(Editorial Board, Tampa Bay Times, July 7, 2021) Manatee deaths in Florida are climbing at an unprecedented rate, and humans are to blame. Pollution and run-off cause seagrasses to die, starving the beloved sea cows. In all of 2020, 321 manatee deaths were recorded compared with more than 800 deaths so far in 2021. Click […]
Archives: Straight Talk Article
Articles for the Straight Talk section.
Rights of Nature Law to be Tested in Florida Court
(Jordan Bowen/Fox13 News/May 18, 2021) A lawsuit filed on behalf of nature against a land developer may help save a section of wetlands from destruction. An Orange County “rights of nature” activist filed the suit to enforce a new law that gives waterways the right to exist, flow, and be protected against pollution. Click here […]
Sludge in the Garden
(Sierra Club/July 2021) A report by the Sierra Club and the Ecology Center found PFAS chemicals, or “biosolids” in the ingredients of 9 fertilizers sold by more than 30 companies. These sludge-based fertilizers and composts for home use contain “forever chemicals” that don’t break down in the environment and are highly toxic to people and […]
NRCS Scientists Work in Partnership to Save Florida Manatees
(Derric Cushman/USDA/June 29, 2021) The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and its soil scientists are playing an important role in saving Florida’s manatees. The scientists conduct underwater soil surveys to gather information on the healthiest and the most degraded areas of the Indian River Lagoon. NRCS is working with the St. Johns River Water Management […]
Brevard EDC asks for Infrastructure Funds for the Lagoon
(Linda Weatherman/floridatoday.com/July 2, 2021) As a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and the White House debate details of a new infrastructure plan, the Brevard EDC has taken the initiative to ask for funds to be directed toward areas that will have the greatest impact, specifically the Brevard Indian River Lagoon and KSC. Click here to […]
Love it Like a Local – Be Lagoon Friendly
(Space Coast Association of Realtors) Every year thousands of people relocate to Brevard County, attracted by our natural environment, job opportunities, and relaxed lifestyle. The Brevard Indian River Lagoon Coalition is launching Love It Like A Local–Be Lagoon-Friendly, a new program that reaches out to new homeowners through their Realtors and employers. The goal of […]
Vultures circle a tropical paradise in Florida as Brevard County’s graveyard of manatees grows
(Jim Waymer, FloridaToday.com, May 8, 2021) Throughout Florida, manatees are dying en masse due to starvation. Decades of successful conservation efforts have given way to a growing manatee graveyard. The starvation is caused by algae that suffocates kills the native seagrasses that manatees eat. Click here to read more about the crisis.
Indian River Lagoon Algal Bloom Highlights Florida’s Estuaries in Peril
(Aaron Adams/Bonefish & Tarpon Trust/April 15 2021) Plankton algae blooms have long plagued the lagoon, but now benthic algae in the Indian River Lagoon is beyond being out of control. The Indian River Lagoon is now in a vicious cycle, dominated by nutrient-enabled algal growth year-round preventing vital seagrasses from growing. The crisis has been […]
Florida hoping an additional $8 million will help save the manatees
(Jim Waymer/Florida Today/May 4, 2021) Florida wildlife officials are due to receive another $8 million in funding this year to help manatees recover from a year on pace to be the deadliest on record for the threatened species. Research shows the sea cows are starving across from a shortage of native seagrasses. State biologists are […]
Man-made disaster causing manatees to die in record numbers
(Florida Today, Jim Waymer, May 5, 2021) Manatees are dying en masse up and down the coasts of Florida. The manatees are starving to death. Mangrove coves and canals that once were havens for the creatures are increasingly empty of them. Decades of conservation success and progress have given way to decaying carcasses and bones […]