The Florida Capitol was more of a jungle than usual Tuesday, when the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission set up shop with all manner of critters. The Commission wants citizens and legislators alike to know the importance of conserving the natural environment of our state.
Most of the news people hear about the FWC has to do with the agency’s recent initiatives to curb the growth of invasive species like the python or the lionfish. But, at Tuesday’s event at the capitol the agency’s Community Relations Coordinator, Katie Purcell said the organization is more concerned with preserving the animals that belong here, not just exterminating the ones that don’t.
“Manatees are definitely one of the species we’re concerned about protecting, as well as panthers and some other species and its really good to get kids interacting with the animals and learning more about them so that they will want to protect them and keep them safe,” Purcell noted.
The commission works to educate all Floridians on the importance of conservation but as wildlife officer Rob Beaton points out, those who ignore the state’s environmental laws fall under the organization’s law enforcement arm, which tries to stem the illegal killing of the state’s animals.
“There are some groups that specialize in illegal trade, illegal trophy hunting, of certain animals: alligators, deer, bear and then of course we have the Florida panther issues and the manatee issues,” Beaton said.
The FWC‘s law enforcement officers are concerned with people as much as they are with animals. Officer Charles Higman said a lot of the agency’s work deals with the safety of those hunters and wildlife enthusiasts. And for the state with the most boating licenses, that means a lot of water work.
“We do a lot of boating safety work that involves enforcement of rules and regulations pertaining to fresh water and salt water fishes. As well as in search and rescue or any kind of boating safety issue we deal with,” Higman mentioned.
Although these officers patrol Florida’s vast wilderness, that doesn’t mean they don’t have the power to pull you over for zipping through a red light. Higman said it’s their duty as officers to enforce all laws and regulations.
“I’m a law enforcement officer so we enforce primarily fish and wildlife laws but we’re also charged with enforcing any laws in the state as well as a variety of federal laws,” Higman pointed out.
So, the next time you hear of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission remember that it has many moving parts, from conservation, to hunting, to even enforcing simple traffic laws. The common thread between the agency’s departments is the importance of educating Floridians about the resources we have and how to preserve them.