River camping is a fantastic activity that combines the best of car camping with the best of backpacking. It allows you to retreat into a remote area, like when backpacking, but bring some of your favorite creature comforts along, like with car camping. 

Keep the following tips in mind when planning a river trip and you’ll be happy as a clam.

Notice, I didn’t say “may get wet!” Consider every piece of gear in your canoe or kayak as an object that will be subjected to splashing, small leaks, and even rain. Prepare as needed, and you’ll be a much happier camper, especially in the winter! To make all your gear water resistant, purchase large drybags and use those to pack everything from clothing to sleeping bags, cooking equipment to the tent, and even firewood. Firewood can be double bagged in durable garbage bags and in most cases, should stay dry. 
Pro Tip: Bring at least one ‘chemical’ log for each evening fire you plan on having. The chemical logs burn hot enough to help light damp firewood but not hot enough for soaked firewood.  

Whenever we canoe camp, we prefer to camp on sandbars and other open areas along the edge of the river where it is possible to drag your vessel up onto shore and tie off. Hauling all your gear out of the boats every night to set up camp and back in the morning to pack up gets old, FAST. With that in mind, keep in mind that sandbars are not static things. Sandbars and related camp areas may move, change, be flooded, or even disappear depending on recent river conditions. 
If canoeing in an area where you can talk to a land manager, call them and ask about camping conditions. There may be established camps, like on the Suwannee River, that you can rely on as a backup plan. If not, keep an eye on the time as you paddle. If it is getting late in the day, settle for the best site you can find with enough time to set up camp before nightfall. 

When river camping, especially in cooler weather, you shouldn’t have to resort to dehydrated food. Bring a camp stove, some pots and pans, even a dutch oven, and bring great food to feast on. Remember, this is slightly less convenient than car camping. With a gas stove and a fire, you can make a large variety of food that will keep any camper happy. I recommend some simple recipes to start, but remember to keep all meat colder than 40 degrees: 

1. Chili with beans, fresh veggies and ground beef or pork
2. Steak and veggies cooked on a cast iron skillet
3. Fajitas with fresh peppers, onions, beans and sour cream

Nothing makes for grumpy campers faster than being cold, wet, and hungry. Cook real food. Trust us, these recipes are perfect for your hungry friends and family.http://amzn.to/20PBhOf
Pro Tip: If you’re of age and interested in happy hour, we always plan light hor d'oeuvres and a cocktail to keep our canoe-mates full and happy while we set up camp and cook. Bring some durable containers that are made of plastic - not glass! The last thing you want in a wet canoe is broken glass. I recommend this metal bottle and this plastic flask; they are great for pre-mixed cocktails or for bringing wine/ingredients.

I hope you have a great time canoe camping and enjoy the perks of getting outdoors with a little bit of luxury. If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll be glad to help! Happy camping!

The often ill-fated disease caused by Naegleria fowleri  is "Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis" or PAM. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only 132 people have been infected since 1962. Unfortunately, all but three have died from the infection. 
Have I scared you enough yet? Don't worry. As you can tell by those statistics, the infection is incredibly rare. Fortunately, reducing your risk and your friends' and family's risk is easy. 

Brain-Eating Ameba is found in the mud of warm water lakes and ponds. To avoid infection, avoid stirring up the sediments in warm freshwater. Keeping one’s face away from stirred up sediment in warm water will significantly reduce the risk of infection.
Children, especially young children, should be discouraged from digging in mud and sediments in lakes and ponds where they may be playing. This includes diving down to the bottom of a lake to dig plants or other things up.

You cannot be infected through drinking contaminated water, eating fish from contaminated water, or by talking to, touching, or being around another person infected with brain-eating ameba. Additionally, you cannot catch Naegleria fowleri from salt water.
If you suspect you or someone you know may have contracted brain-eating ameba, check the following symptoms and call a medical professional immediately. Symptoms usually start 5 days after infection but may range 1-7 days from time of infection.

• Early symptoms often include headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting
  
• Later symptoms often include stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, seizures, hallucinations, and lack of attention to people or surroundings

After symptoms present, death usually occurs within five days but may range from one day post-infection to twelve days post-infection. In the few known cases of survival, the patients recognized the symptoms early and sought proper treatment immediately.
Share this information with everyone you know who enjoys our many gorgeous water features in Florida; this information may save a life! Avoiding Brain-Eating Ameba is easy and with a little knowledge, we can all have a safe and adventurous summer.

This month, I've been teaching a community workshop on "Snakes in Polk County." To my great surprise, my class has sold out or resulted in a full classroom at both locations! Why am I surprised? I didn't think so many people were interested in snakes. Clearly, I was wrong.

For that reason, I thought it might be helpful to post some of the information I discussed at my class here. Snakes are a fascinating group of critters but tend to evoke all levels of fear and trepidation in the average resident or tourist. Let me assure you... you scare them as well! Below, I've listed some of the information we cover in the class.

• There are 36 species of native snakes in Central Florida; of those, only four are venomous. In all of Florida, there are 46 species of snakes. Of those, only six are venomous.
  
• The four venomous snakes in Central Florida are: pygmy rattle snake, diamond back rattlesnake, coral snake, and cottonmouth (aka water moccasin). 
  
• All of Florida's venomous snakes, including the two not found in Central Florida, are in the pit-viper family except the small coralsnake. The coralsnake is in the Elapidae family. Snakes in the pit-viper family produce a hematoxin while snakes in the Elapidae family produce a neurotoxin.
  
• Most water snakes people encounter in Central Florida are not actually the cottonmouth but are one of our many native non-venomous water snakes like the Florida banded water snake or the green water snake. The non-venomous snakes are thought to mimic the cottonmouth as a defensive strategy.
  
• There are no snake repellents on the market that are scientifically proved to be effective. Don't waste your money.
  
• This statement includes the use of mothballs as a snake repellant. Mothballs contain potent insecticides and are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As such, placing them in your home or yard is both illegal and illogical. Using mothballs in your yard and home as a snake repellent doesn't work, can be dangerous for children and pets, and contaminate soil and water. 
  
• The best defense for snake encounters in your yard or home is good maintenance and landscape design. Details on this strategy can be found in this University of Florida document: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw260
  
• Snakes play a critical role in pest control in agricultural, urban, and suburban communities. Without snakes, our rodent and insect populations would be much higher.
  

In addition to the great turnout for the classes, the media was interested too! I am so thrilled to say that I was contacted to do an on-air interview with Tampa's 88.5 WMNF about snakes in Central Florida. The radio station is a local National Public Radio affiliate and the show I appeared on is called "Radioactivity with Rob Lorei" The recording of the show is posted online, in their archives, if you're interested in listening. It was so exciting!

If you're interested in some books for further study, the ones I use in my office are:

• Peterson's "A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America" 
  
• Ashton's "Handbook of Reptiles and Amphibians of Florida: Part 1 The Snakes"
  

Like what you see? In the interest of full disclosure, I may earn a small commission when you purchase items through the links provided here. There is no increase in cost, to you or anyone else, associated with these links.
Both snake photos on this page were used under thecreative commons license 2.0 in an unaltered form. Clicking on either photo will take you to the source's Flickr page.