A river runs through our lives. From the time of our beginning to end, the flow of water is omnipresent. Our personal timelines are etched with watery guideposts. Some of my earliest memories are of Rockaway Beach in New York. The rolling waves refreshing on a hot city summer day. When I was young, my father would take us to the row boats in Central Park. It was an adventure of a lifetime to a 5 year old.

As a boy scout at summer camp, I remember swimming in the cold water of a mountain lake in up-state New York. That summer, our troop built a bridge of lashed timber across a stream. As we waded in the murky water, leeches would attach to our legs later to be removed with extinguished match heads that evening. One hot summer day while in high school I persuaded a few friends to go swimming in a pond ignoring the snapping turtle signs until it was too late.

When my children were small we had a “farm” on the East Branch of the Delaware River on the Pennsylvania -New York border. It was remote and we had no neighbors. I would stand down river with my lower half in the freezing water while my upper body was burned by the summer sun. The kids would body surf the current for me to catch them.  The old farm house was perched high above the river and we would sit on the porch just gazing transfixed as the river flowed past.

My mother-in-law had lived in Stuart for over thirty years before she died. For most of that time, she had a condo that overlooked the Saint Lucie. When we would come to visit, I would sit on her balcony and we would talk, all the while mesmerized by the river’s flow. As she aged and my wife needed to spend more time here, we bought the apartment next door to her. Our balcony also overlooked the river. When she passed, it was her wish that her ashes be placed in the river.

A dozen years ago we traded in our apartment and bought a house on the river and over time built a new house on the same spot. Then when the new house was nearing completion, we decided to move full time to Stuart and the river. Every day whether from our back porch or kitchen or bedroom we can see the Saint Lucie.

There are no dolphins now and there are fewer birds, probably because the fish aren’t there. The river still flows but more silent than before. It is still a beautiful and majestic sight. One can gaze at the magnificence of the flowing river for hours. It is calming and soothing in a cacophonous world. But the river is dying just as the estuary that it flows into is. We know why and how and what must be done to prevent this death, but seem powerless to do so.

A river runs through our lives. From beginning to end, it meanders at times and surges forth at others. The beauty and the power of the water have an ability to transform our very nature. The river needs little from man except to be left alone. As we have done with so much of nature, we are incapable of keeping God’s work untouched.

Why is it so difficult for our government to do the right thing? Our politicians and agencies inundate us with meetings and deadlines and acronyms to convince us that progress is being made. Yes, we all should attend those meetings, but most of us have jobs or small businesses, kids and parents that we must attended to first. It is not that we don’t care, we do care desperately. How many meetings and rallies are enough before action is taken? We are not lobbyists or lawyers who show up at every one of these “dog and pony” shows. We are not paid by those looking to keep the status quo.

We are looking to our government to protect the people’s interest over those who would further denigrate our environment for one more dollar earned in greed. It is now time to stop meeting and having arbitrary deadlines and creating one more program that will be known by one more acronym. Our government now needs to enact relief for our sickened environment. Instead of spending money on bombing Syria or Iran, how about we fund the restoration of our Everglades. We need the Central Everglades Plan Project funded now.

The problems facing Martin County, the Treasure Coast and indeed South Florida are more than just the Indian River Lagoon and Everglades restoration. Progress on correcting the Indian River Lagoon’s problems is proceeding at a glacial pace. The public has finally succeeded in having the government at least pay lip service to the implementation of the actions needed. The only way to continue making progress is to put pressure on every elected and appointed public official.

The voters should not become fixated on thinking there is only one bad guy, such as Big Sugar, that is impeding the health of our waterways. From pesticides to septic systems to increased development in our area and the entire state, each of us contributes to the degradation of our environment. We need to not think of just one solution but rather a number of solutions to solve this one problem. The state will never be able to marshal the will and the resources necessary to tackle problems without a realization of what we can accomplish individually and collectively through government.

Most environmental regulations will not lead to socialism. Just look to the Saint Lucie to see why such regulation should not only be on the books but should be enforced impartially with no one being exempted. Sure there are many examples of out-of-control bureaucrats persecuting an individual or small business owner with an overzealous interpretation of a regulation. In order not to have selective persecution, we need to insist on universal enforcement without special treatment for anyone.

Large agricultural interests, real estate developers and others have succeeded through political contributions and lobbying efforts in receiving special treatment while the average citizen must obey all laws and regulations.  Anytime those interests are threatened, “Big Business” proclaims (through their spokespeople) that the nation is becoming socialistic. Immediately Big Business’s political and media minions take up the cry in order to preserve their privileged position.

What we have allowed to occur in this state and nationally is not the preservation of capitalism but the introduction of cronyism. Capitalism does not mean that there is no regulation but that regulation insures the protection of all members of society. The administration of regulations and laws are equally applied to all the participants. In order for markets to work under capitalism, the rules must be the same for all.

A good example of different rules for different people is what is happening to the Indian River Lagoon.  I live on the Saint Lucie, and if I allowed untreated water to flow into the river, I would be in jail. Yet the Army Corps is allowing billions and billions of gallons of water to go into the river every day. There are numerous excuses, but the reasons come down to the protection of agricultural interests under the guise of making sure that the lake doesn’t overflow its banks. Florida and the nation can no longer afford either industry or development that wreaks ecological disaster on our environment.

Thousands of people rallied at Phipps Park by the St. Lucie Lock to protest the ongoing release of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee that runs directly into the St. Lucie River and the Estuary.  It was a very diverse crowd….young, old, liberal, conservative…all with a united voice that these discharges must stop.  The blue-green algae bloom is visible everywhere, and warning signs have been posted that all contact with the water should be avoided.  And, all this due to the need to protect federally subsidized sugar growers?  Unconscionable.  

July 31, 2013

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC  20500

Dear Mr. President:

This is the first time I have ever written to my President. I have voted in every presidential election except one since Nixon/McGovern.  Let me admit right up front that I did not vote for you either time. But what I am writing about is so important to the health of my community, I need to ask for your help as my President.

You visited Martin and Saint Lucie Counties several months ago for a weekend of golf and relaxation at the Floridian Golf Club. I saw the jets and helicopters before and during your visit. I live right across the Saint Lucie River in Stuart. That is the reason I am writing you. The entire Indian River Lagoon, the most ecologically diverse estuary in North America into which the St. Lucie River flows, is dying. And it is dying solely because of actions by our state and local governments, but most importantly by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Currently, there are 4 billion gallons of fresh polluted water entering into the naturally brackish river every day from Lake Okeechobee. The Saint Lucie River was never connected to Lake Okeechobee naturally.  That feat was accomplished by man so that boats could go from the east coast to the west coast of Florida. Since it had no natural connection to a large body of fresh water, the Saint Lucie was meant to have a high salinity content. This is why today the fish, manatees, dolphins, oysters and sea grasses are dying. The water is polluted and fresh. It is nothing short of genocidal for the river. Even the county health department has said that humans should not be in contact with the water due to the high level of pollutants and bacteria.

In 1928 there was a devastating hurricane along the lake decimating entire communities. In response, the Federal Government began construction of the Herbert Hoover Dike which raised the depth of the lake. This fostered further human settlement and agriculture. The lake, instead of being allowed to naturally overflow its shallow banks and send its excess water into the everglades as it had done for hundreds of years, became a big retention pond. Now to prevent water pressure from building up and undermining the dike, water needs to be released when it reaches high levels.

It can’t be released to the south, which was where nature intended, because of the thousands and thousands of acres of subsidized sugar cane that has been planted. It is not necessary to go into the ill-conceived program of subsidizing a crop that is harmful to a fragile ecosystem and can be produced more efficiently elsewhere. The stark reality is we either choose to continue sugar cane production to the south or the death of the Indian River Lagoon.  This biodiverse lagoon serves as a hatchery area for many species, and our local residents have watched as oyster beds have died; sea grasses have disappeared; and now are finding dead manatees, dolphins, and pelicans.

As far as I am concerned this should be a no brainer. If we can afford to spend billions of dollars on Afghanistan not to mention billions more on corporate agricultural greed, can we not afford to re-introduce the natural flow of water to the everglades? This particular problem has been around for years with only worse consequences occurring over time. Because of the millions and millions of dollars that the sugar industry (I guess using our tax dollars) have to contribute to politicians of both parties, those politicians will do nothing except tell us that they will further study the problem.  You are the President of the United States and no longer running for office. Please help before it is too late.

I read two very interesting stories in the local paper. The first story announced that the Army Corp of Engineers was readying new releases of fresh water into the Saint Lucie River from Lake Okeechobee. The second had to do with the annual rebuilding of Bathtub Beach and having the next door tony community of Sailfish Point contribute financially to the effort. These two acts only illustrate how powerless we really are in the face of the natural world and how we refuse to recognize it.

Hutchinson Island, like every barrier island, was naturally formed to protect the actual shoreline from the impact of the ocean. These islands are of huge importance for the creation of wetlands by controlling the impact of waves on the mainland side of the islands. Coastal ecosystem could not exist without them.  While man may covet the view, nature never meant for these protective barriers to be sites for expensive homes or any permanent structures.

If we did not permit building on these islands then man could enjoy these wonders in their intended state. There would be no roads to protect. We could stop the subsidization of insurance on homes and condos that weren’t meant to be built. We, in our mistaken belief that man knows best, disregard common sense to think we can hold back the forces of the sea.  When King Canute couldn’t hold back the waves crashing on shore by his command, he stated, “let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings.”  Our government is not as smart. We continue to believe that these homes will be spared from the next hurricane or just natural erosion. Instead of seeing that the beach is the entire island, we focus on rebuilding a narrow strip extending into the water. There is no ebb and flow. No matter who contributes funds to this insanity, eventually the ocean will win.

Lake Okeechobee, while one of the largest lakes in the United States, is also one of the shallowest.  Nature meant the lake to overflow its banks periodically sending fresh water to replenish the ecosystem to the south. Again man through the Army Corp of Engineers, wanted to protect those who had foolishly settled by the Lake’s edge. Their mandate was and is to dredge the swamps and allow agriculture and home builders to tame the frontier. By seeking to change the natural environment we have only succeeded in the decimation of the Saint Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon while providing for subsidized sugar and unneeded subdivisions.

From the smallest atom to the most complex eco system there is sanctity and holiness of purpose in the natural world. There is no denying that everything on the earth is interconnected. When man alone (or collectively through government) changes anything, then there are consequences.  One cannot truly believe in a Deity and then treat His creation with such arrogance. Even if one does not believe in a supreme being, does not the divinity of the natural world speak for itself?  The continued disregard for natural law will only prove how idiotic man really is. To quote Mark Twain, “Every civilization carries the seeds of its own destruction”.