Hello from the watersheds of southern Florida

I'm right now riding in a heavily air conditioned bus on the way to the Everglades Agricultural Area.

I've been traveling around southern Florida to study various ecosystems and participating in seminars lead by environmental experts all week as part of the Scripps Howard Institute on the Environment fellowship. This has been a wonderful week, both fun and educational, but the stats on drought and climate change are disturbing.

Like Merced County, Florida has experienced serious drought. We were at the Everglades yesterday to go slough slogging and prepared for some serious mud and water. However, due to drought, we barely got our "sacrificial" sneakers wet. Wildlife was far and few between, which was sad.

Much of what I've learned this week applies far beyond Florida's ecosystems and well into California. I'll write more after I get back Monday.

But now I gotta go. I think someone just spotted a gator.