Temporary Flexibility
on U.S. Passports

Due to delays in processing the mountain of passport requests, the U.S. government announced that U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean including the Bahamas, and Bermuda who have applied for but not yet received passports can nevertheless temporarily enter and depart from the United States by air with a government issued photo ID and Department of State official proof of passport application through September 30, 2007. As early as January 2008, the U.S. will require passports at all sea ports of entry for U.S. citizens returning from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda.

Georgia Bass Still King
at 75 years and Counting

Georgia’s Wildlife Resources Division held an event recently to commemmorate one of the longest records in sport, the world record 22-pound, four-ounce largemouth bass caught June 2, 1932, by George W. Perry at Montgomery Lake. The story of the fish and its fishing may be taking on urban myth proportions, but it’s so charming, who cares?

Following his father’s death, 20-year-old George became the family’s main provider. One day too wet for field work, he and friend, Jack Page, set off for Montgomery Lake, an oxbow in the Ocmulgee River 20 miles away. They had little equipment, a homemade boat built from 75-cents-worth of lumber, and a simple hope for a string of fish that would feed them all. As fate would have it, they landed a monster, won a $75 contest sponsored by Field and Stream, a new rod and reel, and a place in the record books. Look it up, the record still stands. And while you’re at it, on the next rainy day, go fishing. The fish don’t mind, and a recent survey indicated that 87 percent of Americans believe fishing and boating have a positive effect on family relationships. I’m sure it did for George Perry.

Miami Marine Stadium
To Fade Away ?

Before Hurricane Andrew (August 1992), one of the coolest things to do in Miami was to attend a concert at the Miami Marine Stadium on Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay. This unique structure–an aquatic racetrack with covered bleacher seating–was built to showcase hydroplane racing. Several national championships were held there. But we remember it as the perfect outdoor concert venue where you could pull up in your boat and join a small crowd of 7,000 for an evening of Jimmy Buffet or The Beach Boys and some beers. Andrew cracked the concrete awning and the place was deemed unsafe. It’s been shuttered and falling apart ever since. Recently, a Master Planning Task Force staffed by the Cities of Miami and Key Biscayne and Miami-Dade County began studying Virginia Key for redevelopment in its entirety.

The good news is that the task force appears to understand that boating facilities in Miami-Dade are at capacity and that the unique wetlands surrounding Virginia Key need to be preserved for limited public use. The bad news is that when these planners think of public use, they think of boat racks, restaurants and shopping options–things that generate high tax revenues–rather than Public Use as in a tourist-attracting marine stadium for public boating events and entertainment. The joint task force is seeking opinions via a Web site, edsaplan.com/Virginia_Key/home.html. If you ever enjoyed a race or concert at the stadium, you might let the planners know that constituted pretty fine public use. Maybe they should locate the FEMA money that was sent to repair the stadium in 1992 and never spent, fix the roof and re-open the place—for THE PUBLIC.