Sometimes — amid the subplots of recession, terrorism and politics as usual — we forget that good news also happens. And not just the stuff that grabs headlines because somebody scored some stimulus money.
We have recently learned from the state’s marine science laboratory that the manatee count exceeded expectations. An aerial survey by biologists counted more than 5,000. Last year it was 3,800 – and that was a record. Federal officials are now considering downgrading manatees from “endangered,” which they were first labeled in 1967, to “threatened.”
The high count this year is considered the result of long-term conservation efforts, including the enforcement of boat-speed zones.
And then there’s “Operation Migration,” where young whooping cranes are taught the migration route from the wilds of Wisconsin to Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge on the Citrus-Hernando County border. The cranes fly behind an ultralight. This year it took 89 days to cover the 1,285 miles.
Anyone who has ever seen video of the young cranes in flight — let alone footage of their arrival — has not done so with dry eyes. It is that moving. And it is that welcome. Now more than ever.