Last week a group of River Warriors got together at the River Warrior Lodge to send messages to Tallahassee. Lead by one of creators of the Solidarity Fish Projects, Janeen Mason , we created messages to send to some of our legislators.
Some were thank you’s and some were pleas. Plea’s to buy the land. Please to use amendment one money as the people who voted for it intended. Pleas to save our drinking water. Pleas to save the Everglades.
Solidarity doesn’t mean we talk at you and you talk at us and we remain at this brick wall. Solidarity means working together for a real solution to end the Toxic Discharges, to save our drinking water, to save our everglades, to stop salt water intrusion.
Together.
Here is Janeen explaining what we were doing.
Here is another video done by Kenny Hinkle on the project.
Solidarity Fish headed back to Tallahassee….Buy the land. Send the water south. Save our River. Save the Everglades.
Stop the discharges. Solidarity y’all.
Captain Mike Connor and Michelle Roberts, granddaughter of Johnny Jones. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/johnny-jones-remembered-as-stubborn-advocate-for-t/nL8Qt/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/johnny-jones-remembered-as-stubborn-advocate-for-t/nL8Qt/ Johnny Jones, a plumber turned environmentalist who spearheaded the Kissimmee River restoration, helped establish the Big Cypress National Preserve and championed the Everglades, is remembered by heavyweights of Florida’s environmental movement as a stubborn, well-connected man who could get legislation passed in Tallahassee. Mr. Jones, a hunter and fisherman, didn’t like what Florida’s explosive growth was doing to the woods, water and wildlife. He used his connections to build political support for major environmental causes.
Solidarity Fish headed back to Tallahassee….Buy the land. Send the water south. Save our River. Save the Everglades.
Stop the discharges. Solidarity y’all.
solidarity fish on their way to Tally Photo by Janeen Mason
“Senator Negron Calls on Army Corps to Immediately Suspend Harmful Releases from Lake Okeechobee Due to Algae Bloom”
Stuart, Fla. – Today, State Senator Joe Negron (R-Stuart) called on the Army Corps of Engineers to immediately suspend the harmful releases from Lake Okeechobee due to the current toxic blue-green algae bloom in water adjacent to the lake.
“I have personally seen video and photos confirming that water adjacent to Lake Okeechobee is currently experiencing a toxic blue-green algae bloom,” said Senator Negron. “With the elevation of Lake Okeechobee at less than 14 feet, there is simply no reason whatsoever for the Army Corps to be discharging water at this time.”
“While releases from Lake Okeechobee are always harmful, discharging water with a toxic blue-green algae bloom is particularly dangerous to our lagoon and estuary,” said Senator Negron.
“Right now, there is zero chance of any breach or damage to the dike,” said Senator Negron. “At the same time, there is a hundred percent chance of damage to our lagoon and estuary when the Army Corps pours hundreds of millions of gallons of polluted water into our community. Why would they do that?”
The Army Corps of Engineers will suspend discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie River so state agencies can run tests on a possible blue-green algae bloom that has been found in the western end of the St. Lucie Canal.
How long the discharges will be curtailed for the testing by the South Florida Water Management District and the state Department of Environmental Protection was not confirmed.
Press Release from Rick Scott’s Office: For Immediate Release, Office of the Governor, Lake Okeechobee Toxic Algae and ACOE’s Halting Releases to St Lucie River.
April 24, 2015
Contact: media@eog.myflorida.com
(850) 717-9282
Governor Rick Scott Dispatches Florida Department of Environmental Protection Team to Test Potential Algae Blooms in Lake Okeechobee
LAKE OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott made the following statement following claims of harmful blue green algae blooms in Lake Okeechobee.
Governor Rick Scott said, “Today, following reports of harmful blue green algae blooms in Lake Okeechobee, I’ve asked the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to immediately dispatch a team to test water for harmful algae blooms. The Army Corps of Engineers did the right thing by halting their releases this afternoon. President Obama also needs to live up to his commitment to repair the dike and responsibly manage Lake Okeechobee.
Today Obama is managing Lake Okeechobee? Wow. Because a few weeks ago it was the state. Oh that’s right it’s suppose to be a partnership.
I want to drive this point home.
1. Even if this water was totally clean and devoid of all the nasty nutrients and toxic green algae it would still kill us because it is fresh water. So the legislature needs to know this – even the clean water will kills us. I don’t understand why this particular important point is never mentioned. NO FRESH WATER! Please find a hydrologist and ask them to explain salinity.
2. Now add on toxic green algae to the mix. been there. done this. bought the t shirt. But know this -it only happens when this stuff comes out of Lake O. So whenI hear talk in Tallahassee of not buying the land because we have enough land (Sen ALAN HAY) and how water needs to be stored north. I have to wonder what kind of information are these people getting and who are they getting it from.
Who are you getting it from?
How in the world do you recharge the aquifers if you store the water north of the lake? How do you fend off salt water intrusion if the water does not flow south?
HOW?
Just proves to me that our legislators have no understanding of what is going on here.
I know its hard but if we can understand this stuff so can you.
and why would any one push this stuff? They do because its sugar speak. Anything to avoid what would save us. We didn’t like but we lived through discharges from our own water shed which was mostly AG BTW. This is what no one tells you and big sugar wants you to believe.
What kind of person does that anyway? What kind of people distorts the truth for their own personal gain? When is enough enough?
Because this is the truth and this what happens and this has got to end. We CANNOT have another toxic summer.
Do the right thing. Buy the land. Don’t destroy us.
and stop taking money from Big Sugar. I’m sure there is lots of other corporate welfare out there.
Here is the poison coming our way. Thanks Kenny and Captain Mike.
When they open the locks toxic algae is coming our way. Lake O with an algae bloom. Watch the video and learn and don’t let people talk sugar speak to you. The algae blooms don’t come from our basin.
Captain Mike Connor holds up a bottle of green water with Toxic Algae in it.
What’s going to take to make this stop?
Here is a video of what happened the last time.
We had beautiful water.
they open the gates.
dreaded green algae came back.
Destroyed our economy.
We had a protest with 7000 people.
The continued destruction of the Indian RIver Lagoon..
The death of 2 million dollars worth of Oysters.
The death of the most diverse estuary in north america
How can the world let this happen to us?
Our legislators can help up.
Yet, They do nothing. nothing to stop this. Its worse that politics as usual.
It’s greed like you’ve never seen before.
We have no representation from the Treasure Coast.
“In the words of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas there are no other Everglades in the World.”
“If we don’t act there might not be an Everglades as we know it.”He talked about salt water intrusion, and how South Florida, 7 million Americans, get their drinking water from the Everglades.”
“The pentagon says that climate change poses a risk to our national security”
“All of this poses a risk to Florida’s 82 billion dollar tourist industry on which many jobs and livelihoods depend.”
“Protecting our parks is a smart thing to do for our economy.” (you know jobs, jobs, jobs)
President Obama said “We want to restore the natural flow of the Everglades which we know is one of the best defenses against climate change and rising sea level.”
“This is not some impossible problem.”
“If you’ve got a storm. You prepare for the storm. You don’t stick your head in the sand.”
The pentagon says that climate change poses a risk to our national security.
That’s so true. Read this book. It was a total non partisan issue to screw up the plumping.
The Federal Government has invested millions of dollars and with out buying the land in EAA Everglades Restoration will never be complete. The Aquifers will not be recharged. The salt water intrusion will continue. We will get discharges forever. The drinking water of South Florida will be destroyed.
So if our President of the United States, a guy who is really busy, understands this simple message why doesn’t our Florida Legislature? Do they hate him so much they would destroy our Everglades, our drinking water and continue to to allow the toxic discharges and the wasting of millions of gallons of water? President Obama, millions of gallons of water are sent out to tide and are destroying our northern estuaries.
When our President says we have to do this we have to do this and our Florida Legislators must make this happen. They can no longer keep their heads in the sand. They need to prepare for the storm.
Please call your legislators today and tell them we must buy the land.
This is the time of year when state Sen. Alan Hays usually tries to turn one of his extreme opinions into law by filing a bill that the Legislature has to consider with a straight face.
Session 2013: The Umatilla Republican does not disappoint.
Hays has offered bills in the past that delighted his insurance and development backers but would have left his constituents seething. The worst among them was a bill that would have deregulated the insurance industry, launching the cost of homeowner premiums into the ozone.
The winner of the annual competition for Hays’ Most Bizarre Bill is SB 584, an absurd measure that seeks to prevent the state, counties and cities from buying any more conservation land than they already own unless they sell an equal amount of publicly held property.
Yep, that’s it, folks. Sell some of that “useless” property you’re just hanging onto for no reason if you want another park. You’ve hit the cap.
Sen. Alan Hays, a Umatilla Republican who is chairman of the subcommittee, said the state might already have enough land within its preservation inventory.
Many lawmakers see the issue much differently. They say Florida owns enough land, and argue that the amendment language is broad enough that they can steer nearly all the money to other environmental priorities.
Hays chairs the Senate committee that was responsible for creating an environmental spending plan that conforms with the constitutional amendment.
Of course they do.
This is Florida where the fox is in charge of the hen house.
“The 2015 Session is more than half way through, and your elected representatives have made it clear they really, truly, do not care what you think. They care what NRA gorgon Marion Hammer thinks. And what Tom Feeney of Associated Industries thinks.
And, of course, US Sugar. It doesn’t do to offend the paymaster.”
Our Minority Leader, Mark Pafford, is posting Jelly Fish and Empty Garages on his twitter page.
The South Florida Water Management District is directed by nine Governing Board members who set policy for the agency. They reside within the agency’s 16-county region and represent a cross section of interests, including the environment, agriculture, local government, recreation and business. Governing Board members are unpaid citizen volunteers appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. They generally serve four-year terms.
The South Florida Water Management District encompasses two major watershed basins, the Okeechobee Basin and the Big Cypress Basin. The Big Cypress Basin also has a Basin Board, with appointed members setting policy. One Governing Board member also serves as the chair of the Big Cypress Basin Board.
The Governing Board appoints the Executive Director, who directs all South Florida Water Management District activities. The Florida Senate confirms this candidate.”
So the people on the board of South Water Management District are unpaid volunteers. We are volunteers. They are volunteers that are friends of Rick Scott. We get bubka’s.
Why does a group of unpaid volunteers get to make a decision about our discharges, our water, our everglades?
Here is the discussion at the end of the meeting last week about why the land will not be bought.
So i’m good with the attention and the general message. But I’m not cool with giving Everett Wilkenson any attention at all! Just two weeks ago he paid 50 actors 75 dollars and duped them into thinking they were shooting the backdrop for a tea party documentary. I know channel 12 knows this because i personally went over to the news truck last Thurs and told them myself.
read here: https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/04/07/actors-duped-in-tea-party-protest-at-south-florida-water-management/
“I don’t know anything about people being paid! These are real protestors”
Here is the piece! Again thanks so much for investigating but please don’t give any attention to fake people.Why are we talking about “Land Grabs?” Its a conspiracy theory.
For two years I’ve been begging people to talk to each other in the paper. We are so blessed to have the very best dedicated lagoon team. Now we can send articles to our friends! Our voices and the voices of the Stuart News is intragral to being heard.
So thank you who ever made this happen. (I think the person has the initials E.S.) because now we can talk to each other and reach out even more.
Mark Pafford 
cyndi lenz 