We all know that Martin County has been fighting against the ACOE and SFWMD’s Lake Okeechobee discharges into the St Lucie River/Southern Indian River Lagoon since the 1930s. But if someone asked, “when did the modern river movement REALLY get going?” Without a doubt, the answer would be: August 3rd, 2013, at the “Save the St Lucie River and Wildlife Protest,” St Lucie Lock and Dam, organized via Facebook by at the time, 29-year-old Evan Miller.
In the year 2013, Evan along with friends, not only put together THE protest at the locks, but also other memorable events such as the “Sandbar Party” where hundreds of attendees wore toxic radiation suits in light of the toxic river waters of 2013, as well as the rally at the beach also bringing thousands where the people spelled out in human form SAVE OUR RIVER!
I spoke with Evan about a month ago as he was organizing this Saturday’s event “Save Our Rivers, Restore the Everglades, March to Buy the Sugarland!” and in the course of the conversation he told me that “Facebook had changed, and that it has become more difficult to reach as many people as were reached in 2013.”
I found this really interesting, especially that Evan knew such, (the young people are so much wiser to social media), and it got me thinking that this “would make sense” as the Arab Spring overseas and all that was happening with social media on a world level from 2011-2013 did in fact become an issue for governments world-wide trying to “keep order…”
Perhaps “the government” did somehow get Facebook to change its logarithms so that crowds/protesters would have a more difficult time “organizing”…sometimes against their own governments….I do remember hearing something about all this on the news….then it went quiet…..
Anyway, Evan is a local “genius” at organizing events and helping to put pressure on elected officials and agencies thus inspiring support of clean water for the St Lucie River/Indian River Lagoon. Evan and good friend Clint Starling, also a great organizer, have represented Citizen’s for Clean Water on the Rivers Coalition since 2013. (http://riverscoalition.org)
We river “ancient ones,” are thankful to this younger generation that has turned up the volume and is using new tools for riding our ancient river protest wave to a better water future!
To really add to the event, reports are out that a VIP, maybe President Obama, will be flying over on Saturday on his way to play golf…..SO COME OUT this Saturday, March 28th, at 11:00, fly the flag—bring your parents! bring your kids!—-to Stuart Beach and participate in Evan’s newest rally, a march from Stuart to Jensen Beach: SAVE THE RIVER. RESTORE THE EVERGLADES. MARCH TO BUY THE SUGARLAND!
Let’s support Evan and our rivers once again by the thousands! Let’s demand clean water for today and for the future!
For information go to event : (https://www.facebook.com/citizens4cleanwater) SAVE OUR RIVER, RESTORE THE EVERGLADES! MARCH TO BUY THE SUGARLAND! ___________________
TC PALM article, Tyler Treadway, SRL- Wildlife Protest 2013: http://www.tcpalm.com/franchise/indian-river-lagoon/health/indian-river-lagoon-rally_20140515202725771
I talked with one of many who used to dig clams for a living. I said do you remember 25-30 years ago when everyone was making a thousand or more dollars a week digging clams. I said had they only put calcium beach sand in the fresh water runoffs to replenish the calcium they were takeing out ,they could have been making big money all these years. All he said was I sure miss those clams. A while back I went to Whiteys bait and tackle and bought live clams. I asked are these local clams? He said no they come all the way from New York. I did not buy any more because I might actually be introduceing an envasive species. Only a DNA test could tell. If you waunt to buy land you should buy so people can have free access to the beach.What makes living here nice is that everyone has FREE access to the beach.Buying swampland is not going to help the IRL one bit.
This calcium would neutralize the acid that has all the neutriants preserved( like viniger preserves pickles)and turn the muck into fish and clam food.Do this and you will bring the IRL back to life. You can buy all the land you waunt and unless you put back what has been taken out for the last hundred years you will NOT help save the lagoon one bit. Thanks for letting me speak what I am sure to be the truth.
There is a math problem that needs to be solved. How much calcium will it take bring the ph of the lake O runoff up to that of the ocean so there will not be anymore beach erosion and the water will clear up? This still will not solve all the nitric acid from all the local cars ,boats and planes.
Jaqui—It was nice to meet you in person. The picture I showed you did not exsplain what was happening like the one on the page before. That calcium sand road had been washed out by rain and the one in the picture was the road that replaced it.I know you guys have worked a long time to get them to not dump so much fresh water on you and even though my opinion on how to fix the lagoon is very different from yours I believe we both very much would like to see the situation resolved.If you ever do a blog on how calcium was used to build roads please don’t forget to mention the bridge to keys west. I have had fishermen tell me you could see shells in the concrete and its pinkish coler is a give away.