From: Barbara Knick <[address removed]>
Date: April 24, 2016 at 4:44:07 PM EDT
To: [address removed]
Subject: [9-12-melbourne] Fwd: Fla Yesterdays Indian River Lagoon Article
Reply-To: [address removed]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Scott Cuthbert <[address removed]>
Date: Sun, Apr 24, 2016 at 1:40 PM
Subject: Fla Yesterdays Indian River Lagoon Article

     Wow!

     After reading the article entitled “Scorecard shows failures on the Indian River Lagoon” (posted by Bob Gabordi, Florida Today12:17 a.m. EDT April 23, 2016) and looking at the criteria Florida Today based its “grades” upon, it is obvious to a Constitutional Originalist and fiscal conservative that the premises FT’s presumptions are base upon are those of the liberal, statist, progressives whose solution to every imaginable problem is to throw more (taxpayer) money at the issue – money controlled by the statists with a “we know what’s best for you, now do what we say” attitude.

    I have been living in south Brevard since 1960. I remember when the IRL had clear water, massive river grass beds, an abundance of shellfish and other aquatic life. But, it was a rare sight to see a manatee, and that only occurred when they were migrating from north to south in order to find warm winter waters.

    I have witnessed numerous – and have even participated in, water quality studies of the IRL. It always seems to be the same old thing. Spend, spend, spend; study, study, study – and than, do nothing. What a (typical) governmental waste of time and money!

    The cited FT article completely ignores the past’s actions of man that created the current problems:

• Man has been, and probably always will be, attracted to the commercial and economic opportunities of living at the waters edge. Add to that the recreational and lifestyle benefits of living as a river rat or a beach bum. In pursuit of the fulfillment of those desires, man brought in tons and tons of fill and blocked off the natural water flow through the IRL system when the causeways were built. Don’t think the folks are going to allow the causeways to be removed. Got to reach the beach!
• Prior to the modern human influx into Florida, it was for the most part, swampland. What is now I-95 was built upon a natural ridge. Rain that fell to the west of that ridge feed the swamps that make up Lake Washington and the headwaters of the Saint Johns River. The rain that fell east drained into the IRL. To accommodate the people explosion, that swampland west of I-95 was dredged and diked. The fresh water that used to flow west now flows east and dumps into the IRL.  
• Manatees used to be occasional, transient visitors to the IRL areas in Brevard. But because they are so cute and cuddly, the “save the everything” (except mankind) eco-crowd demands the power plants maintain an artificial warm-water habitat for the sea cows year round (wonder if their aortic valves would work in my chest?). The gentle giants have no need to migrate back to the warm waters in the southern areas of the state. Now they can just stay here year round and completely strip the IRL’s bottom of the river grasses that are needed to support other forms of aquatic life and poop the eco-system out of balance – thus causing the algae blooms that in turn caused the recent fish kills!

 

     So now what to do? Throw more money at years of more studies that won’t produce a consensus of how to solve the problems? How about this:

 

    1. Since we know “We” are not going to restore the natural water flow by removing the  

causeways, let’s open the locks at Port Canaveral for one tide cycle a day and see if that helps. Won’t cost the money for a multi-year study and positive results (or failure) should be readily apparent. If this works or shows promise, cut a new inlet north of Patrick Air Force Base. That would also create a plethora of new business opportunities to re-vitalize south Cocoa Beach and north Satellite Beach. But of course to do this, all of the inhibiting (and asinine) eco-regulations would have to be waived. “Our” elected officials still have the power to over-rule the un-elected bureaucrats, don’t they?

    2. “They” (environmental scientist) have been “talking” about re-diverting storm water back to the west at I-95 for at least 20 years now. Stop talking and just do it! Also, install “Baffle Boxes” at the major canals that dump fresh water into the estuaries that flow into the IRL and keep them cleaned out. I do agree with “muck” removal projects.

    3. The IRL system in Brevard has long since passed its manatee “carrying – capacity” (the population of a species an eco-system can support). Requiring the power plants to maintain “hot-spots” for manatees during winter months must be stopped as it is an artificial interference in the natural eco-system. It is also an abuse of coercive government power. Manatees have eaten and pooped themselves out of a home. Coquina rock or other artificial barriers could be placed a hundred feet or so from the shore line with river grass (and oyster) beds re-planted. Air lines could also be placed in these areas and turned on at night to keep the dissolved oxygen levels up to prevent algae blooms and fish kills. This part of the solution must be strictly voluntary and left up to the property owners in compliance with their Constitutional property rights. It could however, be encouraged by local and state environmental agencies eliminating all regulatory burdens and eliminating “permits” and fees for these types of initiatives. Again, in this representative Constitutional Republic, “our” elected officials still have the power to over-rule the un-elected bureaucrats, don’t they?

 

The time for talk, study, and wasted taxpayer dollars has long since passed. Time for “our” elected representatives to show some spine and TELL the unelected bureaucrats what “WE” want done.

 

Read the Florida Today “Article” (editorial) yourself at:

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/opinion/columnists/bob-gabordi/2016/04/22/indian-river-lagoon-scorecard-shows-failures-brevard-county-florida/83360320/

--
Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on this mailing list ([address removed])
This message was sent by Meetup on behalf of Barbara Knick from Brevard 912.
To report this message or block the sender, please click here
Set my mailing list to email me As they are sent | In one daily email | Don't send me mailing list messages

Meetup, POB 4668 #37895 NY NY USA 10163 | [address removed]