On the Job

>>Kern Baxter has enjoyed camping and fishing in the Everglades since 1984, but it wasn't until 14 years ago that he decided to share with visitors the wealth of Florida's natural beauty-and his extensive knowledge of it all-on a grand scale. Baxter started Everglades Excursions (part of Naples Transportation and Tours) with general manager Randy Smith. The tour company takes visitors on full- or half-day visits to the Everglades and other local attractions. It now employs five tour guides and two airboat captains, but Baxter remains the main guide. Every day he picks up visitors from hotels, shuttles them to the Everglades City area in his tour bus and accompanies them on the airboat rides, narrating and guiding them through Florida's wilderness.

Do you recite the same narration on every tour? No, it all depends on what I see and who's with me. Sometimes there are bird lovers, sometimes botanists with me. Most of our passengers are well educated and are very interested in the ecosystem, the wildlife and what we're doing about saving the water. They ask me questions and make me dig deeper.

How do you know all the answers? I taught myself from books. I learn a lot from my passengers as well. But . I've lived it. Mostly people ask about the alligators and the manatees. Then they start asking about the trees, the science and the ecology and how to protect the future of the Everglades. I like to give them background about the history [of the region], the drug running, the Indians.

Any common silly questions? There's no question too big and no question too small. Someone just asked me, "How long does it take a coconut to grow?" One year. Did you know that? There's no such a thing as a dumb question.

Any famous guests? [Boxer] Sergio Caruso. And I've met [former] President Jimmy Carter.

Most popular tour highlights? The airboat ride, the animals. I show them alligators and let them hold a live one. They have lunch at the Seafood Depot [in Everglades City] and have all the alligator nuggets and shrimp they can eat, and then they take an hour-and-a-half boat ride [through the Ten Thousand Islands] out to the Gulf to see the dolphins.

-Rebecca Loveridge