this to happen, I feel more established populations in Delaware are needed before any talk of delisting takes place. Because the populations are isolated from one another, they are more susceptible to being wiped out from a catastrophic event. Thankfully scientists are monitoring potential routes for transient squirrels and the movements of tagged specimens. It is paramount that the squirrels may successfully travel between corridors which are located on both private and public lands.

It was wonderful to spend time with this male Delmarva Fox Squirrel. Initially I had encountered two squirrels earlier who quickly ran across the forest floor to avoid my presence. I watched this squirrel from a distance and observed it climb a tree which allowed me to video it foraging and climbing for about an hour. It climbed down the tree then went deeper into the forrest which led me to conclude that this encounter was over. I had just recorded more footage of a Delmarva Fox Squirrel than I ever hoped to have and felt fulfilled. However a wildlife photographer is ultimately never fulfilled and no more then five minutes down the trail I came across the same squirrel, this time five feet in front of me. The squirrel had grown acclimated to my presence which allowed for intimate portraits, however I want my work to tell a story of a species and I had to back up so I that I could incorporate its environment into my compositions! I take that as a compliment.

The plight of the Delmarva Fox Squirrel is an important chapter in the natural history of the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays, and I hope you are inspired to seek the gorgeous species in the wild. Or at the very least, appreciate that it still roams this land. I take solace in knowing that they can still be found running away from us humans on the grounds of a loblolly pine forrest.

This is perhaps my last blog post until I am married. Obviously this being a very exciting time, I may not get around to writing a blog post in June. My finacee is the best and shares my love of the wild and all creatures big and small. In fact our mutual love of animals is how we met. We will be camping in wilderness for a few weeks and I plan to share a visible diary over the period of a few posts. Thank you for reading and I look forward to sharing the adventure with you as I enter this exciting chapter in my life. Thank you friend.

There is nothing quite like the feel of Calamine lotion. Sure, it is runny and can make quite a mess, and you probably should avoid getting it on your mother’s carpet; but the cooling sensation of this Pepto Bismol like pink fluid as it rubs into your skin catalyzing almost instantaneous relief from poison ivy and mosquito bites is one of life’s precious, get down on your knees and thank your lucky stars, moments.

Those dreaded mosquito bites: the bane of my existence. Spring time has arrived in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and that means those unquenchable insects will soon be turning their thirst for blood upon my epidermis in only a few short weeks. Between the marshes of the bay and Assateague Island, I am no more than a cheap buffet, dined on by swarms of mosquitoes in a voracious manner and left itchy, disgusted, and thinking “Did they just eat the whole thing (me)?”

Just another day in the office.

As I write this I find myself pausing to scratch myself from the mounds of red mosquito bites on my arms and legs. Before you cringe and sweat in panic (if you are like me of course), I did not receive these bites (yet) from the Bay; I just returned from the Florida Everglades.

How I love the River of Grass. It is where the temperate and tropical conjoin; where thousands of colorful wading birds and rare animals make their home; where kayaking under jungle-like and mangrove covered canopies is the norm. Oh, and mosquitoes; hordes and hordes of mosquitoes. Let’s forget about that for the time being. While the majority of my conservation photography is based on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, I am dedicated to wilderness. Regardless of longitude and latitude, mountain or ocean, I am a wilderness photographer. Whether it involves hiking, mountaineering, kayaking, or sloshing through swamp, I participate in wilderness. The Everglades was one of the first wilderness areas I became very connected to, originally due to my zeal for its biodiversity, and it has left a permanent likeness in me that fostered the appreciation of other wild lands as well. Visions of Crocodiles, Gumbo-Limbo Trees, Manatees, and the smell of brackish water take over my psychological senses when a single thought of the Everglades crosses my mind.

South Florida is in my blood. My father is from Ft. Lauderdale. My fiancée and her family are in Miami. In fact I spend more time in South Florida than I do in many parts of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. To experience the stillness of the Everglades is to get back to the basics of life. It is slow, tranquil, and mysterious with a touch of danger. While very close to the urban sprawl of South Florida, it is worlds away and incredibly wild. The Everglades is more than a vacation home for me; it is home.

The Everglades continue to hold from a precarious thread in regards to restoring it as a healthy ecosystem. However we are now in the midst, after many years of political turmoil and appropriations not being utilized, of the most expensive and comprehensive ecosystem restoration in history. The one mile bridge is an example of the long road to progress. The historical southern flow of freshwater from Lake Okeechobee into Florida Bay was forever altered by drainage canals that diverted the natural flow of water into cities and for agriculture. Additionally, the construction of the famed Tamiami Trail became a dam, blocking water flow into the Everglades. In March of 2013 construction was completed that raised a one mile portion of the road, allowing freshwater to again flow naturally into the Everglades, and connecting sloughs that are a critical habitat to many key species. An additional 5.5 miles of bridging the trail is currently in the works to continue with the restoration efforts.

The One Mile Bridge of the Tamiami Trail.  Freshwater now flows naturally through the Everglades under this bridge. — The One Mile Bridge of the Tamiami Trail. Freshwater now flows naturally through the Everglades under this bridge.

How I love the view of progress. So you can imagine my discomfort when it was announced that a Texas oil company was seeking a permit to explore drilling in the Big Cypress National Preserve, also known as the “Western Everglades.” While the National Park Service owns the land, the mineral rights underground are owned by a powerful private company that leases exploration underground to oil companies. More disturbing than that is this same oil company was recently fined $25,000 for violating its state permit, also in Florida, while drilling a well near a wildlife sanctuary. If an exploration permit is approved, habitat destruction is inevitable as new roads must be built along with the digging of thousands of holes for seismic sampling. Again, this is just to explore the possibility of drilling. Other wells already exist within the Big Cypress; however a second company is also in the exploratory phases of constructing a new well that would be placed in close proximity to the Florida Panther Wildlife Refuge. The refuge and the Big Cypress are the largest intact habitat that exists for the rare Florida Panther. Other species of interest include the endangered Snail Kite, Wood Storks, and a host of rare plants.

The Everglades ecosystem is a very sensitive habitat. The largest culprit of Panther mortality is from collisions with automobiles. It is estimated that there are only between 100-160 panthers left in Florida, an improvement from thirty just a few decades ago. Twelve have already been killed by car in 2014, on record to surpass the 17 deaths from collisions in 2013. More road construction through a "protected" habitat may hinder this species ability to recover. Unfortunately most people do not realize that just because land is designated as a refuge, National Preserve, or National Park that they are not completely protected because borders, whether from outside or underground, matter.

Everglades’ restoration is underway and this great wetland of North America is an incredible place to behold. Short term gains in energy should not permanently scar a land that is in need of so much help, though this is not the case. The success of Everglades restoration is important for other areas as well, as it is being used as a model with (gasp) the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

For a healthy Everglades I’ll be happy to deal with every mosquito that it can throw at me if it can remain protected for all of its biodiversity. Yes, even the mosquitoes……………….

An endangered Snail Kite hunts Apple Snails in the expansive Big Cypress National Preserve, near the location of the surveying.