Everglades Patrol Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
“This excellent book consists of two tales: one, the firsthand action adventure story of Florida game wardens airboating across the vast Everglades in pursuit of poachers; the other, observations on the political and flood-control engineering decisions and actions that resulted, sadly, in water quality and wildlife degradation. I highly recommend Everglades Patrol on both counts.”—Patricia Caulfield, author and photographer of Everglades “Rare insight into the dangers, thrills, and uncertainties of resource management when people and politics collide. Tom Shirley writes with sincerity and dedication about the wildlife he pledged to protect over fifty years ago.”—Laura Ogden, coauthor of Gladesmen: Gator Hunters, Moonshiners, and Skiffers “A must-read for any person truly interested in the Greater Everglades ecosystem. Tom’s book allows the reader to gain a better understanding of how important the Everglades are to sportsmen and society.”—Jack Moller, officer, Florida Wildlife Federation “Offers some wonderful descriptions that I’ve never before read of the richness of the wildlife before the 1950s. It’s a page turner.”—Jack E. Davis, author of An Everglades ProvidenceAs law enforcement officer with the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Lt. Tom Shirley was the law in one of the last true frontiers in the nation—the Florida Everglades. During his thirty-year career (1955–85), Shirley saw the Glades go from frontier wilderness to “ruination” at the hands of the Army Corps of Engineers. He watched as levees cut off the water flow and as controlled floods submerged islands that had supported humans and animals for 3,000 years, killing much of the wildlife he had sworn to protect. In Everglades Patrol, Shirley shares the stories from his beat—an ecosystem larger than the state of Rhode Island. He tells of stakeouts, catching wildlife for research, saving animals from manmade floods, of nights sleeping on the ground beside a distant campfire, and of the interrelationships of poachers and the law. In his vivid narrative, Shirley again hunts down dangerous rogue gladesmen, tangles with gators, and pursues poachers and moonshiners by airboat. Over the years, Shirley and his officers have been beaten, stabbed, kicked, cut, burned, bitten, drowned, and even killed while trying to protect the wetlands and its wildlife. But they continue to fight for the Everglades in order to save it. Shirley provides an entertaining, firsthand account of the Everglades wetlands and its wildlife from the 1940s to today. He pulls no punches in expressing his disdain for the disastrous effects that Flood Control and Water Management have had on the animals and the historic islands of the Everglades wetlands but leaves readers with hope that there is still time to reverse this damage. His ultimate goal is to see the Everglades restored to what it once was—a natural wonder of this world—and to keep it safe and available for generations to come.
Hardcover: 296 pages
Publisher: University Press of Florida; Complete Numbers Starting with 1, 1st Ed edition (September 9, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0813041910
ISBN-13: 978-0813041919
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #927,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #116 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Lakes & Ponds #630 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Law Enforcement #647 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Environmentalists & Naturalists
As a retired officer myself, and knew Tom in my early years with GFC, I enjoyed his stories. I worked Lake Okeechobee my entire career and saw the damage caused by the Army Corp of Engineers and Water Managers in the state. Tom did a great job of putting this into words. A great read!
Tom is a dear friend for many years and this book has sparked my memories of the everglades as I knew them growing up as a kid with a father that love the glades as well, my first airboat ride was when I was at the ripe age of 6 weeks old and I have never stopped since that 1959 day. I hope that I will be able to have Tom sign my copy as this mean the world to me and as I read his book I could hear his voice tell every story and I hope that every person that has any interest in the outdoors read Tom's book so that they could learn about the way the glades really were.Jimmy Musgrove
This is a great book to read if you have any interest at all in the Everglades. It's got a lot of first-hand stories, and a lot of information about the history, and present times. After reading this, you will get a sense just how much the government and other parties have royally screwed up the Everglades. I hope that one day it can truly be restored to what it once was. I doubt that will ever happen, as government and people can't leave well enough alone, but we can hope!
Oustanding book that brought back a lot of memories from the past and rekindled my passion for the Glades as I remember as a kid and young adult.Dan Westbrook
My dad absolutely loves this book! The author was family, and he passed recently, and my dad had lost his copy. I was very happy to have found this on here, as it will serve as a reminder of the wonderful amazing man that was the author.
Great story by a great Game Warden and conservationist, tells it like it was. Lot's of thing changed for the better.
Tom Shirley's story is absolutely fantastic and he was a man who was far ahead of his time. He lead a fascinating life as an environmentalist (back when environmentalism was frowned upon), law enforcement officer, and adventurer.One of the best books I have read in a long time and I highly recommend it.
This was a great read about a very dedicated game protector that had an awful lot of obstacles to hurtle........from workmates right to the federal level. his concern of the everglades disappearing, as we know it, was the position he took even after he retired. No one with a brain was going to listen to the facts and figures he presented. You will enjoy this "great read" immensely.
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