This spring Deanna and I searched for the American Crocodile in the Florida Keys, in Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and the salt water Everglades. I was rewriting my novel "The Pirates of Crocidile Swamp" (note the slight change in the title) as well as writing a screenplay for it (to present to filmmakers). Being in the habitat of the American Crocodile really added to the rewrite and to the screenplay version.
      We also took the opportunity to videotape as many Crocodiles as we could find. We found a good many. Good News!! This year the American Crocodile was moved off the endangered species list and reclassified as threatened. In 2002 when I wrote the first draft to my novel, it was believed that only 460 american crocodiles were left. Today almost 2000 have been counted in fly overs of croc habitat. And that doesn't include babies. (you can't see baby crocs from a plane, they are too small)
       Deanna got some great closeup footage of big crocodiles in the buttonwood canal that flows through Flamingo Florida. She was in the bow of our canoe while I sat in the stern and paddled to keep us a safe distance from the crocs.
       The Pirates of Crocodile Swamp will be published in hard cover by Putnams. and the screenplay? Who Knows? We're keeping our fingers crossed.