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Chicago News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
VOLUME XIV NUMBER 1 MARCH 1, 2026
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This is not the whole newspaper, but a special complimentary, on-line edition of the general-interest newsmagazine, Continental Newstime. The rest of the newspaper includes national and world news, newsmaker profiles, commentary/analysis, periodic interviews, travel and entertainment features, a science column, humor, sports, cartoons, comic strips, and puzzles, and averages 26 pages per month. Continental Features/Continental News Service publishes, on a monthly rotational basis, special, complimentary on-line newspapers: Washington DC News Edition, Chicago News Edition, Honolulu News Edition, Atlanta News Edition, Anchorage News Edition, Boston News Edition, Seattle News Edition, Miami News Edition, San Diego News Edition, Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition, Minneapolis News Edition, and Houston News Edition.
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* Congressional News Briefs … Chicago Congressman Mike Quigley has announced federal funding of $17.816 million for his constituents and the greater city of Chicago through passage of his Community Project Funding proposals for the 2026 fiscal-year. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, he says, he was able to secure support for 15 projects designed to serve Chicagoland. He explains, “Previously called earmarks, Community Project Funding allows lawmakers to set aside funds in federal appropriations bills to address specific needs in their districts.” The local projects supported mean modernizing and renovating equipment for the Chicago Fire Department ($2,959,000), upgrading Chicago Transit Authority stations ($1,700,000), providing new bullet-proof vests for Chicago police officers ($1,031,000), and, among other improvements, sustainable upgrades to Chicago Public Schools Outdoor Spaces ($850,000). In all, the Congressman reports, since 2021 he has obtained approximately $58 million in Community Project Funding for Chicagoland. Also, instead of attending President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address on February 24, he announced plans to participate in a virtual town-hall meeting with his constituents. In turn, Senator Richard Durbin, Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, announces that he has encouraged the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector-General to open an investigation into the conduct of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel and that he has requested the Government Accountability Office to consolidate new information he has submitted with information he provided earlier for a report on Mr. Patel’s conduct. Charging that the FBI Director’s “misuse or mismanagement of government resources” has set back investigations into the death of Charlie Kirk and into the Brown University shootings, the Senator adds, “As I noted in my previous letter, the Director’s frequent and unapologetic use of DOJ [Department of Justice] or FBI-controlled aircraft for personal travel raises concerns about whether he is complying with applicable regulations and reimbursement requirements for non-mission-related travel and whether the Department has sufficient internal controls to track and enforce those obligations. Moreover, the information provided by credible whistleblowers makes it clear that not only are the Director’s misuse and mismanagement of these aircraft problematic to taxpayers, they materially harm the mission of the very agency he has sworn to lead.” The Senator continued, “As federal law enforcement is navigating multiple crises—including Americans facing significant danger after a prominent cartel leader was killed in Mexico—the FBI cannot afford to have its resources further stretched by a Director who views its staff and aircraft as a means to support his jet-setting lifestyle.” Then, as Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, together with Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, Senator Durbin has led a bipartisan group of Members of Congress in marking the fourth-anniversary of Russian aggression against Ukraine. In their statement, the lawmakers note: “Vladimir Putin has failed to achieve his war aims and is in a significantly weaker position than when he began this war. Now is not the time to grant him a reprieve. He should not be allowed to gain through negotiations what he has not managed to achieve in four years of bloodshed. The United States must redouble its efforts to strangle Russia’s wartime economy and crack down on Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers.” What do the Members of Congress say the European allies of the U.S. must do? They say, “Our European allies must ensure that Ukraine has the funds needed to maximize their defense production and import select Western systems.” Speaking of the Ukrainians, Senators Durbin and Wicker and associates assert, “They are exactly the type of allies Americans want by our side—principled, resolute, and invested in our shared freedom and prosperity.” In addition, referencing the 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down an estimated 70 percent of the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, Senator Durbin remarked, “Tariffs can be useful when used strategically, but President Trump exceeded these authorities…. He defied basic economic sense.” The Senator blamed the President’s policies for the loss of 72,000 manufacturing jobs since April, 2025 and for what he called Trump’s “Tariff Tax” making farming in Illinois unprofitable, due to higher prices for fertilizer, seeds, machinery, and equipment, with fewer export opportunities to China. Now, Senator Tammy Duckworth, a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has raised objections to a new interim Final Rule from Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins that she says lowers veterans’ disability ratings and reduces their benefits merely for seeking treatment for their injuries and appearing to be improved during an appointment with the VA. The Senator charges that the interim Final Rule was initially implemented without public comment and that it is not enough that the VA is only “halting enforcement” following protests from veterans and veterans’ groups. Senator Duckworth says that the proper course is to determine the disability rating by measuring the disability itself. Then, too, Duckworth pointed out that, even to qualify for new coverage under the PACT Act for their exposure to toxic burn pits and other environmental hazards, veterans were told that they must have their disability rating reviewed under the interim Final Rule. In a joint Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing, she warned, “It’s clear that the end goal here is to privatize—and eventually dismantle—the VA.” Moreover, Senator Duckworth announced that her guest for the State of the
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Union Address, Carbondale’s Jeremy Schumacher, has not only seen his family’s household electricity bill rise 30 percent and their food bill increase 50 percent, but his own health-insurance deductible jump from $5,000 to $16,400 and that of his wife go up from $1,500 to $4,500 due to Republican and Trump Administration opposition to extending Obamacare premium tax credits, thereby making living unaffordable, the Senator asserts.
* State Government News Briefs … Governor J.B. Pritzker, noting that 72 percent of high-school teachers find cellular-phone distraction a “major problem” in student learning, has announced legislation requiring school districts to develop a cellular-phone policy that enables students to concentrate on instruction and to avoid the harm research shows stems from phone over-use; that is, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and exposure to cyber bullying. The Governor informs that school districts will be able to make exceptions to a total phone ban, such as allowing use during lunch, in the event of an emergency, or when teachers okay use for educational purposes. In fact, the Governor’s legislative proposal, announced earlier during his State of the State Address, recognizes other exceptions, including medical-professional-approved use for management of a student’s health care, use to implement an Individualized Education Plan, use by English learners to access instructional materials or participate in a class, and use by a student who is a care giver for a family member. In other developments, the Governor reports that AbbVie plans to build two new Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacturing facilities at its North Chicago site, by investing $380 million and creating 300 new full-time jobs. Commenting on the development, Governor Pritzker asserts, “AbbVie’s significant investment fortifies Illinois’s position as a global bio-manufacturing leader…. Together, we’re advancing pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D and building a stronger economic future for communities across Illinois.” Overall, during the last six months, the company has revealed plans to invest $575 million in North Chicago, its projects including the construction of two state-of-the-art facilities to produce the next-generation neuroscience and obesity-reduction medicines. Among the appointments the Governor has made, Kader Sakkaria, presently serving at the large insurance-brokerage and risk-management firm, Arthur J. Gallagher and Co., has been nominated to the Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees, a position that entails confirmation by the Illinois Senate. What is more, DMG MORI Federal Services, Inc. plans to invest $40.5+ million to establish a new advanced-manufacturing and R&D facility in the Chicagoland area and to partner with the City Colleges of Chicago to create a direct talent pipeline for the business firm’s increasing operations and to furnish students with training in cutting-edge manufacturing technologies. DMG MORI is combining research and production in Chicago’s Goose Island industrial corridor, too.
* County Government News Briefs … Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Preckwinkle announces that Forest Preserve District Committee meetings will be held on the morning of March 10, followed by meetings of the Board of Commissioners Worker’s Compensation Committee (11:30 AM) and the Board’s Health and Hospitals Committee (1 PM). Meetings of the Board of Commissioners Finance Committee (9:30 AM), the Board’s Rules and Administration Committee (9:30 AM), the Board’s Litigation Committee (10 AM), the Board’s Transportation Committee (10:30 AM), the Board’s Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee (10:45 AM), the Board’s Asset Management Committee (11 AM), and the Board’s Technology and Innovation Committee (1 PM) follow on March 11. The Cook County Board of Commissioners meets again at 9 AM on March 12, with its Consent Calendar Meeting starting at 11 AM. When the Board last met on February 5, it took up a Consent Agenda honoring Let’s Boogie Records & Tapes on its 50th Anniversary; considered a Resolution celebrating National Religion Day; and reviewed a Resolution declaring February as American Heart Month. In other County business, the Board discussed purchase of twelve 2026 Ford Bronco Sport vehicles priced at $380,256 altogether; reviewed budget authority of $6,659,000 for brownfield assessment and remediation, along with air monitoring; sent to Committee the Department of Transportation and Highways’ Traffic Safety Action Plan; acknowledged receipt of a grant in the amount of $6,441,650 for congestion mitigation and air-quality improvement; reviewed a proposed $4,760,239.20 contract with Microsoft Corporation and a proposed $4,411,115 contract with IBM; examined a request from the County Sheriff’s Office for authorization of a $271,750.10 contract for retrofitting of police-vehicle equipment into about 30 vehicles; and, among other matters, evaluated the eligibility for significant assessment reductions—10 percent of market value for 10 years, 15 percent for the 11th year and 20 percent of market value in the 12th year—of abandoned property returned to productive use.
* City Government News Briefs … Mayor Brandon Johnson, saying that Green Homes Chicago has been an integral part of his Administration’s affordable home-energy housing initiative, informs that home owners who earn up to 80 percent of the area’s median income, which is $95,900 for a four-member household, for example, and whose residence is their only and primary home, are potentially eligible for free home-energy upgrades and retrofits calculated to lower their utility bills. Subject to available funding, one registration period closed on February 27. The Mayor has also referenced Northwestern University’s February, 2026 CORNERS (Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science) Impact Report on the results of the City’s Community Violence Intervention-Street Outreach investment of more than $165 million in the services of 80 community-based organizations, running the gamut from victim services to crisis services, with education, food, housing, substance use, and employment services in between. With the focus of investment and participation in communities having the highest levels of gun violence, only those communities receiving the largest quarterly investments experienced a 2024 shooting rate lower than their shooting rate in 2021. Between 2023 and 2024, however, those communities having the highest level of investment also saw the highest numbers of shootings. The report, comparing the average $2,000 investment in a street-outreach participant per quarter to the estimated $20,000 cost per quarter for incarceration and the $30,000 to $50,000 treatment cost for a gunshot wound—the report finds that only those neighborhoods having the highest average quarterly investment in street-outreach services realized their pre-pandemic gun-violence levels and avoided their 2021 COVID-19 era peak. The City Council, which last met on February 18, is due to meet again on March 18. When the Council last met, aldermen were set to repeal a long list of disabled permits, and the Mayor vetoed the cannabinoid-hemp-products ordinance the Council had passed earlier, explaining that the ordinance is “premature,” with federal guidance forthcoming and given “a rapidly-shifting regulatory landscape.”
* Weather … The National Weather Service reports that current conditions at Chicago Midway Airport, as of 3:53 PM on February 26, are mostly cloudy, with a temperature of 42 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 41 percent, wind out of the southwest at 9 miles per hour, barometric pressure of 29.87 inches, a dewpoint of 20 degrees, and visibility of 10 miles. The over-night forecast calls for mostly-clear skies, a low temperature of about 30 degrees, west-southwest wind of 5 to 10 miles per hour, and gusts as high as 15 miles per hour. Look for sunny, then sunny and breezy conditions and a daytime high temperature of 62 degrees on February 27, then a daily high temperature of 37 degrees and a 50-percent chance of snow on February 28. Those nights, the forecast calls for partly-cloudy skies and a low temperature of 32 degrees, first, then a 50-percent chance of snow, mostly-cloudy skies, and a low temperature of 24 degrees the night of February 28. Expect mostly-cloudy skies and a daytime high temperature of 31 degrees on March 1 and a 30-percent chance of snow that night, with the temperature dipping to 24 degrees. Mostly-sunny skies are on the horizon March 2, with the temperature dropping from 35 degrees to 27 degrees over-night, and with mostly-cloudy skies.
* Sports … In the NHL, the Blackhawks visit the Utah Mammoth today for a 1 PM (Pacific Time) face-off. Meantime, the Bulls host the Milwaukee Bucks for a 2:30 PM tip-off. The Cubs open the 2026 Major League Baseball season on March 26 against the Washington Nationals, while the White Sox are scheduled to visit the Milwaukee Brewers also on March 26.
* Middle East Cable Flashback Palestinian Autonomy [Condensed and Edited] by Mike Maggio
… Israeli settlers, who from the start have been against any settlement with the Palestinians, have taken a lesson from their enemies by burning tires in the streets and setting up roadblocks. Their fear: that the Palestinian police force that is supposed to take over when the Israeli army withdraws will be hostile toward them. Their concerns have been heightened by the recent killing of Israeli settlers, and public opinion within Israel has begun to shift in their favor. Palestinians, on the other hand, have been protesting the continued assassination of their “activists,” and some are going so far as to demand a denunciation of the autonomy agreement signed by Israel and the PLO on September 13 and a return to the intifada. Meanwhile, rumors abound that the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel have agreed to a delay in the withdrawal of Israeli troops, scheduled to begin December 13…. The PLO publicly insists that the December 13th start date is “sacred” and refuses any compromise on the issue fearing that it would lead to an erosion of Palestinian public opinion, but some PLO factions are unwilling to rush into self-rule when the risks for failure are greater than those for success…. With public opinion leaning against peace on both sides of the autonomy quagmire and with Secretary of State Warren Christopher publicly hinting his support for an extension of the deadline, actual implementation of the deal by the December 13th [1993] deadline seems like a long shot.
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One of the questions Ralph Nader is yet to answer about his book, “Let’s Start the Revolution”:
“Can that ‘left/right coalition’ you mention hang together once formed on certain issues when one side fails to rein in its desire to initiate new spending programs and the other side objects that it’s their money that is to be spent?”
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* Proverbs (chapter 28/verse 22): “He that hastes to be rich has an evil eye, and considers not that poverty shall come upon him.” hastes=hurries.
[A timely warning against get-rich-quick schemes]
A free copy of the Etna, California News Edition of Continental Newstime [dated August 14, 2020] containing the newspaper feature of outdoor writer Lee Snyder is also available by
E-mail request to info@continentalnewsservice.com
*Free
Marion, Montana News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
VOLUME I NUMBER 1 AUGUST 17, 2022
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This is not the whole newspaper, but a special complimentary, on-line edition of the general-interest, periodic newsmagazine, Continental Newstime. The rest of the newspaper includes national and world news, newsmaker profiles, commentary/analysis, periodic interviews, travel and entertainment features, an intermittent science column, humor, sports, cartoons, comic strips, and puzzles, and averages 26 pages per month. Continental Features/Continental News Service publishes, on a monthly rotational basis, special, complimentary on-line newspapers: Washington DC News Edition, Chicago News Edition, Honolulu News Edition, Atlanta News Edition, Anchorage News Edition, Boston News Edition, Seattle News Edition, Miami News Edition, San Diego News Edition, Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition, Minneapolis News Edition, and Houston News Edition.
Marion, Montana News Edition of Continental Newstime
Editor-in-Chief: Gary P. Salamone
Continental Features/Continental News Service
501 W. Broadway, Plaza A, PMB# 265
San Diego, CA 92101
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E-mail: info@continentalnewsservice.com
* Congressional News Briefs … Marion’s agent in the U.S. House of Representatives, Matt Rosendale, decided he was not going to sugar-coat House Bill 5376. While House Democrats said they were acting to pass the “Inflation Reduction Act,” the Congressman contended that legislation increasing the size of government, raising taxes on hard-working Americans and spending billions of taxpayer dollars on the Left’s Green New Deal was actually an “Inflation Acceleration Act” and he cast a vote against the bill. Warning that the spending would “cripple our nation’s budget,” he noted that the legislation “will also raise an army of 87,000 IRS agents to squeeze more taxes out of already-hurting American families. With frivolous spending and an enlarged, aggressive IRS, the only climate that will be changing over the next year will be the economic climate, and it will get worse.” He offered this solution: “To reduce inflation, Congress must freeze spending, a concept the Left does not understand. Reining in federal spending and reducing taxes to lower inflation will reaffirm confidence in those investing in our economy.” On his part, Senator Steve Daines, commenting on the $739-billion, so-called Inflation Reduction Act of President Joseph Biden and Senate Democrats that he opposed, asserted that Senate Democrats voted against Daines’ amendment to eliminate policies that would increase costs on Made in Montana energy and other amendments that would render the bill “less painful for Montanans.” He characterized, as “supersizing the IRS,’ the plan to hire more than 80,000 Internal Revenue Service agents “to audit small and medium-size businesses and assert control over the lives and finances of Montanans.” He termed a subsidy for “rich people” the provision to offer $7,500 tax credits to individuals making up to $150,000, so they can purchase expensive electric vehicles. Considering the bill “a slap in the face of Montana families,” the Senator added, “The Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spend bill is bad for Montana families, bad for Montana energy jobs and bad for Montanans’ pocketbooks.” Working with Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono, Senator Daines has introduced bipartisan legislation, known as the BABES (Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening) Enhancement Act, to require the Transportation Security Administration to clarify and update guidance, every five years, on handling breast milk, baby formula, and other related nutrition products based on consultation with leading maternal-health experts. Calling the legislation a “Bill to Support Montana Moms,” Daines informs that companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives, and the measure is endorsed by such organizations as the March of Dimes and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Senator Jon Tester, in turn, as the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, announces that the $792.1-billion Defense Appropriations Bill earmarks almost $182 million for Montana priorities, saying, “This legislation will keep America safe by investing in Malmstrom Air Force Base, giving our troops a well-deserved pay raise [4.6 percent], ensuring our servicemen and women are well-equipped with the most up-to-date technology, and shifting resources towards programs that’ll maintain our fighting edge over adversaries like China and Russia.” For example, over in Columbia Falls, uAvionix is due to receive $7 million to develop Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System communications. In addition, he reports that, for Montana, the American Rescue Plan Act means $266 million to deliver high-speed Internet to rural areas of the state, something that is “one of the biggest keys to success for Montana’s students, families, and small businesses.”
* State Government News Briefs … Governor Greg Gianforte has expressed the view that the Montana Supreme Court, after upholding a district-court order temporarily blocking three pro-life bills he signed into law—the Court should not delay bringing into line its 1999 ruling in Armstrong v. State with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision finding that there is no constitutional right to abortion and that the states are entitled to restrict abortion. In other developments, the state legislature has highlighted a recent report by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology that acknowledges findings of the Department of Environmental Quality that the ingestion of too much manganese through drinking water may be harmful, at the same time the Bureau notes that the mineral, naturally present in many common foods, is essential for proper nutrition and that too little may be harmful, as well. Some research shows that adults and children drinking water with high manganese concentrations for sustained periods may suffer from memory and attention problems and motor-skill deficits. But, since most Montanans tap groundwater supplies for their drinking water, they mainly avoid high levels of manganese. Those that do not? The Bureau’s Ground Water Assessment Program reports that 7 percent of the water samples it tested exceeded the recommended health-standard limit for
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adults and children older than 6 years of age. Checking 3,858 water samples from across the state, the Bureau gives assurance that manganese concentrations were low and safe for 85 percent of the well samples it analyzed and that lower concentrations were recorded in samples from western Montana aquifers; higher concentrations, in the eastern part of the state. Specifically, certain aquifers near Flathead Lake, north and west of Great Falls, and in the Missouri River Valley yielded more samples with elevated manganese concentrations. The Safe Drinking Water Act categorizes manganese as a secondary water contaminant, like iron, pH and sulfate, meaning it is safe to drink, but may damage water equipment and transmit an unpleasant odor and taste. The state legislature reports that 380 Montana schools, to date, have tested water fixtures for the primary water contaminant, lead and are implementing remedies for contaminated fixtures.
* County Government News Briefs … The Flathead County Board of Commissioners [Brad W. Abell, Pamela Holmquist, and Randy Brodehl], at its last meeting on August 11, considered six different lakeshore permits, including one at McGregor Lake, one at Flathead Lake, and another at Whitefish Lake; conferred with Erik Mack, of the Planning & Zoning Office, who reported an uptick in zoning violations; discussed giving authorization to publish a Notice of Public Hearing on Road Abandonment concerning an unnamed portion of road off Highway 93 West; took up the matter of authorization to publish a Call for Bids for the estimated $120,000 Fall, 2022 Pavement Striping Project; was due to hear from Liz Wood, of Mountain Climber Transit, on ridership increases, and from Ashley Cummins, Director of the County Library, who reported approximately 1,000 daily patron visits system-wide and who provided an update on the Library Board vacancy; planned to meet with Sheriff Brian Heino; and, among other County business, was tasked to sign a Behavioral Health Hospital Provider Agreement with Logan Health.
* School District News Briefs … The Marion Elementary School District, with the library closed during the summer due to remodeling, plans a Back to School Kick Off Event on September 1, with school starting on September 6. Earlier this month, the District posted a notice that it was hiring for full-time teaching positions in physical education and in the sixth-grade classroom. The School Board is scheduled to meet again on September 12. Meantime, in the Kalispell Public Schools District, Flathead High School announces that classes resume either on August 31 or September 1, depending on the grade level.
* Sports … The Flathead High School Boys Varsity Football Team is set to play Skyview on August 27 at 7 PM and is due to visit Gallatin on September 2 for a 7 PM kickoff.
* Weather … The National Weather Service reports that current conditions 17 miles west-southwest of Kalispell, as of 3:15 PM on August 17, are sunny, with a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 15 percent, barometric pressure of 29.95 inches, visibility of 10 miles, wind out of the south-southeast at 3 miles per hour, and a dewpoint of 36 degrees. The over-night forecast calls for clear skies, northeast wind of 3 to 5 miles per hour and a low temperature of about 55 degrees. Tomorrow, look for sunny skies, with a daily high temperature of about 91 degrees, calm wind becoming east-northeast wind of about 6 miles per hour in the morning. Thursday night, expect mostly-clear skies, with a low temperature of about 56 degrees and northeast wind of 3 to 6 miles per hour.
* Community Calendar … August 19—Pachyderm Meeting of Flathead County Republicans (12 Noon-1 PM) at the Eagles (37 First Street W, Kalispell); August 27—Pheasants Forever Chapter #138 Banquet (5 PM-9 PM), at the Fairgrounds; September 16/17—Quilt Show, at the Fairgrounds; September 17—Glacier Rabbit Show, at the Fairgrounds; September 30—Kalispell Ski Swap, at the Fairgrounds.
Dry Tortugas [Reprinted and Updated] by Lee Snyder
Named “Las Tortugas” (the turtles) by 16th-century Spanish explorers who found the harmless reptiles nesting on its shores, the Dry Tortugas is a collection of several sandy spits and tree-dotted islands. Fort Jefferson, once famous as a 19th-century “American Devil’s Island,” remains one of the world’s largest brick structures. The red brick fort is most famous as the jail where Dr. Mudd was held after treating Lincoln’s assassin for a broken leg.
Fort Jeff, past National Monument, is now part of Dry Tortugas National Park, which, together with the water and island reefs, is one of this nation’s most remote and unique units of our National Park system. While sharks are still occasionally found swimming in the moat, tourists are more likely seen snorkeling around the fort’s outer boundary viewing a dazzling array of fish, coral and sponges. Today, the Coast Guard’s close scrutiny of increasing public pressure allows visitors to see what underwater Florida is supposed to be. Divers claim the park waters are the liveliest anywhere in the state. “Little Africa,” an unspoiled section of coral reef near Loggerhead Key, the largest island in the chain, boasts expanses of staghorn and elkhorn coral more like those found in Caribbean than in Florida waters.
Nearly 27,000 people—mostly fishermen, yachtsmen, and divers—visit the park by boat each year.
But, for a six-week period, the bulk of the visitors attend for another reason. Spring in the Tortugas is definitely a birdwatcher’s delight. Florida’s peninsular shape is like an appendage reaching out into the ocean. Its islands are the first safety offered travelers crossing the Gulf of Mexico…. The “funneling effect” allows for close inspections of the birds in their most colorful breeding plumage—an opportunity that draws enthusiastic birders from all over the world….On any given spring day in the Tortugas, birders with four, five and six hundred birds on their lists are found. Listers with seven and eight hundred on their lists are usually there as guides, having visited the islands years before. But, even so, an errant species from South America, the Bahamas or Cuba could fly by adding to all lists.
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