“Death by a Thousand Cuts,” Time to Stop the Bleeding, St Lucie River/Indian River Lagoon

“Death by a Thousand Cuts,” Time to Stop the Bleeding, St Lucie River/Indian River Lagoon

The St Lucie River/Indian River Lagoon has been dying, has been “being killed” by our local, state, and federal governments since before I was born.

SLR/IRL St Lucie Inlet 207-16 by Ed Lippisch.
SLR/IRL St Lucie Inlet 2-7-16 by Ed Lippisch.
SFWMD canal and basin map. C-44 canal is the canal most southerly in the image.
SFWMD canal and basin map. C-44’s S-80  is the canal most southerly in the image.
SFWMD 1955-2015 discharges at S-80.
SFWMD 1955-2015 history of discharges at S-80.

The idiomatic expression “death by a thousand cuts” has been used by many people in many situations…but the St Lucie River/Indian River Lagoon is the expression’s poster child…

Idiom: Death of a thousand cuts
Idiom Definitions for ‘Death of a thousand cuts’

“If something is suffering the death of a thousand cuts, or death by a thousand cuts, lots of  bad things are happening, none of which are fatal in themselves, but which add up to a slow and painful demise.”

The St Lucie River/Indian River Lagoon has been dying, has been “being killed” by our local, state, and federal governments since before I was born. Since the 1940s when the 1915 “slice” between Lake Okeechobee and the South Fork of the St Lucie River was deepened, widened and made permanent by the ACOE as requested by a state protecting agriculture and development interests.

Does this make it “right?” —That it has been happening for so long? Does this mean we should have nothing to say about  the present very high level discharges killing our estuary? Absolutely not.

As in most instances righting cultural wrongs takes time. It takes many years of pain and realization. And then it takes people rising up for change.—- It takes bravery, determination, and exposure.

For instance, it wasn’t until the first TV stations in the 1960s showed black Americans displaying non-violence in the face of attack dogs and beatings; it wasn’t until a few brave women spoke out publicly and were arrested as displayed in the first newspapers of the day that these hundred year old issues began to change.

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For Florida, we are that new issue. Our river is that “new issue.” With the advent of social media and Go Pros allowing a pilot, like my husband Ed, to attach a camera to his plane and share formerly unseen  images with the world, the cuts of Lake Okeechobee and area canal discharges at S-80 would happen again and again and again. But since 2013 images have been shared, social media has ripped through the hearts of people who want something different. Not just here but on the west coast and all across our state. The River Warriors, the Rivers Coalition and thousands of others have stood up. We are primed to do this again but even more effectively. Film it. Share it. Expose it.

The SRWMD chart below, found by my brother Todd, shows the Lake Okeechobee and C-44 area canal releases from Structure-80 displayed from 1955-2015. Dr Gary Goforth has shown us in a blog I wrote in 2013 that in the 1920s the release levels were even higher. We can see the  destructive releases have happened many times at horrific levels. They are going down. Now they must stop.

These red lines are the historic destruction that is driving our actions today. Each line a new cut causing a weaker estuary. ——-We are the chosen generation to change this. We are the chosen generation to save the St Lucie River/Indian River Lagoon.

Yesterday, after the vocal encouragement of the River Warriors and others our Martin County Commission voted to send a resolution to Governor Scott asking for  a “State of Emergency.”

In my opinion, this means that not some, but every commissioner must support the purchase of land south of Lake Okeechobee.  Because the propaganda of “finishing the projects” as the answer— just isn’t going to cut it.

River Warriors protesting before the MCBOCC 7-9-16. Photo JTL.
River Warriors protesting before the MCBOCC 7-9-16. Photo JTL.
SFWMD 1955-2015 discharges at S-80.
SFWMD 1955-2015 discharges at S-80.
With SFWMD info on bottom
With SFWMD info on bottom of slide.
Plume, Ed Lippisch 2016
Plume, Ed Lippisch 2-7-16.
SL Inlet
SL Inlet, 2-7-16, Ed Lippisch.
Plume, Sailfish Flats discharges, photo Ed Lippisch 2016.
Plume, Sailfish Flats discharges, photo 2-7-16 Ed Lippisch 2016.
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  • Posted 8 years ago

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