Name:   dockside - Subject:   Alligators? Date:   12/24/2017 1:24:17 AM

I don't know if there are any alligators at present in Lake Martin (Alabama) but there is no arguing that for years there was a gator that "patrolled" regularlly the shoreline of the Lake Martin Ski Club at Porter's Branch. To protect those involved in the gator's introduction to Porter's Branch as well as those responsible for his demise no names will be shared. In the early summer of 1973 at a ski tournament at Rocky Bayou State Park outside Niceville on the Florida panhandle a young local boy had caught a small approximately 2 foot long gator and had it at the event. There were several of us from LM skiing in the tournament and one of our group wondered what would happen if the gator was brought back to the lake and let go. Not exactly a wise decision looking back but certainly one you might expect 16-18 year old teenage males to make. After some negoiation with the young boy the small gator was acquired and brought to LM where he (or she) was let go at the clubhouse. For several years after that release I have no memory of anybody mentioning ever seeing the young gator.  Then things changed. There were several of us that regularly went to the club for early morning jump and slalom practice. It was at these early morning trips we started seeing our Florida transplant regularily. Best guess was he was then between 4-5 feet in length. We kept seeing the gator for several years and one local resident who was not a skier but frequented the club site told me he could just about tell you where the gator could be found at different times of the day as the gator seemed to have regular travel habits. A side note is that our remote club site historically had a good population of water snakes and other vermin (muskrats, beavers, etc.) that could be seen sunning on the ski ramp or found chewing the floatation under the jump. Gradually we noticed the sightings of these animals declining and can only attribute it to the gator's presence. The demise of the gator occured in either 1983 or 1984 as he had grown to such a size that it started to be a concern. The gator was shot by a responsible person and the body laid up on the shoreline for several weeks. The week after he was shot we measured him at just under 8 feet. Several teeth were pulled from the carcass as proof of his existence along with taking a poor photo using an old "110" camera. I don't have easy access to the photo but feel sure it still is around. Hope this helps in sharing the story (and not supposition) of the ski club transplant.