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Nikon and The Brevard Nature Alliance present Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival November 16 - 20, 2005 in Brevard County, Florida A celebration of birds and wildlife. |
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Nikon and The Brevard Nature Alliance present Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival November 16 - 20, 2005 in Brevard County, Florida A celebration of birds and wildlife. |
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It has been twenty-four years since I moved to Florida. When I first jumped in the crystal clear waters of our local springs and rivers, I couldn't possibly imagine the treasures that awaited me. It was a wonderland of clear water, waving grasses, crawfish, mollusks, fish, turtles, alligators, and in some places, the manatee. Wading birds of all types lined the shore, and raccoons, otters, opossums, skunks, turkeys, snakes, lizards, deer, bobcats, bears, and even monkeys could be seen.
People come from all over the world to snorkel and dive these emerald jewel springs and underwater caves, some of the largest known on earth. The area is honeycombed with caverns, limestone passageways, and sinkholes, the likes of which are not found anywhere else. You must be cavern and cave trained and certified to dive the caves; if you are open water certified, cave diving instructors in the area can get you your cave certification in just a few days. If you are not diving, the same rivers and springs support snorkeling, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, camping and picnicking. The photographic opportunities are endless, both on land and underwater. These are just our rivers and springs...I haven't even touched upon the hundreds of lakes in our area that support some of the best fishing in the U.S.
It is still a wonder to me to see bald eagles and osprey soaring overhead, and to witness bison, deer, alligators, herons, storks and Sandhill Cranes as I drive to town. This is what I see here in North Central Florida - a land of grassy, rolling hills, horses, large oak trees, Spanish moss, lakes, rivers, springs, forests, and palm trees. We are truly blessed.
As a photographer, you might expect to see many types of birds, turtles, manatees, alligators, otters, raccoons, snakes, deer, wild hogs, and even monkeys (along the Silver River). But has it occurred to you what you might photograph underwater? Imagine...you put on your mask - you are either snorkeling or scuba diving - as you immerse yourself, you take a quick gasp, partly due to the cool water, and mostly due to what you might be seeing. You could be floating with the current, among the eelgrasses, where you can see numerous species of fish, turtles, snails, and cormorants diving for fish. Because the water is so clear, any alligators that see you are beating a hasty retreat to hide from you. It's very hard to photograph gators underwater - fleeing tails are uninteresting. You come upon white sandy boils, or small caves where water is gushing out from the aquifer. Numerous shells litter the bottom. Sometimes you can peer into caverns, feeling the water pull at your mask with enormous force. In some places, depending on the season, manatees call this home, and can be viewed underwater.
Florida is also known for the only living coral reef in the continental U.S., located in the Florida Keys. Our mangrove estuaries support many of the larval and infant stages of species that inhabit the reef. Many wading and shore birds use these valuable ecosystems as their rookery. All of this sounds like a paradise, and it truly isÉ. but paradise has changed a lot in the last 24 years - and not for the better. That is probably not news to you, but have you ever thought of what your impression of these beautiful jewels might be if, today, you see them for the first time?
You would probably be in awe at the beauty of the waters, and the diverse species of birds and animals, as many of my clients are when they tour these rivers with me to photograph, dive or snorkel... However, I am saddened by what I am seeing - changes in the water clarity and reduced flow from the aquifer, algae covering the eelgrasses due to increased nitrates, algae choking our coral reefs from the lack of the sea urchin (which eats algae), and reduced numbers of fish species in both freshwater bodies and saltwater reefs.
It is what is called a "shifting baseline" - the baseline of the health of an ecosystem 24 years ago is far different than it is today. So today's children accept the health of the waterways and wildlife as "normal" - for they have never seen it any differently. That is their baseline. My baseline is 24 years old, and yours may even be older. So what baseline should we accept, and what is truly normal?
Here in Florida, we really have the best underwater treasures in both fresh and saltwater- and we should not accept what we are seeing now as being normal and healthy. It is important for us to establish the "normal" baseline, as things were before human encroachment, and development. We must also accept cyclical weather changes of extreme drought, excessive rain, and hurricanes as part of Florida, and try not to mold our environment to suit ourselves - after all, we are the interloper, and it is we who should adjust. So, once you find the best of Florida, and it could be underwater, or canoeing, kayaking or hiking - maybe that will help you want to protect these treasures that make Florida so very special and unique.
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