ROCK THE RIVER RALLY

from Terry LaPlante

ROCK THE RIVER RALLY

Sunday September 29  1-4PM

Guest Speakers 3PM

Selwyn Birchwood Band plays 2-6pm .

Earl's Hideaway  1405 Indian River Dr. Sebastian

FREE ADMISSION!

Good food and good prices: Pizza, Hamburgers, Hot dogs, Fish & Chips etc.

Fundraiser for the Marine Resource Council www.mrcirl.org

Come unite as a community to rally to save the Indian River and all the seafood, wildlife, recreational sports, and beauty it supports!

We need your help. We need you to spread the word that the rivers, lakes, springs, and perhaps even the ocean are sick. We are rapidly depleting our fresh water supplies. We are filling them with human waste, animal waste, insecticides, and fertilizers that are killing the waterways, our quality of life, and a sustainable source of food. The economic engine of Florida's tourism and this too needs to be supported with clean safe water.

Lake Okeechobee is south of Brevard county and west of our neighbors in Martin county.  Lake Okeechobee is a natural waterway with locks and canals that enable excess waters to be discharged when the aging Herbert Hover Dike is threatened by high water levels. Should the lake overflow or the dikes give way the surrounding communities would be flooded.  Lake okeechobee  is a holding tank of polluted water from multiple sources. Recent discharges from the lake into the St. Lucie River have required the Martin County Health Department to declare the waters of the St. Lucie River to toxic to swim in or eat the seafood from.  The heavy rain fall we have had this year and the risk of storms has forced the US  Army Corp of Engineers to dump tens of billions of gallons of highly polluted water into the St. Lucie River on the south east coast and into the Caloosahatchee River on the south west coast.  This water is not safe for  any purpose. The St. Lucie River runs east and west taking the discharged water out into the ocean passing through the Indian River Lagoon. Lots of wildlife and fish have died along with the sea grass. The Sun Sentinel reported that "this summer, discharges from the rain-swollen lake into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers have contributed to major algae blooms that have mucked up the rivers and threatened tourism."  Martin county is the only county in the state reporting an outbreak of mosquito born dengue fever. Is this a coincidence or is there a connection?

Here in Brevard and Indian River Counties the Lagoon has lost over 47,000 acres of seagrass from the 2011 superbloom caused in part by the eutrophic, nutrient rich freshwater, sediments, and fertilizers applied in the surrounding basin for over 100 years. Wildlife moralities including dolphins, manatees, and pelicans have caused the state and federal environmental agencies to declare unusual mortality events for these mysterious deaths. Research is underway to understand the causes of the lagoon's algae blooms and wildlife deaths. Let's show these agencies we support their work to improve the lagoon and save our wildlife and fisheries.

 Watch for our Facebook page Rock the River Rally or check the Facebook page for Florida Water and Land Legacy we will have them up soon.

Terry LaPlante

Field Organizer

tel: (321)543-2156

Terry@floridawaterlandlegacy.org