(♪♪♪♪♪)
NARRATOR:
Florida's legendary Everglades
are now crawling with unwanted,
destructive invaders,
threatening the very survival
of native plants and animals.
Join author Charles J. Kropke
as he explores the war
on invasive species
on Battleground Everglades .
SPONSORSHIP NARRATOR:
Major funding for this program
is provided
by Eleanor Goldstein.
Interactive Learning
& Technology, LLC.
Additional funding provided
by...
(♪♪♪♪♪)
NARRATOR:
They slither and devour
natural wildlife,
root up soil,
spreading disease,
overwhelm and destroy
native habitats.
Countless non-native plants,
animals, reptiles,
and insects are wreaking havoc
on the rare landscapes
of the Everglades,
changing this precious resource
forever.
(♪♪♪♪♪)
The battle against invasive
exotic plants and animals
has gone on in the state
of Florida for decades.
This place, the Arthur R.
Marshall, Loxahatchee National
Wildlife Refuge,
may be ground zero.
Despite spending millions
of dollars each year,
eradication of invasive exotics
is a problem.
And still, more come
to our subtropical wilderness.
NARRATOR:
Florida's welcoming climate
has created the largest invasive
species crisis in the
continental United States.
Once here,
intruding species can thrive,
unchallenged by the natural
predators
of their home environment.
(Snorts)
NARRATOR:
But the Sunshine State is
fighting back, introducing
another kind of predator:
human hunters.
Look at you!
MAN 1: Woah!
Ho-oh, my God.
That's gotta be atleast...
(Man laughing)
MAN 1:
I don't know, 17 feet?
NARRATOR:
Actually, this snake was just
under 15 ½ feet;
a Burmese python hiding deep
in the Everglades.
The capture was part
of Florida's stepped-up efforts
to aggressively reduce the snake
population
Florida's python hunter
program has authorized
a total of 25 seasoned hunters
to capture and kill
the pythons
forever removing them
from the ecosystem.
The Sunshine State has more
non-native reptile
and amphibian species than
anywhere else in the world.
More than 80% arrived here
as part of the pet industry.
But the deadliest invader has
been the Burmese python.
First seen in the Everglades
in 1980s, the population has
exploded,
decimating native mammals.
One study reported that
roadside sightings of raccoons,
rabbits, foxes,
and other local wildlife
have dropped by more than 90%
in the last few decades.
MAN 1:
Wow!
(Laughing)
NARRATOR:
Wildlife experts blame
the huge pythons
for destroying populations
of small animals
and wading birds
who for centuries have called
the Everglades home.
The snakes are not venomous,
but they do bite.
They kill their prey by
constriction.
Wrapping their bodies
around their victims
and squeezing the life
out of them.
The state's lieutenant governor
assisted with this capture.
Snakes have a very unique
pattern...
NARRATOR:
But he couldn't have done it
without Tom Rahill
and his group of military vets
and first responders
called the Swamp Apes.
TOM:
I started the Swamp Apes
Organization to help veterans
deal with various challenges
they may have returning
from their service
to the country.
We welcome all veterans.
And many of our veterans had
joined us or are just here
strictly for the adventure.
But the common bond with
the veterans is
that they wanna help
the wilderness.
NARRATOR:
On this buggy south Florida
summer evening
Tom and his team are on the hunt
for pythons,
searching burrows
and armadillo nests, looking
for any evidence
of the big snakes.
He's joined by Rams,
a combat vet
who served two tours of duty
in Iraq.
Rams' largest catch to date
was a feisty 7-footer.
He says his time
with the Swamp Apes has helped
him cope better with
the emotional wounds of war.
RAMS:
When you first get out
of the military,
it's a little hard
to communicate
as you did before
you went in.
So when Tom and the others take
us out there and kinda
give you an extra push
to communicate with people
um, as you used to before,
it helps a lot.
So knowing what you do,
would you encourage other
veterans to join the Swamp Apes?
Absolutely.
I have brought out numerous
other veterans before.
For the most part,
a lot of them do enjoy
being out here helping out.
You have to be part of
a team to come out here
and hunt pythons.
'Cause we're looking after
each other.
We're looking after
everybody's back
when you're out here.
And it gives you a sense of
purpose,
'cause of what we're doing
as well.
MAN 2:
Okay, what have we got here,
Tom?
TOM:
Hey, man, I think we got a--
a potential python nest.
NARRATOR:
Tom and Rams are joined
by Omar Gomez.
Omar, a former paramedic
diagnosed with PTSD,
says he's found focus
and meaning here
in the Everglades.
And the program helped me a lot,
you know to kinda get back
into it, and function back out
in society, and at home,
and everywhere else.
And I just thump it.
And I can hear the hollowness
and I can follow--
NARRATOR:
Omar's biggest catch
was a pregnant
13½ footer
carrying 67 eggs inside her.
OMAR:
That's one snake with minus,
you know 67 possible
other snakes.
I mean that's just-- you get up,
you think to yourself,
"I'm gonna change
the Everglades today,
by removing one python."
And you can literally say that,
with that big 13-footer you know
pulled out you know,
that's a big change.
Right here, you know.
NARRATOR:
Omar's passion
for the Everglades elicits
different reactions
from family and friends.
Some think you're crazy,
some think it's the best thing
that has ever been--
you know, put out there for me.
Uh, I can say as far as my wife
is concerned,
she's a big supporter of this.
She's seen all the changes
in me.
Uh, same thing as my folks
you know, back in home.
You know, they have seen a lot
of changes, positive changes.
And if anything is good
for someone,
I think you can to say
to yourself,
"This is probably something
that's gonna be affective."
This is something that maybe
someone else can be using
in their family
to help them out,
you know,
through some hard times.
NARRATOR:
The hunters get paid
for the snakes,
$8 dollars and 10 cents
an hour, plus $50 dollars
for the first 4 feet
and $25 per foot after that.
That can add up, but Tom says
the Swamp Apes don't do it
for the money.
TOM:
They have this sense of duty
to country.
They have this altruistic
philanthropic attitude.
They're giving up their lives.
They did that in the military
service
and now they have a chance
again to do that
and to be celebrated
for giving.
And in this case, they're
helping the environment.
RAMS:
Yeah.
Yeah, I don't see anything.
NARRATOR:
The python nest turned out
to be an empty hole.
So the Swamp Apes
gather their gear and prepare
to hit the road.
TOM:
Where this road T-bones,
we're gonna be on a long
north-south running Levy--
CHARLES:
Okay, yeah.
About 23 miles from
the Everglades Holiday Park
all the way down to where
the Valujet Memorial is.
CHARLES:
I see.
NARRATOR:
Daylight has now turned
into night
and they journey deep into
the Everglades.
Since it's summertime,
late night is usually
the best time to find
the pythons,
because of the somewhat
cooler temperatures.
Tom and his team know
what they're looking for.
Already the Swamp Apes have
removed hundreds of pythons
from the Everglades.
But that's not nearly enough.
Estimates put the number
of snake invaders somewhere
between tens of thousands
to nearly a quarter million.
CHARLES:
So Tom, you've been doing
this for several years now.
What have you seen from the
veterans here in the field
and you know, what do you hear
from them after the experience?
TOM:
Some of the difficulties
that they've had
from their return to civilian
life are minimized after
coming out and participating
in our program for a long time.
Nightmares in particular,
they no longer have nightmares
of their war service
and their trauma.
They have dreams of pythons.
NARRATOR:
They didn't find one
on this night.
But the Swamp Apes don't
give up.
RAMS:
Alright, everybody ready?
NARRATOR:
The stakes are too high.
RAMS: Yeah.
NARRATOR:
The invaders too lethal
to the native wildlife.
RAMS:
Easy, easy, easy, easy.
Here we go,
it's right underneath me.
TOM:
Got him?
RAMS: Yeah.
TOM:
Alright, good job.
RAMS:
Oh God almighty,
come here, baby.
(Grunting)
(Indiscernible speech)
RAMS:
What?
TOM:
You wanna take this?
RAMS:
I got this.
TOM: Slide it back, okay?
RAMS:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Just stretch him out.
NARRATOR:
This snake was a pregnant
15-footer carrying 61 eggs.
With each capture,
the Swamp Apes
fulfill their mission
of helping preserve
the delicate balance
of the ecosystem
and heal the trauma that haunts
some us military veterans.
While south Florida's invasive
pythons have captured
national media attention, a far
more common sight is this,
feral hogs.
The feral hog population
in Florida is currently
estimated at more than 500,000.
Only Texas has more
of these dangerous
and disruptive animals.
We only have 24 square
miles left.
NARRATOR:
Sam Dorfman is with the
Grassy Waters Preserve
in West Palm Beach, Florida
and he knows full well
the destruction
feral hogs can cause
in their search for food.
They come through.
And as they're rooting around,
they disturb the soil.
And when they do that,
they take that very fragile
few inches of soil
they turn it over.
When that sun hits it,
dries it up.
The wind, causes erosion
also creates an opportunity
for invasive plants
to get in there.
CHARLES: Yeah.
NARRATOR:
They also expose the roots
of native trees which makes
the trees extremely vulnerable
in the next big storm.
Feral hogs date back to 1539
when Hernando de Soto landed
on the west coast of Florida
with 13 sow hogs from Cuba.
Within one year,
they had reportedly increased
to 300.
You've made your trap
and you put corn in it, right?
Yes, sir.
NARRATOR:
Certified wildlife biologist
Brian Shoch
tracks and captures feral hogs
for many government agencies.
.in areas where the hogs
are creating problems.
NARRATOR:
He says the feral hogs can
cause up to $800-million
in damage every year.
And they have the potential to
severely affect agriculture
throughout the United States.
BRIAN:
They actually, in the state
of Florida
are known to harbor at least
46 different parasitic
and infectious diseases.
Not to mention they are a vector
for numerous
foreign animal diseases that
could be devastating
to the agricultural community.
It could not only devastate
Florida's agricultural economy
but have a tremendous impact
on our national agricultural
economy as well.
NARRATOR:
Feral hogs reproduce at
a remarkable rate,
anywhere from 18 to 22
offspring a season.
They are big
and aggressive enough to forage
through a particular
food source,
leaving little leftover
for native wildlife.
The saw palmetto berries
are a good example.
So they'll come in here
and all these different plants,
they will route through
this area and kind of
chew these up.
And again this is you know,
the saw palmetto
are utilized heavily by
native wildlife,
by white-tailed deer,
by turkeys,
by black bears,
by raccoons, and well, possums.
So again, when you have a very
prolific large mammalian species
that is focused on resource,
it can outcompete
our native wild life.
NARRATOR:
Tracking and capturing
the hogs can help to remove them
from the wild, but that
won't help in places like
the Grassy Waters Preserve.
Sam Dorfman estimates there
are several hundred hogs present
here at any one time.
Government and sport hunters
will target them
in the wild, but hunters
are not allowed to track prey
in the preserve.
Native alligators however have
no such restrictions.
So we hope during
the wet season
that these populations of hogs
are more isolated.
They can't do vast amounts
of damage.
And that the alligators are
gonna do their job,
as an apex predator.
NARRATOR:
Florida is also the entry
point for nearly three-fourths
of all plants imported
in the US
and many are taking over
intricately-balanced ecosystems
developed over thousands
of years.
(♪♪♪♪♪)
NARRATOR:
Stretching over 147,000 acres,
the Loxahatchee National
Wildlife Refuge
protects the northernmost
remnant
of the historic Everglades
ecosystem.
It's a haven for rare
and endangered native species,
as well as flocks
of migrating birds.
But the refuge is battling
an overwhelming threat
from invasive plants,
including one which could
destroy critical parts
of this habitat.
Rebekah, the average person
probably can't recognize that
there is an invasive exotic
that's pretty bad on the list
that's right here behind us.
Can you tell us what it is?
Behind us you can see
the lime green vine that
tends to stand out.
It's a slightly different color
from the rest of the vegetation,
is a plant called lygodium,
or old world climbing fern.
And it's really causing a lot
of ecological damage here
in the refuge.
How did old world
climbing ferns get here
in south Florida
in the first place?
Lygodium arrived
in south Florida through
the nursery industry.
And it was sold for landscaping
purposes to homeowners
who really liked it,
because it was fast-growing,
it was very hardy,
difficult to kill
and it looks very beautiful
trellising up in your yard,
on your house.
This fern is very good
at surviving
and spreading itself around.
It's spread by spores.
And they can get into
the wind currents
and spread up to 40 miles,
even more during a big storm,
like a hurricane.
How pervasive is
the old world climbing fern
in the refuge?
Unfortunately,
we have nearly 102,000 acres of,
almost 142,000 acres that
are impacted by lygodium.
We actually have to canvass
the entire refuge,
looking for the fern
to kill it before it takes over.
CHARLES:
So how do you get rid of this?
What do you do to eradicate
this vine?
It's very difficult to fight.
We still haven't found
a chemical
that will actually kill it.
We can knock it back by
manually cutting
and spraying with herbicides.
The problem is that it just
knocks it back.
It doesn't kill the rhizomes.
So we have to be back out
in six months
or a year retreating
the regrowth
or otherwise we'll be
in the exact same position
we were before we treated it.
CHARLES:
Why don't we go out
and check out some
of this lygodium?
(♪♪♪♪♪)
CHARLES:
So, this stuff kind of stinks.
Yeah, there's--
It definitely has
its own unique smell.
And there's so much of it,
it can be overwhelming.
But you can see that this plant
can grow both
down on the ground,
and then, all the way up
into the canopy of the trees.
And that is really one
of the reasons
that it's so damaging.
Because you can see how densely
it grows here--
CHARLES:
Wow.
REBEKAH:
Preventing access to the
tree island from any wildlife.
Eventually, it can cover
all the native vegetation.
You can see it's trying
to start out, crowd out some
of the native ferns here.
Ultimately, all of the native
vegetation would die.
And you would just be left with
thick mats of lygodium.
Here in this tree behind us,
you can see both live and dead,
the brown lygodium.
Basically creating a ladder
into the top of that tree.
So naturally the fire would
not get into the tops
of the trees.
But the lygodium has now
provided fuel
all the way to the crown of
the trees,
which can actually kill
the trees during a natural fire.
So once the lygodium kills
a tree island,
what does that mean
for the refuge?
REBEKAH:
Well, in Loxahatchee,
it means a lot.
There's a lot
of ecological implications.
One thing is that the habitat
here in Lox,
we have the highest density
of tree islands throughout
the entire Everglades.
So losing our tree islands
changes
the fundamental structure of
this refuge.
And then,
from a wildlife perspective,
the wildlife in the Everglades
depend really heavily
on the tree islands, because
it is the only upland area in,
you know--
CHARLES:
That they can forage--
REBEKAH:
...vast acres of water.
And so the deer are dependent
upon them.
Alligators nest on them.
You know, wading birds roost
and nest on them as well.
So without the tree islands,
we would see a collapse
in our wildlife population,
because they depend
so heavily upon these islands.
The lygodium renders them
basically useless
for our wildlife.
Yeah.
NARRATOR:
A short airboat ride soon
reveals other invasive plants
wreaking environmental havoc.
Fighting this battle requires
an army of government
and non-profit agencies working
together.
Biologist
Kristina Serbesoff-King
of The Nature Conservancy
specializes
in invasive species,
including the melaleuca tree,
an import from Australia.
The seed capsules look nothing
like that.
They're so like
maybe fewer of them.
Right.
NARRATOR:
Originally imported as a
decorative tree,
it's enormous capacity
for absorbing water was once
considered a way to dry out
the Everglades.
The one gentleman got a lot
of seeds.
It was a nursery here in Davie,
Florida, and actually went up
in the 1930s,
flew over the Everglades,
and sprinkled seeds out
of his plane.
So that's one of the biggest
introductions,
which is probably what caused
you know, a larger number
of seeds to be out
close to each,
and allowed these plants to
really wildly reproduce.
NARRATOR:
Today, melaleuca has spread
all the way north to Orlando.
Dense stands of trees have
choked wide open marshes,
making it harder for birds
to find food.
Scientists are harnessing
many tools to fight back.
KRISTINA:
A lot of what we do,
in invasive plant control or
weed control across the world,
is called "Integrated
Pest Management".
So we're trying to find
a whole bunch of different ways.
So we'll cut 'em,
we treat em' with herbicides,
we try to find natural
predators like the insects,
biological controls that
we can release on 'em.
Thinking that all of those
pressures together
can help us reduce
the population.
So Kris, I have a personal
experience
with the melaleuca.
Back in my twenties,
I was a member of
the Everglades Restoration
Movement.
And we were just tired of
the talk, and talk, and talk
about the restoring
the Everglades.
And we decided that
all we wanted was action.
We weren't going to lobby,
we weren't going to raise funds.
On the weekends, because
we were you know,
weekend warriors.
We were cutting
tens of thousands melaleuca
from plucking them out of the
you know, the ground
the little--
to cutting trees that were
this big around, you know.
After 10 years, we saw some
very dramatic things.
We saw, the sponge-like affect.
We saw waters actually returning
as the trees dropped,
water tables rose and the
glades took on its normal look.
NARRATOR:
Wetlands aren't the only
places reshaped
by invasive plants.
Drier landscapes can be infested
by Brazilian pepper.
Imported for its
bright red berries,
these fast-spreading,
dense trees crowd out
native species.
It creates a dense
monoculture, which means
when it grows, it grows so
tightly that
the only plant found
in the entire area
is Brazilian pepper.
So there's no diversity,
there's no other plants
that are growing underneath it
or amongst it
and so-- you know,
that creates
a lot of different things,
it shades out our native plants
but also our wildlife,
you know aren't quite--
It's not the food
they necessarily need or want.
And so we've really changed
that whole system to something
that's not as desirable.
NARRATOR:
Once considered a way to
beautify Florida,
invasive plants now pose
a never-ending threat.
Only constant vigilance
and on-going funding
will keep them under control.
Old world climbing ferns,
melaleuca, quin-- quinaria,
you know, Brazilian pepper these
problems are gonna be with us
for a long time aren't they?
Yes.
You know, it's not all dismal
though, we've got a quite
a great group of people out here
working on it.
We have tools that we can
employ,
there's additional science and
research going on.
But they will be with us for
a long time.
I mean, they're gonna be
with us forever.
And we have to think of them
that way,
that even when we get 'em to low
levels,
we need continued funding
and we're gonna have to be
out here,
you know,
keeping that maintenance,
keeping 'em at a low level,
so that the wildlife can thrive.
So which one do you fear
the most?
Right, good question.
So of those three?
None of 'em,
it's the next one.
Every one of those came in
for some purposeful introduction
which kinda gives an insight
if we could really look
at the next one to prevent
and there's good science
or predictive science
on how a plant becomes invasive,
what characteristics
make it invasive.
We could predict
the next one and keep it from
having to battle that one
the next time.
I guess our fight continues.
Yeah.
(♪♪♪♪♪)
NARRATOR:
Florida's tropical waters
have also become home
to invasive fish species,
now threatening delicate
marine environments.
The lionfish,
native to South Pacific
and Indian oceans,
is a vicious predator
of native reef fish.
These invaders target local fish
species which graze on algae.
Losing these important grazers
may cause algae to overgrow
coral reefs and reduce habitat
for corals and sponges.
So far, only a few lionfish
have appeared
in the protected waters
of Florida Bay.
Scientists are carefully
monitoring and removing lionfish
from the park waters.
Snorkel and diving enthusiasts
have also been encouraged
to hunt lionfish by netting
or spearing.
(♪♪♪♪♪)
NARRATOR:
The Everglade's intricate web
of unique ecosystems
has given rise
to an irreplaceable diversity
of plants and animals.
Now, it's increasingly
under pressure
by invasive intruders.
But what can be done?
While dozens of government
and non-profit agencies
are battling invasives,
environmental experts recommend
these helpful steps:
Don't release unwanted
exotic pets into the wild,
turn them in to agencies like
the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission.
Check boat trailer,
hulls, and propellers,
or hiking boots
for invasive intruders.
Replace invasive yard plants
with native species.
And report invasive plants
and animals at ivegot1.org.
There's even a free app
for smartphones.
CHARLES:
Original Florida,
native Florida was blessed
with incredible biodiversity
and breathtaking beauty.
But invasive exotic plants
and animals
have started to cost us
that heritage.
We need to act quickly
and need to act aggressively.
If not, we stand to lose
all of this.
(♪♪♪♪♪)
(♪♪♪♪♪)
(♪♪♪♪♪)