September - Sierra Club Florida

2 Suwannee-St. Johns Sierra Club September 2012
Chair’s Corner: When Rivers Run Dry
BY DAVE WILSON
While Sierrans in North
Central Florida are focused
on Adena Ranch,
the Silver River and the slime
crimes taking place in our beautiful
springs, water will continue to be
a worldwide issue during the 21st
century.
My wife and I observed the water problem
first-hand a few weeks ago on a visit to
the West Coast when we drove a rental car
from chilly San Francisco to my cousin’s retirement
pig roast in Chico, Calif., at the
northern end of the Sacramento Valley. As
my wife fiddled with the controls of an unfamiliar
vehicle, the temperature outside
rose from 60 to 107 degrees. Big agriculture
was all around us, and sprinklers abounded.
Until well into the trip, the air conditioning
was not functioning and somehow she
managed to turn on the butt warmer. We
are talking very hot and very dry. As we explored
Chico, we found it to be the cultural
and educational center of the region with
beautiful Bidwell Park gracing 3,670 acres
of downtown real estate. We also discovered
that Chico State University (CSU) has instituted
an innovative cultural project called
the Book in Common, where everyone in
the community reads the same book. While
the University of Florida has the Common
Reading Program, CSU’s has widespread
support through events sponsored by the
County, City and Butte College.
The book chosen this year is Robert Glennon’s
“Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis
and What to Do About it.” Professor
Glennon contends that we are spoiled and
lazy, and we get the government (and policies)
we deserve when we passively stand
by and watch others squander a valuable
resource.
Without trying, we uncovered water sins
of every stripe including sprinkler systems
delivering potable water to lawns, sod,
sidewalks, golf courses, walnut groves and
orchards well into the late afternoon when
the temperature was in the 90s and the humidity
was near zero. If this scenario sounds
familiar, it should.
As it turns out, UF has a program for
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Suwannee-St Johns Group Chairs & Executive Committee
Chair Dave Wilson 352-377-5250 dcwswamp@yahoo.com
Administrative Dwight Adams 352-378-5129 edwightadams@cox.net
Conservation Whitey Markle 352-595-5131 whmarkle@gmail.com
Program Chair Melanie Martin 352-246-3084 melaniemoksa@gmail.com
Newsletter Publisher Scott Camil 352-375-2563 scottcamil@gmail.com
Events Sherry Steiner 352-375-2563 sherrysteiner@att.net
Legislative Liaison Daniel Vazquez 352-870-6999 a.daniel.vazquez@gmail.com
ICO Maryvonne Devensky 352-871-1606 marydeven@yahoo.com
Secretary Linda Pollini 352-246-4545 lindapollini@gmail.com
Treasurer Roberta Gastmeyer 352-336-2404 rgastmeyer@bellsouth.net
Outings Tom Morris 352-373-0741 troglobyte46@yahoo.com
Newsletter Editor Jessica Newman 904-446-5588 jnew751@gmail.com
Environmental Education Daniel Freed 352-262-2555 danieljacksonfreed@gmail.com
Legal Daniel Vazquez 352-870-6999 a.daniel.vazquez@gmail.com
Newsletter Design Jessica Newman 904-446-5588 jnew751@gmail.com
Webmaster Mike Wright 352-372-7975 mike@sugarfoot.org
Membership Roberta Gastmeyer 352-336-2404 rgastmeyer@bellsouth.net
Publicity Peter Monte 352-642-2314 petejmonte@gmail.com
Fundraising Riley Peck 352-328-6213 peckfamily@cox.net
freshmen called the Common Reading Program.
In 2008-09, this program featured
the book “When the Rivers Run Dry” by
Fred Pearce. I am willing to bet most of you
missed this event. While Mr. Pearce gave
an excellent talk on his research, I doubt
it had much impact on the local water crises.
Instead, it took the Herculean efforts
of local environmentalists (including Bob
Graham, Bob Knight, Guy Marwick, John
Moran, Brad Rogers of the Ocala Star Banner
and Cynthia Barnett) working overtime
to generate enough pressure to force
Adena Springs to reluctantly reduce their
consumptive use application by 60 percent
(from 13.2mgd to 5.2mgd).
My plans for expanding water awareness
this fall include several outings to endangered
springs and rivers led by Tom Morris
and Rob Hopkins. Since some of the properties
in question (namely, Adena) are difficult
to see from the road, we have initiated a
discussion with an outfit based in Asheville,
NC, called South Wings for a flyover so
Cont’d on pg. 7
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Suwannee-St. Johns Group Sierra
Club Newsletter (UPS 317-370) is
published 10 months a year, except
June and August, by the Suwannee-
St. Johns Group Sierra Club, PO Box
141693, Gainesville, 32614-1693. Nonmember
subscription rate is $5.00.
Periodicals Postage Paid is paid at
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PLEASE ADDRESS ALL GENERAL
CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE
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32604.