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Houston News Edition
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VOLUME XIV NUMBER 1 APRIL 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 … Houston Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, in advance of César Chávez’s birthday—now re-christened Farmworkers Day in at least one state—and coming to grips with the allegations of abuse by César Chávez, expressed, “I was especially saddened to learn of what Dolores Huerta endured. Dolores is a dear friend, a trailblazer, and one of the most consequential leaders in the fight for workers’ rights. Her strength and honesty in sharing her story highlight the responsibility we all have to confront the truth, no matter how difficult it may be.” The Congresswoman said that the “allegations detailed in recent reporting about César Chávez are deeply disturbing and heart-breaking. We have to be clear: no legacy, no matter how historic, places anyone above accountability. I believe the victims. It takes immense courage to come forward, and they deserve to be heard, treated with dignity, and supported.” She continued, “César Chávez helped build a movement that transformed the lives of farmworkers and elevated the voices of Latino communities across this country. That history is real. But so are these allegations. We cannot honor one truth while ignoring the other.” Congresswoman Garcia reminded: “I stand with the farmworkers who feed this nation and with the United Farm Workers as they move through this painful moment. The movement has always been bigger than any one person. Its strength lies in the people and their commitment to justice.” In other developments, Congresswoman Garcia, as Hispanic Caucus Whip, together with Adriano Espaillat, Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, opposed the thrust of a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing suggesting adverse effects of the Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe and terming the ruling “Immigration Policy by Court Order.” One witness, the President/General Counsel of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, reported that the organization had represented plaintiffs in the referenced case, and he reviewed concurring and dissenting opinions that reflected some concern of the Justices about “the consequences to the State itself of wholly-uneducated persons living indefinitely within its borders.” Another witness, a former Assistant Chief Immigration Judge, contended that the Court engaged in judicial activism, rewriting, instead of interpreting, the Equal Protection Clause, to require a national mandate that states must provide free elementary and secondary education to children having no legal right to be in the U.S. and frustrating the decision of Texas officials, for one, to “allocate scarce educational resources,” while intruding on the authority over immigration that Congress possesses. Weighing in on the controversy, Congresswoman Garcia remarked, “This is about children. Children brought here through no fault of their own, who grew up in our communities and know no other home. Denying them an education does not solve a problem. It creates one.” Her own view of the U.S. Constitution: “Plyler v. Doe is rooted in one of the most fundamental principles of our Constitution. No state shall deny any person equal protection under the law. The Supreme Court made clear that children, regardless of immigration status, are persons under our Constitution and cannot be punished for circumstances beyond their control.” Senator Ted Cruz, explaining his vote against the 21ST Century ROAD to Housing Bill, asserted, “Washington bureaucrats should not dictate zoning decisions for local communities like my hometown of Houston. Lowering housing costs for all Americans is a priority for this Republican Congress, but this bill falls far short of that goal.” The Senator added, “I agree with President Trump that large banks should not be buying single-family homes. Unfortunately, this legislation goes beyond that principle and restricts those hoping to build new rental housing for Americans by requiring build-to-rent homes to be sold within seven years. Restricting the supply of newly-built rental units should not be enshrined in law.” In other developments, Senators Tom Cotton and Rick Scott have joined Senator Cruz in introducing the Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Bill, to require the Secretary of State to determine whether the Polisario Front, as suspected in West Africa, is cooperating with Iranian-associated groups already declared terrorist organizations. In turn, Senator John Cornyn and Senator Cruz, along with eight other Republican Senators, have urged the second Trump Administration to restore the Protect Life Rule of the first Trump Administration that ensured Title X family-planning money cannot be used by clinics that provide abortions or abortion referrals. Besides, Senator Cornyn, along with four other Republican Senators, has introduced the Dalilah’s Law Act to hold untrained, undocumented-alien, commercial-vehicle drivers and the sanctuary states that enable them accountable for killing or injuring Americans on the road, the legislation creating a new death-penalty aggravating factor for perpetrators and charging state officials who fail to use some version of E-Verify to screen out undocumented aliens. In addition, Senator Cornyn reports meeting with Texas Farm Bureau officials to discuss how the Farm Bill can better meet the needs of their members and how spread of the New World screwworm can be mitigated.
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* State Government News Briefs … Governor Greg Abbott, during the Forward Fort Worth mobility innovation summit moderated by The Perot Group Chairman, Ross Perot, Jr., credited Texas’ pro-business environment not only with attracting job-creating, corporate-relocation and expansion projects to the state, but with producing “the most self-sustainable state economy in the country” and economic diversity in the biotech, nuclear, artificial-intelligence, and advanced-manufacturing fields; the Governor, addressing potential investors, also recommended investment in Texas as “the safest place to build your business and to raise a family,” given the state’s prioritization of public safety. In other developments, the Governor appointed Pamela Pacher, the manager of special projects at the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, as the Interstate Compact Administrator for Adult Offender Supervision for a term understood to expire at the pleasure of the Governor. Besides, the Governor, noting that the Trump Administration, through the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, had arranged funding of $625 million for cities hosting the FIFA World Cup, informs that the Governor’s Public Safety Office has awarded $116 million in grants to the City of Houston and the North Central Texas Council of Governments to hire additional safety personnel and to acquire equipment and other public-safety resources to support security measures during the FIFA World Cup events. Saying, “The FIFA World Cup coming to Texas gives our state a premier opportunity to showcase all it has to offer,” the Governor continues, “These public-safety grants will help ensure that travelers visiting and traveling throughout Texas can enjoy our great state safely, will bolster Texas’ efforts to combat crime, and help prevent potential acts of violence.” The Governor expressed confidence that funding recipients can conduct the extensive security measures needed to protect players, staff, attendees, venues, and critical infrastructure in and around the host cities against potential terrorist attacks.
* County Government News Briefs … When the Harris County Board of Commissioners Court, under County Judge Lina Hidalgo, met yesterday, March 31, for a Special meeting, the Commissioners Court was scheduled to take up a request to approve an agreement, in the amount of $928,897.65, with AECOM Technical Services, Inc. for Professional Engineering and associated services in connection with Courtroom build-outs (1019 Congress) and a request to approve a $656,400 agreement with STOA International Architects, Inc. for Professional Engineering and associated services in connection with Civil Courtrooms build-out at 201 Caroline. In other County business, Commissioners were tasked to accept a $1,616,279 grant, with no required match, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Veterans Transitional Housing Community housing project in Precinct 2 and, among other grants, to accept a $1 million HUD grant, with no required match, for the C.E. King Hike and Bike Trail Community Project, a public-facilities project in Precinct 1. Concerning County purchasing, Commissioners were asked to approve the low bid of $1,292,157 from Sago Solutions LLC for channel restoration of Hunting Bayou Tributaries in the Flood Control District, as well as the low bid of $3,505,610 from SAS Concrete Construction, LLC for repair of various roads within the Northshore area, under the BetterStreets2Neighborhoods Community Program for Precinct 2. Finally, County Commissioners were poised to approve such other proposals as purchase of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant transit buses for $898,386 from Model 1 Commercial Vehicles, Inc. to serve the Housing and Community Development Department.
* City Government News Briefs … Mayor John Whitmire, citing the Major Cities Chiefs Association’s 2024-2025 findings, reports that homicides have decreased 17.8 percent in the City of Houston and that robberies have also decreased 22.5 percent, while aggravated assaults are down 17.3 percent, as well. Referencing the Houston Police Department’s launch of the 2026 March on Crime initiative, the Mayor explains, the thrust this year will be on investigating the urban blight of illegal-dumping, together with traffic-enforcement issues and after-hours clubs. Mayor Whitmire added that progress is being made curbing illegal dumping in Houston neighborhoods through the arrest and indictment of those responsible. In other developments, the City, in coordination with Downtown Houston+ and METRO, is re-surfacing dozens of intersections and more than 80 blocks, to transform Downtown into a place of safer, smoother streets, in advance of the FIFA World Cup to be sure, but Houstonians and tourists will benefit long-term after the last match in NRG Stadium. Then, too, the Mayor reminds that, when he served in the Texas Legislature, he authored legislation paving the way for expansion of the George R. Brown Convention Center, and recently the City Council okayed $2.3 billion in bonds for the next phase of the expansion project. Looking ahead, the Mayor anticipates successful National Cheerleading Championships in 2027 and 2028, since this year the Cheerleading Championship brought the energy of 80,000 cheerleaders to Houston and a $150-million boost to the local economy, through patronage by athletes, families and their fans of local hotels and restaurants, among other businesses. And from April 15 to April 22, the City of Houston underscores its maritime heritage and leading role in global trade and energy by introducing Fleet Week Houston, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. Houstonians will have opportunity to tour ships used in search and rescue, law enforcement, and port security; combat ships specializing in coastal missions; and an amphibious-assault ship designed for troop transport and aircraft support. With educational demonstrations part of the visit by more than 1,000 sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, Rear Admiral John W. Hewitt observes, “We look forward to showcasing our ships to the American public and bringing our stories to the people of Texas.” Meantime, at its scheduled meeting on April 1 at 9 AM, the City Council is due to receive a report on the current financial status of the City and to take up a Consent Agenda consisting of acceptance of the work and authorization of final payment, if any, on the contract with Boyer, Inc. for construction of the Westridge Regional Lift Station and abandonment of Kirby No. 1, Westridge and Main Street Lift Stations, among other contracts with Boyer, Inc.; purchase of 12 medical stretchers and accessories valued at $390,141.24 from Stryker Sales, LLC for the Houston Fire Department; approval of $9,480,250 in spending authority for roof replacement and repair services for various City Departments by D7 Roofing & Metal, LLC; approval of an Ordinance and authorization of the third amendment to a Sub-recipient Agreement with Covenant House Texas through March 31, 2027 to fund, with $545,534, emergency shelter for individual youth experiencing homelessness; and, among other items, approval of an Ordinance appropriating $3,825,224.56 from the Airports Improvement Fund on a contract with Flatiron Dragados Constructors, Inc. to furnish construction services for the Federal Aviation Administration non-standard taxiways project at William P. Hobby Airport.
* School District News Briefs … The Board of Managers of the Houston Independent School District, led by President Ric Campo, last met on March 26, when it held a Special Meeting and approved contracts for operation of The Kinder High School For Performing And Visual Arts, of Challenge Early High School, of The Houston Academy for International Studies, of Energy Institute High School, and of Pre-kindergarten Partnerships by the Collaborative For Children—all with Texas Partnership Benefits.
*Weather … The National Weather Service reports that current conditions at Houston Hobby Airport, as of 12:53 AM on March 31, are partly-cloudy skies, with a temperature of 69 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 93 percent, wind out of the southeast at 7 miles per hour, barometric pressure of 30.08 inches, a dewpoint of 67 degrees, and visibility of 7 miles. The over-night forecast calls for partly-cloudy skies, a low temperature of about 68 degrees, and south wind of about 5 miles per hour, with a slight chance of showers on March 31 between 1 PM and 4 PM, mostly-sunny skies, a daily high temperature close to 83 degrees, south wind of 5 to 15 miles per hour, gusts as high as 20 miles per hour, and a 20-percent chance of precipitation. That night, expect increasing cloudiness, a low temperature of about 70 degrees, south wind again of 5 to 15 miles per hour, and gusts as high as 20 miles per hour. A 40-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms is anticipated on April 1, with partly-sunny skies, a daily high temperature close to 84 degrees, south wind of 5 to 15 miles per hour, and gusts as high as 25 miles per hour. Over-night, expect mostly-cloudy skies, a low temperature of about 72 degrees, south wind of about 15 miles per hour, and gusts as high as 25 miles per hour. Then, the forecast for April 2 calls for a 50-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mostly-cloudy skies, and a daily high temperature close to 82 degrees. That night the temperature is expected to drop to about 72 degrees, and the chance of precipitation is expected to decrease to 10 percent.
*Sports … In Major League Baseball today, the Astros host the Red Sox at 1:10 PM. Over in the NBA, the Rockets host the Bucks this evening, with tip-off at 7 PM.
Flashback: By Francine Silverman
Terry Anderson Reflects On His Den of Lions
I caught up with ex-hostage Terry Anderson in his diminutive office building in the parking lot of a funeral home in Yonkers, New York. Winding down a phone interview and wearing jeans and sneakers, he seems very much the reporter. I ask if these modest questions remind him of the cells he occupied during his seven years of captivity. “I got the keys,” he laughs, jiggling them like bells. Anderson, 46, was the Associated Press Chief Middle East Correspondent before his abduction in 1985. Den of Lions (Crown, 1993), his moving memoir of that harrowing experience, has sold about 150,000 copies in the U.S. and is being translated into several languages. Throughout the book, Anderson berates himself for his characteristic arrogance and aggressiveness. “I have not become a saint,” he admits. “I hope I am less irritable than I was.” When he was released, Anderson was physically weak, he had a 6-year-old daughter he had never seen, whose mother—his beloved fiancée—had remained ever hopeful of reunion. (The couple wed April 18, 1993, a second marriage for both.) “All that took work and we had psychiatric counseling for a while,” he admits. “They are not things you mind doing. I don’t look at them as problems.” The book is a parallel account by the couple. Madeleine, pregnant and distraught at the separation, agonizes over Anderson’s welfare, as he wonders whether she’ll wait. Since reuniting, “I’ve been given my life back,” he says.
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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
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* 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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