Just last weekend, I presented at the “Future of Florida Summit” at the University of Florida’s Graham Center. Eric Eikenberg, CEO of the Everglades Foundation, gave a passionate speech to hundreds of young people during the lunchtime session. My husband, Ed, usually quiet, turned to me saying: ” He is a really good speaker.”
The crowd listened…
Mr Eikenberg noted that he was a graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Broward County, Florida and that even though the school was literally built in what was once the Everglades, there had not been studies on that subject while he attended the school. He talked about the importance of our state waters and the need to involve youth in the education of our natural world, especially here in South Florida.
Ironically, four days later, the horrific shooting at Mr Eikenberg’s alma mater, has called attention, once again, to the shortcomings, and cultural sickness in our society.
In 1991, the “Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Protection Act” was enacted by the Florida Legislature becoming the precursor to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Douglas ended up asking for her name to be removed from the legislation. At the time, she was 103 years old. After fighting for the Everglades for a lifetime, she said she felt the legislation was too favorable to the Sugar Farmers. “Growers should clean up the water on their own land…” meaning the state and federal government shouldn’t be building Storm Water Treatment Areas with taxpayer dollars to do it for them….
In time, Ms Douglas’ name was removed.
I wonder if she were alive today, if she would want her name removed from the school? I doubt it. She may have been tough on those destroying the Everglades, but she had a soft heart for youth. Lore states that when she was starting her famed organization Friends for the Everglades she refused to have the membership fee too high for students to be able to join, as she knew they were the most internal of keys.
My greatest sorrow and prayers for the families of the dead.
May the blood of the slain remind us to stop looking at our phones, and to turn to nature and Nature’s God for insight and inspiration in this crazy and destructive human-made world.
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Links:
Palm Beach Post, Who was MSD: http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/broward-school-shooting-who-was-marjory-stoneman-douglas/OOPs63TWxpyyxDOjW9SM6J/
CNN Who was MSD: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/15/us/marjory-stoneman-douglas-who-was-trnd/index.html
Tampa Bay Times year she died: http://www.tampabay.com/news/nation/Who-was-Marjory-Stoneman-Douglas-_165518820
Washington Post MSD obituary: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1998/05/15/environmentalist-marjory-stoneman-douglas-dies-at-108/99d2a81d-2141-4dd1-b8fc-69d4cb0da27b/
Everglades Protection Act, Sun Sentinel, MSD, http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1991-04-26/news/9101210185_1_joe-podgor-everglades-marshes
Everglades Protection Act, Sun Sentinel 2, MSD removing her name: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1991-05-08/news/9102250472_1_everglades-pollution-lawsuit-pollution-filtering-marshes-joe-podgor
Timeline of Everglades Restoration: http://evergladeslaw.org/everglades-timeline/
Everglades Protection Act, originally, the MSD EPA:http://evergladeslaw.org/timeline/florida-legislature-passes-everglades-protection-act/
National Park Service, MSD Bio: https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/historyculture/msdouglas.htm
Alligators and Litigators: https://www.floridabar.org/news/tfb-journal/?durl=/DIVCOM%2FJN%2FJNJournal01%2Ensf%2FAuthor%2FD0FE7CE69AFA102885256ADB005D635E
SFWMD history including 1991 EPA: https://www.sfwmd.gov/sites/default/files/documents/bmp_nonpoint_source.pdf
Everglades Foundation:https://www.evergladesfoundation.org
again, thank you . The words are encouraging to hear as I feel discouraged as we fight the state gov. We have to raise funds to clean up after oligarchs in our midst. May GOD have mercy on all of us and may we all do our part of being a voice .
Words of wisdom. Thank you. The first and best book I ever read about Florida was “River of Grass” by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas. It should be required reading for all. What we are doing to our planet (killing it via pollution) and ourselves (senseless killing via gun violence) is insane.
My heart breaks for any parent or family member who has had to bear the grief of losing their loved ones. Parkland, Orlando, Vegas, Columbine, wherever life has tragically and abruptly ended for the innocent lives. #timesup #StonemanStrong
Well said Jacqui.
I am on NW medical hospital in Margate—about 1or 2 miles from the shooting. I think it is human nature for people to create a “confort zone” around them and not open thier eyes to the world around them—maby this is what has happened to our government. People should never have been pushed on top of each other the way it is down there while most of Floridas land has no one liveing on it.
As always, you are the voice of common sense in a world gone haywire. This modern-day St. Valentine’s Day massacre will be long remembered as an indictment on our society – or the lack of civility. Perhaps the good of this is that a new generation will learn of Douglas and take up her banner to preserve what is dwindling. ♥
Join us in a Candlelight Ceremony on North End of Roosevelt Bridge on Monday 2/19/18 for the victims of yet another school shooting. They should not die in vain.
Our lagoon has been as green as pea soup. Last week I made a desperate atempt to clean it up. I put many buckets of shell on the shore. When I was done miles of shore looked like the US 1 and Pineda (waiting to die video) on the internet. where waves went up and down churning shell. This week the water is clear in this area. I now have trillions of coquina clams working for me and I believe they tasted the calcium (from waves grinding shells) and filtered the water. One might argue that this area is close to the inlet and the pea soup went out to sea . I dont have the time I had last week but I intend to do same thing tomarrow just north of Pineda causeway.
Last night our Ted Morehead lagoon house had a big wedding. I have come to learn you can talk till your blue in the face to these people but the only action they are going to take is what the real estate investers spending our tax dollars say they should do.Right now they have tasted the 300 million tax money and the parties on.
I put down my fishing poles 12 years ago when I saw it was necessary to restore what was almost gone. I am starting think now what I need is a sponser. The 300 million that was supposed to go to fixing the lagoon was obtained by fraud. 4 out of 5 money grabbing county commisioners put on a act on how to fix the lagoon that should have won an osker.. Most of what I have been doing is takeing shells from underwater and putting them back on the shore where I believe they were taken from. Simple but very effective.
Our construction entrance is right at the emergency entrance of the NW medical center and the saddest thing about the day of and after the shooting was it was just as busy as every day. There is now tables for lunch and water for the first responders . There was a box of thank you letters from the school. My hats off to the first responders. They are the difference between a society that cares and one that does not.
Being sent to hospital to work just before school shooting is not the only time unexsplainable coincidence has happened. Once I was sent to Spartinber South Carolina to work on a Hospital. I knew my unckle who I fished with was about to pass in this town. I arrived 4 in the morning and asked the front desk if they were doing construction on this hospital. She said no. I asked if they had a Jim Garland here —-she said yes. What are the odds of all the hospitals in America—being sent and finding the wrong one that my unckle just happened to be in. I was glad to see him one last time. I remember asking if they had any fishing shows on tv for him to watch. There is something spiritual about being out on the lake watching the sun come up that is hard to exsplain. I think most people don’t have a clue as to what I am talking about. They are all absorbed in their fantacy internet world.
Why is it simple things seen to go right past people who are smart. I watched on tv that troops in Iraq did not have strong enough body armor to stop the higher caliber armor piercing bullets. They were replaceing this body armor with something called dragon skin. Why not give the old body armor to teachers—bouncers in night clubs or anyone protecting all large public gatherings.. If it can stop a ak47 round it should do the job. Then put a medical kit in the pockets so bleeding can be stopped right away. Once people protecting schools have body armor then you can discuss the many ways to bring conflict to a fast end.
Why not just ban the sale of weapons of war to everyone i the United States, that might be a start?
When I work it is a no brainer that I work for and do what the person who signs my paycheck says to do. Back when our factories were in America our government worked for and did what the American people wanted them to do. Now we are 18 trillion in dept to China. I would bet China holds more US government bonds than Americans. I am sure they would love to see all the weapons of war in the hands of only our government that they own. Why do you think there is such a big push to take weapons . I think this is why body armor has not already been distributed to schools.
Peace, Solidarity y’all!
Einstine was asked what is the most powerfull force on earth. His reply was compound interest—that’s where money gains interest and 1 dollar becomes 2 and 2 becomes 4—4becomes 8 and so on. I think he was wrong. If people did not love money it would have no more value than toilet paper. the most powerfull force on earth is a healthy environment where living cells devide and multiply. Our state government knows that our estuaries could pay off our dept to china with the fish americans don’t like anyway. Our state government and their puppet media are going to continue to lie to control the food and have absolute power over the citizens of this state. They will oppress and keep their foot on our neck to hold us down to the bitter end. The great thing about the way our form of government is if they do not shape up we can ship them OUT.
At our lagoon house they had a lady who made bat belfreys(homes) She had a very interesting presentation on the importance of bats. This lady should be playing a leading role in mosquito control. Right now is the dry season and after comminting on the most powerful force on earth I thought I would mention that when you kill one mosquito now it will mean a million mosquitos will not be around at the end of summer. Most have hatched and died in brief cold front rains and the remaining survivers are around swamps. It is interesting to note how Ricks Scott used media to promote a scare over the zeka virus.His wife owns a multi million dollar mosquito control business. It shows that mosquito control is not about controlling mosquitos but its about shakeing down taxpayers for all they can get. Every year they needlessly spray millions of gallons of poison on us.
it took a lot of treason in high places to put our country under the bone crushing dept we are now in. I believe there is not a single person on the constitution revision commission that our state government could not quietly punish if they rocked the boat. One of the things that concerns me is how our laws have been used to destroy the american worker. It is obvious as to why those in position of power do not want them to vote and why they do not want ANYONE to have a gun.