Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 21

aj'i aj T'a. I'aj ar- 41 St. Petersburg Timet, Tutiday, May 4, 1 971 'Sps In A $500, 000 Patch Of Oil Stocks agencies with professionally trained or oriented personnel from the natural resource disciplines," Representatives of the National Wildlife Fedcra. tlon and the National Wildlife Management Institute also supported the nomination. The seven committee members in attendance, western from all the conservation societies and the fact that he had served both Republican and Democrat governors of Florida.

ers all, had few questions. Sen. Gordon Allott, said he was Impressed by the universal support the I lobe Sound resident had received Mi NAT REED he keeps bis crown. POLLUTION By CHARLES STAFFORD Tlmti lurttu WASHINGTON Nathaniel Pryor Reed climbed Capitol Hill Monday to seek Senate approval as a Nixon-commissioned defender of the environment, but he slipped In a $500,000 patch of oil, Ills conservationist crown escaped Injury, however. Chairman Henry M.

Jackson, said member of his Senate Interior Committee were unanimously in support of the Florida millionaire's appointment as assistant secretary of Interior for fish and THE COMMITTEE doesn't expect Reed to sell the slock, Jackson said. But members do want some guidelines from Interior Secretary Rogers C. B. Morton to assure that Reed will never be involved In any decision concerning Mobil. "Mr.

Reed is an extremely competent and honest person," Jackson said. "But we wish to avoid even the ap-wildlife. and parks. What troubled them during their closed-door discussion with Reed of his financial holdings was Mobil Oil Co. stock worth $500,000.

Askew Taps Middlemas and Water Pollution brought cult against Mobil after a subsidiary In the phosphate Industry polluted a dream. IT WILL be Just a matter of days until Reed's nomination can be referred to the whole Senate for approval, Jackson said. Reed said he expected the delay. "I don't see any problem at all." he said. The Mobil stock, which makes up the biggest single portion of his estate, was given to his family by the oil company in exchange for some oil shale lands in Colorado, Reed said.

Until the committee went into executive session to discuss Reed's finances, his hearing had gone extremely well. Sen. Edward J. Gurney, introduced Reed as a zealous and effective champion of conservation and antipollution efforts. Reps.

Paul Rogers, and C. W. Bill Young, echoed his praise. FRED G. EVENDEN, executive director of th Wildlife Society, testified that Reed "is an aggressive and positive, yet humble, man who has, in his brief time in Wash Gators Not Endangered, Ecology Professor Says BOARD Control Board chairmanship is subject to confirmation by the State Senate.

UNDER Reed, who resigned to accept an appointment as assistant U.S. secretary of the interior for fish, wildlife and national parks, the position became one of Florida's top environmental jobs. Milledge previously was rumored to be in line for appointment in March as full-time executive director of the trustees of the Internal Improvement Funds. He indicated some reluctance at that time to take a fulltime position with the state. The pollution board position is a nonpaying, part-time job.

REED, A Hobe Sound millionaire spent far more of his time on the job than the monthly meetings the board required. Tlmti Wirt Strvlcts TALLAHASSEE John Robert Middlemas, conservation champion and former Democratic legislator from Panama City, has been appointed to the Air and Water Pollution Control Board by Gov. Reubin Askew. Middlemas said Monday that he has heard that Miami lawyer Alan Millcdge will be named to replace Nat Reed as chairman of the board. However, Askew's press secretary, Don Pride, said no decision has been made as to who will take Reed's place.

Middlemas was one of two key environment-related appointments made over the weekend by Askew. The other was that of Kenneth Wood-burn, a wildlife biologist he named as his conservation aide. The Air and Water Pollution ington, demonstrated that he believes in staffing Interior's Beach Gardens and repeated Monday when the initial announcement attracted little attention. Middlemas replaces Elmer Youngblood of Winter Garden, who was appointed by former Gov. Claude Kirk.

Middlemas is an Insurance man who has been rumored in line for a state environmental appointment ever since he was defeated by Rep. William Rish, D-Port St. Joe, in the Democratic primary last year, said he is delighted to be appointed to an agency he had helped create as a legislator. Defeated largely because of the feeling that his views were not in line with his conservative district, Middlemas was known as one of the foremost conservationists in the Legislature during his two terms. with pcarance of any conflict of Interest." As a matter of fact, Jackson told newsmen, Reed in his capacity as chairman of the Florida Department of Air Cornwell said.

"The 'gator population is exploding and our backing should actually help with legal harvesting." But Maj. Brantley Goodson, chief law enforcement officer of the state Game and Freshwater Fish Commission, said in Tallahassee that alligators should be kept on the list because he believes commercial farming methods aren't that well-developed yet. "ALLIGATORS would be better off if they were properly harvested like any other renewable resource," Goodson emphasized. "The biggest protection right now is stronger laws, and the endangered species list keeps everybody concerned." what we've done. When we disagree, we're obligated to say so.

There'll be a real problem around here, unless A Burning Problem Doesn't Sink Firemen Timtl Corrtpondnt NOKOMIS The Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department Sunday had a problem There was a fire and no way to get a firetruck to it. The blaze was on Snake Island, a small island in the Inland Waterway across from Tarpon Center Marina. Firemen said they took a portable pump to the island in a boat and were able to extinguish the fire which burned only a small area. JOHN R. MIDDLEMAS former ranama City legislator.

Well known as the Florida chairman of former U.S. Sen. Eugene McCarthy's 1968 presidential campaign, Milledge has represented the state in a number dredge-and-fill cases. It is not known when Askew intends to announce his choice for the pollution board chairmanship. THE APPOINTMENTS of Middlemas and Woodburn were announced by Askew Saturday at an Izaak Walton League convention in Palm perfect poachers operated in the swamps.

CORNWELL called this nonsense. "Ten of the 18 voting for removal are state and federal wildlife biologists," he said Monday. "It's nonsense to say we were swayed by commercial operators." Cornwell said the list of endangered species is drawn to protect birds and animals actually in danger of extinction. "Keeping alligators on the list diminishes public attention to species which really are in trouble," he said. The council vote will not weaken laws passed in the 1970 Legislature to crack down on poachers and illegal traffic in alligator products, From l-B mayor said.

He wants another year's extension to give the department time for that study and to relieve the city of the immediate tax loss. Arbuckle added the situation is complicated by the fact that the same 20 per cent difference in revenue for operating purposes also is reflected in debt service payments, and could cost the city $20,000. ARBUCKLE SAID the statute didn't provide enough time for the Department of Revenue to investigate the discrepancy between city and county and didn't provide for remedial action by the department, the county or the city. "We're not mad with anybody," the mayor concluded. "But we feel we can justify iscover every season's By KEITH ROGERS Of Tht Tlmtl Staff There are one million alligators In the southeastern United States, 300,000 of them in Florida, and they are not an endangered species, says Dr.

George Cornwell, associate professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida. Cornwell voted with the majority April 22 when the American Alligator Council asked the U.S. Department of the Interior to remove gators from the endangered list. An Associated Press account of the vote said the council had been "infiltrated by hide dealers and tanners" who profited in the days when Relief tween the two and the city is a big loser. Arbuckle said this "loss of revenue would severely cripple the operations of the police, fire and other service departments" of the city.

He said the city is operating at the 10-mill maximum tax levy, and it was on the basis of its own assessment that salary increases for police and firemen were authorized. IIE SAID the legislative act was passed in 1969 to affect the city in 1971 A. call last week to S. J. Roche, chief of the Ad Valorem Tax Bureau, Department of Revenue, determined that the department has not yet investigated the differences between county and city assessments, the Chek cur MORTGAGE LOANS Prion-894-7456 5 PASSBOOK SAVINGS BEAUTY You'll tall the the and Our location sections neighborhood even SERVICE Whether our loan of wide JSf the eliohtful w-y electric cooling and lieatinig marvel.ot th' unique beaut' of design of this leml-clreular, building.

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