Conservation Community Has Lost 2 Good Men

An overflow crowd jammed the Memorial United Methodist Church Sanctuary last Wednesday to pay respects to Mason Smoak, who died in an airplane crash June 20. There were so many people there that the Lake Placid church had to use its Fellowship Hall to accommodate all of them.

According to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office, a 1989 fixed wing, single engine, two-seater Piper Cub was returning to the Placid Lakes Airport and crashed near the south end of the runway. Smoak, who was the pilot of the airplane at the time of crash, and his passenger, Dave Maehr, died at the scene.

Smoak and Maehr were conducting aerial surveys of black bears in Highlands County. Maehr was a visiting scientist at Archold Biological Station while on sabbatical from the University of Kentucky.

Hilary Swain, Archbold's director, wrote a wonderful tribute to the men that is found on Page 5A in today's paper. Swain talked about the close friendship Smoak and Maehr had established and the continuous support Smoak and his family gave to conservation efforts in the area.

Smoak was a native of Lake Placid. A third-generation citrus grove owner and lifelong resident of Lake Placid, Smoak was a humble, devoted family man who, according to the obituary, "lived a life dedicated to his Lord, wife and children."

Although he was a resident of Kentucky, Maehr had Florida ties. Maehr worked for the state agency that back then was called the Florida Freshwater Fish and Game Commission. He worked in Naples and was an expert on the Florida panther, one of the most endangered animals in the world.

He was passionate in trying to protect habitat for the panther and warned about the impact of urban sprawl.

The support from the Lake Placid community following the tragic accident has been heart-warming, including some businesses that have expressed condolences on their signs.

It is a terrible loss for the community - one that will take quite a while to get over.