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There have been some changes since this newsletter last came into your mailbox. Earlier this year, Egor Emery, then President of LCCC, asked me, Bernie Yokel, to fill the then-vacant position of Vice-President on the Council's Board of Directors. As I was already a member of the Board, it was easy to agree.
However, in June, Egor announced his intention to run for election to the Lake County Commission in District 4. In order to fully pursue his candidacy, he resigned the LCCC Presidency, but remains a member of the Board of Directors. In accordance with the LCCC by-laws, the Vice-President succeeds to the presidency when necessary, and it is this turn of events that brings me to you today. The leadership of the Council was not an honor I sought, but it is one that I accept whole-heartedly; and I assure each member that I will fulfill the office of LCCC President to the best of my abilities.
ELECTIONS
It is an election year and a bumper crop of Council members have stepped forward to proclaim their candidacy for public office. No less than five LCCC members will be on the November ballot. Three members are seeking to take or retain a seat on the Lake County Board of Commissioners: Egor Emery is challenging the incumbent, Catherine Hanson, in District 4 (Eustis); and Bill Good seeks to reclaim the Commission seat he narrowly lost four years ago in District 2 (Clermont). Nancy Fullerton is running for the Lake County Water Authority from District 2 and Nadine Foley is an unopposed candidate for the Lake Soil and Water Commission. The election of environmentally sensitive candidates is important to good resource protection and management decisions. Review the platforms of these public-spirited members and support them if you can.
GROWTH AND WATER RESOURCES
After decades of rural calm in a growth state, Lake County is now clearly a “growth county”; and much of the “growth management” that is going on (or not going on) will determine the appearance and quality of life for our county in future decades. The following is a brief review of Florida’s historic and current land and water practices with respect to their affect on our current growth and water crisis.
Four years of record-breaking drought has made water quantity, water quality, and regulatory issues of vital concern to citizens, elected officials, water managers, and the media. History suggests that a large measure of our present water problem is rooted in past land and water management practices, as well as in our continuing appetite for growth. The earliest official attitudes emerged about 100 years ago when Florida was a wet frontier.
In 1905, Florida Governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward initiated a plan to drain up to 6 million acres of Everglades wetlands and swamps. His plan utilized ditches and canals to connect large wet areas with a river or the sea. The objective was to expose and dry the rich black muck soil for agriculture and community growth. This basic drainage concept was utilized with local variations (and little or no control) across Florida’s wetlands for the next 60 years. By 1965, fifty percent of the 20 million wetland acres Florida possessed when it became a state in 1845 had been drained and domesticated.
The Florida we know today really began in the years following World War II. With little regulation, the state’s leaders and developers were free to continue their tradition of profitable growth through the conversion of wetlands and swamps. Wetlands of all kinds were considered worthless until drained. The tacit motto of Florida’s elected officials appeared to be “Get those wastelands on the tax rolls!” In the name of economic growth and agricultural expansion, the filling of wetlands for urban development was sanctioned (and encouraged). Highways that divided whole ecosystems were bulldozed across the state; and, locally, huge tracts of the Apopka and Emeralda Marshes were diked and drained. The cumulative effect of these and other Central Florida drainage projects was the diversion and ultimate loss of immense volumes of fresh water that otherwise would have increased the recharge of ground water reserves and the Floridan Aquifer serving our local communities.
It is a bit of political irony that some of the highly destructive local projects, such as the diking and draining of the Apopka and Emeralda Marshes and the channelization of the Kissimmee River, are now being reversed and “restored” at extraordinary public expense. Such restorations admit the errors of past public policy and belatedly acknowledge that water and wetlands have real value.
But it took the depths of a four-year drought to fully reveal the consequences of rapid growth, excessive drainage, and reduced recharge in Central Florida. Officials alerted Central Florida that the previous warning of impending serious depletion of ground water reserves, predicted for the year 2020 were now possible as early as 2006. By any standard that’s a wake-up call for better resource management.
I have no quick solutions for implementing wise growth management except to say it is highly dependent on the people we elect to represent us. Although my background is science, I’ve learned that you protect your resources and your way of life not with science, but with politics. In this election year, we are looking for candidates who will stand against the erosion of the beauty, vitality, and quiet charm of Lake County. We can no longer afford the relentless reviewing, modifying, and approval of an endless series of development proposals without any viable vision of the future or the consequences. Ill-considered growth is steadily devaluing the quality of our lives. The effective protection of both tangible and intangible natural resources and the adoption of truly innovative growth management is the greatest challenge facing the officials we elect. This November, evaluate the candidates carefully, find the ones that will protect the resources and life style that you value, support them in any way you can, and by all means vote.
Bernie Yokel, President, LCCC
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Are You A Water Waster? If You Are, Beware!
There are a couple of things I can say about water wasters. One is that they are consistent. It doesn't matter if you are in a drought or a flood, it's sunny or rainy, they will still have their irrigation running at an inappropriate date and time. They also seem to have plenty of money. According to a list compiled at the offices of the St. Johns River Water Management District and the Lake County Water Authority, the greatest residential violators are located in our more affluent neighborhoods. In some neighborhoods, almost every home on the street is listed as a violation. The excuse that I have heard repeatedly is,”I don't have anything to do with that irrigation timer” or “My lawn maintenance company/yardman is responsible for it.” That excuse just doesn't hold water.
Another large water waster in our community tends to be commercial businesses. The type of business that tends to have the most wasters are model home builders followed by banks and churches. Again they tend to blame their property management company instead of being responsible for their property. I wonder if they also tend to ignore their profit margins as much?
Well, to deal with these wasters the Lake County Water Authority has hired 2 Water Patrollers. These Patrollers along with a third hired by St. Johns River Water Management District for Lake and Marion Counties have been on the hunt for water wasters. They have found that one of the best times to catch their quarry is at night. So far, the hunt has been good. However being the conservationist that I am, I hope their easy success gradually becomes more difficult as individuals learn the importance of water conservation.
If you would like to participate in the hunt, just write down the violator’s address, time and date of violation, and a distinguishing feature, such as the color of the home or the name of the business. Next, call the information into the Lake County Water Authority at 343-3777. You can remain anonymous to avoid neighborhood quarrels.
Happy Hunting!
The Anonymous Limnologist
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The LCCC newsletter is introducing a new feature: a “Member-to-Member” column. Its purpose is to give each of our members the opportunity to share thoughts with all our members. In this premiere column, all the thoughts are political, but future columns will sample our membership’s thoughts and opinions about Lake County’s unique ecosystem, growth-management, environmentally friendly gardening, recycling, and whatever other conservation issues are on LCCC’s members’ minds
At least we hope future columns will. If no one contributes, there’ll be nothing to share.
The “Member-to-Member” guidelines are simple: If you’re a current LCCC member, just write 300 to 500 words on the topic of your choice and when you’re ready to submit, contact Lynn Abbey
Member-to member from Mary Anderson:
W e are all members of the Conservation Council because we care deeply about Lake County.
I met Catherine Hanson in 1997. We were both concerned about indigent health care. We have since welcomed her support of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Committee. We've had a common interest also in restoring the Oklawaha River. Catherine introduced the resolution that the BCC passed to support the environmental efforts to do this–and followed the resolution with numerous letters to the Governor, the Forestry Service, etc. It was Catherine who worked for 2 years to persuade St. Johns River Water Management to join Lake County and Oklawaha Valley Audubon Society to create the Emeralda Wildlife/Interpretive Drive, an eco-tourism treasure. The county has provided birding brochures and media exposure for this portion of The Great Florida Birding Trail. Several of us attended and learned from the seminar on “building green” that she initiated. She supported the PEAR project and appointed Bernie and Egor to their positions on that board.
Catherine says, “I have worked to preserve the natural resources of Lake County, promote responsible growth by enforcement of the County's Comprehensive Growth Management Plan, and increase public awareness about environmental issues.
“As a County Commissioner, I have taken actions that include, among many, the Golf Course Water Conservation Ordinance, the Lake Apopka Basin Ordinance, the Land Acquisition Initiative, the Blue Belt Amendment and the effort to preserve Sugarloaf.
“I invite all my constituents to assist me in making better decisions. I really want to hear from you. Together, we can accomplish so much.”
Currently, she is supporting the County Building Green Audit, a Trails & Natural Lands Summit, and a Lake County Environmental Procurement Policy. I know her intent to lead the way for Lake County to Smart Growth (managed growth that allows preservation of contiguous open spaces) and Land Acquisition Program (the only certain way to conserve and protect green-belts).
I respect this modest, competent and caring woman who works very hard to be an excellent County Commissioner. Therefore I am campaigning for Catherine Hanson’s re-election so that she may continue to champion these and many good causes for Lake County’s citizens and their environment.
Member-to-Member from Egor Emery
Since 1987 I have been attending LCCC meetings. Together we have tried to use our collective wisdom and energy to educate the public and elected officials about the beauty and fragility of Lake County’s ecosystems, and the importance of conservation.
Very early my LCCC experience transitioned from attendee, to board member and activist. I participated in the Comprehensive Plan process, worked hard (with many other LCCC members) to stop the boondoggle incinerator, fought the speculative rezoning on Sugarloaf, and worked to elect candidates (some of them members) who pledged support of policies agreeing with the purposes of the Conservation Council.
It is common for elected officials to run away from their records in election years. As a LCCC board member I have voted for positions which LCCC presented before the County Commission. The record shows numerous occasions when current Commissioner Catherine Hanson voted in opposition to LCCC’s position. Our land use pattern in Lake County has been a patchwork built upon approval after approval in apparent disregard of objectives written in the Comprehensive Plan. The emerging land use pattern has resulted in the strain on our government services, tremendous pressure on our natural resources, and in higher taxes.
I have been, and I will continue to be, an advocate for enforcing the Comprehensive Plan. I will continue to advocate for action to conserve the threatened natural resources of Lake County such as the ongoing effort of LCCC to save the Wekiva from roads to nowhere. I am proud of my association with LCCC and encourage all LCCC members to help elect Egor Emery.
It is time to elect a conservationist to the District 4 County Commission seat.
Member-to-member from Bill Good
As a past-president of the Lake County Conservation Council, I am writing you about my concerns for the upcoming countywide election of November 5, 2002. Lake County has seen many changes disastrous changes in the past few years. Our water quantity is being threatened by drought and overpumping. Water quality is at risk due to greater development of our lakeshore, and the lack of fluctuation in our surface water table. Ground water in many areas of Lake County is pumped at an unprecedented rate; explosive "uncontrolled" growth threatens our wild communities, especially in south Lake County. The pressure for growth, whether you call it "smart" or not, is crumbling the very natural systems that are Lake County. A ride down Highway 27, 50, 441, or just a short drive to Sorrento down 46 is not the pleasant rural adventure it used to be. The rate of change is what is so appalling. Those of us who have been involved in educating the youth and public officials, for many years, through the efforts of LCCC, must finally come to the conclusion that; "If our public policies are made to promote growth, by providing it an unending canvas on which to grow, we will never be able to contain suburban sprawl!" If we do not contain suburban sprawl, and slow the continued annexation of county property into the cities, we will end up living in one giant megalopolis.
The lessons of surrounding communities should be clear to us. We watched Apopka become part of Orlando, then Casselberry, then Sanford. Now, we are watching as the "Big Development" moneys buy elections and turn Clermont, Oakland and Winter Garden into a shadow of Orlando. These communities continue to fight for their survival, as do the natural communities of the Eagle, osprey, Gopher Tortoise, indigo snakes, Florida bobcats, foxes, and our few remaining Florida Panthers. The Warea Archipelagos and the South Lake Sandhills are being covered with rooftops and concrete while growth pays only part of the cost, raining increased taxes, fees, and debt on the rest of us.
Our human communities feel the same pressures as nature's. While walking a subdivision in south Lake just the other day I watched a pair of sandhill cranes wonder confusedly in the street by the swimming pool. I can only wonder what was passing through their brains as they searched the gutter for scraps of garbage. Two five foot tall birds, red crowned and majestic, lost in paradise. As I drove along Highway 27 over the crumbling roadway and turned onto Highway 19, another crumbling roadway. I thought about the overcrowded classroom I had taught in the year before. A classroom with forty 15 year olds who were being asked to learn science in "90 minute" block class periods. These students, our leaders of tomorrow, were experiencing the same kind of confusion as the sandhill cranes on the street that I had seen earlier that day in South Lake County.
Interestingly, I had originally thought of running for School Board when I retired from teaching, but the plights of our Lake County natural communities, and our schools, are the same. Until Lake County faces up to the fact that, " Building permits come with tremendous environmental and social impacts…. ", and plans for quality growth with amenities, we will all suffer the fate of those sandhill cranes. Please support my candidacy for Lake County Commission and help "Balance the board" with commissioners who can standup to "Big Development" pressures that threaten not only our natural communities, but our very "Lake County way of life ".
The opinions expressed in the Member-to-Member column are those of the submitting member only. They are not the opinions of the Lake County Conservation Council as a whole; nor should they be interpreted as an endorsement by the Lake County Conservation Council of any position or individual.
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An unfunny thing happened on the way to dredging canals in Lake Griffin. Our state legislative delegation lead by Senator Anna Cowin stepped on the toes of the Lake County Water Authority (LCWA) Board of Trustees until they reversed their original decision not to dredge the canals. Those of you who have been following this issue know that in June the LCWA voted not to dredge the private community canals in Lake Griffin. The vote was four to three against dredging. Ann Griffin, Jim Modica, Gene Molnar, and Susan Ryan all voted against the dredging proposal for a variety of reasons. The LCCC applauded their action because it was consistent with our opposition to that dredging proposal. (The June 5th letter Bernie Yokel sent to the LCWA outlining LCCC’s position has been posted to our website, http://www.conservationcouncil.org.)
Between the LCWA's June vote against dredging and the July meeting of the LCWA when the vote was reversed, Senator Cowin and others on the state legislative delegation pressured members of the LCWA Board demanding a change in the June vote. The legislative delegation told Board members that the legislature approved the money for dredging canals in Lake Griffin and it had to be spent on that dredging. However, the delegation pressure did not stop there. It crossed the line of acceptable behavior when Senator Cowin indicated to LCWA Board Chairman Molnar and Executive Director Mike Perry that she could take steps to disband the LCWA if the dredging vote were not changed.
This threat became public knowledge during the July meeting of the LCWA when Board Member Ryan questioned Mr. Perry about the intervening meeting with Senator Cowin. The LCCC members present at the July meeting were disappointed to learn that Senator Cowin used such heavy-handed tactics against our duly elected local Board. The people of Lake County elected Senator Cowin and the other members of the state delegation to take care of business in Tallahassee, not to undermine the authority and effectiveness of local government.
During the July meeting Chairman Molnar changed his vote on dredging canals in Lake Griffin, and Jim Modica did not show up for the meeting. Neither of them is running for election this time around. Only Susan Ryan and Ann Griffin stood by their positions in the face of scathing opposition and political pressure. They deserve our respect and appreciation.
The LCWA cannot operate effectively if it is a puppet of the state delegation or any other group. We elected the LCWA Board to protect water resources in the County and to spend public money for public purposes. We elected all of the officials involved in this dredging debacle to serve the public interest. In this case, some of our elected officials sold us down the canals.
Nancy Lopez
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Cyanobacteria Monitoring
In the Harris Chain of Lakes
Plenty of Cells But Very Little Toxin
Michael J. Perry, Executive Director
Lake County Water Authority
107 N. Lake Avenue
Tavares, Florida 32778
www.LCWA.org
LCCC invited Michael J. Perry, Executive Director, Lake County Water Authority, to inform the membership about the current status of LCWA’s cyanobacteria monitoring initiative. The Board decided that the questions we all have about toxicity in our lakes warranted a longer article than this newsletter usually contains. In addition to the article, Mr. Perry provided us with bar graphs illustrating LCWA’s findings in several local lakes.
Extremely high counts of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) in the Harris Chain of Lakes has been the subject of considerable media attention. The media has relied on occasional samples and from that limited information has made several sweeping assertions regarding the toxic properties of the lakes. The Board of Trustees of the Lake County Water Authority is extremely concerned about the effects of these potentially toxic algae on human health and animals such as alligators; however the Board desires to take management actions based on fact. To obtain the required facts, the Board initiated a biweekly monitoring program in September 2001 to characterize the cyanobacteria populations and any associated toxins in each of the lakes in the Harris Chain. The objectives of the monitoring program are to: (1) Identify the kinds of cyanobacteria present in the samples of water from each lake, (2) determine the total number of cyanobacteria present in each sample, (3) determine the amount of potentially toxic species of cyanobacteria present in each sample, and measure the concentration of toxins (specifically microcystin and cylindrospermopsin) present in each water sample, and observe changes over time.
With nearly a full year of data available, several observations can be made. There is absolutely no doubt that extremely high counts of total cyanobacteria cells exist and have persisted over the monitoring period. The majority of the cyanobacteria species represent those that are not known to be toxin producers. The total cyanobacteria cell counts appear to be the highest in Lake Apopka and the counts seem to go down as the water moves through the lake system downstream from Lake Apopka.
It is very important to note that when a potentially toxic cells are present does not imply that the toxins are in the water. There are algal species identified that are potentially toxic. The monitoring program included determining the amount of toxins that may be in the water column. Through the entire monitoring periods there was no cylindrospermopsin (the toxin associated with Cylindrospermopsis sp., one of the dominant potentially toxic algal species) measured in the lakes. Microcystin, (the toxin associated with Microcystsis sp., one of the other dominant potentially toxic algal species) was measured in the lakes, typically at or below the World Health Organizations (WHO) standards for drinking water. There were two samples from Lake Eustis and Lake Harris that did measure much higher, although returned to the lower levels by the next sampling period two weeks later. This situation may be the result of infrequent, isolated bloom conditions that are not persisting. It is interesting to note that while Lake Apopka has the highest total cyanobacteria cell count, it represents the lowest reported counts of potentially toxic cyanobacteria cells than did most of the other lakes, including Lake Yale.
The message to take from the monitoring to date is that the presence of the potentially toxic cells does not indicate toxins in the water. The reasons these cells release toxins is not well understood. Scientists worldwide are working to understand the biology of these cells and the relationships to human and animal health.
Dr. Ed Phlips, a professor at the University of Florida's Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, has researched has the biology, ecology, and management of algae and aquatic micro-organisms in Florida waters and offers recommendations for the public regarding cyanobacteria.
- If you encounter a lake with a nasty surface scum of algae you might choose not to swim in it, as it probably would not be a pleasant experience, anyway;
- Don't drink large quantities of pond scum. Trust me, it tastes and smells awful and may not be good for your health; and
- If you become ill while recreating in a lake or river, go home. Seek medical attention if it is serious. If possible, report the incident to your local health authority so that data can be accumulated to serve the public good. Remember, however, that the illness may or may not be linked to toxic algae . Such reactions can be associated with a wide range of issues, including bacterial contamination, chemical contamination, allergic reactions, pre-existing medical conditions and in some rare cases the over- consumption of intoxicating substances.
1. Don't Panic
The newspaper and television media have focused public attention on the issue of toxic algae. However, the public must realize that many uncertainties remain about the actual threat that algal toxins represent to human health in Florida. Research dealing with these issues is underway and in time there will be a clearer picture of this threat. Meanwhile it is important to keep in mind that people have been using a wide range of lakes and rivers in Florida for recreation for over a hundred years without reports of any overwhelming human health catastrophe involving toxic algae. After the research community has arrived at a definitive picture of the toxic algae threat it should be possible to establish reasonable guidelines to help prevent such catastrophes in the future.
2. Use Common Sense
Until reasonable and justifiable guidelines for exposure to algal populations in Florida's lakes are established the public will need to apply common sense in their recreational activities.
3. Stay Well-Informed
While "a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing," ignorance is much worse. Although newspapers, radio and television media play an essential and powerful role in informing people about important issues, they should not be the soul source of information that concerned citizens rely on. Take the extra effort to seek out information from local and state agencies (i.e., Water Management District, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Department of Environmental Protection, etc.), public health organizations and university research and public education programs like the Florida LAKEWATCH program. The full text of Dr. Phlips' article can be accessed at: http://lakewatch.ifas.ufl.edu/ToxicAlgae/ToxicAlgae.htm
The Board of Trustees of the Lake County Water Authority continues to be concerned about this major issue in our lake systems and is working to understand the lakes and take the necessary actions that result in water quality and natural systems improvements.
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(These six bar graphs chart the amount of cyanobacteria in the named lakes (Apopka, Beauclair, Dora, Eustis, Harris, and Yale) and the amount of potentially toxic bacteria on a particular date against fixed, standard water quantities. It is difficult to reproduce detailed graphs in our newsletter. By the time the web-page creation process is finished, some of the labels may have become illegible, but the relationships and trends should remain clear – the editor)
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Lake County,
FL
