Florida’s natural treasures at risk
Recently Iwas in the Keys to inspect a bird colony. Howgreat to see so many people catching lobsters and enjoying our state’s favorite paradise.
The trip’s highlight was seeing a school of baitfish, which signal healthywater and attract gamefish andwater birds. Our boat captain said fish and birds are the measure and treasure of Everglades restoration.
Last year in another part of Florida Bay, a vast seagrass meadowwas wiped out by hypersalinewater. Therewere no fish, no birds and no one fishing or birdwatching. At the very end of the River of Grass that once flowed fromKissimmee to theKeys, virtually no freshwater entered the Bay.
Florida Bay’s seagrass die-off preceded a different tragedy to the north. The St. Lucie River and estuary suffered horrible toxic algae blooms fromthe discharge of trillions of gallons of pollutedwater. Much of thatwater could have flowed south into the Everglades, sparing some of the damage to the Atlantic coast and benefiting the Florida Bay.
However, flowofwater south to the Everglades is blocked by sugarcane production, which benefits fromfree government flood control and taxpayer funded irrigation. Everglades restoration depends on using some sugarcane land to store water that otherwise harms Atlantic and Gulf estuaries. Storage will allowmore freshwater to be released to Florida Bay.
Recently, Florida state Sen. JoeNegron, from the heavily impacted town of Stuart, proposed buying some sugarcane land to storewater to prevent future discharges of toxic algae and to benefit the Everglades and Florida Bay.
Negron is truly standing up for his constituents. He did his homework, spoke to all interest groups and concluded that storingwater south of LakeOkeechobee is the best answer and that it will require the purchase of additional land.
Audubon Florida, along with the Everglades Foundation and many Florida businesses and citizens support following through on the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan approved by Congress in 2000 to allowmorewater from Lake Okeechobee to be stored, treated and sent south, using more of the land just south of the Lake.
Why send LakeOkeechobee’swater south? That is where it originallywent. While government agencies are sending some excesswater south, without amajor water storage feature south of the lake, the water is managed mostly to benefit sugarcane. Much of thatwater then ends up stacked too deep on conservation areas in Broward County, causing harm there, too.
Storingwater south of LakeOkeechobee on sugarcane lands helps Florida Bay, prevents coastal algae blooms and helps restore Everglades habitats including Broward’s conservation lands.
But acquiring land asNegron proposes will need legislative approval. Fundswere approved by voters in 2014. Seventy five percent voted yes for Amendment1, which clearly authorized purchase of lands south of LakeOkeechobee for Everglades restoration. Not surprisingly, the sugar industry is mobilizing an army of lobbyists with pockets full of cash to opposeNegron’s idea.
Sugar is very profitable, so the industry is tellingNegron’s colleagues that using land for restoration hurts their bottom line. What about the businesses in coastal communities that depend on cleanwater? What about Florida residents who fish and enjoy eating fish fromFloridawaters?
Between nowand the next legislative session a debate will take place about buying land to sendwater south to benefit the Everglades and help end the discharges of water that trigger toxic algae blooms.
On one side there will be the subsidized sugar industry. On the other side are people likeme who grew up swimming and fishing in Florida’s coastalwaters— people like the boat captain who make their living helping others enjoy Florida’s natural treasures.
Negron took a stand. I hope you will too. Find more at fl.audubon.org. Draper