Thank you to my husband Ed for taking these photos once again of our east coast Indian River Lagoon inlets: Sebastian, Ft Pierce, and St Lucie– in this order. He took them Saturday, 3-12-16, around 4pm.
How to recognize a photo up close if you are not sure? Sebastian is recognized by its bridge over the inlet, Ft Pierce by the discharges exiting C-25 into the IRL at Taylor Creek near the marina, and Stuart’s St Lucie by “ball-like” Sailfish Point and undeveloped Jupiter Island south across the inlet.
Each inlet is unique, but all share that destructive channelized discharge waters running through them to the Atlantic Ocean—carrying sediment covering seagrasses, oysters, and reefs—too much freshwater for healthy fisheries and wildlife….and over nutrification—–
The rare, old-fashioned, 1987 “IRL Joint Reconnaissance Report “map below shows the Indian River Lagoon basin as a whole all the way from Ponce de Leon, in Volusia County to Jupiter Inlet, in Palm Bach County. The image shows the various freshwater discharge points into the Indian River Lagoon “basin.”
Yes, the Florida we know was “built on drainage” of the lands, but if the Florida of tomorrow is going to thrive, this system must be re-plumed/reorganized.
As we are aware, and have been aware, we are slowing killing our treasured ecosystem with these discharge outlets. It is time to rethink the drainage equation. Hopefully, in the future, “the canal map” will not look like this, nor will the aerials. To view series of aerials below, please click image and then direct with arrows.
Excellent pics of the devastation to our reefs
Please give Ed our thanks for documenting this vile act.
Every river warrior young or old should have at least a small salt water aquarium so they can care for and grow coral . Once you have a full working knowlage of what it takes then you will know how to care for your reefs. Its all about phytoplankton.You now have plenty of muck to grow unlimited amounts of good phytoplankton.
Thank you Brent. Interesting idea. I have had an aquarium for 11 years (fresh) that my husband gave me and it has given me a greater appreciation of how delicate healthy water is….it is work.
When you look up the Florida Memory web page and write in coquina at the top and press search the first web page should show image 0126. I love this 1909 picture because it shows the little white(new) shells in the water and being thrown out. Thank goodness someone took the time to photograph the shore, I now have several places where these ancient clams are coming back. There is some very complex chemistry that goes on in violent wave action. I do not believe the ancient IRL stunk because h2o2 obliterated the organic material. I also have much hard evidence to prove that the conditons that formed these formations was the same thoughout the 150 mile long lagoon, There is no telling how much has been lost but I believe there are many oasis where some of these creatures have beat the odds and can be brought back if the lagoon is restored to the way it was.
Did you know most of the thousand year old redwoods were cut down,Only after a group of people who were concerned about the dwindleing numbers for a Save The Redwoods League was the last redwoods saved, I believe our coquina formations was Florida’s Redwood Forest, Like the redwood” harvesters” all they could think about was the money they could make paveing roads and making cement.
I think you are on to something no one else has caught on to
the whales know—The few that are left