Editorial: Protecting natural resources must remain a priority

Naples Daily News
Editorial Board

 

New Year 2017

Editor’s note: Last of a series examining progress in 2017 on seven issues the Naples Daily News editorial board identified as important for this year.

As 2017 began, there were plenty of reasons to focus on the protection of natural resources in Southwest Florida.

There were vivid images of algae tainting waterways connecting the Gulf and Atlantic coasts with Lake Okeechobee. There was great debate over whether a new storage reservoir south of the lake was necessary for Everglades restoration.

A Naples Daily News investigative report documented that half of Florida’s 800-plus miles of coastline is critically eroded, yet the state has invested minimally in protecting its signature beaches.

A study by the University of Florida, the state agriculture department and nonprofit 1000 Friends of Florida had raised awareness in November that development-related demand for water could double by 2070. The report called for water conservation measures and increased land preservation to ensure there are adequate open lands to replenish our water resources.

A record number of Florida panthers died when hit by vehicles in 2016, and last year more manatees were killed in collisions with watercraft than in the prior record year of 2009.

An overwhelming 83 percent of Lee voters in November had wisely agreed to continue investing tax dollars to acquire conservation lands. Discussions thankfully had begun about renewing Collier’s land acquisition program.

These were some of the reasons our editorial board chose protection of natural resources as a key issue to monitor in 2017.

More evidence

If those weren’t reason enough to be concerned about protecting our environment as 2017 began, along came the drought.

Heavy rainfall in June and the first half of July may dim those memories for some, but probably not for the thousands who had to flee their homes, the handful who lost their houses to wildfires or the firefighters who braved 100-foot flames in parched rural Collier.

Each of the first five months of 2017 saw below average rainfall. We’ve caught up in the past six weeks, but even so are just about 3 inches over normal rainfall for the year to date, according to AccuWeather.

Last month the Conservancy of Southwest Florida presented an even more compelling reason to be concerned about preserving our natural resources.

A report card that analyzed the health of 10 estuaries in Southwest Florida assigned poor marks in most areas for both water quality and natural habitat. Water quality takes into account the presence of nutrients and bacteria in our waters; habitat grades factors such as preservation of wetlands, mangroves and the existence of conservation lands to protect the nearby coastal environment. The report card reaffirmed the value of acquiring conservation land.

Perhaps most disturbing in the report was that no estuary earned an A or B grade in water quality here in “pristine” Southwest Florida. It’s important to note the analysis was done using state records, not data created by the conservancy.

Pluses, minuses

Some other pluses and minuses in 2017:

» As a plus, Lee commissioners continue pursuing a wetlands-rich 4,000-acre tract east of Interstate 75 near Bonita Springs and Estero, hoping to acquire it through the Conservation 20/20 program.

» A negative was Collier commissioners’ recent reversal of the commitment they had repeatedly made earlier this year to jump-start Conservation Collier’s land acquisition program.

» Another plus: Facing the reality that the state won’t invest much money in improving beaches, Collier commissioners have taken ownership of addressing this critical initiative locally. Commissioners increased by 1 percent the tourist tax charged on hotel rooms and short-term rentals to 5 percent and revised the formula for distributing the money. Beach-related projects will receive about $11.2 million yearly compared with $9 million annually under the prior formula.

» Another plus: Senate President Joe Negron gained legislative approval of a reservoir south of the lake. The state now can move forward on a 15,000-acre reservoir on government-owned land so water can be treated and released toward the Everglades. It’s part of the solution, and thankfully other projects also are moving forward.