Alligators have thrived for thousands of years in the Everglades system, elsewhere in Florida and in other southeastern states, especially Louisiana. Their lineage goes back 200 million years. But they barely survived the wanton slaughter of perhaps 8 million and habitat destruction wrought by humans over the centuries. After being reduced to 200 animals, their listing as endangered species sparked a comeback where they now number 5 million, 1.3 million in Florida.

These predators are an ecologically important species that enthralls my sense of wonderment as I consider alligators and all crocodilians as among nature’s most perfect creatures. Let’s dispel the myths about gators and threats to humans.

By Gerald Winegrad Last week’s column detailed the embarrassing shortcomings of a farcically weak draft Bay Agreement to guide future efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay. This draft new plan from the EPA-led Bay Program would be the fourth over the last 42 years. EPA also imposed a mandated pollution reduction plan, called a TMDL, in 2010…

By Gerald Winegrad Oh no! Just when you think it can’t get any worse for the Chesapeake Bay, we are hit with the news of crashing numbers of our iconic blue crabs. The reality of the drastic decline in an already depleted population is devastating to me personally. Like the Godfather tending his tomato plants in…

Aquaculture regulations are tweaked but not the changes needed to advance oyster aquaculture. The bill allows publicly funded oyster restoration projects to generate water quality trading credits allowing pollution reductions from oysters to be traded for increased pollution elsewhere. In a separate bill, oyster poaching penalties are relaxed. The Legacy Act established a Water Quality Monitoring Program in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that simply formalizes the existing water quality monitoring syste