Shooting Iguana = Jail Time

A 40-year-old Big Pine Key man was in jail Monday after he allegedly threatened to kill his wife and fired several shots in his home Saturday night, including one while deputies were present, reports say. Michael David Cristler Jr. of 31357 Avenue C was charged with assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and discharging a firearm.

Cristler denied threatening his wife, saying he was only shooting iguanas, reports say.

Read more here Shooting Iguanas in Big Pine Key

Big Pine Key Alligator Finally Gets Justice

You should remember Tim Goll. He was convicted of killing the alligator at Big Pine Key’s Blue Hole in March 2006. In June 2007 he and Jordan Milo pleaded guilty to felony alligator poaching and received a very light sentence. Circuit Judge Mark H. Jones, saying he rarely has seen a case with as much public interest, sentenced Jordan Milo, 20, and Timothy Goll, 19, to six months at the Monroe County Detention Center, five years’ probation, community service and a psychological evaluation, despite the public outcry for five years in prison.

Goll has not been able to take advantage of this good fortune. In April 2008 he violated probation for failing to see his therapist, a requirement under the sentence agreement, failing to pay $50 per month for probation supervision, and testing positive for cocaine and marijuana. Goll was sentenced to 364 days in jail with credit for time served and had to complete an in-house program at the jail. This by the original judge.

In February 2009, Goll again violated his probation for failing to pay $50 per month, tested positive for cocaine, marijuana and Xanax. Fortunately, for the public, there was a new judge on the case. This time Judge David Audlin sentenced Goll to 36 months in the State prison, he gets credit for the 348 days he served in Monroe County Jail but will still have 2+ years left.

Rest easy Cola, justice has finally been served.

If you would like to read more check out “Blue Hole Gator Kllers Get 6 Months” and Kimberley Denney’s fantastic article inKey West The Newspaper.

Big Pine Key Man Wins Trip to Obama Inauguration

Richard Bennett of Big Pine Key doesn't have one of the 240,000 coveted tickets to President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration -- but he does have a nice place to stay for it. a

Monday, Bennett's $550 bid was the winner among six to stay at the Washington, D.C., home of Christopher Kush, owner of Voltaire Books, an independent bookstore at 330 Simonton St. in Key West.

"Now if we could just get a flight," Bennett said after winning the two-night, three-day stay.

He plans to attend the Jan. 20 inauguration with his grown son Peter. Since they don't have tickets to the inauguration (it takes place in front of the west end of the Capitol), they'll probably watch it on large monitors that will be set up for the expected overflow crowd.

"We're Obama fans," Peter Bennett said, undeterred by the last-minute nature of the trip.

In an e-mail, Kush said, "After the election, it seemed that everyone in D.C. was renting their houses for the inauguration (think Fantasy Fest for politics) -- and it occurred to us that we could do something for charity. The Key West library is struggling for support right now -- and it sometimes gets overlooked -- so we decided to use Voltaire Books to auction off our guest room for [the] Friends of the Key West Library."

Washington, D.C., officials and the Secret Service project upward of 2 million people will attend the inauguration, based on flights booked, bus tickets sold and hotel bookings, the Washington Post reported.

The $550 Bennett paid, which is not tax deductible, goes directly to benefit the Friends of the Key West Library, a volunteer group that works to raise money and awareness about the county library branch in Key West.



Celebrating after the winning bid was announced are (from left) Brewster Chamberlin and Annette Liggett from the Friends of the Key West Library, Peter and Richard Bennett, and Christine Dunn, administrator of the library.

del.icio.us - Digg This

Iguana Nest Boxes Recommended in Florida Keys

"Extensive use of artificial nest boxes by private property owners and land managers could potentially make a big dent in their population," Kenneth Krysko, Florida Museum of Natural History herpetologist said. The nest boxes are designed to humanely capture the troublesome lizards and their eggs, said Krysko, lead author of a study published in the September edition of Iguana: Conservation, Natural History and Husbandry of Reptiles. This is the first study to describe the natural history of the green iguana (Iguana iguana) and its expanding geographic range in south Florida. The lizards are native to central America down to Brazil and the Caribbean Islands.

"The historical background for the green iguana invasion of Florida is interesting and the description of the problem itself is valuable," said Gregory Watkins-Colwell, a senior museum assistant in the division of vertebrate zoology at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. "I suspect it will not only be a valuable tool for controlling the invasive populations of iguanas in the Florida Keys, but also in other areas of Florida where high density of introduced fire ants may limit the available nest sites."

The study's authors recommend a simple nest-box design: a 6-inch diameter pipe about 2 feet long leading below ground to a 15-by-8-by-4-inch chamber and a lid permitting above-ground access and monitoring. The box can be constructed from plastic, rubber or fiberglass to be lightweight, moveable and reusable.

Read More Here

del.icio.us - Digg This