Celebrating Earth Day and 60 years of conservation efforts

Rob Moher, Conservancy president and CEO. COURTESY PHOTO

Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, when tens of millions of Americans joined for the first time in a national recognition and celebration of the beauty and importance of protecting our planet. However, in Southwest Florida, Earth Day started much earlier when in 1964, the founders of the Conservancy decided to stop “the road to nowhere” as it was named, that would have connected Naples to Marco Island through what today is our beloved Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Since those early days, citizens, students and families have been on the front lines enjoying and advocating for the preservation of what makes our area so special — our Paradise Coast. In Southwest Florida, we are fortunate to have a significant percentage of our coast protected or in preserves. Yet, we must remember that those natural areas, which we enjoy today, and which provide our community with so many ecological, economic and quality of life benefits didn’t happen on their own. Someone, at some point, had to fight to preserve what we enjoy today. The moment we take our natural environment for granted is the moment we put these resources in peril.

A recent study conducted by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Captains for Clean Water and Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF), highlights the stakes when it comes to the economic dimension of the impacts of continued Harmful Alga Blooms (HAB) to our community. We have billions of dollars at stake, and thousands of jobs that can be lost if we do not work to advocate for permanent, effective and sustainable solutions to the impacts of pollution on our waterways. But beyond the headlines of these persuasive numbers, lies the human dimension of impact. It is about the walk on the beach we cannot take due to red tide, the impact on recreational fishing, when we cannot eat toxic fish because of exposure to HABs, or in some cases, the toll on human health from long-term repeated exposure to waters that have become harmful due to pollution.

During the peak of spring break, Naples had the unpleasant distinction of two public notices of unsafe waters for swimming in the Gulf of Mexico due to fecal-related bacteria, Enterococcus. This can cause significant health issues for anyone swimming in these waters. Imagine this, one of the wealthiest communities in the United States, that depends upon real estate and tourism as its economic engine having to close its beaches at the peak of travel season. At the same time, the City of Naples over two decades has scaled back one of the key possible solutions of an upgraded stormwater system that would assist with these water quality issues. Thankfully, there is movement to seek out the needed funding to finally move this project forward with determination and without further reductions in scope. The City of Naples, along with other cities in the region, has stepped up their efforts to pass local fertilizer ordinances which when well-designed can reduce nutrients contributing to our water quality woes.

Despite the challenges, our region is still an enviable place to live, rich with natural resources and a relatively high quality of life. As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, we are looking forward to inviting the community to our free Earth Day Festival at our Nature Center on Saturday, April 20. Join us to learn more regarding how you can be part of the solution. As we know, we only have one planet, and it is up to all of us to preserve our paradise here in Southwest Florida for today and future generations. ¦

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