What can we do about the death of Florida Bay, our water, our river, our eastuaries? Bring me the person in charge!

What can we do about the death of Florida Bay, our water, our river, our estuaries?

Feeling frustration? Yes me too.

This just in from the keys free press.

Why is Rick Scott destroying Florida?

http://pdf.keysnews.com/weeklys/freepress.pdf

Opinion piece that is in this weeks Florida Keys Free Press at http://pdf.keysnews.com/weeklys/freepress.pdf that reads as follows:

Florida Bay needs clean water now

Unless the South Florida Water Management District takes immediate action to restore flows of clean fresh water to the southern Everglades, its governing board and the man who appointed them, Gov. Rick Scott, will go down in history as the people who destroyed South Florida’s coastal fisheries.

Most estuaries in the district’s jurisdiction are on the verge of collapse. By assaulting the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers with billions of gallons of filthy runoff and depriving Florida Bay of clean fresh water, the district is knowingly destroying many of the iconic waters that make Florida the Fishing Capital of the World.

The discharges out the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers get the most media attention, since they’re urban waterways and always in the public eye. But what’s going wrong in Florida Bay is also reprehensible and costly, especially in the context of Florida Keys tourism. One of Florida Bay’s most popular and prolific fish species, the spotted sea trout or “speckled trout,” has virtually disappeared. Recent studies confirm what veteran anglers like me witness on the water — a near absence of the second most commonly caught fish in Florida Bay, which also happens to be the state’s most commonly targeted species.

You really have to work hard at destroying an estuary to crash spotted sea trout populations. Female trout spawn as frequently as each full and new moon from March through October, broadcasting hundreds of thousands of eggs into waters where they’ve spawned for millennia.

These offspring can survive in a pretty wide range of salinity levels. However, water that’s too salty causes brown algae blooms that block sunlight from reaching seagrass meadows, killing seagrasses and depriving juve- niles of essential cover. Annual hatches of shrimp and crabs, which provide nutrition for juvenile trout, depend upon spring- and summertime influxes of fresh water as well. Without clean, fresh water mixing in the bay, the little trout and many other species don’t get enough to eat. Extremely salty water also interferes with a juvenile trout’s ability to breathe.

Boating and fishing are two of Florida’s biggest economic engines. So you’d think the state that touts itself as the Fishing Capital of the World would bend over backwards to ensure that its most fertile coastal waters get the right amount of clean water at the right times, to maximize the numbers of fish and other marine life these waters can produce. After all, recreational fish- ing in salt water alone generates at least $7.6 billion, with more than $1 billion of that income generated in Everglades watersheds.

Instead, fishermen like me embrace science-based fisheries management and adhere to catch limits recommended by scientists, only to watch fisheries and the ecosystems they belong to crash because of water mismanagement.
We’re tired of being ignored. Florida Bay needs more fresh water, the same water that’s destroying the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee. To restore our coastal fisheries, the district needs to expand water storage, clean the water and send it south from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades and Florida Bay. … Our fisheries are running out of time, our jobs are on the line and our patience has run out.

Capt. Matt Bellinger, Bamboo Charters, Islamorada

One way you can help this weekend is to attend one of these rallies.

http://floridawaterlandlegacy.org/sections/page/may30events

Finish the Job: May 30 Events

Click on any city below for more information.

Alachua

When: 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Where: 15935 NW US Hwy 441, Alachua, FL 32615
(Parking at Lowes, Sonny’s BBQ, or other nearby lots. This is the stretch of 441 that everyone uses to get to Spring Country!)

Lead organizers: Heather Culp, hculp@floridaspringsinstitute.org and Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, merrilleeart@aol.com

Bradenton

When: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Where: Manatee County Courthouse, 1115 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton, FL 34205

Lead organizer: Sandra Ripberger, sandrarip@yahoo.com

Fort Myers

When: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Where: Lee County Alliance of the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd., Ft. Myers, FL 33919

Lead organizers: Ray Judah, ray.judah@icloud.com and John Scott, greenguy@smartgreenhelp.com

Jacksonville

When: 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Where: Walter Jones Historical Park, 11964 Mandarin Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32223

Lead organizers: Jimmy Orth, jorth@ju.edu and Lisa Rinaman, lisa@stjohnsriverkeeper.org

Melbourne

When: 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Where: Grills Riverside, 6075 N US Hwy 1, Melbourne, FL 32940
On the Lagoon, east side of US Hwy 1, just north of Pineda Causeway.

Lead organizer: Spence Guerin, spenceguerin@earthlink.net

Miami

City of South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard invites you to a public meeting with the Water and Land Legacy Coalition.
When: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Where: South Miami City Hall Commission Chamber, 6130 Sunset Dr., South Miami, FL 33143

Lead organizer: Tabitha Cale, tcale@audubon.org

Orlando

When: 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Where: Eagle’s Nest Park, 5165 Metrowest Blvd, Orlando, FL 32811

Lead organizer: Deborah Green, watermediaservices@icloud.com

Stuart

When: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Where: Terra Fermata, 26 SE 6th St., Stuart, FL 34994

(Stick around for the Dirty River Jam, benefiting Indian Riverkeeper!)

Lead organizer: Marty Baum, indianrivguy@yahoo.com

Tampa

When: 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Where: Cypress Point Park, 5620 W. Cypress St., Tampa, FL 33607

Lead organizers: Elizabeth Fleming, efleming@defenders.org, Kent Bailey, kent.bailey@florida.sierraclub.org, Frank Jackalone, frank.jackalone@sierraclub.org

This has got to be fixed. All these people are in charge

SFWMD

The Legislature

Rick Scott

Seems to me like its a concerted effort to destroy Florida. or at least privatize it.

or even better!

and we are still being destroyed

Big Sugar Summit Buy your tickets now

May22

Thanks to the Sierra Club, Florida

@SierraClubFL

Buy Your Tickets Here Now!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-sugar-summit-tickets-16963454148

he Big Sugar Summit will pull the curtain back on the sugar industry. We’ll dig as deep into the muck as we can, in one day, to uncover just how profoundly Big Sugar affects us all. You’ll get the facts regarding the sugar industry’s influence and impact on Florida and its citizens. Our speakers will represent a wide spectrum of the political, academic, scientific and advocacy realms.

The following topics will be covered:

History of Big Sugar in the EAA

Sugar’s impact on the Everglades

Sugar burning practice and impacts

Health impacts

State-level political influence

Federal-level political influence

U.S. Sugar Program

Local economy in the EAA

Sugar Hill Sector Plan

A full agenda and speaker list will be available soon.

Note: There will be a social hour immediately after the program.

Get to Know Know Your SFWMD Board of Govenors: Kevin Powers: Friends and Neighbors

May21

@SFWMD

http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20about%20us/governing%20board

“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.

Kevin Powers
Vice Chair
[Term: 5/2013 – 3/2017]

At-large member for an area that includes St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

Occupation: Partner, Indiantown Realty Corp

Professional, Business and Service Affiliations:
•
Director, Stuart Martin County Chamber of Commerce
•
Member, Indiantown Western Martin County Chamber
of Commerce
•
Former Director, United Way of Martin County

Former Vice President and Director, Martin County
Taxpayers Association
–
Former Director, Economic Council of Martin County

http://www.mceconomy.org/p/7/board-committee-leaders

and this was part of their objectives

Economic Council’s 2015 Legislative Delegation Strategic Priorities

collapse

Martin County Legislative Delegation

Monday, December 8, 2014

A. Waterways & the Environment

Support continued funding to store, clean and move more water south from Lake Okeechobee, rather than having it discharged to tide through our estuary. Recognize that CERP and CEPP projects need to be consistently funded until their completion. Note that all projects help to protect the environment while providing Jobs and Economic benefit to all communities in South Florida.

A while back I wrote a piece about Kevin.

https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/03/20/kevin-powers-were-your-best-friends-us-hahahahahaaaa/

I wrote that A few weeks before Kevin Powers called Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch and asked about the Solidarity Fish.

http://jacquithurlowlippisch.com/2015/02/24/helping-the-sfwmd-catch-a-fish-solidarity-st-lucie-riverindian-river-lagoon/

I wrote that Janeen was kind enough to give him some fish to bring to Tallahassee and he was going speak to some people on our behalf. So for five minutes we were hopeful.

It must must have been quite a trip because he came back and told us that RIck Scott, The legislature and SFWMD was our best friends. So where did the fish go? Did he just say this because some people wanted some for their desk? Did some people take the fish and then say FU to all of us? What happened in Tallahassee?

You can hear it for yourself.

The last meeting I went to I honestly thought I could a glimpse of human being on his and others faces when I asked them what was their plan to stop the discharges. Kevin spoke about being a kid on the Indian River Lagoon and going to Boy Scout Island.

He must have gotten something really good in Tallahassee. Something better than saving our drinking water, saving South Florida from salt water intrusion, recharging the aquifers, stopping the toxic discharges.

He lives here. He can’t even run away from the damage that he has done. And during this whole time he couldn’t call his friends? He couldn’t call his neighbors and say “Hey, this is what the story is. But you know what let’s figure something out. Let’s a find a solution for the pollution!”

I totally understand people having a difference of opinion. But I also expect when people are in charge and there is a problem they find solutions and they don’t play games. We have had nothing but games played. Us. The citizens of Martin County. Your friends and neighbors.

My Dad always told me to be a good friend and neighbor. Here are 10 worse neighbors in movies.

http://listverse.com/2008/03/02/top-10-worst-neighbours-in-movies/

http://screenrant.com/bad-neighbors-movies/

What we need is a good neighbor. Someone who is concerned about us, our economy, our water, our real estate, our welfare.

We need to have a neighbor like Wilson.

or even these guys.

than this guy

Carter Hayes (played by Michael Keaton) moves in to an apartment in a nice townhouse in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights then refuses to pay rent. Not only that, he locks himself in his room and begins to tear the place apart. Then he begins introducing thousands of cockroaches in to the house! His aim? To make the house unlivable so the owners are forced to move out of it and sell it.

And I have to wonder- is this whats happening to us?

Get to Know Know Your SFWMD Board of Govenors: Daniel O’Keefe and Festivus

May19

@SFWMD

http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20about%20us/governing%20board

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.”

Daniel O’Keefe
Chair
[Term: 5/2012 – 3/2016]
dokeefe@sfwmd.gov

Glades, Highlands, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola and Polk counties

Education:

J.D., with honors – University of Florida College of Law
B.S. in Business Administration, Business & Finance – University of Florida

Occupation:
Attorney with Shutts and Bowen LLP

Professional, Business and Service Affiliations:

Board Member, Smart Growth Alliance
Wekiva River System Advisory Management Committee
Member, West Orange Chamber of Commerce
President, West Orange Political Alliance
Former Member, East Central Florida Regional Planning Council

From wikipedia:

“Shutts & Bowen LLP is an Am Law 200 Florida-based law firm with over 240 attorneys in seven offices in the State of Florida and one office in Europe. Shutts & Bowen was founded in 1910. Frank B. Shutts came to Miami in 1909 and became the legal representative of Henry M. Flagler and the Florida East Coast Railway Company. In 1910 he formed a professional association with Henry F. Atkinson. In 1912 Crate D. Bowen joined the firm which settled on the name Shutts and Bowen in 1919. In 1910 Shutts organized the Miami Herald Publishing Company and was its President and principal stockholder.^[2] Shutts and Bowen is among the List of largest U.S. law firms by number of lawyers. Its offices are located in the Florida cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa,^[3] and Tallahassee. Its Tallahassee office is headed by Bobby Brantley.^[4] According to statistics submitted to American Lawyer, Shutts & Bowen recorded $127.5 million in revenue for the year 2012 with profits per partner averaging $682,000.”

http://www.floridatrend.com/article/15847/water-challenges

“Daniel O’Keefe, a real estate attorney in the Orlando office of Shutts & Bowen, is the new chairman of the South Florida Water Management District, the state agency that oversees water resources in the Everglades and 16 counties.”

What he wanted to do when he started.

Our runoff from (Orlando’s) Shingle Creek makes it to the Kissimmee chain and Lake Okeechobee, and that’s ultimately got to be cleansed. Storing more on private and public lands during the wet season, rather than just flushing it out — that’s been a successful and effective strategy, paying for that storage instead of just buying more land.

» Two other items also are a focus of mine: An assessment of lands — the district owns something like 1.4 million acres. We really need to take a serious look at that and ask ourselves, ‘Is it serving its purpose?’ If some is not, and we’re just paying to own it, should it be (sold as) surplus? We could take the money and find better ways to use those dollars. And the last thing is water supply. Just how much do we have? From all sources, surface, aquifer and alternatives such as reuse and desal, and what about the next 30 to 40 years? We expect to have a draft water-supply plan by September.

He puts out a report. You can read it here.

http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/common/newsr/enews/ripple/code/pages/ripple_index.html#article02

“Recognizing that a healthy ecosystem is vital to a healthy economy, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is making significant progress on dozens of initiatives and projects to improve water quality and increase storage.

“The most effective way to achieve restoration is by completing the host of projects now being designed or under construction across the region,” said SFWMD Executive Director Blake Guillory. “Major progress is being made, from wildlife returning to the Kissimmee to heavy construction work south of Lake Okeechobee on reservoirs and treatment wetlands that will help protect coastal estuaries and the Everglades.”

Reservoir south of lake Okeechobee? no kidding. do tell!

There are other Daniel O’Keefes.

This one is missing in Australia if you come across him.

http://www.dancomehome.com

My favorite one is this one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_O%27Keefe_%28writer%29

He invented “Festivus.”

Daniel Lawrence O’Keefe (February 25, 1928 – August 29, 2012) was an editor at Reader’s Digest,^[1] author, and the inventor of Festivus, an annual secular holiday now celebrated on December 23.^[2] His son, Dan O’Keefe, was a writer for the Seinfeld^[3] television show and incorporated the family holiday into an episode of the program,^[1] and in 2005 published The Real Festivus.

Why bring this up? Because of Daniel Lawrence O’Keefe we have some great memes for Daniel O’Keefe
Chair of the Board of Governors at SFWMD.

check em out.

Need I say more?

well just a little more.

I think Daniel O’Keefe understands our disappointment. My main one is his seeing us as “uneducated” and not taking the time or having respect to sit down and hash this out.

SFWMD: ” You’ve been part of a propaganda campaign! ” US “hahahahah”

May18

@SFWMD

@PetersonMelanie

SFWMD: You’ve been part of a propaganda campaign”

Thank you Kenny Hinkle for this great video. This is great work.

Last Thursday SFWMD voted to terminate the 46,000 acre option on the sugar lands where our reservoir was suppose to go.

You know the one that was going clean and convey the water south they way GOD intended it and man screwed it up. Yes, that land. The one that was suppose recharge the aquifers, help stop salt water intrusion, save South Florida’s water and help us to to stop the toxic discharges.

.@SFWMD board put nail in coffin; not only opposed @USSugar land buy but terminated option. http://t.co/faReI4jBZI #IndianRIverLagoon

— Cheryl Smith (@TCPalmCheryl) May 14, 2015

You can hear for yourself.

I’d like to address two things.

Melanie Peterson

Your job was to read the water study. What I’m confused about is why you thought we didn’t read it and talk about it and ask questions about it? We, as in all us advocates, actually talk to each other and communicate with each other daily. We share articles. .We talk about the water every day. Multiple times a day.

I also think you need to do your homework and understand what you are calling local runoff. have you ever been to western martin county? Seriously. Your a horse person and a real estate person. I’m sure your great at both. But to spit in the face of the people who have lived and breathed this water issue is unacceptable.

If you want people to treat you with respect then if has to be both ways. You were totally disrespectful.

We were getting “local runoff” and we did not have green algae. It wasn’t pretty. But before that things were clearing up and they were going test and then the ACOE opened the gates.

“If your concerned about the estuaries.” really. If you were you would understand your remarks were simply sugar speak and a big wink wink.

There is no one more well informed that the group before you. 6 months before the discharges we were documenting here and havn’t stopped.

https://www.facebook.com/SaintLucieRiverofLight

we also have a you tube page

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-c0h9IbytVikLpiQxEAS6g

We also have other pages where thousands of people talk to each other every day. Every day. Multiple times a day. We wake up with each and we at night time we check in to see whats going on.

So before you insult all my hard working friends who have given up their lives for this you should do your homework. Actually, they deserve an apology. You need to apologize.

You can send it here and i’ll post it. You also need to watch the video above. and then you need to resign immediately.

Of course Mitch Hutchcraft doesn’t want the land in play. He is also in real estate and I’m sure part of your golden parachute will be to build big things on this land. Good luck with that!

You cannot build big things south of the lake. Why? We are getting the discharges is to protect the people south of the lake because they are in danger because of the dike. So putting more people in danger is not an option. If you all think its ok o build then maybe it’s not as dangerous as we were told.

https://twitter.com/JMDEngineering/status/598931190075260929

No offense.You are really out of touch and you have no business being part of the people who decide how to deal with our water. In fact, your entire presentation was beyond frightening.

Then my favorite part was I could hear Gayle just having a meltdown and Mr Moran telling her that she was exposed to propaganda.

really? hahahhh

That is seriously rich.

and if it propaganda why is Senator Negron promising to buy other land so we get all the scientists together and send the water south? Why?

http://www.tcpalm.com/franchise/indian-river-lagoon/health/negron-to-pursue-money-for-land-south-of-lake-okeechobee-despite-death-of-us-sugar-option_66776672

State Sen. Joe Negron said Friday he’ll continue “full-speed ahead” seeking $500 million to buy land south of Lake Okeechobee, even though the option of getting it from the U.S. Sugar Corp. is dead.

Now if our Congressman Patrick Murphy understands this and our Senator Joe Negron Understands this. Why don’t you?

Mr Moran should have attended the Everglades Coalition meeting where we listened to real “scientists” talk about sea level rise and we went to a great session about the northern estuaries.

He should have gone he would have learned something.

or at least read a book.

Here’s a great book he can read!

Because sir, if your going to berate us. you really need to know the facts.

so here is my documentation from EVCO

https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/01/11/evco2015-everglades-coalition-annual-conference-key-west-florida/

and here is Erik EIkenberg at the RIver’s Coalition with Nathanial Reed talking about the resevoir

https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/01/30/rivers-coalition-with-eric-eikenberg-and-nathanial-reed-12915/

Please bone up because I’m sure your not calling the following people propagandists. You surely have time to take that back.

Here are the following people who have been going to SFWMD plead with the Board of Govenor’s to buy the land and send the water south.

US (The River Warriors)

The Everglades Coaltion

The Everglades Trust

The Everglades Foundation

Florida Audobon

Tropical Audobon

Everglades Law Center

The Indian RiverKeeper

Ray Judah

Mark Perry Director of Florida Oceanographic, WRAC member

Palm Beach County Soil

Ed Fielding, Martin County Commissioner

Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, Sewell’s Point Commissioner and WRAC member

Dr Gary Goforth

The Sierra Club

Maggy Hurchella

I’m sure there are more. You get the drift.

You have no intention of doing anything because your orders are clear. Privatize the water and you will be rewarded handsomely.

When you sink this low can you really trust the puppet master?

Axis of evil: Big Sugar- Legislature- SFWMD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vuwTrKtlfU

Just so you know the difference THIS is a propaganda campaign. Trying to stop you from polluting us, saving the water, saving the Everglades and stopping sea level rise and salt water intrusion certainly is not propaganda. But YOUR propaganda campaign is just as bad as this. Now lets all go get some coffee made from snow.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJoQOQHQ8oA&spfreload=10

DIrty Rats: SFWMD kicks us in the head

May15

@SFWMD

@JaxStrong

@joenegronfl

@RepMurphyFL

@SteveCrisafulli

Nail in the Coffin.

http://www.tcpalm.com/franchise/indian-river-lagoon/health/sfwmd-board-to-discuss-likely-reject-us-sugar-land-buy_14943889 “WEST PALM BEACH — As expected, the South Florida Water Management District board Thursday rejected the proposal to buy U.S. Sugar Corp. land south of Lake Okeechobee.

Board member Kevin Powers of Stuart made the motion to “irrevocably” terminate the option to buy 46,800 acres of U.S. Sugar land by Oct. 12. The motion was approved unanimously.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIPCn-aYMoM

“The deal, set to expire in October, had been fiercely championed by environmentalists as the best option for storing water from Lake Okeechobee. They envisioned the land being used to ease pressure to release polluted water into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers, allowing water managers to instead hold it until it could be moved south to Florida Bay. Parts of the bay have become far too salty, killing sea grass that provides critical habitat for marine life and driving down the number of sea trout, a fish used to measure the health of the bay.”

There are really and truly constraints out there. For me, the biggest one is financial,” said board member Sandy Batchelor.”

This is what Eric Draper had to say about her when she was reappointed

http://audubonoffloridanews.org/?p=12233

Director Eric Draper:

“During her service Sandy has always put the Everglades first. She does her homework, is careful with tax dollars, and shows up to make the right decisions. Governor Scott made the right call.”

Good Call Eric Draper

Apparently, she has never heard of Amendment One.

“Our frustration comes from the fact that you do not have a Plan B,’’ said former Martin County Commissioner Maggy Hurchalla. “You keep telling us what we can’t do, not what we can do.”

Well this is it isn’t it. This entire time we’ve been going no one from SFWMD has ever suggested what they would do about the issues.

May the fourth be with us! Toxic algae, discharging St Lucie locks. We must keep going!

May5

@JaxStrong

@BarackObama

@joenegronfl

@RepMurphyFL

@SteveCrisafulli

May the fourth be with you! Toxic algae, discharging St Lucie locks.

On May 4th our friend Katy Lewey, river warrior, founder of the River Kidz of St Lucie and Indian River County put together a gathering so we could all be there when the locks open.

st lucie locks may 4, 2015

They have been open but were recently closed due to the discovery of Toxic green algae at Port Mayaca.

In the past few years we are blessed to have great news teams that show up and we show up for them.

In between, the new’s cycle we decided to take a ride to Port Mayaca to see the green toxic algae for ourselves.

When we got there we found Ben, an employee of SFWMD. I have lots of friends who work or worked for them. Good People. Dedicated Scientists.

He was taking water samples of both sides of the locks.

This is what we saw on the inside of the locks.

Slime crimes.

We all documented.

Algae buster mammas.

Then we went to the overpass for a nice wide shot.

you can see the green by the gates. There is also a section off to the right that is not in the photo.

I was not there last week so I have no basis of comparison but I can say the weather has been cooler and this stuff thrives on two things according to my ORCA friend and past Indian RiverKeeper George Jones : Heat and nutrients. So I have no idea what will come next because of the the cool weather. Will it come down and just hang stagnant until it gets hot and then bloom? George said it sucks the o2 out of the water and at night it goes underwater so it just doesn’t sit on the top it goes to the bottom and it sucks the o2 thus killing everything underneath.

Everything.

A big green blob.

kinda like this

Harmful algae Blooms

A harmful algal bloom (HAB) is an algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other organisms via production of natural toxins, mechanical damage to other organisms, or by other means.

armful algal blooms have been observed to cause adverse effects to a wide variety of aquatic organisms, most notably marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds and finfish. The impacts of HAB toxins on these groups can include harmful changes to their developmental, immunological, neurological, or reproductive capacities. The most conspicuous effects of HABs on marine wildlife are large-scale mortality events associated with toxin-producing blooms. For example, a mass mortality event of 107 bottlenose dolphins occurred along the Florida panhandle in the spring of 2004 due to ingestion of contaminated menhaden with high levels of brevetoxin.^[8] Manatee mortalities have also been attributed to brevetoxin but unlike dolphins, the main toxin vector was endemic seagrass species (Thalassia testudinum) in which high concentrations of brevetoxins were detected and subsequently found as a main component of the stomach contents of manatees.^[8]

Immune system responses have been affected by brevetoxin exposure in another critically endangered species, the Loggerhead sea turtle. Brevetoxin exposure, via inhalation of aerosolized toxins and ingestion of contaminated prey, can have clinical signs of increased lethargy and muscle weakness in loggerhead sea turtles causing these animals to wash ashore in a decreased metabolic state with increases of immune system responses upon blood analysis.^[10] Examples of common harmful effects of HABs include:

the production of neurotoxins which cause mass mortalities in fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals
human illness or death via consumption of seafood contaminated by toxic algae^[11]
mechanical damage to other organisms, such as disruption of epithelial gill tissues in fish, resulting in asphyxiation
oxygen depletion of the water column (hypoxia or anoxia) from cellular respiration and bacterial degradation

so when we get upset there is good reason.

Toxic Algae is also harmful to humans.

This is from the cdc.

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hsb/hab/default.htm

Algae are vitally important to marine and fresh-water ecosystems, and most species of algae are not harmful. Algal blooms occur in natural waters used for drinking and/or recreation when certain types of microscopic algae grow quickly in water, often in response to changes in levels of chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer, in the water. Algal blooms can deplete the oxygen and block the sunlight that other organisms need to live, and some can produce toxins that are harmful to the health of the environment, plants, animals, and people.

Please also see this blog post about pets and toxic algae.

https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/05/03/preview-of-coming-attractions-toxic-algae-and-your-pets/

When all else fails. When everyone has closed their doors to us. The legislators, the Governor’s Board of South Florida Water Management.

Rick Scott himself.

What choice do we have then to defend our selves and the creatures of the Indian RIver Lagoon?

Chalksy, the Eco Terrorist

May4

#buytheland

#sendcleanwatersouth

#saveflwater

#stopsaltwaterintrusion

#acoe

This is my friend Ezra.

I met him at our first rally. He was “Mista Big Sugar” You can see him here in this video and you can also see that the locks were closed that day and they have been closed every single time we go out there.

Except for when Rick Scott was there ( we were not allowed in but he was) and when we did the “Keep them closed “protest.

The issue of “civil disobedience” comes up every one in a while. It usually results in all of getting upset. I personally think if people want to do this then its a issue of free choice. If you want to do this then you tell people about it and you give them a choice of what they want to do. I can’t. I won’t. Because I think if you want to do this, really want to do this ,then you have to be prepared to go to jail. I’m not. I cherish my nursing license too much and I couldn’t do what I do every day with out without it. All of us that are credentialed have worked to hard to be able to stay credentialed. For those of those don’t believe me you can go read the nurse practice act.

I also wonder about why anyone would want to do it. I just get never got it as a viable way to do things. I think its born out of frustration and we have so many incredibly smart creative people that are so supportive of each other that we can think better smarter ways to do things as we have in the past. JMHO You have yours. i have mine. RESPECT.

Except this time.

The best things that happen to us happen organically.

Ezra keeps chalk in his car.

So on Sunday, May 3 ,he went to the locks and he wrote

“Buy the land along with his fish symbol that he created.”

Boy did he get in trouble. This upset the policeman so much (our babysitter which is so funny because we have never ever ever ever done anything close to civil disobedience and really insist on being well behaved.

Here he is on government land drawing away with chalk.

photo by Darrel Brand

Photo by Darell Brand

Photo by Darrel Brand

photo by Darrel Brand

A Discussion ensued. It’s Government land. It’s Graffiti.

It’s hysterical. and its ironic if its anything.

The chalk will wash away when we get huge amounts of rain tomorrow. (It would wash away with a little sprinkle)

The green toxic the ACOE is going to send us. Well that’s another story.

This is what Ezra said.

“ I was told to stop what I was doing or face being arrested, as it was considered graffiti on Federal Property. Using sidewalk chalk to draw an image of a fish and the words #SENDTHEWATERSOUTH is apparently a no no. Meanwhile toxic algae was deliberately released into our rivers today. Yet for over 60 plus years, no arrests or fines have ever been made: 1972 Clean Water Act, 1996 Fl Polluters Pay Amendment, Our “Lost Summer” of 2012, dying marine life and sea grass beds, real estate values plummeting and economic losses in the millions. Okay I get it. Next time I’ll just draw images of $ and sugar cane fields!”

So today we went out there because the discharges were starting and someone at ACOE actually had to gall to say that the gate was locked due to yesterdays “Eco terrorist” activities. Seriously. Are you kidding me?

apparently there is an issue with sidewalk chalk. Who knew?

http://www.care2.com/causes/the-american-war-on-sidewalk-chalk.html

While these charges are clearly political (chalk, after all, washes off sidewalks harmlessly) – a scary article from Mother Jones reported recently that at least 50 people have been arrested across the US in the last five years for drawing on sidewalks.

Many of these aren’t political protestors. They’re the parents of four and six-year-old children engaging in fun and harmless summer activity. One mom in Richmond, Virginia was arrested and sentenced to 50 hours of community service for letting her child draw on rocks in a local park – and reports that her daughter is now “very nervous around cops” and “very scared of chalk.”

Apparently writing with Chalk is a gateway crime. Please people keep the chalk away from your children.

Thousands of us have been at these locks. We have had numerous events,

renting out the campgrounds, leaving it cleaner than what we found it, and like I said before the locks have been closed to us every time but once. Which really sucks because the best shot it from the other side. Camera shots people. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.

Toxic Algae Eve : Protest: Buy the land! May 3. St Lucie Locks

May4

@JaxStrong

@SteveCrisafulli

@JoeBiden

#buytheland #sendcleanwatersouth #nomoredischarges #saveflwater #savetheeverglades

On May 3 we had a protest.

https://www.facebook.com/events/831962766840242/

***VIDEO CHALLENGE AND PROTEST*** DEMAND CLEAN WATER! Meet us at Phipps park and we can all stand together! Ask your elected officials to CANCEL THE DISCHARGES and BUY THE LAND! This Sunday, make a video on your phone, make sure to include those two messages in a peaceful video and submit it on to FB. Tag 3 of your friends and ask them to make their own video and do the same about why we want to stop the discharges and buy the land. Time is running out! Enough is enough!

We came! We Marched! We uploaded video all at the same time.

Why? To create awareness because apparently even after we were dumped on, had our estuary and economy destroyed, had multiple protests with up to 7,000 people, went to DC, went to Tallahassee, had dozens of events, took thousands of hours of video, took a gazillion photos, wrote hundreds of letters, emails and tweets we are at this moment in time right back where we started from at the very beginning.

Toxic Algae Eve.

Why?

Because the ACOE thinks this stuff will dissipate when it hits the brackish water because that worked so well before. We have been rejected by our own legislators, our water management district. Everyone. Poisoning us is ok with everyone. Except us.

The Speaker of House

@SteveCrisafulli

does not want to buy any conservation land. He won’t even discuss it. He won’t even let us know if he understands why this particular piece of land is important. Senator Alan Hay, the same thing. We’re paying attention.

@SteveCrisafulli

You want to make all the people behave and listen then you are responsible for the destruction of the St Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon. This is on you.

@JoeBiden

We need you. Please come quickly

@JaxStrong

The lake is at 13 ft. Seriously are you kidding me.

Two years ago I bought that we had issues with dike. Millions of dollars later how can there be an issue?

This is whats coming.

This is what we need to do.

Here we are today.

Who’s going to be the party of clean water and no more discharges?

Apr27

@BarackObama

@joenegronfl

@RepMurphyFL

@SteveCrisafulli

@MaryLynnMagar

@Gayle_Harrell

To our legislators in Tallahassee who do you represent? Because your not representing us!

Here is a video of 7,000 citizens of the Treasure coast marching to the locks after we were decimated in 2013. I don’t see anything about party. I do however see a lot of people that want this to stop.

It’s really painful to write this stuff. We have an awesome clean water movement. Its made up of a great group of people who never ask about party. Because clean water is for all not just for some. The toxic discharges affect all the people.

Here is party breakdown for Martin County. Republicans: 51,031 Democrats 26,292

MARTIN

51,031

26,294

5,437

20,630

103,392

So this year the Republicans have a super majority and they think they are so well organized that they leave and go out of the sunshine to talk and they bully members of their party to follow “leadership.”

In Tallahassee people are cut off at the knees if they don’t vote as leadership intended and we all suffer. We’re certainly not represented.

I feel like the Republicans in Tallahassee are not even representing their own base. Because their base needs clean water.

So who are you representing when you do this stuff?

Seem’s like Big sugar is totally represented. Because if you represented us the land would be bought and the discharges would stop.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/legislature/as-us-sugar-flexes-muscle-amendment-1-supporters-fret-about-less-money-for/2226965

One thing these guys are really good at coming up with a message and repeating it over and over again until you yourself can’t remember whats true. That’s why excellent documentation is so important.

This is an excellent article written by our own Tyler Treadway. Thank goodness for him and our incredible journalists at the Stuart News.

As a reminder Sen. Joe Negron wanted the UF Study and he found the money to do so. Sen Negron waited for this study before saying anything. After all, he insisted it get done. So it comes out and instead of reading it people glom on to what they want. Which is natural.

The problem is the people who are making decisions about our discharges and our clean drinking water are glomming on also.

This article needs to be read by people who are REPRESENTING the citizens of Martin County.

http://www.tcpalm.com/franchise/indian-river-lagoon/health/uf-water-study-cherrypicked-to-suit-arguments-for-against-us-sugar-land-buy_59243768

“Statement: Water district board member Kevin Powers at the April 9 meeting noted that none of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan’s 68 projects has been completed and said, “Nobody wants (the discharges to stop) more than me, but we’re not going to get there if we don’t complete some of these projects.”

Fact: The UF study does call for accelerating “the funding and completion of existing and federally authorized CERP projects designed specifically to provide relief” to the estuaries. It also states those projects won’t stop the discharges. That’s going to require “enormous increases in storage and treatment of water both north and south of the lake.”

Statement: A March 28 Miami Herald editorial stated the study determined the sugar land is “among the must-have pieces of land that a winning environmental strategy requires.”

Fact: The study states reducing discharges and meeting the Everglades’ need for more water will “require between 11,000 and 129,000 acres of additional land” between the lake and the national park, but it doesn’t identify what land. “The U.S. Sugar option land may or may not be the right land, but additional land will be needed to achieve restoration,” Graham said.”

You all still have time to listen and learn and turn this around for the people you represent.

#buytheland #sendcleanwatersouth