Everglades Patrol

by Tom Shirley

Overview

As law enforcement officer and game manager for the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Lt. Tom Shirley was the law in one of the last true frontiers in the nation—the Florida Everglades. In Everglades Patrol, Shirley shares the stories from his beat—an ecosystem larger than the state of Rhode Island. His vivid narrative includes dangerous tales of hunting down rogue gladesmen and gators and airboat chases through the wetlands in search of illegal hunters and moonshiners. During his thirty-year career (1955-1985), Shirley saw the Glades go from frontier wilderness to "ruination" at the hands of the Army Corps of Engineers. He watched as dikes cut off the water flow and controlled floods submerged islands that had supported man and animals for 3,000 years, killing much of the wildlife he was sworn to protect.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813064888
Publisher:	University Press of Florida
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	1,096,013
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Tom Shirley (1930–2014) served in law enforcement for the Everglades Division of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission for 30 years. He was an award-winning advocate for the restoration of the Everglades’ original ecosystem.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Preface and Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

1 The 1930s: My Early Years in Miami 4

2 The 1940s: Into the Everglades 11

3 Everglades Patrol: Getting My Feet Wet 24

4 Everglades Patrol: All in a Day's Work 63

5 After Alligator Poachers 135

6 Everglades Floods 184

7 Public Policies, Private Disasters 199

8 Law Enforcement in a Failing Ecosystem 211

9 From Officer to Advocate 235

Epilogue: Gladesmen, Then and Now 251

Sources 259

Index 263

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Offers some wonderful descriptions that I've never read of the richness of the wildlife before the 1950s. It's a page turner."—Jack E. Davis, author of An Everglades Providence "This excellent book consists of two tales: one, the first-hand action adventure story of Florida game wardens airboating across the vast Everglades in pursuit of poachers; the other, observations on the political and flood-control engineering decisions and actions that resulted, sadly, in water quality and wildlife degradation. I highly recommend Everglades Patrol on both counts."—Patricia Caulfield, author and photographer of Everglades "Offers rare insight into the dangers, thrills, and uncertainties of resource management when people and politics collide. Tom Shirley writes with sincerity and dedication about the wildlife he pledged to protect over fifty years ago."—Laura Ogden, coauthor of Gladesmen: Gator Hunter, Moonshiners, and Skiffers "A must-read for any person truly interested in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Tom's book allows the reader to gain a better understanding of how important the Everglades are to sportsmen and society."—Jack Moller, officer, Florida Wildlife Federation

Editorial Reviews

"In his 30 years patrolling the Everglades, former wildlife officer Tom Shirley saw his share of panthers and poachers. But it's his tales of tangling with alligators that really gets your skin crawling. . . . When it comes to the Everglades, few people share Shirley’s knowledge and perspective."—Tampa Bay Times "Very well written and supremely engaging, yet informative at the same time. . . . If you are looking for a truly outstanding game warden memoir . . . you will not be disappointed in this one."—International Game Warden Magazine "Shirley describes the wetlands and the residents' activities with a crystal-clear memory, gently inviting his readers to enter that forgotten and mysterious world."—Florida Book Review "Packed with memories of armed confrontations, long stakeouts, tough-talking characters and frantic pursuits."—Florida Historical Quarterly

From the Publisher