You have probably been following the stories of Burmese Pythons creating havoc in South Florida. One answer to the problem is nearing the end of its training period and should soon be ready to lead Everglades Park personel to these exotic invasives.

Python Pete, a beagle, will soon being doing what comes natural, finding prey with his nose. One problem Pete's handlers must deal with is keeping Pete from becoming a Snake Snack.

As he does in training, Pete will stay on a leash once he is on real missions. "My plan is to use him along the park roads and trails but not out in the water," Trainer Lori Oberhofer said. "The scenario I envision is getting a report of a python, perhaps seen by a tourist or park employee, and I would then take Pete on a leash to the site where the python was last seen, and he would track, on the leash, and find the python for us."

If you would like to meet Python Pete your in luck. The 15th annual Delicate Balance of Nature lecture series put on by the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park begins Tuesday January 3rd with guest speaker Skip Snow and Python Pete.

The program starts at 7:30 p.m. and ends at 8:30, and it's put on at the Visitor Center Theater at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park MM 102.5 in Key Largo. Gates will be open from 7 until 7:30 p.m., and admission is free. Seating is limited.

Read these posts on this subject: Animal Invaders in Florida, Exotic Snakes in South Florida, More Exotic Snakes in South Florida, Everglades Python Gets Tracking Device

Easier permits endanger wetlands

Developers want to bypass federal officials and speed projects. But that could lead to more pollution problems throughout Florida waterways.

Although federal officials rarely balk at building on Florida wetlands, developers are pressing for state authorities to get the final say for issuing half the permits.

That\'s because developers believe the state will approve permits much faster than the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the agency that is supposed to protect Florida\'s swamps and marshes.

If the state does get the final say on permits for projects of 10 acres or fewer - and it could happen next year - it could spell further trouble for Florida\'s waterways.

State officials dispute that suggestion, but a St. Petersburg Times examination has found that when the state reviews proposals for building on wetlands, it fails to protect against serious water pollution.

The Times found that:

--The state\'s permitting rules for wiping out wetlands do not require developers to filter out the most common pollutant hurting its waterways.

--The areas of the state suffering from water pollution problems have also lost the most wetlands to urban development.

--State law discourages regulators from calculating the cumulative toll of issuing thousands of wetland permits every year.