Great Outdoors News Alert

Top U.S. Beach

FLORIDA’S BEACH. Petersburg-Clearwater Area

Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach, has named Fort De Soto Park’s North Beach on the Gulf of Mexico the number one beach in the U.S. for 2005. But wildlife experts have long proclaimed this 1,136-acre park near St. Petersburg tops for birding, kayaking, angling and camping. Anglers wade-fish for snook, redfish, and speckled trout. Birders look for up to 280 species. Kayakers explore the mangrove backcountry. Tent, pop-up and RV campers set up at the water’s edge. PR CONTACTS: PR Director Wit Tuttell, 727-464-7213, wit@floridasbeach.com or visit http://www.floridasbeach.com/. Bill AuCoin, 727-522-2371, wmaucoin@verizon.net

Mountain Climbing CD

OFF-ROAD ADVENTURE with Maptech Topographic Maps on CD-ROM

Hike the highest peak in each of the 50 states with Terrain Navigator 50/50 CD. Includes all the topo maps you need and it works with GPS receivers. See the maps in 3D for a real, life-like feel of the terrain. Print the maps and you're all set. SRP: $19.95. Over 50 million people visit our National Parks each year. But if you're an adventurer looking to discover the park beyond the normal tourist sites checkout Maptech's National Park Guide CD. SRP: $49.95. Maptech – www.maptech.com. Sales: 888-839-5551. PR Contact: Martin Fox, mfox@maptech.com.

Eco-travel

PALM ISLAND RESORT, Cape Haze, Florida

Eco-travelers have put Florida’s Palm Island Resort on their must-visit list. Palm Island Resort is on a Gulf barrier island reachable only by car ferry or private vessel.  With two miles of natural beach, Palm Island Resort offers superior birding, shelling, kayaking, and saltwater angling. Anglers headquarter here for tarpon fishing at world-famous Boca Grande Pass and backcountry fishing for snook and redfish. Amenities include four pools, tennis courts, skiff and kayak rentals, restaurants, wildlife trails and mangrove boardwalks. Kids are entertained by Red Beard the Pirate. PR CONTACT: Jennifer Frankowiak at 813-630-2774 or email jenni@cprg-web.com

Florida inland cruises

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA YACHTS, N. Fort Myers, Florida

In honor of its twentieth anniversary, Southwest Florida Yachts has announced a 20 percent discount on five-day power and sailing yacht charters until Nov.1 and on three-day charters Aug. 1 to Nov. 1. Cruise the sheltered Gulf Intracoastal Waterway past Southwest Florida’s gulf barrier islands and wild mangrove sanctuaries where herons, egrets, pelicans and ospreys roost, dolphins surf your wake and magnificant frigatebirds soar overhead. PR CONTACT: Bill AuCoin, 727-522-2371 or email wmaucoin@verizon.net

Learn a yacht

FLORIDA SAILING & CRUISING SCHOOL. N. Fort Myers, Florida

Courses are being scheduled for summer and fall by Florida Sailing & Cruising School, the unique live-aboard school where the yacht is the classroom and the bedroom suite. Up to four students at a time “eat, breathe, sleep and laugh” their way to the diploma, said owner Barb Hansen. Students learn to steer, plot, cast-off, anchor, tie up, and move the vessel in and out of slips.  Evenings, around the salon table, they review the textbooks and prepare for the big test. PR CONTACT: Bill AuCoin, 727-522-2371 or email wmaucoin@verizon.net

Garb is gear

WRANGLER RUGGED WEAR, Greensboro, N.C.

Wrangler Rugged Wear^® has announced a new logo and tagline – Geared for the Outdoors™ -- to reinforce the brand’s message of function, durability and style to outdoor enthusiasts, officials said. The 2005 Wrangler Rugged Wear line includes the Relaxed Fit Jean, Classic Fit Jean, Stretch Jean, Carpenter Jean, Thermal Jean, Fleece Jean for men and women, Angler Pant and Angler Shorts, Performance Casual Pants, Denim Jacket, the classic Denim Basic shirt, and a new collection of plaid and flannel shirts. PR CONTACT: Bill AuCoin, 727-522-2371 or email wmaucoin@verizon.net

Comfort and concealment

PROGEAR BY WRANGLER, Greensboro, N.C.

ProGear™ by Wrangler® has announced its Fall 2005 line of professional hunting apparel for men serious about comfort, concealment and protection. The new line includes the Five Pocket Jean with large openings for boots, Camo Cargo Pant with roomy opening and adjustment toggle, Thermal Jean with Advanced Thinsulate™ Insulation, Camo Flannel Field Shirt, Pro Stalker Hooded Flannel, camo tees and hats – available in Realtree Hardwoods® Grey HD or Hardwoods® Green HD. The new line includes the famous Upland Jean for men and boys and the ProGear Shooter Shirt. PR CONTACT: Bill AuCoin, 727-522-2371 or email wmaucoin@verizon.net

Environmental science interviews

TAMPA BAYWATCH, St. Petersburg, Florida

Tampa Bay is getting better!  Tarpon are back - redfish more plentiful -- even scallops are starting a come-back -- thanks to an army of volunteers! Tampa Bay Watch organizes a variety of habitat restoration projects utilizing community volunteers – and it is working. Water clarity is visibly better. Once barren shorelines are teeming with life. And, because most of the projects are self-perpetuating, the effect is cumulative. “You won’t find our volunteers carrying signs,” says Peter Clark, Executive Director. “They are out getting dirty for a cleaner Bay.” Visit www.tampabaywatch.org or, to interview one of our environmental scientists, call 727-867-8166. 

Maritime issue interviews            

QUALITY MARITIME TRAINING, St. Petersburg, Florida