News From Paddle Florida

In this issue you will learn a bit about our NEW “Fall on the Peace” trip with an excerpt from Doug Alderson. We also have an update from Ryan Smart with the Florida Springs Council, a reminder to mind our manatee friends, and what to do if you find yourself out of your boat and in the water.

We hope everyone is safe and sound as you recover from Hurricane Ian. 🌀

Serene and generally slow-moving, the Peace River—known as “Rio de la Paz” on old Spanish charts—emerges from the Green Swamp and flows more than 100 miles past largely undeveloped shorelines. Calusa Indians once utilized the waterway in large numbers, especially the lower stretches near where the river meets the Gulf, and Seminole Indians called the river home in the 1700s and early 1800s. They named the river Tallackchopo, “The River of Long Peas,” after the wild peas that were abundant along the riverbanks. [Read more…]

Photo credit: Doug Alderson

In 2018, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposed BMAPs for twenty-four impaired Outstanding Florida Springs. Several of these, including the BMAP for springs of the Santa Fe River, fell woefully short of that basic statutory goal.

The most obvious failing in the Santa Fe BMAP is that it only proposes a small fraction of the nitrate reductions necessary to clean up the springs. At the same time, it ignores the increased pollution that will inevitably occur in the next twenty years from population growth and greater agricultural intensity. At best, DEP’s BMAP is a prescription for treading water. At worst, our springs will be more polluted in twenty years than they are today.  [Read more…]

From April 1 through Nov. 15, seasonal manatee zones require boaters to slow down in certain areas to prevent manatees in their summer habitats from being injured or killed by motorboats or personal watercraft. Boat strikes continue to be a major threat to Florida manatees. [Read more…]