http://www.abc-7.com/story/39538570/dead-dolphins-are-washing-up-on-collier-county-beaches
36 dolphins have washed up dead in the Fort Myers - Naples area in just the last week, along with untold numbers of fish, seabirds, and sea turtles, adding to the unimaginably large amount of sea life that has perished in these waters since the pollution-fueled toxic algae blooms began over a year ago. We need to ADMIT that we have become an environmental disaster area, deadly to humans and animals alike, and we need to actually change our laws and practices to stem the gushing tide of excess nutrient pollution, herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals, etc. into our precious waters.
Following is a series of a images I have created to illustrate how this situation arose.
7 comments:
It's heartbreaking and super frustrating. An all too familiar situation arisen out of circumstances unique to SW Florida.
The image of 'perfectly manicured upscale developments in a clean and green tropical paradise' is sold to and bought into by an unending flow of people moving into the area from out of state who are ignorant of the local ecology and the issues surrounding it. (Myself included) Unfortunately it feels most would rather maintain that ignorance and live out the rest of their days in the 'tropical paradise' fantasy world they've paid a pretty penny to have a piece of.
It's a problem of aesthetic. A new one is needed however it will only become reality through force (law) and the area's population is consistently supporting climate change deniers who continue to wreak havoc on the environment through policy or lack there of.
What to do James??
Which comes first :ecological awareness or environmentally conscious policy? How do we achieve either?
Hi Unknown! I love what you wrote. I think you are right on the mark regarding the need for a "new, real, healthy aesthetic" to replace the artificial fantasy land aesthetic being packaged and sold.
Hey James. Lets get "ecosystem based planning" to be the norm.We humans will have to do a lot of manipulation to fix these problems. Of course for that to happen we need to figure out "eco-capitalism" eh?
Will submitting comment on the proposed HCP for the development of eastern Collier County make any difference in the process? Deadline to do so is December 3rd I believe.
https://www.naplesnews.com/story/opinion/2018/11/24/fish-wildlife-service-comment-habitat-conservation-plan-collier-county/2060107002/
Two "small " changes would make a lot of difference: houses with roof gardens, and (more importantly) yards with natural vegetation instead of basically sterile, but fertilizer and pesticide-intensive lawns. But how likely is it that the suburban lawns will be replaced with something sensible>
Yes, we need to ban the use of fertilizers, pesticides and weed killers. The use of I digenous plants instead of artificially transplanted grass and shrubs would definitely help.
Everyone from individual homeowners to large scale Agricultural businesses need to incorporate filtration boundaries around cultivated land. And most importantly, everyone should be responsible for cleaning up their own runoff. This means Mosaic and Big sugar!
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