SAFETY NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH (NW) CORNER By Fay Wood, NW Chief Crime Prevention Tips - Always Protect Your Residence! (Courtesy of Law Enforcement) • Make your home look occupied. • Lock all outside doors and windows before you leave the house or go to bed. • Leave lights on when you go out. • Keep your garage door closed and locked. • Don't allow daily deliveries of mail, newspapers or flyers build up while you are away. • Arrange the USPS to hold your mail, or for a friend/ neighbor to help. • Pushbutton locks are easy for burglars to open. Install deadbolt locks. • Sliding glass doors are vulnerable. Special locks are available for better security. • Never leave keys under doormats, flowerpots, mailboxes or other "secret" hiding places -- burglars know where to look. • Give out any keys and alarm codes to very few! • Lock your doors and windows when leaving home. Most residential burglaries occur during the daytime. • Use an Alarm System. With all the new growth surrounding our homes, programs allowing non residents in (storage, bingo, restaurant, etc.) and summer trips away beginning, and simple common sense being careful is a good thing. Always better safe than sorry! WILDLIFE ALERT - WATCH FOR ALL IGATORS Alligator mating season typically occurs between May and June. Residents may notice male gators lifting their tails high and slapping the water with their jaws to create vibrations throughout the water during mating season. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds residents to be cautious when having fun in and around water. The FWC recommends keeping pets away from the water. FWC's Nuisance Alligator Hotline: 866.FWC.GATOR (392-4286). They will give you a reference number that will need to be provided to staff at the Clubhouse if the alligator is in a body of water in Lake Wales or to staff at the HFC if in a body of water in Winter Haven. Remember, nuisance alligators are killed, not relocated. Visit http://www.MyFWC.com/ Gators for more information. Be aware of the possibility of alligators when you are in or near fresh or brackish water. Bites may occur when people do not pay close enough attention to their surroundings near water. • Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn. • Dogs and cats are similar in size to the natural prey of alligators. Don’t allow pets to swim, exercise or drink in or near waters that may contain alligators. Dogs often attract an alligator’s interest. • Leave alligators alone. State law prohibits killing, harassing or possessing alligators. Handling even small alligators can result in injury. • Never feed alligators – it’s dangerous and illegal. When fed, alligators can overcome their natural wariness and learn to associate people with food. When this happens, some of these alligators have to be removed and killed. • Dispose of fish scraps in garbage cans at boat ramps and fish camps. Do not throw them into the water. Although you are not intentionally feeding alligators when you do this, the result can be the same. SANDHI LL CRANE SAFETY It’s that time of year again when sandhill crane colts are seen traveling with their parents. Florida is one of the few places in the world sandhill cranes can be found year-round. The year-round residents are the nonmigratory Florida sandhill cranes, which typically roam in pairs or small family groups. There are now fewer than 5,000 Florida sandhill cranes across the state and they are listed as a state-designated threatened species. Please drive safely throughout Lake Ashton and remember that it is illegal to feed these birds. This includes accidental feeding, such as when bird seed is spilled from bird feeders onto the ground below.
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