Just in case you missed this from yesterday. . .

Congratulations to reporter Emily Bloch:

Published on page B1 in yesterday’s print edition of The Palm Beach Post.

See excerpts from that Special Report below about the eradication of invasive Muscovy ducks from a Village of Palm Springs neighborhood.

But there is something missing and it’s not the reporters fault. It’s something the editor(s) should have caught. More about that later on.

First an update.

Now with Bloch we are up to two more future candidates to be the City of Lake Worth’s next beat reporter. Emily Bloch is a former reporter at the Sun Sentinel. And to say Bloch has a problem with plagiarism is an understatement. Bloch once wrote:


At FAU, if I get caught plagiarizing a paper, I’ll get an F. It would go on my transcript and on a repeat offense, I could get expelled.

But if I do it at The Boca Raton Tribune, I’ll get a paycheck.


To follow Emily Bloch on Twitter click on this link.

Of course, this most recent news from Bloch will soon be fodder for Frank Cerabino and hopefully Bloch will be properly credited. You may recall that kerfuffle about the “Zombie Alert”. Another young lady, former Post reporter McKenna Ross was never properly credited although it was Ross who first broke the story that shortly afterwards went viral all over Planet Earth.

And also keep in mind former Post journalist and once-City of Lake Worth beat reporter Chris Persaud has made a triumphant return as well. Mr. Persaud recently made page A1, above the fold in the Sunday paper, in a collaboration with school reporter Andrew Marra.

Ever since GateHouse Media has taken over at the Post many have been waiting for some big changes.

GateHouse saved the Post and the Shiny Sheet too. Now it’s time for bold new ideas.

Now let’s move on to the news yesterday from reporter Emily Bloch. And afterwards, the problem with the story in the print edition today headlined,

‘Blood everywhere’: Palm Springs community furious about eliminating nuisance ducks — with guns

PALM SPRINGS — Amei Francesco-Folsom arrived home on a Thursday afternoon to find blood all over the streets in her Palm Springs neighborhood. Her husband, Greg, informed her the blood was from neighborhood ducks and she subsequently called her town’s maintenance department to have it cleaned.

However, she soon discovered it wasn’t there by accident. The Lakewood residential community is removing ducks — violently.


However, the story is much more complicated. This duck is invasive. Disturbs native wildlife. People are feeding them. And that is creating an awful mess. Now back to the story:


According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Muscovy ducks are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty act, but a control order issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supersedes that protection. The control order (USFWS 50 CFR 21.54) allows Muscovy ducks, their nests and eggs located within areas outside their natural range — including Florida — to be controlled. Further, the ducks can legally be killed by a firearm, on private property during daylight hours, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission states.


The invasive Muscovy duck problem brings back to mind when the invasive Australian pine was a big topic of debate in the City of Lake Worth. Although a threat to native species such the Gopher tortoise, marsh rabbits, and songbirds a City resident went to great length to save a problematic Australian pine but in the end, the City prevailed and the tree was removed.

Another problem of high concern is the prospect of having a mild Winter. The Sun Sentinel, The Coastal Star, and other news outlets have reported about the looming plague of iguanas, but as yet this potential plague of iguanas has yet to make news in the Post. To control the population of iguanas what is needed is 2–3 days of very cold, near-freezing weather. They get too cold, lose their grip and fall out of trees which in itself is a public safety hazard. The public needs to be informed about iguanas; this is also very important because according to the Fish and Wildlife Commission:


[I]guanas are not protected in Florida — except by anti-animal cruelty laws. It is legal to shoot them [invasive iguanas] on private property during daylight hours with the property owners’ permission — but everyone should check with their local law enforcement agency about local laws regarding firearms before discharging them.


WARNING: DO NOT HUNT IGUANA within municipal limits or in unincorporated areas in Palm Beach County with a shotgun, rifle, handgun, crossbow, bow and arrow, blow gun, or any weapon that fires a projectile unless you contact PBSO first (or your local law enforcement agency) and find out what the rules are.


Without further ado. . .

What is the problem with this news story published yesterday on page B1 of the Post?

A question for those of you reading this blog post today: Do you know where the “Lakewood residential community” is? You know it’s in the Village of Palm Springs. But where in Palm Springs?

The editor(s) at the Post needed one of their graphic artists to create a map for their readers and the public. They’ve done so for many other stories of interest in the past.

From reading the story in the Post believe this is where the Muscovy duck problem is roughly located:

The Lakewood community appears to be east of Congress Ave. and west of S. Florida Mango Rd. and between the east-west L8 and L9 canals managed by the Lake Worth Drainage District. Between these two canals is what looks like a lake, referred to as Lake Arbor, but it’s actually a water retention pond. And when water is released from that pond, for example during times of storms and/or hurricanes, that water with all that duck goo drains east towards Lake Clarke Shores and the City of Lake Worth, then into the C-51 Canal and then out to the Lake Worth Lagoon (aka, the Intracoastal).

Could all that duck goo have been a contributing factor in this year’s ‘red tide’? A very small possibility but one worth considering. Possibly a researcher could look into this angle. And as reported in the Post duck goo contributes to pond scum. β-methylamino-ʟ-alanine (BMAA) has been found in pond scum. BMAA has been called, “[A]n arsonist in the human brain”.

Stay tuned. There is much more to this story.

Maybe in a follow-up to this news from reporter Emily Bloch, possibly as early as in the Sunday paper tomorrow, the editor(s) at the Post could provide a map to better inform the public where this invasive duck problem is occurring.

If that doesn’t happen check back to this blog on Sunday or Monday. Will provide a map at the top of the right-hand column.

And, as always, Thank You for visiting once again today.