National Park Service awards Dry Tortugas contract

Sadly I report that my team did not get the National Park Service contract to provide high-speed catamaran service to Dry Tortugas. [ read about it from the NPS]

Dry Tortugas from Space

Recently the National Park Service re-issued a ten year contract to provide high-speed ferry service from Key West, FL to Fort Jefferson at The Dry Tortugas. In the next 60-days Congress will be asked to approve the contract, but they should take another look. http://keysnews.com/node/20390

Click the image for full screen. Image was requested by Captain Ghidoni and was taken by the Int’l Space Station.

The Keys from higher

In this specific case it seems remarkable the incumbent was awarded another ten years. Public outcry locally is well documented. http://keysnews.com/node/20390 The public is overwhelmingly negative because Key West locals know the history.

Does it serve the community for this large entity to grab yet another long-term contract in such a small town? The incumbent operates in several cities. In tough times which of their operations will suffer first? Maybe the smallest, least significant  - Key West? This is exactly why we feel our smaller footprint could do it better, faster, cheaper.

Are we disappointed?  You bet, it has been a long, long, competitive process with 18-months of delays, but they are the better company.

We carry forward the experience and we fully support the decision of the National Park Service. If you get to Key West; plan a day for Fort Jefferson.

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[podcast format="video"]http://hd2o.tv/flog/clips/HD2O-IslandDolphinCareprev-AppleTV.m4v[/podcast]

Let’s start 2009 with a wonderful video featuring the therapy dolphin residents atIsland Dolphin Care, one of the non-profit groups we promote through education and information.  Once you see the power of children interacting with these special mammals I hope you will consider adding I.D.C. to your list of special causes once you see how powerful the experience is for children from all over the world and their families. Visit their site for more information.

[caption id="attachment_83" align="alignright" width="336" caption="Dolphins, in the service of children with special needs"][/caption]

The people behind I.D.C. are heroes. There is no shortage of love for child or animal pouring from and back to this facility in Key Largo. Remember: this is just a sample! The full track is only on our DVD.

If you enjoy this clip you will love the 5-minute track featured on our 2009 DVD. Get it today from our store and you can feel extra good knowing a portion of revenue from sales is committed to our heroes at Island Dolphin Care.

View this HD PodCast on iTunes!

ENJOY!

VIDEO in this FLOG ARTICLE - People who know my wife and me know we were the foster family for a Capuchin monkey. Lacey spent a few years with our family and we worked with her every day. We knew that training would be paramount in the level of care she could provide.

The smarter the animal the harder it is to train and the longer it takes to develop skills. Dogs, we can all agree, are pretty smart. Next to a primate intelligence however there is a large gap. They don’t have the same set of skills. A real smart dog is the golden retriever, which is why this bread is used as Service Dogs.

It takes two years to get a Canine Companion for Independence up an running. (not to mention about $10,000) Compare that to a Helping Hands Capuchin, one of the most social and most intelligent primates, which takes 12 - 15 years.

Granted the Capuchin service monkey has a greater responsibility caring for a high-quad. I recently found this clip on the Helping Hands web site and wanted to share it here. Be prepared to be amazed!

Welcome to Monkey College at Helping Hands.

 

 Monkey College at Helping Hands: Play Now | Play in Popup

My family fostered a Tufted Capuchin monkey named Lacey for HelpingHandsMonkeys.org

The species is highly intelligent and with four hands, very dexterous. She could open a padlock with the key, even determine the correct key from several. The only thing missing is ‘group cooperation’. We support Helping Hands through our store. Get the 5-image series here of Lacey the Capuchin and support their