Environment Watch

Southwest Florida's future success is tied to serious stewardship of its environment, but there are issues that community leaders must contend with today, such as algae blooms and other problems precipitated by excessive, nutrient-rich freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River, and run-off of fertilizers and pesticides into the river.

"No question, what we have to deal with is the continued discharge of excessively polluted water from the lake causing degradation to our rivers and estuaries," says Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah.

"This can have a catastrophic effect on our quality of life and economic well-being." he says. That's why I'm pressing to seek appropriate solutions to abating the discharge and reducing the pollutant loading."

One way to get a sense of the future is to study the past, including Florida's natives-animal and plant. John Worth, assistant director of the Randell Research Center on Pine Island says native foliage has proven its value in Southwest Florida.

"They survive without a lot of tending, and we are likely to have them after hurricane season," he says, pointing out that native plants did a good job surviving the past two busy hurricane seasons.

As for Lake Okeechobee discharges, Worth says the effects are highly visible. "You can see the impact on the [river] water and estuaries. It's hard to ignore. It's not some ivory-tower argument when you take somebody out to [J.N.] "Ding" Darling [National Wildlife Refuge] and see the bizarre algae growth and what it's done to the water and fishing."

-Mark Marymont