By Janet Raloff
On the way back from a field trip to one of Alabama’s barrier islands in the late 1970s, W. Mike Howell and the students in his vertebrate biology class detoured over the state line into Florida to collect some fish.
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En route to Pensacola, they passed a shady stream, Elevenmile Creek. It was a searing hot day, so it seemed like a good idea to stop and cool off. The consequences of that detour continue to expand.