Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I found this pamphlet online, and encourage all of you to read it. It is specific to Florida's Indian River, but contains information that is pertinent to all of us living full-time or part-time across the state. Generally speaking, ALL of us have waterfront property - no matter where one lives in FL, we are within 2 hours or so of the ocean, and usually within only a mile or two of some sort of body of fresh, brackish, or salt water. Many areas, including all of SFL, have a network of canals that interconnect us all and spread whatever we do to other areas quickly. This pamphlet explains ways that residents can take care of our state's ecosystem.
The effect of residents is far stronger than anything the govt. can do. The majority of problems with our local environment were caused by people who moved down here since the state's creation, and those problems have increased exponentially in the past 60 years due directly to the types of decisions residents make, that they often don't realize has a far greater impact beyond just their home or yard.
A few talking points are:
* NEVER release pets into the wild, including those you think should be able to survive in the environment. Many areas of FL have feral cat and dog problem, which cause both safety and sanitation concerns, as well as cruelty to the animals. Iguanas, pythons, lionfish, and many others have now overtaken parts of FL and are eradicating local and endangered species and their habitats. The animals that once represented Florida are being crowded out by things that don't belong here, and have no natural predators. Even the Everglades, our most precious natural resource, is overrun with pythons, feral cats, black rats, and other things that should not be there.
* No matter where you are in Florida, using chemicals on your lawn does eventually run off with all the rain we get into either our ocean directly, our lakes, or our water supply. These chemicals, like fertilizers and insecticides, cause significant problems with algae blooms and changes to our fish. They are also cancerous and get into our water supply, and our treatment facilities are not equipped to filter many of them out. These chemicals also kill endangered wildlife, and beneficial insects like honeybees and ladybugs which are so vital to our agricultural economy. Even buying plants that have been treated with such chemicals in the past, like many plants at places like Home Depot, and then planting them in your yard contributes to killing bees because the plant has absorbed these chemicals into their very cells, and so when they bloom the pollen they create contains these chemicals and the bees pick it up and die from it.
*Clean up pet waste and thoroughly dispose of it. A lot of people assume this is fine, that it just composts itself into the ground. The problem is that pet waste has a different composition than the waste of animals in nature, and the run-off from this goes into the water supply and into our ocean. It adds to imbalanced levels of bacteria that can make our waters unsafe to swim in, cause algae issues, and changes the chemical composition to create a host of other problems for the plants and animals in our bodies of water. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to prevent this - the safest way is to wrap it in a bag (even a compostable one) and dispose of it in the trash where it is taken away to a designated place designed to deal with this problem, or to bury it so it at least can't spread far. Using it to compost plants, if you know what you are doing and it is heated properly, might be alright, but you should not use it to compost for vegetables or fruits because the bacteria inside gets taken up into the cells of the plant and remains there when you eat it - hence things like e coli outbreaks in produce. Dog and cat waste is not the same as cow and chicken waste.
*Take good care of your septic tank and be sure it is not leaking. This one has been proven very clearly in the Keys. Until very recently we ONLY had septic, and it has caused dramatic damage to our ecosystem and coral reef. The same happens everywhere there is septic, even if you don't live on a chain of small islands to be able to see clearly what it is doing to the land/water around you.
*Learn what plants are invasive, and eradicate all of them from your yard. Teach your neighbors and encourage them to do the same - consider perhaps even having a community day when everyone in your neighborhood works together to pull out invasive plants. There are many invasives that one may not even realize are harming our local ecosystems, but they include: Australian pine, Brazilian pepper, Coral Vine, Cattley guava, etc. You should know that chemicals are rarely required to kill such plants, even though they are vigorous. With the help of neighbors you can pull out the stumps, or you can repeatedly cut off the plant to the base until its root structure is weakened and then pull it out, or cover them with black-out material for at least a few months, or you can even pour boiling water over such plants and cook them down to the roots right where they are, killing them for good.
*Avoid as much as possible bringing in foreign plant species to your yard, especially those that have potential to become invasive or that require a lot of watering or chemicals to keep them alive. We actually have too little fresh water in FL to support the growing population in our state. Radically altering the landscape kills off native species that are used by local wildlife to survive. Removing a native plant you think is not as attractive as a foreign one actually discourages birds and butterflies in annual migration patterns from stopping or breeding because you have removed their necessary food supply - they can't easily adapt to using the plant you brought in from Asia instead, because for hundreds or thousands of years they have lived in one region and used a very specific set of plants.
*Limit as much as possible the chemicals you use in your household, and dispose of chemicals and batteries, etc. as Hazardous Waste. Many of these things we use in our homes are cancerous, and very bad for both people and the environment. Most of them have easy replacements in completely natural products you can make yourself, for usually about 1/20 of the cost. Again, what you put down your drain or into the garbage ends up back into the land we live on and the ocean we need. It doesn't just disappear, and it is causing more and more problems every decade around the world.
*DON'T flush medications down the toilet! It gets into the water supply, and cannot be filtered out. Look up proper disposal online - you can often give them to your local hazardous waste management (they will even pick up for you in many counties), or some pharmacies will dispose of them. Otherwise, dispose of them in a safe container in the trash.
*Learn how to compost. It can dramatically help your landscape, save you money, and also cut down dramatically on the waste we dump into our land and water. It's actually not that hard once you learn how. Done properly, it can also cut down a lot on problems with pest animals like rats, deer, and raccoons in our state, because there is no longer smelly garbage for them to try to get into or linger around. Composting done correctly does not smell.
The pamphlet explains many other tips too.
I hope you will use this thread to post comments, concerns, and questions about how to care for our environment in Florida. These ideas are new to most residents, and it can be really hard to change one's lifestyle, especially when one is older. Most things that are good for the environment, are also good for people, and can help lower our exposure to chemicals that cause cancer and chronic illnesses, as well as save us a ton of money! All it takes is awareness that our habits are causing harm, and learning one small step at a time how to do things differently.
I visit lectures weekly run by scientists who come down here to study our special ecosystem, and they discuss these points constantly - but the information is not getting out to the majority of residents. We need better outreach to share these tips with our communities, like in local papers and through conversations among neighbors. Our habits are destroying the state we love so much.
Not to mention mowing down every vacant parcel of land possible to build strip centers and convenience stores/gas stations and in such killing off and/or displacing resident wildlife that loses it's habitat. I would swear that Florida counties and municipalities have never heard of terms such as moratoriums or zoning.
Not to mention mowing down every vacant parcel of land possible to build strip centers and convenience stores/gas stations and in such killing off and/or displacing resident wildlife that loses it's habitat. I would swear that Florida counties and municipalities have never heard of terms such as moratoriums or zoning.
Development is definitely a problem that residents have a hand in. We need to find a balance between development for jobs, and just making private companies rich off of the exploitation of our natural resources without even providing Florida any real benefit. Many of the companies come here to avoid taxes and contribute very little to the economy other than lower wages than they would have to pay in another state. The bottled water industry is one example of great concern, given that we have let them siphon off our own fresh water when we don't have enough for citizens, and then buy the same water back from them at ridiculously high prices. We could, and should, have had that water for free through our own taps. And then we pretend like "job creators" and "industry" are the answer to all our problems. A lot of times, they just spoil our land and take us for suckers. Hotels are another big one of concern for the way they destroy patterns of oceanfront wildlife, as well as the views and access residents once had to the beach, and then fill the land with chemicals and unnatural plants, without regard to the longevity of the ecosystem they are exploiting for profits.
Citizens need to also consider very carefully what they do with land that they choose to develop private homes on. A lot of Florida towns and cities are expanding, and they are doing so outward rather than upward. Often it is better for the state and our quality of life (not to mention often the level of cost) to level a pre-existing home that does not meet hurricane building codes and build on the pre-existing site, than to clear new land. If there is truly no other room to live and building on new land must occur, one can at least try to minimize the impact with native plantings and a chemical-free yard. But people on the outskirts of town in new developments are often the ones with the most vigorous lifestyle against the natural elements found on that land- they move out there but feel determined to kill every mosquito, cockroach, rat, and snake, and in doing so accidentally kill the birds and bees and butterflies and other things that live there too. Then they plant a whole bunch of exotic species of plant and clear all the native plants, leaving neighboring communities of animals with no food or natural shelter.
A lot of times we just don't think about these impacts, because residents just don't know much about the environment and how it works. People do what their parents did, or try to make their new state appear more like the dream they wanted rather than what it really is.
If we are going to have natural beauty in Florida in 50 or 100 years, we really need to work together as communities to get the word out about the damage we are doing, and how to live more consciously. It doesn't have to be that hard, most changes don't even require much sacrifice, but just a little more thought on our part about the way we treat the land and water in our state on the daily.
Not to mention mowing down every vacant parcel of land possible to build strip centers and convenience stores/gas stations and in such killing off and/or displacing resident wildlife that loses it's habitat. I would swear that Florida counties and municipalities have never heard of terms such as moratoriums or zoning.
This. How many repetitive strip centers (grocery store, nail/spa salon, chinese restaurant, vacant spaces) do we need?
We have WAY too many of these things all over the place. Between that and dollar stores.
Here are some images to help illustrate the kinds of environmental impact we as citizens of Florida are responsible for creating, and capable of preventing:
Contamination from human sewage and chemicals affect our sealife, our food supply, and our ability to enjoy local beaches and lakes
The BP oil spill
Bleached coral in the Florida Keys - it should be full of color and life, but instead it is dead due to sewage, overfishing, and chemicals from the nearby Keys and Miami
Frequent and devastating algae blooms are caused by humans: "Runoff and erosion from fertilized agricultural areas, erosion from river banks, river beds, land clearing (deforestation), and sewage effluent are the major sources of phosphorus and nitrogen entering water ways. Phosphate attaches to sediments. When water is low in dissolved oxygen (anoxic), sediments release phosphate into the water column. This encourages the growth of algae." What You Can Do To Reduce Water Pollution "The greatest threat to Florida’s waterways is indifference — the belief that someone else will fix the problems. It will take everyone’s participation to improve the health of our rivers, lakes and streams. Each of us can modify behavior to reduce or eliminate our impacts on waterways."
It is not safe to swim in or to come in contact with algal blooms.
Hotel development along beaches has made it nearly impossible for endangered sea turtles to nest where they have been for hundreds if not thousands of years. Most cannot do so safely and the eggs get crushed, or they are deterred by bright city lights and must travel much much farther to find quiet suitable spots.
Development encroaches on the Everglades and destroys one of our most precious natural resources, as well as the sustainability of many endangered species of plants and animals. It destroys mangroves which house some of our most unique wildlife, and draw tourists to our state. It takes over forests and beaches and drain much of the natural beauty out of the state. Much of the expansion is totally preventable and unnecessary. But citizens need to get involved.
Tegu lizard map
This picture is actually from Florida - the owner released these wild animals on purpose before committing suicide
Released "pets" destroy our local wildlife, and harm humans, as well as destroy property. It is alsoo abusive to the animals themselves to put them in a situation where they will starve, be hit by cars, overbreed, or be shot.
Most of the environmental damage humans in Florida have caused in the last 60 years does not have an image to capture it. You can't really see the disappearing of species, the dramatic change of migratory patterns that kill off wildlife and change the natural landscape, the disappearing of bird calls, the loss of fresh water.
These pictures make me angry. All are results of decisions made by Florida residents, and are totally preventable. We need to do something before these types of images become the norm and the next generation no longer sees them as strange or shocking. Florida is in a unique position because it has a very special set of ecosystems that most states do not have, and also is new enough in its path of human over-development that we can still change the direction the state is going in. For some other states, it is too late. But it is not too late for us. And we have a lot more to lose than most places, both in numbers of species, and in types of unique and beautiful environments. We also, unlike many other states, have less fresh water than we have people moving into and being born in the state. The decisions we make now are critical to preserving what we like about Florida now.
I don't think anyone would say that they love Florida because of the traffic, the highrise condos, or the chemicals. Residents and tourists alike usually say they like Florida for its beaches, its ocean and lakes, and its natural beauty. We are really in danger of losing that, and more of it is dying off and changing all the time. We can't keep turning our heads and leaving the problem for someone else to solve. At the very least, we as citizens can conduct our daily lives in ways that minimize impact on the environment, if not get involved in local governance and let them know how they should vote about local development and business deals that hurt our land and our quality of life.
Another major issue is people speeding boats through protected waterways.
Endangered manatee cut repeatedly by a propeller
Responsible boating is a major way that Florida residents can help our environment. Don't dump garbage off the boat. Don't speed in areas with posted no wake signs. Don't drink and drive the boat so you can pay attention to what you're doing, and so you don't kill yourself and others. Obey fishing restrictions. We've all seen people violate these rules in Florida waterways. Let them know it's not ok, or report them if they're aggressive. People who violate these kinds of laws usually violate laws on land too that endanger the safety of all of us.
DON'T buy tropical fish and corals from Florida pet stores, especially where you cannot verify that these were harvested within the limits of the law. A pair of SFL pet chain owners recently got caught for selling coral and other animals taken from local protected Keys waters inside the National Park, and claiming they were bought from other Caribbean nations. This happened over the course of years.
Also, really try to talk yourself out of buying ANY exotic animal in the state of Florida. Craigslist is loaded with people trying to unload them. Our neighborhoods are loaded with those whose owners gave up and released them. Exotic reptiles, arachnids, birds, fish, and mammals are generally speaking NOT good pets, they are wild animals that grow huge, ted to bite, cost an arm and a leg to keep alive, escape their cages, and outlive their human owners. There are far more parrots in shelters across Florida than there are responsible owners capable of living 100 years and providing a rainforest for them to fly in to care adequately for them. Chinchillas in cages far too small to be like their natural habitat are unhappy. Baby crocs and turtles and pythons, as we've seen time and again, get big and stop being cte or safe. Gambian rats, like so many types of rats before them, have been released into Florida's wild by owners and caused tremendous damage and danger.
Yeah, that's a RAT. And they're trying to get into Florida houses.
Spay and neuter pets, ESPECIALLY those you let roam outside! You may think it's cruel, but it's a lot more cruel to that pet to let it multiply over and over again, letting its many offspring get hit by cars, in fights with wild animals, starve and be at the mercy of Florida's elements, become an unsanitary nuisance to your community, and then as happens to millions, get caught and put down by animal control. THAT is cruel, and totally irresponsible. While we're on the subject, it is also cruel to breed more dogs and cats into a world that already has far more than there are owners and sell the for profit, or buy animals that were bred to fuel the puppy and kitty mill economy. A huge number of those pets then escape, are given up to shelters when home circumstances change, are allowed to breed babies the home can't keep, or just prevent people from adopting the millions of pets without homes already. These things contribute to problems in our environment when cats and dogs are then repeatedly let loose, or allowed to escape because they don't have adequate care or are allowed off-leash to wander around the community on purpose.
So much of the horrible parts of Florida, are caused by irresponsible Florida residents. We can stop that from getting worse by not repeating these same mistakes over and over. We can strengthen legislation - like for instance banning exotic pets of certain classes in Florida entirely from private residential ownership. There is absolutely no excuse for allowing private ownership of exotic snakes in Florida given what several species have already done to destroy the state's environment. It is just too dangerous to our state to take such a risk for a small minority of enthusiasts. We can teach children to care for the land, and to obey boating laws because they are there for a reason. We can encourage neighbors to work together for a chemical-free neighborhood landscape, or to plant more native and endangered plants in the yard (even if you don't do the whole yard, every single resident could have a "native garden" in a corner of the yard - you'll be amazed at how many new butterflies and birds and dragonflies and other beautiful beings visit there!
Last edited by StarfishKey; 01-31-2015 at 07:25 PM..
Unrelated to Florida, but here is a blog post from naturalist/artist/writer Julie Zickefoose about a macaw rescue she visited in Costa Rica: Julie Zickefoose on Blogspot: Macaw Messiah
Development is definitely a problem that residents have a hand in. We need to find a balance between development for jobs, and just making private companies rich off of the exploitation of our natural resources without even providing Florida any real benefit. Many of the companies come here to avoid taxes and contribute very little to the economy other than lower wages than they would have to pay in another state. The bottled water industry is one example of great concern, given that we have let them siphon off our own fresh water when we don't have enough for citizens, and then buy the same water back from them at ridiculously high prices. We could, and should, have had that water for free through our own taps. And then we pretend like "job creators" and "industry" are the answer to all our problems. A lot of times, they just spoil our land and take us for suckers. Hotels are another big one of concern for the way they destroy patterns of oceanfront wildlife, as well as the views and access residents once had to the beach, and then fill the land with chemicals and unnatural plants, without regard to the longevity of the ecosystem they are exploiting for profits.
Citizens need to also consider very carefully what they do with land that they choose to develop private homes on. A lot of Florida towns and cities are expanding, and they are doing so outward rather than upward. Often it is better for the state and our quality of life (not to mention often the level of cost) to level a pre-existing home that does not meet hurricane building codes and build on the pre-existing site, than to clear new land. If there is truly no other room to live and building on new land must occur, one can at least try to minimize the impact with native plantings and a chemical-free yard. But people on the outskirts of town in new developments are often the ones with the most vigorous lifestyle against the natural elements found on that land- they move out there but feel determined to kill every mosquito, cockroach, rat, and snake, and in doing so accidentally kill the birds and bees and butterflies and other things that live there too. Then they plant a whole bunch of exotic species of plant and clear all the native plants, leaving neighboring communities of animals with no food or natural shelter.
A lot of times we just don't think about these impacts, because residents just don't know much about the environment and how it works. People do what their parents did, or try to make their new state appear more like the dream they wanted rather than what it really is.
If we are going to have natural beauty in Florida in 50 or 100 years, we really need to work together as communities to get the word out about the damage we are doing, and how to live more consciously. It doesn't have to be that hard, most changes don't even require much sacrifice, but just a little more thought on our part about the way we treat the land and water in our state on the daily.
Both issues highlighted are areas in which change can be affected, though not without oversight of elected officials taking kickbacks from developers to pass approval for needless new development. Furthermore until Floridians in general get over the fetish of "shiny new homes only" we're only going to continue to see plowed under wildlife habitat in favor of new homes that within several years will be deemed unsuitable as "too old" for resale by many buyers. Absolutely ridiculous.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
