As urban sprawl intrudes into protected wildlife habitat, dangerous encounters with alligators are on the rise.
A fatal attack on 12-year-old Bryan Jeffrey Griffin in Lake County is a tragic reminder of how likely alligator run-ins have become. As more than 17 million Floridians venture into the gators' domain, building homes ever closer to almost every lake and river near open land, the chances of such deadly encounters continue to escalate. "What emerges very clearly is that Florida is the site of the most attacks and most fatalities, " said James Perran Ross, an alligator expert with the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. Florida has an estimated 1 million alligators. Louisiana has more, yet it has had only one attack and no documented fatalities, according to state wildlife officials. According to Noel Kinler, alligator program manager with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, "...most of our [alligator] habitat is separated from where people live."
Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg
FULL STORY: Alligators thrive, grow bolder
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
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Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
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Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
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MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie