October 25th, 2008 at 3:20pm
Most people will agree that the water quality surrounding our Island has been beautiful lately. The Back Bay is clear, our beaches are relatively free of red tide, and fish swim freely in the Caloosahatchee River. But we have been lucky. Barring a couple of releases due to Tropical Storm Fay, we have been spared the onslaught of pollution-laden fresh water from Lake Okeechobee because of a light hurricane season. Many Islanders can recall the stinky, brown water and its accompanying red tide that occurred just a couple of years ago following the storm seasons of 2004 -2005.
The public outcry from that situation drew initiatives from the state government. To that end, the South Florida Water Management District, coordinating with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Florida Department of Environmental Protection, have compiled a Caloosahatchee River Watershed Protection Plan. The draft of that plan is available online, and there will be a hearing so that the public can comment on the plan on October 27.
Read the rest of “Public Input Sought for Critical Watershed Plan” »
October 4th, 2008 at 2:11pm
In the not to distant future, the fishing boats down at Fisherman’s Wharf may all smell like French fries. With all the talk about the oil drilling controversy and whether or not a viable replacement for the stuff will even be possible in our lifetimes, one local fisherman has already answered that question for himself - by converting his engine to run off biodiesel fuel. Made from vegetable oil, the fuel is either purchased from biodiesel retailers or distributors (of which there are hundreds across the country, and that number is growing) or ‘home-brewed’. Captain Ramsey Drummond went to a seminar in Orlando to learn how to make his homebrew, and other fishermen are interested.
I spoke with Lee County Director of Solid Waste Lindsay Sampson, and Commissioner Ray Judah, who told us that Lee County is looking into ways to produce the stuff for use in its fleet of vehicles.
Read the rest of “Biodiesel - Alternative Fuel Source?” »
August 4th, 2008 at 9:54am
Many locals remember all too clearly the effects of harmful algal blooms (red tide) in previous years. Last summer Charles Hester, Chairman of Fort Myers Beach’s Marine Resources Task Force (MRTF) and Jim Rodwell, along with other MRTF members, attended a ‘Fertilizer Symposium’ where they learned about the linkage between red tide and nitrogen, and of the excess of nitrogen in the Gulf. The two began discussing the responsibilities each community has to preventing their own runoff from adding to the problem.
Read the rest of “Fertilizer Ordinance to ban Nitrogen and Phosphorus on Fort Myers Beach” »
June 15th, 2008 at 11:27am
This was originally published in the Island Sand Paper, Issue 381, May 30, 2008. Reprinted here with permission. A real eye-opener!
(FYI: Rupert Heine is a nationally-awarded photographer, twice nominated for The Pulitzer Prize. His Op-Ed pieces and editorials have been published in the Miami Herald, Minneapolis Tribune, and the Madison Capital Times. He has done extensive writing for newspapers and magazines, and worked as a journalist in Miami for over six years.”)
“…sugar was the knife in the hand of the assassin.” Fidel CastroSomeone in Washington owes Fidel Castro a huge apology. In fact there are a number of senior political leaders in the halls of Congress, and the White House, who know - as their predecessors have known - that they owe this nation, and Fidel Castro, a full explanation and apology for distorting the truth about Fidel Castro in order to advance hidden agendas.
Read the rest of “Sugar Coating the Facts” »
May 31st, 2008 at 9:58pm
For those of you who believe that sharks are man-eating monsters of the deep, there is a remarkable film that aims to change that perception and portray these animals as the vital creatures they truly are. ‘Sharkwater’ is the brainchild of director Rob Stewart and the result of a four-year long effort to educate people as to the importance of these top predators of the sea. When Rob set out to make his film, he had no idea of the drama he was about to enter into. A series of life and death situations including pirate boat rammings, attempted murder charges, arrests, espionage and corruption were the last things he expected on his journey.
Read the rest of “Rob Stewart’s ‘Sharkwater’” »
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:23pm
Senator Nelson sent this to us yesterday and we published it in the Sand Paper:
Start drilling.” Put those oil rigs off the protected beaches of Florida and in the preserved wilds of Alaska.In essence, that is what Washington Post writer Robert J. Samuelson urged in his column published in the Post recently.Drilling, right away, in environmentally protected areas was a centerpiece of Samuelson’s solution to rising gasoline prices. To oppose drilling in protected areas, he said, is “sheer stupidity” and “prejudice against oil companies.”
That’s the same thing the oil companies say every time there is a spike in gas prices. They cling to their own long-term remedy that would expose Florida’s entirely beach-and-tourism-driven economy to ruination.
Last week, the oil companies made two new end-runs in the Senate trying to bust the long-standing ban on coastal drilling. Once again their supporters cited the high gasoline prices. Even though we stopped them by a half-dozen votes, they’ll certainly be back - and, soon.
Read the rest of “Sen. Bill Nelson: It’s a delusion to think drilling will help ease current oil crisis” »
May 16th, 2008 at 3:11pm
There is something smelly in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, and it is becoming an international incident. For the last four years, Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have plied these frigid waters near Antarctica, risking their lives to stop the illegal hunting of whales by Japanese ships, which have defied the International Whaling Commission and the government of Australia by continuing to kill whales for ‘research purposes’. (The Sand Paper interviewed Captain Watson last year while he was on board his ship ‘Farley Mowat’, Issue 311, January 26, 2007).
The Japanese position is that the IWC regulations permit the taking of whales for scientific research. But the Japanese have killed hundreds of whales each year since 1987 for a total of at least 8,137 animals taken under the guise of research. Just this season alone, The Japanese have granted themselves a permit to kill up to 935 Minke whales and up to 50 Fin whales. Estimates of Fin whale numbers are very sketchy, but according to research in 2001 the Southern ocean populations are currently estimated to be no more than 5,000 individuals and probably only 2-3000. A global moratorium on commercial whaling has existed since 1986 under the auspices of the IWC, but Japan’s “scientific whaling program” is conducted within a loophole of the commission’s rules and allows it to slaughter hundreds of whales each year and sell the meat for consumption to pay the costs of the “research”. In 2006 the Japanese Whaling Fleet was restructured to transfer it from private ownership (susceptible to consumer led boycotts) to Government control through the Japanese Government funded Institute for Cetacean Research.
Read the rest of “There’s Something Smelly in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary” »
May 1st, 2008 at 10:18am
This came from the Environmental News Service. Governor Crist does seem to be commited to helping our state be more green but some of the ideas presented here are not without controversy.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change. This is the second such summit convened by the governor, who says that since last year’s summit, Florida’s “green” economy has grown.
“Florida’s businesses continue to demonstrate that there is gold in green, and climate-friendly energy sources - like ethanol and solar energy - are bringing new prospects for our state,” said Governor Crist.
“Encouraging companies to do business the green way as well as building a strong market in renewable energy technologies in the Sunshine State will strengthen our energy and economic future and protect our natural environment for generations to come,” he said.
Read the rest of “Florida Renewables Key to 2008 Summit” »
April 30th, 2008 at 6:24pm
I cobbled this together from several news bulletins today…
The Florida House passage of Senate Bill 542 today effectively extended the Florida Forever Program for 10 years at $300 million annually. SB542 passed unanimously in the House today and unanimously in the Senate April 23.
The pending $65 billion General Appropriations Act allocates $300 million to Florida Forever to come from the sale of bonds. The actual amount of Florida Forever bond authorization spent in any one year is appropriated by the Legislature each year.
Under an agreement reached late Sunday between House and Senate leadership, Everglades Restoration will also be funded. Though the $50 million agreed upon is lower than what Governor Charlie Crist asked for, which was $100 million each for southern and northern Everglades restoration, it is better than the initial agreement between the House and Senate budget chairs which provided no money for restoration.
“In a tough budget year, we are relieved we got $50 million,” said Eric Draper, policy director for Audubon of Florida. “We hope under a different House leadership next year we will be able to restore Everglades spending back to promised levels.”
April 28th, 2008 at 9:38pm
As the Florida drought enters its 3rd blistering year, water restrictions continue to tighten, leaving many folks in fear of seeing all their beautiful plants die and putting lush-lawn aficionados in a positive tizzy. There are things we can do to stay green, however. On Saturday, March 1, 2008, Florida Gulf Coast University held its Southwest Florida Garden and Landscape Conference. I caught up with one of the speakers and he gave me some very helpful advice.
Stephen Brown is a Lee County Horticulture Agent and holds a Masters Degree in Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition. He also coordinates the Master Gardener program and teaches classes in plant identification, landscape maintenance, landscape best management practices and pesticide applicator certifications. His weekly garden column that he writes for the News-Press is widely read.
Read the rest of “How Do We Stay Green in the Drought?” »
