We performed our second day of "work" here at Shark Valley yesterday. We went in an 1 pm and were roving rangers for a couple of hours. As such our job was to stroll about in the areas near the visitor center, especially those which have a high concentration of alligators our sunning themselves. Our main job there is to keep visitors at a healthy 10 feet distance from each of the gators and to answer questions for them about the gators and the birds as well.

 In the evening we also helped with a night program that was given for the members of the Everglades National Park Trust, a group which raised large sums of money for use in the park for projects and visitor programs. We helped to give this group of about 65 people an evening tour, watching the sunset part way and then a nice visit to the observation tower at night with a lunch served there. Our job was to help in setting up and then to assist the rangers in answering questions about the park and the wildlife here. We returned home about 9 pm, tired but with a good feeling of satisfaction. Each member of the trust donated at leas $50 in order to attend and most wrote much larger checks before they left. It turned out to be a very nice group of folks who were also verry appreciative of the staff and especially we volunteers who helped in putting things on.

     One of our near neighbors is this gator who lives in our pond.

I thought that I would end today's entry with a picture of our new neighbor from just a hundred yards or so away. He is a second alligator who seems to have just moved into the pond in the campground, living at this end nearest to our RV site. He seemed to be a friendly fellow as he was lying out in the sun yesterday.(Notice his smile!) He was just a little shy though as he hissed when I didn't notice him right away as I walked near the lake! He is probably between three and four feet in length and is believed to be about five or six years old. Just a youngster!