tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65971153062757818102024-03-20T11:07:12.604-04:00A Word WitchRandom thoughts on the power of words, Buddhist practice, and the changing of the seasons in the Santa Fe River region of North Central FloridaA Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.comBlogger279125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-55759179626025953372023-12-17T14:52:00.000-05:002023-12-17T14:52:00.991-05:00Breaking the Barriers to the Ichetucknee's Restoration, Part 2<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLF6S36fpZruy1iqPBPBi4u05PfQy9J_suDGlQYehwbYargv7CXa6dJhSpduDqaq7cujeT8OcU5Qj1pV_pD__PgZe1-nEEGYvC-URmJYKWlwcwOSTY4Otud_KA7rMjjS5dsDfS1WL5YvH4D_kExbkcSQQUFQWtKUZmVONGqZXhz3KF0Y53_J885Z-LR_vK/s800/IchetuckneeHeadSpring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLF6S36fpZruy1iqPBPBi4u05PfQy9J_suDGlQYehwbYargv7CXa6dJhSpduDqaq7cujeT8OcU5Qj1pV_pD__PgZe1-nEEGYvC-URmJYKWlwcwOSTY4Otud_KA7rMjjS5dsDfS1WL5YvH4D_kExbkcSQQUFQWtKUZmVONGqZXhz3KF0Y53_J885Z-LR_vK/s320/IchetuckneeHeadSpring.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ichetucknee Head Spring (my photo)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b><i>I originally wrote this article for the website of the Ichetucknee Alliance when I was working for that nonprofit organization as their communications coordinator. The article has disappeared from the Alliance's website, so I am republishing it here.</i></b></p><p><b>The Barriers & Some Suggestions About How to Break Them (continued from part 1)</b></p><p><b><i>Barrier #4: State Funding Priorities.</i></b> There are at least four large problems with state funding priorities. </p><p>The first problem is that state funding is being wasted on ineffective projects that do not target major water users and major polluters. This is explained in the 2021-2022 Springs Funding Report by the Florida Springs Council (FSC) here: <a href="https://www.floridaspringscouncil.org/funding" target="_blank">https://www.floridaspringscouncil.org/funding</a></p><p><i>Water management districts are either unable or unwilling to propose cost effective springs restoration projects that target the major sources of nutrient pollution. Springs funding is being wasted on ineffective projects, some of which are reported to have no benefit to spring water quality or flow. Legislation should be passed to allow other entities, like the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) and accredited land trusts, to directly submit project proposals to the Department of Environmental Protection for consideration for springs restoration funding. </i>(from page 1 in FSC's report) </p><p>Other excellent recommendations for change are listed in FSC’s report, including (from page 2), “Stop preempting local rules and ordinances to improve water quality and reverse previously passed state preemptions.”</p><p>The second problem is that state funding priorities neglect North Florida, which has a smaller population and therefore fewer voters than South Florida. South Florida always receives more state funding for water issues.</p><p><b><i>Barrier Breaker.</i></b> Given that North Florida’s springs—the largest concentration of springs in the world—is a priceless treasure every bit as important ecologically as the Florida Everglades, funding for water issues should be evenly divided between the two halves of the state, not allocated on the basis of population. </p><p>The third problem is that funding is usually allocated to fix problems rather than to prevent those problems from occurring. Lessons learned from Florida’s Everglades have made it abundantly clear that it is easier and cheaper to prevent problems than it is to fix them after they’ve occurred.</p><p><b><i>Barrier Breaker. </i></b> The role of Florida’s water managers needs to be reframed legally and conceptually from “problem fixers” to “problem preventers.” </p><p>The fourth problem is that state agencies mask ineffective actions to protect natural systems by claiming to spend large amounts of money on protection, while, at the same time, failing to take effective actions such as limiting water use and insisting that pollution be controlled at its source. </p><p><b><i>Barrier Breakers.</i></b> Floridians must realize that at their core, our water problems are political problems. Florida voters must insist upon effective actions by electing officials and representatives with strong histories of environmental advocacy and action—candidates who are willing to bring people together to agree that tough decisions are needed, who are willing to make those tough decisions, and who are able to lead by inspiring people to make the changes needed to manifest a new vision for living with Florida’s waters.</p><p><b><i>Barrier #5: Water Pricing.</i></b> For rural residents on wells, water is free except for the cost to install and maintain the well and the power required to draw the water. There are no price incentives other than those costs for rural residents to conserve water, although urban and suburban residents on municipal water systems pay fees for their water.</p><p><b>Barrier Breaker: </b> Tiered water pricing for all water users would address inequities in water pricing and encourage stronger efforts at water conservation.</p><p><i><b>Barrier #6: Lack of a Compelling Vision for the Health of Florida’s Natural Water Systems.</b></i> It’s been said that if a foreign country were doing to our natural water systems what the State of Florida is allowing to happen to them, we’d be at war. That statement has the ring of truth when you consider that the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute has documented over 20 years of springs health declines; see especially pages 4 and 19 here:<br /><a href="https://www.floridaspringscouncil.org/funding" target="_blank">https://floridaspringsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/1-Springs-Conservation-Plan-Executive-Summary-FINAL.pdf </a></p><p><b><i>Barrier Breaker:</i></b> Florida needs an overall vision to guide water management decisions and the ways we all live with water. We like this vision, below.</p><p><b><i>Realizing that the health of its people, economy and natural water systems are interconnected, Florida will restore, preserve and protect those natural water systems and will become an international model of wise water use.</i></b></p><p>What are your ideas for a new water vision for Florida?<br /><br /></p>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-70692314190639282012023-12-17T14:29:00.002-05:002023-12-17T14:30:49.423-05:00Breaking the Barriers to the Ichetucknee's Restoration, Part 1<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEdwoEW552l7OqHpCWYc0hvjKAT3ivvUrVQw1gfASSmyd8ryux2TI9z_aym2HAgFd6lvu22eEoXK8CUDPjV-7SrWlAhsiXMMgc5DSciq28_O1Ukh2mcOnba2pKVVKgcFf-xMYKO_AZpOY9QOeg5NxGN5yLNtM7ocriJ_kZQWka2hIY6tvaJSl9n7Rzp-v/s1767/Blue-Water.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1263" data-original-width="1767" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEdwoEW552l7OqHpCWYc0hvjKAT3ivvUrVQw1gfASSmyd8ryux2TI9z_aym2HAgFd6lvu22eEoXK8CUDPjV-7SrWlAhsiXMMgc5DSciq28_O1Ukh2mcOnba2pKVVKgcFf-xMYKO_AZpOY9QOeg5NxGN5yLNtM7ocriJ_kZQWka2hIY6tvaJSl9n7Rzp-v/s320/Blue-Water.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a healthy spring should look like; photo of the Ichetucknee by Charles Dutoit in the 1980s.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b><i>I originally wrote this article for the website of the Ichetucknee Alliance when I was working for that nonprofit organization as their communications coordinator. The article has disappeared from the Alliance's website, so I am republishing it here.</i></b></p><p><b>Introduction</b></p><p>Why hasn’t the Ichetucknee’s lost flow been restored yet? Why are the nitrates in the Ichetucknee higher than the state standard? Why is it so hard to get our state agencies to take effective action to restore, protect and preserve springs and spring runs like the Ichetucknee?</p><p>One of the answers to this question, of course, is that state legislators, agency administrators and staff are much more comfortable giving “the illusion of protection” than they are with making the tough decisions that are needed to stop pollution at the source and limit the amount of water that is being pumped from the Floridan aquifer. Taking such tough actions could alienate donors to political campaigns and is viewed as being “bad for business,” while the long-term costs of inaction and allowing our springs and aquifer to fail are ignored.</p><p>But there are other reasons for the state’s failure to act, reasons that we can find embedded in state and federal laws and in our own personal behaviors.</p><p>A list of some of these barriers to springs protection follows. (Some of you may remember the Alliance’s list of “Florida Water Sins” that was included in the older version of this website; several of those sins are mentioned in this article.)</p><p><b><i>Our intention is not to overwhelm you with the magnitude of these barriers, but to inspire you to action and advocacy.</i></b></p><p>If everyone who reads this article would choose to work on breaking even one or two of these barriers, we could build a groundswell of actions for the Ichetucknee and our other springs that could turn the “the illusion of protection” into actual protections.</p><p>Please read the following list with this question and vision in mind:
<b><i>Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could make Florida an international model of wise water use?</i></b></p><p>Put on your creative thinking caps! You might decide join forces with the Alliance, with another springs advocacy group, and/or with groups outside the “water choir” that are working on breaking down some of these barriers. Or you might invent a new water conservation technique or a way to stop pollution at its source. Be bold!</p><p><b>The Barriers & Some Suggestions About How to Break Them</b></p><p><b><i>Barrier #1: Apathy and feelings of powerlessness.</i></b></p><p>These days, it’s easy to become apathetic and to feel powerless to make change. We’re all busy, and working for change is hard and can be energy draining.</p><p><b><i>Barrier Breakers.</i></b> Remember that people are motivated to save what they love.</p><p>Consider your feelings about the Ichetucknee—the springs, the river, the Floridan aquifer. Remember that the springs are the “canaries in a coal mine” that indicate potential problems with our water supply.</p><p>What has the Ichetucknee meant to you? What would it mean to you if it dried up? If your children couldn’t enjoy it the same way you have? What would it mean to you if the water from your tap was polluted, or if you turned on the tap and nothing came out? Do you care enough to get involved?</p><p>To inspire you, check out the many roles that the Ichetucknee has played in the lives of people in its surrounding communities: <a href="https://belovedblueriver.org/river/" target="_blank">https://belovedblueriver.org/river/</a></p><p>Remember that the Ichetucknee is part of the Springs Heartland of Mother Earth—the largest concentration of freshwater springs on the planet, a unique, world-class natural system that is every bit as significant ecologically as Florida’s Everglades.</p><p><b><i>Barrier #2: Greed.</i></b></p><p>One of the reasons Florida’s lawmakers balk at effective actions to protect springs systems like the Ichetucknee is because they are beholden to special interest donors who could withhold political campaign contributions if they think springs protection will hurt them financially. One of the reasons businesses balk at changing their practices to help our springs and rivers is because they think that doing so will cause them to lose money.</p><p><b><i>Barrier Breakers.</i></b> Think about water and natural water systems as a common interest, not a special interest. Do you think special interests should take priority over common interests? Are the profits of a few more important than the wellbeing of the many? Wouldn’t businesses that choose to “do right” by our springs and rivers reap financial rewards from a grateful public?</p><p>What if the Ichetucknee had the legal rights to exist, to flow, and to thrive? Could that create a legal balance with special interests where no balance currently exists?
Consider supporting efforts to grant legal rights to natural water systems and/or working with groups that are trying to get big money out of political campaigns, so our elected representatives will no longer be owned by special interests.</p><p>Learn more about efforts to grant legal rights to natural water systems:
<a href="https://belovedblueriver.org/relationship/changing-the-relationship/nr-legal-1/" target="_blank">https://belovedblueriver.org/relationship/changing-the-relationship/nr-legal-1/ </a><br />and <br /><a href="https://www.centerforenvironmentalrights.org/ " target="_blank">https://www.centerforenvironmentalrights.org/ </a></p><p>Do an Internet search for “end Citizens United” to learn how people are working to overturn that Supreme Court decision. Search “getting big money out of politics” to learn how and why we should create a more democratic (note lower case “d”) society.</p><p><b><i>Barrier #3: Ignorance & Myths.</i></b></p><p>Many Floridians don’t understand the basic concepts that are important for restoring, protecting and preserving the Ichetucknee. That lack of understanding isn’t their fault; it’s simply that many Florida residents came here from somewhere else or that these basic concepts are not usually part of the standard K-12 education. People who saw our springs for the first time in the mid-20th century know what we have lost; people who see the springs for the first time today have a completely different baseline from which to view springs conditions.</p><p><b><i>Barrier Breakers.</i></b> Education is the best antidote for ignorance, and these shifting baselines demonstrate the need for more education about Florida’s hydrological cycle and the changing conditions of our springs. Here’s some helpful information for you to share with friends and family members.</p><p>To learn about Florida’s hydrological cycle, see:
<a href="https://floridasprings.org/springs-101/" target="_blank">https://floridasprings.org/springs-101/</a></p><p>To learn who makes water decisions that affect our springs and how those decisions are made, watch The Ichetucknee – Tomorrow: <a href="https://youtu.be/id0T4_yHV1Q">https://youtu.be/id0T4_yHV1Q</a></p><p>Included under the heading of “Ignorance” are several prominent myths that create barriers to the restoration, preservation and protection of our springs.</p><p> <b><i>Myth #1: The Myth of an Infinite Water Supply</i></b> </p><p> First is the <i>Myth of an Infinite Water Supply,</i> but the amount of freshwater available to us is finite. See:
<a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/freshwater-systems# " target="_blank">https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/freshwater-systems# </a></p><p> Embedding a strong water conservation ethic in Florida’s society could help to debunk this myth. For that effort to be successful, state agencies, local and state governments and springs advocacy groups should collaborate with each other (so that the public gets consistent messages) and with public relations and advertising experts to develop creative campaigns to educate people, encourage water conservation and inspire innovations in that area. </p><p><b><i>Myth #2: The Myth of Legal Protections</i></b> </p><p>The second prominent myth is the Myth of Legal Protections that enables our state agencies to create the “illusion of protection” even while our current laws actually permit harm to our springs.
The things that our state agencies tout as providing springs protections—the “alphabet soup” of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs), Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs), Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs), and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)—have proven to be ineffective. For just one example, see the Florida Springs Council’s report about how long it will take the State of Florida to clean up our Outstanding Florida Springs (hint: 191 years for the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers, based on projects proposed in 2021-2022): <a href="https://www.floridaspringscouncil.org/funding " target="_blank">https://www.floridaspringscouncil.org/funding </a></p><p> Additionally, federal laws make it impossible to prevent pollution that’s produced by non-point sources such as agricultural operations because non-point sources are unregulated.</p><p>To learn more about how federal laws hamstring springs restoration, preservation and protection efforts, read the lead article (“Is It Really Illegal to Create the Community You Envision?”) here: <a href="https://celdf.org/resources/common-sense-new-edition/ " target="_blank">https://celdf.org/resources/common-sense-new-edition/ </a></p><p><i>The Myth of Legal Protections</i> also masks several other severe problems that create barriers to springs protection:<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Absence of accountability for state agencies means there are no penalties for pollution or lost spring flow.</li><li>State agencies fail to enforce Florida’s water laws.</li><li>State agencies rely on inaccurate water models for decision-making. Those models do not account for the unique ways that water moves through the underground limestone aquifer.
</li><li>The effects of regional water usage (ex: in South Georgia) are beyond the control of local and state officials.</li><li>State water laws mention “public trust” as a factor that must be considered in water use decisions, but Florida has never defined what “public trust” means.</li><li>Failure to adopt the Precautionary Principle, which recommends taking the most conservative course of action that causes the least amount of environmental harm when scientists disagree about the sources of that harm.</li></ul><p></p><p>What could bust the <i>Myth of Legal Protections? </i>Should the directors of the water management districts and the secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection be elected instead of appointed by the governor? Should we take care to elect governors who have a history of solid environmental stewardship? Should a higher priority be placed on and should more money be allocated to enforcement of water laws? What could be done to improve regional water models used to make water management decisions? Could “public trust” be encoded in water law to enable Florida’s waters to be managed conservatively, similar to the ways a financial trust fund should be managed? Should Florida encode the Precautionary Principle in its environmental laws?</p><p>What ideas do you have?</p><p><b><i>Myth #3: The Myth of the Environment Versus the Economy </i></b></p><p>The <i>Myth of the Environment Versus the Economy</i> advances the view that preventing or fixing environmental problems costs too much money and that environmental regulations are bad for business. </p><p> What such arguments fail to take into account, of course, are the long-term costs of environmental destruction and the fact that the health of people, business, and the economy are all directly tied to the health of the environment. The kind of short-term thinking on the part of the public, public officials, elected representatives and business owners that is demonstrated by this myth is what is causing damage to springs and river systems like the Ichetucknee.</p><p>We need to understand and acknowledge that no one wants to live or do business in areas where the environment is trashed and there are problems with the water supply. And we know that the cost of fixing problems is more expensive than the cost of preventing problems. <i>The Myth of the Environment Versus the Economy</i> is easily debunked when you realize that in Florida, where tourism is our biggest industry, our environment <i>is</i> our economy. Having a reputation for a clean, beautiful environment is how Florida attracts businesses and tourists from throughout the USA and from the rest of the world.</p><p> (continued in part 2)</p>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-15790271754201544592023-08-08T15:31:00.003-04:002023-08-08T15:37:56.550-04:00Hints About Communications from the FACETS Project<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFzIZ0Op6-STZ2mFPGOXNoMpUF0ptU_bsxYZ8NyHatwiQ0jM7EcUdcvDCOamf14uuk5oANqPwX9lowr_94t05faT-RbIRc22YQrHvrGtAK0eYnDXNoFqOpGzNOV8QCB1xdiblbKo8zdqn_lELdPeua86J06WTxbz6p--BkOnj0ROwTiBfvakHYAB5DWyY/s800/8%20Ich%20River.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFzIZ0Op6-STZ2mFPGOXNoMpUF0ptU_bsxYZ8NyHatwiQ0jM7EcUdcvDCOamf14uuk5oANqPwX9lowr_94t05faT-RbIRc22YQrHvrGtAK0eYnDXNoFqOpGzNOV8QCB1xdiblbKo8zdqn_lELdPeua86J06WTxbz6p--BkOnj0ROwTiBfvakHYAB5DWyY/s320/8%20Ich%20River.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ichetucknee River in Winter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p>
These "hints" are lifted from the communications research performed as part of the University of Florida Water Institute's USDA-funded project to create a new water model for North Florida and South Georgia, the Floridan Aquifer Collaborative Engagement for Sustainability (FACETS). I offer this information in case it is helpful to agriculturalists (aka "producers") and springs advocates as we try to navigate our way to healthier springs and a healthier aquifer. Information in <b><i>bold italic type</i></b> indicates my emphases.<div><br /></div><div><i>Summary</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Agriculturalists and environmentalists have similar values and interests, but view agriculture differently. </div><div><br /></div><div>Similarities include: </div><div>• Connection to nature</div><div>• High perceived risk to ground and surface water</div><div>• Prioritization of water for crops and ecosystems </div><div><br /></div><div>Differences include:</div><div>• The way they interact with water</div><div>• “Agriculture is part of the problem” vs. “Agriculture is part of the solution”</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s not just about science—it’s about values!</div><div>The public:</div><div>• Has limited water knowledge</div><div>• May not believe water scientists</div><div>• Follows their values to policy preferences</div><div><br /></div><div>Strategic communication can increase support for sustainable water action by:</div><div><br /></div><div>• Reducing false conflict </div><div><span> </span>o End the blame game</div><div><span> </span>o Create opportunities to experience alternative perspectives</div><div><span> </span>o Use language that builds shared understanding</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>and</i></div><div><br /></div><div>• Supporting value-based discourse</div><div><span> </span>o Reveal shared values</div><div><span> </span>o Employ messages and messengers with value resonance</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><i>(A Word Witch notes mention in the research findings about the importance of an agreed-upon water ethic: “Communication and collaboration on sustainability measures can be impeded by perceptions of incompatible water ethics.” How can we move toward a water ethic for Florida that is shared by springs advocates, producers, and urban and suburban dwellers?)</i></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Summary of “A Co-orientation Analysis of Producers’ and Environmentalists’ Mental Models of Water Issues: Opportunities for Improved Communication and Collaboration”, Sadie Hundemer & Martha C. Monroe, Environmental Communication, 2020</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>(A Word Witch compiled the following summary for the Ichetucknee Alliance in December 2022. I take responsibility for any errors herein. Emphases in bold italics are mine.) </b></i></div><div><br /></div><div> • Communication and collaboration on sustainability measures can be impeded by perceptions of incompatible water ethics. </div><div>• Agricultural producers tend to think about the individual stewardship practices they engage in on their land. Environmentalists tend to think about collective agricultural impacts on the environment.</div><div>• When collective agricultural impact does not reflect individual stewardship efforts, producers and environmentalists can have strikingly different perceptions of problems. Those perceptions create barriers to cross-group communications.</div><div>• Research findings suggest frames, topics and word choices that can help communicators bridge the divides between producers and environmentalists. </div><div><br /></div><div>• Some environmentalists perceive producers as indifferent toward regional water conditions.</div><div>• Producers, however, are concerned about the environment and see themselves as stewards of the land—so they can see themselves as being unduly blamed by environmentalists for placing personal interests above environmental protection.</div><div>• These different perceptions create a delicate communication environment in which good intentions are undone by unintended message interpretations.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Stakeholder Land Ethics</i></div><div>• A land ethic is a moral code of conduct for interaction between humans and the natural world, and the nature of producers’ and environmentalists’ roles lead them to interact with land and water in different ways.</div><div>• Producers have utilitarian relationships with natural resources while environmentalists are concerned about environmental challenges.</div><div><b><i>• Utilitarian use of resources and conservation of those resources are not opposites and are not mutually exclusive.</i></b></div><div>• One study found that 48% (almost half) of farmers were willing to pay for innovations that reduce water pollution even if those innovations would not increase their incomes.</div><div>• That same study found that 80% of farmers would not invest in new technology that pollutes water.</div><div>• In many cases, producers do not view conservation and profit as alternatives but instead as mutually reinforcing goals.</div><div>• American history reveals the ideas of competing land ethics that pervades national lore and shapes narratives on what constitutes ethical agricultural land use.</div><div>• The first ethic derives from Thomas Jefferson’s early vision of America as a land of virtuous farmers and portrays producers as land stewards.</div><div>• The second ethic portrays producers as maximizing the utility of the land for the benefit of human beings.</div><div>• This creates a “two-faceted romanticism” of farmers as both custodians and conquerors. These mixed portrayals affect how farmers see themselves.</div><div>• Since the moral foundations of environmentalists are predominantly set in the ethic of stewardship, agricultural decisions that are morally acceptable under the utilitarian land ethic may not be perceived as moral by environmentalists.</div><div>• Producers and environmentalists, however, have substantial shared interests. </div><div><b><i> • Natural resources communication can be better structured to promote cooperation and collaboration by framing issues and interventions in ways that resonate across all audiences.</i></b></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><div><b><i>(A Word Witch wonders: Could we communicate better if we switched our focus from springs to the aquifer? Or made sure to include the aquifer as our overarching concern?) </i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><i>Research questions</i></div><div>1. To what extent do producers and environmentalists perceive commonalities in their views on water issues?</div><div>2. How do producers and environmentalists differ in their views of regional water issues?</div><div>3. How do producers and environmentalists differ in their mental models of regional water issues? </div><div> </div><div><i>Results: Research question #1, Perceptions of shared views on water issues
1. To what extent do producers and environmentalists perceive commonalities in their views on water issues? </i></div><div>• The greatest dissimilarity of views was reported by responding producers when comparing their views on water issues with the views of environmentalists.</div><div>• Among sampled environmentalists, an increase in interaction with producers was associated with an increase in the perception of shared ideas on water—but a similar change was not observed among sampled producers.</div><div>• Sampled producers expressed perceptions that others do not recognize them as good stewards of the land, that economics is not taken into account by others, and that environmentalists’ positions are extreme.</div><div>• Sampled environmentalists expressed perceptions that producers prioritize their operations above the environment and questioned the appropriateness of certain types of agriculture in the region.</div><div>• Within this particular research sample, producers perceived substantial differences between their perspectives on water issues and those of environmentalists, but environmentalists did not perceive the same disparity.</div><div>• Producers’ perceptions of shared ideas did not significantly change across interaction levels with environmentalists. Stated differences included attributions of blame and conflicting perspectives on producers’ prioritization of stewardship.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Results: Research question #2, Comparison of producers’ and environmentalists’ views on water issues
2. How do producers and environmentalists differ in their views of regional water issues?</i> </div><div>• Both groups expressed high levels of concern for the quality and quantity of surface and ground water and placed high priority on the allocation of water for crop irrigation and water body protection (springs, rivers, and wetlands) with relatively low priority placed on water for urban areas.</div><div>• Sampled environmentalists perceived greater threats than did sampled producers.</div><div>• One of the producers’ comments about things on which they disagree with other stakeholder groups reads, “We vs. they mentality.”</div><div>• Producers and stakeholders agree that regional water sources call for concern and agree on how limited water supplies should be prioritized.</div><div>• Producers and environmentalists disagree on how much agriculture contributes to water problems.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Results: Research question #3, Mental model analysis
3. How do producers and environmentalists differ in their mental models of regional water issues?</i> </div><div>• There is a strong basis for collaboration on mutual water goals; however, this potential is constrained by conflicting perceptions of agriculture’s impact.</div><div>• Producers’ views of the water-economic system are predominantly shaped by operational interactions related to agricultural production.</div><div>• Environmentalists’ perspectives on that system are shaped by their experiences with assessing and advocating for environmental health.</div><div>• When considering relationships between water and the regional economy, environmentalists think of overarching problems rather than functional domains.</div><div>• Sampled producers’ dominant perspectives on the water-economy relationship are micro-level and agriculture-oriented.</div><div>• Sampled environmentalists’ dominant perspectives are macro-level and issue oriented.</div><div><b><i>• In interactions between the two groups, individual behavior may be confounded with collective impact. Farmers and ranchers may be confounded with agricultural industry.</i></b></div><div><b><i>• Since the negative impacts of crop production are consequences of scale, it is possible for individual producers to be good stewards AND for agriculture as an industry to be detrimental to water quality and quantity. When this distinction is not clarified, cross-group tensions can rise and stymie sustainability efforts.</i></b></div><div><b><i>• That communications error can be made by both environmentalists and producers. Environmentalists can inappropriately hold individual producers responsible for problems of the agricultural industry and producers can inaccurately perceive critiques of that industry as personal attacks. </i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Term associations</i></div><div>• The use of specific terms can unintentionally spur miscommunication or even division among stakeholders and stakeholder groups.</div><div>• Different stakeholder groups assign different priorities to types of risks.</div><div><b><i>• Communicators should realize that prime producers are most concerned with risks to their operations, while environmentalists are most concerned with risks associated with regional tradeoffs and decision-making choices.</i></b></div><div>• To advance toward consensus, communicators need to be aware of the diversity of cognitive domains activated by word choices (“framing”) and address each frame of reference to increase stakeholder recognition of alternative viewpoints.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Term inclusion percentages</i></div><div>The paper includes a table of terms that had the largest selection differences between sampled producers and environmentalists. These findings provide communicators with fertile ground for expanding stakeholders’ understanding of the regional water situation while simultaneously building awareness of others’ points of view.</div><div><br /></div><div>Producer-favored terms (“Ag language”) included: </div><div>• Risk management</div><div>• Pasture</div><div>• Allied agricultural industry</div><div>• Precision agriculture</div><div>• Choices</div><div>• Education</div><div>• Cost sharing</div><div>• Crop yield</div><div>• Jobs</div><div>• Payments</div><div><br /></div><div>Environmentalist-favored terms (“Springs health language”) included: </div><div>• Climate change</div><div>• Septic tanks</div><div>• Regional economy</div><div>• Agricultural water use permits</div><div>• Ecotourism</div><div>• Ecosystem health</div><div>• Land-use change</div><div>• Lawn fertilizer</div><div>• Climate variation</div><div>• Endangered species</div><div>• Water treatment </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Discussion </i></div><div>• Both producers and environmentalists agree that water sustainability is important.</div><div>• There are important differences between the groups, primarily about the degree to which agriculture is perceived as a stress on regional water resources.</div><div>• The differences stem at least in part from the nature of each group’s interaction with natural resources. Producers interact with water as agricultural input. Environmentalists interact with water as receiving the collective impacts of agriculture and other systems.</div><div>• The implications of disparate mental models of agriculture can cause the agricultural industry’s impact to be confounded with the actions of individual producers, resulting in a sense of blame that intrudes on communication and collaboration toward mutually beneficial water sustainability objectives.</div><div>• The authors cite the “sense of blame” problem as being previously identified in a Chesapeake Bay Region study. <b><i>(What if we framed "sense of blame" as "sense of responsibility"?)</i></b></div><div>• By developing representations of agricultural production that are closer to the nuances of reality, and which <i><b>distinguish between the actions of producers and the impacts of agriculture,</b></i> natural resources professionals can improve cross-group perceptions and thereby foster collaboration toward mutual sustainability goals. Doing so requires awareness of the different mental models that are operational in different groups.</div><div><b>• </b><i><b>The mental models (“cognitive predisposition”) of communicators are just as important as the mental models of producers and environmentalists!</b> </i>Through examination of the perspectives of others, communicators can reflect on their own mental models and consider how their perspectives shape the conversation to the benefit or detriment of natural resources sustainability.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Limitations and future research </i></div><div>• This was a regional study; therefore, the ability to generalize from its findings is limited. Broader scale conclusions would require studies conducted in other locations.</div><div><b><i>• The people involved in this study included participants in a water sustainability participatory modeling project and were therefore inclined toward cross-group collaboration. </i></b></div><div><br /></div>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-57824260650516095412023-07-23T14:20:00.004-04:002023-07-23T14:22:53.212-04:00What If...? (Part 2)<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4Ubv0XK1EjpJ2XQC4DcDDaX-fNO-G38G_vHZmlRGktAp_ptIYVOVRTS0Qkjwnl2HySmlN06N7SWS9gkOj1N7gDAycaadKrXBtZxy7abgt4vu6y69YLxNiN_Myc5qmFSKpuDyLZ7T2S-V2c6aFzEihomsP3-jvuktc7qom4htW6eUfiZ63z0Bp9VzIKTn/s800/BlueHole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="800" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4Ubv0XK1EjpJ2XQC4DcDDaX-fNO-G38G_vHZmlRGktAp_ptIYVOVRTS0Qkjwnl2HySmlN06N7SWS9gkOj1N7gDAycaadKrXBtZxy7abgt4vu6y69YLxNiN_Myc5qmFSKpuDyLZ7T2S-V2c6aFzEihomsP3-jvuktc7qom4htW6eUfiZ63z0Bp9VzIKTn/s320/BlueHole.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Hole Spring on the Ichetucknee River</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><b>“What if…?” My report on the six years I served as a water defender on the University of Florida Water Institute’s FACETS project (continued from Part 1)</b></div><div><b>July 23, 2023</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Product</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>To create this new model, the project team worked with two existing models, SWAT and MODFLOW. One of the modelers explained that instead of functioning as a steady-state model, in which underground water is assumed to move at a constant rate of speed, the FACETS model would function as a transient model that assumed underground water moves at different rates. This is an important shift from steady-state water models since dye trace studies have shown wide variations in the rates of movement of underground water. Those rates depend upon the size of conduits in the Floridan aquifer through which the water must travel.</div><div><br /></div><div>The summary of key findings from the Florida regional scenarios that the project team conveyed to stakeholders at the last in-person meeting on June 29, 2023, was as follows. In the list below, “Mix-n-Match” refers to a combination of different techniques (including use of BMPs, controlled release fertilizer, changes in crop types and management systems that include controlled release fertilizer and sod based rotations, etc.) that could be applied to specific springsheds or springs Priority Focus Areas. The key findings were:</div><div><br /></div><div>• Conversion to low-density longleaf has best potential to increase flows and decrease nitrate concentrations.</div><div>• “Hi Tech CRF” (Controlled Release Fertilizer) reduces row crop N load by 68%, total load by 20%.</div><div>• Mix-n-Match provides environmental and economic benefits (win-win).</div><div>• All scenarios meet minimum flows; none meets nutrient criteria.</div><div>• “Realistic” scenarios don’t move the needle on nitrogen much.</div><div>• Economic changes are uneven across sector and region; rural counties more highly impacted by decreases in agriculture and forestry.</div><div><br /></div><div>All members of the stakeholder group agreed that while one of the key messages of the FACETS project is that there is no one “magic bullet” that can save both agriculture and the springs, there are new agricultural developments that can move the needle in the desired directions of higher recharge and lower pollution.</div><div><br /></div><div>The FACETS team stated from the beginning of the project that it was not their intention to use the project’s results to make state-level policy recommendations. Through the project’s educational component, however, the team will be letting policymakers and elected officials know about the results of this research. The hope is that those results can be used to inform the development of new public policies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once the project team members have completed their final reports on the project, the FACETS water model will be available to others by request. Employees of the Suwannee River Water Management District have already expressed interest in examining the model, although they cautioned everyone not to confuse the FACETS model with the water model used to set regulatory standards for the region’s Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs).</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Promise</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I see nothing in the project results to indicate that the dual goals of promoting “economic sustainability of agriculture and silviculture in North Florida and South Georgia while protecting water quantity, quality and habitat in the Upper Floridan Aquifer and the springs and rivers it feeds” are achievable. FACETS has, however, encouraged me by demonstrating that it is possible for people with very different opinions and interests to work together toward common goals—a big accomplishment in today’s atmosphere of polarization and “us vs. them.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The FACETS project team was focused not only on the scientific issues involved with creating a new water model, but also on how the stakeholders from different groups (agriculture, public policy, state agency and environmentalists) communicated with each other throughout the six years of the project. Because my background is in social science, this communications research was what I was most interested in. Below are some of the conclusions about communications that were shared by the project team in their presentations at the final FACETS meeting.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Producers and environmentalists have similar values and interests, but view agriculture differently. Similar values and interests include connections to nature, a high-perceived risk to ground and surface water, and the need to prioritize water for crops and ecosystems. Differences include the ways producers and environmentalists interact with water and whether they view agriculture as part of the problem or part of the solution.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. The public’s views about human relationships with water and water use are not just based on science but also on personal values. Members of the public have limited water knowledge, may not necessarily believe water scientists, and follow their values to policy preferences.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. Strategic communication can increase support for sustainable water action by reducing false conflict and supporting value-based discussions. Strategic communication can help to end the blame game, create opportunities to experience alternative perspectives, and emphasize language that builds shared understandings. Strategic communication can also support value-based discussions by revealing shared values and employing messages and messengers to convey resonating values.</div><div><br /></div><div>I’m planning to take a deeper dive into this communications research to lift out some ideas that might be helpful for water defenders. I have been encouraged, however, that the FACETS communications research has supported some positions for which I’ve long advocated—that water defenders need to see growers as part of the solution instead of part of the problem, that values—aka the human dimension—are just as important a factor as science in developing solutions to our water problems, and that education about those problems should include education about how we communicate as well as about what we communicate.</div><div><br /></div><div>Because we all exist in relationship with water, how we define and value those relationships is the proper ground upon which many of our water-related discussions should be taking place. Science, in this case, may be secondary in importance to human values.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Conclusions and What-Ifs</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Here are my conclusions at the end of this six-year project.</div><div><br /></div><div>FACETS was successful in creating a water model that could be used to analyze how different land uses, crop types and crop management systems might benefit aquifer recharge, flow and pollution prevention in specific springsheds and spring Priority Focus Areas.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nothing in the FACETS data convinced me that it will be possible to have both sustainable agriculture and springs restoration and preservation here in North Florida. As many of the stakeholder participants agreed, nothing in the FACETS data is “a magic bullet.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The FACETS communications research is fascinating and carries important implications for public education as well as for communication among and between different stakeholder groups.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are my what-ifs.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>What if</i> conversations between different groups began with a discussion of values that led into discussions of scientific data, rather than starting with scientific data and ignoring values?</div><div><br /></div><div><i>What if</i> different groups could use the FACETS communications research to guide their conversations with each other?</div><div><br /></div><div><i>What if</i> we all stepped back from our entrenched positions, agreed to ditch “us vs. them” thinking, and assumed that both agriculturalists and water defenders are part of the solution instead of part of the problem?</div><div><br /></div><div><i>What if</i> agriculturalists and water defenders could collaborate on a public educational campaign to speak with one voice about the importance of water conservation and pollution prevention?</div><div><br /></div><div><i>What if</i> agriculturalists, state agency and public policy representatives, and water defenders could come together in facilitated discussions to create and publicize a workable water ethic for individual householders, business owners, local governments and growers?</div><div><br /></div><div><i>What if</i> the water modelers on the project team could collaborate with the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute to analyze and, if necessary, revise springs restoration plans by applying the FACETS water model to specific springsheds? Would that change the restoration plans and if so, how?</div><div><br /></div><div><i>What if</i> we could all learn to understand and respect the interconnections we share with the Floridan aquifer, with the springs, with agriculture and forestry, with public policy, and with each other? How could that understanding and respect change our work and our lives?</div><div><br /></div><div>I am not naive enough to think that these "What ifs" would lead all water users to link hands around a campfire and sing "Kumbaya." What I do think is that what we water defenders have done so far has not made a difference for our springs and rivers; we keep doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. My point is that we need to try some new approaches to solving our water problems, and we need to be working with the people who may be in very good positions to help us do that--because there are no solutions, short of increased housing and commercial development (which are no solutions at all!), without our farmers, ranchers and foresters.</div><div><br /></div><div>I’ll close with one of my favorite Chinese proverbs: When you drink water, remember the spring.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here in North Florida, maybe we should revise that to read: When you use water, remember the aquifer.<br /><br /></div><br />A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-48398092471477493132023-07-23T13:46:00.004-04:002023-07-23T15:00:37.856-04:00What if...? (Part 1)<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPav0X9i9u9tIhEeQDRZz5RQaBetPQzVpGhpO62r5GUNQIisxnjiNFIUjuUQBp03JMl0_XmPZI2uz_wTNFpQW2pNV5wtGftgXj_TDYRK6l5VdGT2pSPutcDSo-6HYu3f6pdqYni0mkzAs-JXHtgqgawQlM3IjuszL2Dm-R-V2LbSdjl_dVXmBdspb58bt8/s800/IchetuckneeCrownJewel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPav0X9i9u9tIhEeQDRZz5RQaBetPQzVpGhpO62r5GUNQIisxnjiNFIUjuUQBp03JMl0_XmPZI2uz_wTNFpQW2pNV5wtGftgXj_TDYRK6l5VdGT2pSPutcDSo-6HYu3f6pdqYni0mkzAs-JXHtgqgawQlM3IjuszL2Dm-R-V2LbSdjl_dVXmBdspb58bt8/s320/IchetuckneeCrownJewel.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ichetucknee Head Spring</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><b>
“What if…?” My report on the six years I served as a water defender on the University of Florida Water Institute’s FACETS project, Part 1<br />July 23, 2023</b><br /><br />What if I told you that agriculturalists and foresters, state agency and public policy people, and springs and environmental defenders all agree that there are serious problems with groundwater in the Floridan aquifer here in the Springs Heartland, and that we should be working together to find solutions to those problems? <div><br /></div><div>Would you believe me? Or has there already been so much “us vs. them/fighting” rhetoric that you think the people in those groups will never be able to agree on anything? Never even be able to have open and honest conversations?</div><div><br /></div><div>Based on reams of evidence in news reports and messaging by the various groups I mentioned, I wouldn’t blame you if you came to those hopeless conclusions. For the 10 years I worked as communications coordinator for the nonprofit Ichetucknee Alliance (IA), however, my intuition kept telling me that if aquifer- and springs-related conversations could be held in private, outside of public forums, some surprising things might be revealed.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had a gut feeling that many of the people the springs advocates had identified as foes actually love our springs as much as we water defenders do, and that those seemingly at-odds groups should be trying to find new ways to communicate with each other.</div><div><br /></div><div>During the six years I spent as a stakeholder on the Floridan Aquifer Collaborative Engagement for Sustainability (FACETS) project run by the University of Florida’s Water Institute, I discovered that my intuition was right.</div><div><br /></div><div>And although several water defenders have suggested that instead of using water models to make decisions about water use permits, Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs), etc., the State of Florida should be using actual water data, I decided to maintain a shared focus on a water model with the FACETS group for the purposes of what I hoped could be productive conversations.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Project</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In 2017, I received an invitation from the UF Water Institute to represent the Ichetucknee Alliance as a stakeholder on a new project to create a mathematical water model for the Santa Fe River region in North Florida and the Flint River region in South Georgia. FACETS was designed to be a five-year project that would gather information from agriculturalists, foresters, state agency representatives, public policy experts and environmentalists in support of the creation of that water model. The model would include information about different crop types and crop management systems to analyze their effects and the effects of land use changes on spring flow, nitrate pollution, and impacts on the local economy.</div><div><br /></div><div>The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) National Institute for Food and Agriculture and included participation by the University of Georgia, Auburn University and Albany State University (part of the Georgia State University system) in addition to the University of Florida. The ambitious vision for FACETS was to “promote economic sustainability of agriculture and silviculture in North Florida and South Georgia while protecting water quantity, quality and habitat in the Upper Floridan Aquifer and the springs and rivers it feeds.”<br /><br />I wondered at the outset whether that was an achievable goal and since I would be representing the Ichetucknee Alliance on the project, I asked members of IA’s board of directors and advisory board for advice about whether to accept the invitation.<br /><br />The people I communicated with were not enthusiastic. They saw FACETS as “just another exercise in tradeoffs” and wondered how I could communicate about the project if I disagreed with its findings.<br /><br />My gut kept telling me to say yes, however, since I had long wanted to have some contact with agriculturalists outside of public forums. Since I usually regret it when I ignore my intuition, I accepted the invitation to represent IA as a stakeholder.<br /><br />Based on the feedback I had received from IA’s directors and advisors, though, I resolved to write my own report about FACETS when the project ended.
<br /><br /><b><i>The Process</i></b>
<br /><br />FACETS turned out to be a six-year instead of five-year project when it was disrupted by the COVID pandemic in 2020 and in-person meetings were shifted to the Zoom online platform.<br /><br />Much credit for the work on this Participatory Modeling Project (PMP) must go to the FACETS facilitators, who made sure all stakeholders’ voices were heard and all comments and questions were respected. I had observed a couple of stakeholder meetings during a different facilitated water-modeling project several years before FACETS. On that previous project, it was obvious to me and to many other people that the facilitators were leading stakeholders to desired conclusions. Facilitation during the FACETS project was the polar opposite of that sham process.<br /><br />FACETS began at the field “Parcel Scale” by interpreting agricultural Best Management Practices (BMP) field trial results and collecting detailed information from growers to develop the part of the model that focused on different crop management systems. The modelers wanted that information to correspond as closely as possible to current agricultural and forestry practices. The crops and crop rotations considered for the Florida part of the project included corn-peanut, corn-carrot-peanut, Bermuda hay and pasture, and slash, loblolly and longleaf pine—including restoration longleaf pine as a “bookend” to the expansion of current agricultural practices. Not all crops grown in the Santa Fe River region of North Florida were included, likely because of funding limitations.<br /><br />Development of the Parcel Scale part of the model was a lengthy, labor-intensive process that involved a lot of back-and-forth communication between the project team members and growers to ensure that the model used accurate information.<br /><br />After interpreting the Parcel Scale results, the project team began creating the part of the water model that could be used on a Regional Scale to evaluate the effects of specific crop rotations and crop management systems on stream flow, nitrate pollution and regional economics. For the Regional Scale, stakeholders worked in tandem with the project team to develop nine scenarios that the modelers used to highlight flow, pollution and economic tradeoffs:
<br /><br />1. Restoration Forestry-High (a bookend)<br />2. Restoration Forestry-Low<br />3. Mix & Match (combination of different scenarios)<br />4. Solar Farm Expansion<br />5. High-Tech Controlled Release Fertilizer (CRF) Adoption<br />6. Sod Based Rotation (SBR) Adoption<br />7. Current Conditions<br />8. Urban<br />9. Agricultural Expansion (a bookend)<br /><br />It became obvious during the Regional Scale discussions that the restoration (low-density) longleaf pine scenario resulted in the lowest leaching and highest recharge, which—not surprisingly!—led to quite a few discussions about how “realistic” that scenario was, since it led to regional economic losses and since many FACETS participants could not envision agriculturalists deciding to switch from row crops to longleaf pine. This “realistic” bone of contention might have also been prompted by the fact that several water defenders have publicly advocated for mass switches from row crops to longleaf pine.<br /><br />One key member of the project team pointed out that the concepts of what was “realistic” were based entirely on the economic conditions that currently exist, not on how those conditions might change in the future.<br /><br />I pointed out that a missing piece of the economic puzzle was a failure to include the economic impact of springs- and river-based recreation; again, this omission was likely due to funding issues.<br /><br />In terms of what is “realistic,” I asked the stakeholder group and project team: How “realistic” is it to keep depleting and polluting the Floridan aquifer that feeds our springs and provides our drinking water?<br /><br />One thing I learned that surprised me during the process of creating the model is that not all forestry crop types are equal with regard to pollution prevention and aquifer recharge—what matters, instead, is which pine trees are grown and how those tree crops are managed.
<br /><br />(to be continued in Part 2)<br /><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-53614145246685801112023-07-19T20:57:00.001-04:002023-07-19T20:57:46.099-04:00Keeping Faith with a River: "Florida’s Santa Fe River and Springs: An Environmental and Cultural History" by Robert L. Knight<div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfqTRVVYqN5_AIh8G2AEEH6vuWieuBwqoUIUcTjke6nTrR6rtm9WXdXh3JlgqrH_Fx0eMZvDk5k6opED2jtwp3V8JOSYJqmm7w0itpKKnhbZ1ZLEC35ZThZ98JbOBeAHjC8tEOLiCqUmfiqV-6siHGwy2Rio5xIz-wRy0jLIS4xS_RnNV-x154JiFaFSE/s1200/Book%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="1200" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfqTRVVYqN5_AIh8G2AEEH6vuWieuBwqoUIUcTjke6nTrR6rtm9WXdXh3JlgqrH_Fx0eMZvDk5k6opED2jtwp3V8JOSYJqmm7w0itpKKnhbZ1ZLEC35ZThZ98JbOBeAHjC8tEOLiCqUmfiqV-6siHGwy2Rio5xIz-wRy0jLIS4xS_RnNV-x154JiFaFSE/s320/Book%20Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i></b></div><b><i><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div>The following is a review that I wrote for Bob Knight's 2022 book about the Santa Fe River, reprinted here since I think it's disappeared from where I originally posted it. Bob is the executive director of the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute, Florida's only politically independent nonprofit organization dedicated to research on and education about our freshwater springs--a worthy organization that deserves the support of every springs lover.<br /></i></b><br />Browsing my copy of Bob Knight’s new book about the Santa Fe River Springs (that’s what he once told me that this whole system could be called), I found this on the back cover: <div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div> <i>ODE TO THE SANTA FE RIVER AND SPRINGS </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Florida’s Santa Fe River and springs are as old as the earth; sacred as creation; home to the First Floridians and the megafauna they lived with; a natural escape from urban madness; beloved by those lucky enough to know it; but not pristine.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>As with all of Florida’s natural waters, the Santa Fe is suffering under human dominium; protected by law but not safe from harm; and waiting patiently to escape the yoke of human possession.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>We must restore and protect the Santa Fe.</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>This isn’t an ode in the poetic sense of that word, but it is Knight waxing poetic—“as old as the earth,” maybe not quite, but old indeed. “Sacred as creation” certainly, since so many of us acknowledge the sacred quality of our freshwater springs. Definitely “a natural escape from urban madness” as the thousands of canoers, kayakers, swimmers, floaters and even hard-core partiers know when they visit the river, especially in the summers. “Beloved by those lucky enough to know it” as more and more of us now know the river year-round, through winter, spring, summer and fall. “But not pristine”—there’s a chilling conclusion to that first paragraph.</div><div><br /></div><div>I thought Knight had confused the word “dominium” with “dominion,” but then I looked up “dominium” and discovered he’s right. That word is, according to the dictionary on my computer, a legal term that means “absolute ownership and control of property.” Dominium, it turns out, points straight at the problem that the Santa Fe, like so many of Florida’s rivers and springs, is experiencing—the control of ecosystems by human beings whose rights carry more weight in our courts of law than the rights of those natural systems to exist and to thrive. But I digress.</div><div><br /></div><div>Knight’s book has something for everyone, whether you live near the Santa Fe River, visit it regularly or only on occasion; whether you’re interested in prehistory, recorded history, anthropology, or archaeology; whether you’re interested in geology or hydrology; and whether you care about if and how the river and springs have been damaged and how they might be saved.</div><div><br /></div><div>The book is full of scientific and cultural information, all peppered with visual images—photos of archaeological finds, images of fascinating old maps, current images of the springs and the river and even a table that shows the nitrate concentrations in popular brands of bottled spring water (that water may not be as “pure” as you think it is).</div><div><br /></div><div>There are sections that deal with the sabre-tooth cats, mammoths and mastodons that existed when the land we call “Florida” looked very different than it does today. There are sections on the PaleoIndians, later Native American cultures, the arrival of Europeans, and the development and evolution of agricultural techniques in the Santa Fe Basin. And yes, you’ll learn what a “basin” is and what a “springshed” is, if you don’t already know.</div><div><br /></div><div>I marked quite a few “Did you know…” quotes that surprised me; here’s a brief sample.</div><div><br /></div><div>• “Florida’s basement rocks include volcanic and sedimentary rocks most similar to those under…Senegal, Africa.”</div><div>• Hernando de Soto crossed the Santa Fe and, not surprisingly, had some violent encounters with the Native Americans; the Spanish chroniclers of those early explorations dubbed the Santa Fe “the river of discords.”</div><div>• The town of Worthington Springs was once a tourist destination that advertised the medicinal qualities of the spring it is named for, with a resort hotel, dance pavilion, and bathhouse.</div><div>• “Fort White was built in 1837 and was considered the ‘head of navigation for steamboats in the Santa Fe River.’”</div><div>• “The 2020 estimate for nature-based recreation in Florida is more than $20 billion each year, compared to $2 billion for forestry and agriculture.”</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrnWZmv0esnePTZFQPRkFK14HG0KHAzQUktILJHz4lcfA8mRuSVE8cKmoK62QjYhIRQKPC1Ocd3pXZGFTd6xD2gqbYJweH-k3vp-lmU5OvOIvuvry_UHm9a2lVX2vezgWgstKn64eryfKvG7j8DXS26_i5QJPp-rdK1sEwvkgmwMXIdUVf5GEzID4Gf6f/s1200/Challenging%20Travel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1200" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrnWZmv0esnePTZFQPRkFK14HG0KHAzQUktILJHz4lcfA8mRuSVE8cKmoK62QjYhIRQKPC1Ocd3pXZGFTd6xD2gqbYJweH-k3vp-lmU5OvOIvuvry_UHm9a2lVX2vezgWgstKn64eryfKvG7j8DXS26_i5QJPp-rdK1sEwvkgmwMXIdUVf5GEzID4Gf6f/s320/Challenging%20Travel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I had to laugh out loud when I saw the photo that illustrates “challenging travel” on page 102. In the photo, three people are trying to unstick an ancient automobile that’s mired in the mud near the river. I laughed because the same thing happened to me—I once sank my 1968 VW “bug” in the mud near Ginnie Springs, on my way to an overnight campout. Luckily there were some strong male students in that group who heard my calls for help, came over, and simply lifted the car out of the mud! But I digress. Again. (Yes, I have a personal history with this river and its springs.)</div><div><br /></div><div>For all the fascinating information that Knight includes, however, what really strikes me is when his writing moves from factual into inspirational territory—because I think inspiration is going to be one of the keys to saving the Santa Fe.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here, following a paragraph on how Florida’s ancient ecosystem supported now-extinct horses, buffalo, dire wolves and sabre-tooth cats, along with a plethora of other giant animals or “megafauna,” Knight writes from the heart:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Clean rivers—no nutrients or hazardous pollution. Flowing springs—no groundwater wells. Extensive wetlands untouched by dredging and filling. No dams, no clearing for pavement and permanent dwellings, no mines, no factories. No air pollution. No plastics. Just Mother Nature in her sublime and terrible innocence.</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>“Sublime and terrible innocence.” I could contemplate that phrase for hours.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the beginning of the book, Knight writes, “Everyone needs a place of refuge.” It’s clear that the Santa Fe River has been that place for him. His quote reminds me of what another Florida writer, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, wrote about her home in Cross Creek: ““I do not understand how anyone can live without some small place of enchantment to turn to.” Yes, Florida works her strange magic on those who understand it and, thankfully, can communicate it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also loved this description of the Santa Fe River Springs that Knight included:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>One canoe guide compared the aerial view of the uncovered springs to the opening of a series of blue eyes. With springs in their pristine condition dotting the length of the tannic Santa Fe River, these blue eyes would have appeared to a migrating bird as a series of blue sapphires along a black onyx necklace. </i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Blue sapphires along a black onyx necklace! The jewelry lover in me resonates with this image, big-time.</div><div><br /></div><div>And of course—as you would expect from his work as the founder, lead scientist and executive director of the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute (FSI)—Knight has a lot to say about why and how the springs and river are threatened and what needs to be done to correct those problems. If you’re reading this review, you either already know what those problems are or you need to spend some time on FSI’s website to educate yourself, because I want to focus on Knight’s recommendations about what needs to happen to save the Santa Fe River Springs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is what Knight thinks our state agencies ought to be doing much more effectively than they are, to the point where most if not all of us are going to have to change our behaviors and our relationships with water:</div><div><br /></div><div>• Targeting groundwater and spring flow reduction goals.
• Targeting the quality of ground and surface waters.</div><div>• Targeting human use carrying capacities in the springs and on the river.</div><div>• Emphasizing a holistic, springshed-focused approach to solving problems.</div><div>• Continuously monitoring the amount of pumping from the Floridan aquifer.</div><div>• Creating a groundwater extraction fee.</div><div>• Creating a tax on nitrogen loading.</div><div>• Exploring ways to compensate agriculturalists for converting to lower value, unfertilized crops.</div><div><br /></div><div>The big question, of course, is could any of these things happen given Florida’s current political climate? While that answer may be “No,” Knight hints but doesn’t delve into what could be another approach—development and encouragement of a water ethic that could be adopted by people willingly, without government intervention, if they cared enough to understand how such an ethic might save the Santa Fe.</div><div><br /></div><div>“It appears ironic that Floridians stress so much about hurricanes and flooding—natural disasters that we have little or no responsibility for or control,” Knight also writes. “And yet, lower aquifer levels and salt water intrusion are dire problems that humans could minimize substantially with the widespread adoption of a water ethic.”</div><div><br /></div><div>When discussing population and industrial growth, Knight hints again at the idea of a water ethic: “Perhaps this desecration was inevitable because of the pioneer mentality of Florida’s European occupiers and the lack of an appropriate cultural ethos for maintaining environmental harmony and sustainability.”</div><div><br /></div><div>And yet, Knight remains hopeful even though he’s documented in detail the harm that we humans have caused to the Santa Fe River Springs.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Many millions of people have walked these lands before us. And many more will follow down the same paths. The future of the Santa Fe River and its indigenous biota is murky. But it is our generation’s responsibility to give the living river a better future than what the recent past has given us.</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>“Santa Fe” means “holy faith” in Spanish so this book’s title reminds me of a popular saying back in the 1960s, “Keep the faith.” Knight has kept faith with the river by writing this book.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you feel called to do more to “keep the faith” with the river after reading the book, then please ask yourself, “What can I do?”</div><div><br /></div><div><i>“Florida’s Santa Fe River and Springs” is published by the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute, High Springs, Florida, © 2022 (ISBN 9-781936-63407-1), and is available here:
https://floridaspringsinstitute.org/product/floridas-santa-fe-river-and-springs-an-environmental-and-cultural-history/</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Important information about the Ichetucknee River System is included in the book, particularly on page 154.
</i><p> </p></div>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-64534391489407069852023-07-16T19:26:00.003-04:002023-07-17T17:11:55.235-04:00Springs Advocacy: We’re Doing It Wrong<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wN4qtdnsfnxeHNZTuSDmW0HL8_9oxDhaDGW9tbkb58bOv3IYpfHZ4SP2gvhhA3Bj2H5eTvyJ6j3P1tJzQ6bpe4__mok_R45n_gP37cQgXWQcdNbxFaAZpskY7vhr96JjAjKErdjGKTnw4kFDOsP8Njrx_OrdWzbXOMwwxGn8tS1yMTG1klwcxIGWgGiN/s800/GB3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wN4qtdnsfnxeHNZTuSDmW0HL8_9oxDhaDGW9tbkb58bOv3IYpfHZ4SP2gvhhA3Bj2H5eTvyJ6j3P1tJzQ6bpe4__mok_R45n_gP37cQgXWQcdNbxFaAZpskY7vhr96JjAjKErdjGKTnw4kFDOsP8Njrx_OrdWzbXOMwwxGn8tS1yMTG1klwcxIGWgGiN/s320/GB3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Since early 2011, I’ve been involved with many well-intentioned, caring people who are trying to save Florida’s freshwater springs—the largest such concentration of springs in the world. During that time, the conditions in our springs have not improved; instead, they’ve gotten worse.</span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">What we’ve been doing isn’t working.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We thought if we could “raise awareness” and “educate people” that would help. It hasn’t.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We thought if we could “fight the permits” and bad actions by the State of Florida’s water managers that would improve things. It hasn’t.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We thought if we used the tried and true advocacy techniques of the past, those techniques would be effective. They aren't. They don't work when political and public policy decisions are made by people who only care about money, power and control.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">What all of these efforts are lacking, and what the State of Florida is lacking, is a vision for the future of Florida’s springs and other waters.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Instead of articulating a new vision, what we’ve done is to reinforce what retired UC Berkeley Linguistics Professor George Lakoff calls “the frame” of business-as-usual for water decisions in Florida, and what the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (then managed by Thomas Linzey and Mari Margil, now with the Center for Democratic & Environmental Rights) identified as the “regulatory triangle.” That triangular decision-making framework kept us from focusing on the big problems that are causing springs to decline and forced us down a rabbit hole from which we can only nitpick at small aspects of those problems from well outside established power structures.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Or, as one of my early mentors on Florida water issues explained, “It’s like we’re behind a big dump truck that’s shoveling trash and we keep trying to clean it up. Instead, we need to get a helicopter and get out in front of that truck.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Raising awareness and educating people only works if people are empowered to connect the dots between what they see happening at the springs and how they mark their ballots in state elections. So far, springs advocacy groups have been unable to connect those dots, probably because of an overabundance of caution in protecting their Federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, which prohibits the endorsement of or opposition to individuals running for public office.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Yet the fact remains that our springs problems are political problems—but even changes in political leadership might not be enough to make the kinds of changes that could save the springs.
No matter how much we all bemoan the “leadership” that allows our springs to decline, even under different leaders there are severe structural, cultural and legal barriers that those leaders might not be able to overcome. I listed those problems when I was working for the Ichetucknee Alliance:<br /><a href="http://ichetuckneealliance.org/break-the-barriers/" target="_blank">http://ichetuckneealliance.org/break-the-barriers/ </a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We all know it’s easier to criticize than to make positive suggestions for change, but I have suggestions and will list them now.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We must realize that what we are engaged in, at its core, is transformation and culture change—and transformation begins with a positive vision. That vision can come top-down, from a leader who can inspire buy-in by others, or it can come bottom-up, from the grassroots—but there has to be a positive vision.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Our springs advocacy groups have not articulated a vision; they’ve only indicated what they don’t want, which is damage to our springs—and that reinforces, albeit inadvertently, the “business-as-usual” frame. At its core, this is a “failure to communicate.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We must understand that apathy—at the voting booth, and in the form of many new citizens who have no clue about what Florida has lost and may lose—is our biggest enemy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We must come up with new, creative ways to transform apathy into love. We could create an animated video of the Floridan aquifer and make it available to everyone on YouTube, to increase understanding. We could hold rituals at the springs, involve faith-based groups, collect old-timers’ stories and use them as jumping-off points for articulating a new, transformative vision for Florida’s waters. Those are just some of the ways we could ignite this kind of spiritual transformation with regard to our springs.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We could join hands with groups that are seeking to overturn SCOTUS’s Citizens United decision to get corporate money out of our political campaigns.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Realizing that we all need clean and abundant water, we must actively reach out, join hands and work with Florida’s agriculturalists to solve our water problems instead of labeling those people as “the enemy” and engaging in “us vs. them” thinking. Why? Because there are no solutions to our springs problems without the involvement of our farmers and foresters.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We must change our laws to enable transformational culture change. We could enlist our small army of springs advocacy organizations’ members and other like-minded groups in support of efforts to encode new, stronger, rights-based constitutional laws that would give the State of Florida the legal teeth it needs to protect our springs. State and Federal constitutional amendments must give people the rights to clean and healthy waters and give ecosystems the rights to exist and to thrive.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In a counterpoint to the frame of “fighting” for the springs, we must articulate and constantly reinforce a compelling vision for the future, one that could include recommendations for tiered water rates (a big encourager of conservation).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We must get political—create a political organization, or partner with an existing one, to advance that vision.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">As for what that vision might be, what about this: </span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Realizing that the health of its people, economy and natural water systems are interconnected, Florida will restore, preserve and protect those natural water systems and will become an international model of wise water use.</span></i></b></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We must think bigger, bolder, and more creatively.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In short, as one speaker advised us years ago at a meeting hosted by Barry University Law School’s Center for Earth Jurisprudence: We must state what we want, not just ask for what we think we can get.<br /><br /><i><b>If you're reading this and want to do something to help turn this situation around, please visit the website for the <a href="https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org/" target="_blank">Florida Right to Clean & Healthy Waters proposed state constitutional amendment,</a> read up on that effort, then print, sign and mail the petition to put the amendment on Florida's 2024 ballot. Then ask five of your family members and friends to do so, too.</b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><i><b>The photo above is my photo of Gilchrist Blue Spring, which experienced a sinkhole collapse the day before I wrote this article. Thankfully, the spring has recovered.</b></i></span></div>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-27346693141645691542023-04-02T10:41:00.000-04:002023-04-02T10:41:19.597-04:00Love the Springs? Help Cut the Demand for Bottled Spring Water<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOS7BidIYKR05GhEULbqPRHWvueithUeFdhzLmPztbtkCvZgleXLXlwoACcJt49hODWOv0OJJbKh_0sqN-qvYbC8vL00hW5VebC_1eEzquBhke0df9RelStG8PJR_JOttmTuhVT3u2EOKyamEvO5WlmAfZ8wlOITf3OIJATaqAYZKwdZk7UEh4w67QmA/s2016/Water%20bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOS7BidIYKR05GhEULbqPRHWvueithUeFdhzLmPztbtkCvZgleXLXlwoACcJt49hODWOv0OJJbKh_0sqN-qvYbC8vL00hW5VebC_1eEzquBhke0df9RelStG8PJR_JOttmTuhVT3u2EOKyamEvO5WlmAfZ8wlOITf3OIJATaqAYZKwdZk7UEh4w67QmA/s320/Water%20bottles.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Choose your water bottle to revive the springs and reduce trash!</p><p>Did you know that...</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Florida's freshwater springs are losing flow and plastic trash is clogging our landfills and even our oceans?</li><li>Every drop of water we use in Florida's Springs Heartland is one less drop for our springs and rivers?</li><li>One water-bottling plant can produce 6,000 plastic bottles per minute?</li><li>There's one easy thing you can do to keep our springs healthy and reduce trash?</li></ul><p></p><p><b><i>Buy and re-use a sturdy water bottle that you can refill from the tap!</i></b></p><p>Reusable water bottles are reasonably priced and you'll quickly save the money you would have spent on water that's packaged in plastic.</p><p>Most tap water meets strict drinking water standards and is just as safe, if not safer, than bottled water.</p><p>You can buy a large water storage container at a hardware store and fill it ahead of time if you find yourself in the path of a hurricane.</p><p>If you must buy bottled water, avoid the bottles marked "spring water."</p><p><i><b>Reducing the demand for bottled water is one way we can say "Thank you" to our springs and rivers for the joy they have brought us!</b></i></p>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-7478330199982944162022-06-20T12:45:00.009-04:002022-06-20T13:04:06.992-04:00What Is "Real" and What Is "Magic"?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5JfTK-FC_RRq-Lay0dJTpLrrX_z3GSz35SfTeTEpuXO28z19hGY0VYemEDqF7g2FgzPgBlizTvYylEWSIjGCpaqjjXtyPG4IxjnuDjWVppeKbRYDGV9prO1UFJcGXl3imUiyENUmeRzAH3-R9n1BgO_OYSPvQnkP-FgzQQ3J61_yZWEpN4hZQ0aO6Q/s2272/BigIchRiverNaga.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1704" data-original-width="2272" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5JfTK-FC_RRq-Lay0dJTpLrrX_z3GSz35SfTeTEpuXO28z19hGY0VYemEDqF7g2FgzPgBlizTvYylEWSIjGCpaqjjXtyPG4IxjnuDjWVppeKbRYDGV9prO1UFJcGXl3imUiyENUmeRzAH3-R9n1BgO_OYSPvQnkP-FgzQQ3J61_yZWEpN4hZQ0aO6Q/s320/BigIchRiverNaga.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Early yesterday morning, I went down to the spring where I make offerings to the naga on the days when nagas are supposed to be active, according to the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual tradition that I follow.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I was greeted by a hawk upon my arrival. S/he appeared to be hunting squirrels in the woods next to the parking lot. I always feel uplifted when I see a hawk because my mother's maiden name was "Faulkner" so there must have been a falconer in my ancestry way back when.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWu2LIDtgKODfbmV8b94KBK2dAQkGfoNSrSsbcsXgkmH0COuIkedMf45QsosVJHy88xmaO5x4D3gHYtv1KpTzxLP1jMEjtw9_GrHzDCt4Bs3jFcPhoY7BQeWdL0A5KaLt4BF6IjtS7jtFiUQVJmb0ZCqcaTXzybdGyVkk1XvrK2-mFrlOy__wal2bSHQ/s2048/Hawk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWu2LIDtgKODfbmV8b94KBK2dAQkGfoNSrSsbcsXgkmH0COuIkedMf45QsosVJHy88xmaO5x4D3gHYtv1KpTzxLP1jMEjtw9_GrHzDCt4Bs3jFcPhoY7BQeWdL0A5KaLt4BF6IjtS7jtFiUQVJmb0ZCqcaTXzybdGyVkk1XvrK2-mFrlOy__wal2bSHQ/s320/Hawk.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The spring where I make the offering has been browned out by high river water for a long time. We had a lot of rain last year and the nearby rivers all reached various flood stage levels. I was happy to see that the spring had cleared up, so I could wade into the water to pour the offering. I don't like going into brown water where I can't see what's around me because I've seen snakes swimming in that spring and I know they're there.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I hadn't been able to see the actual boil of the spring for many months, the spot where water bubbles up out of its limestone vent. The boil was visible yesterday and after I made the offering to the naga, it seemed like the spring sent out a really strong ripple in my direction. I imagined that the naga might have been coming out to receive its gift. Some people can see nagas, but I'm not one of them. I take their existence on faith, because I trust my Buddhist teachers and they've told me that these half-humanlike, half-snakelike creatures often guard treasures that can be hidden in sacred springs and trees.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">After I left the water, I wandered around the edge of the spring and took some photos. When I got home and had a chance to look closely at those pictures, I could see that the play of light from the rising sun had etched shapes on top of the water in the spring. Some of the shapes appeared to me to evoke the energies of Kuan Yin or Tara. Others looked like dancing dakinis or nagas. One reminded me of Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa. Another one reminded me of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), who--as legend and/or history (take your pick!) have it--tamed the wild spirits of Tibet and helped to solidify Buddhism as that country's predominant religion.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">This wasn't the first time I've seen what I interpreted as "a being" in the water; see the photo at the top of this blog entry!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">So although I *KNOW* that the shapes in my photos from yesterday were simply lights on the water at the spring, that doesn't take away their magic. There's a part of me that resonates strongly with this magic of the natural world that surrounds us; I understand why indigenous cultures and other cultures have viewed our world as alive and imbued with magical energies--because it is!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In my mind, at least, science and magic coexist peacefully. The interplay of the two--these questions about "What is real?" and "What is magic?"--lie, for me, at the heart of the wonder of this world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I hope you enjoy my interpretations of what my camera captured, below.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">First, Kuan Yin appeared (look at the light on the water just to the right of the center of the photo).</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH1socfHuo93z54MMaprDnNT5F16BkUbx6EC5bpQEyqxgEJWezCw9Y6Lhyti9imCFLUa19aiE4IcRTRLPAD5LcRpVzD4cFdpq_caRzEMUBldggCrB-KgxzViL6n61PfGpJGydUeSAWEIsP89tJ62BIiiKq00dwaM2iNEquphogFQvNVJhiT8QaF0rJg/s4032/IMG_2462.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH1socfHuo93z54MMaprDnNT5F16BkUbx6EC5bpQEyqxgEJWezCw9Y6Lhyti9imCFLUa19aiE4IcRTRLPAD5LcRpVzD4cFdpq_caRzEMUBldggCrB-KgxzViL6n61PfGpJGydUeSAWEIsP89tJ62BIiiKq00dwaM2iNEquphogFQvNVJhiT8QaF0rJg/s320/IMG_2462.heic" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /><span><br />Then I saw the Kuan Yin shape as Tara, a bodhisattva in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.<br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCmT-paroIV9ZC4gGDiBM9czr9vsuBMMg9liqhTBG_OUCkCXyeNOAdYT9E0c_doFjHvVd4xpaQRqRf2GBeb__s02It1CoGNNxDgVB0be33u0poJlzixEFMD43NmUJIERprrkjo__GzUQcAcUlCH48JfVw3r8ho_lga8C02FyMkA7lOVhu9kPXkDKa-w/s4032/IMG_2463.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCmT-paroIV9ZC4gGDiBM9czr9vsuBMMg9liqhTBG_OUCkCXyeNOAdYT9E0c_doFjHvVd4xpaQRqRf2GBeb__s02It1CoGNNxDgVB0be33u0poJlzixEFMD43NmUJIERprrkjo__GzUQcAcUlCH48JfVw3r8ho_lga8C02FyMkA7lOVhu9kPXkDKa-w/s320/IMG_2463.heic" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">This next shape evoked His Holiness Karmapa.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQO0dPHLYx9_S0w3Znzm3PwWQt_VT4a1hm8bZbP3pmZP5I_xNYQi7ty5rP17rDHKV-1gcqeGwMvkkRV6moxsMDoFEQ4pnDu_B1NEY6UJn1uMFrmF1zxk-sNH3Qajb8ZqGDen5LWFwVGh8hFwxnu1ixNQYH8TSlwW0quvUkuR5jAUhR6vbt1iI1gNBW7w/s4032/IMG_2464.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQO0dPHLYx9_S0w3Znzm3PwWQt_VT4a1hm8bZbP3pmZP5I_xNYQi7ty5rP17rDHKV-1gcqeGwMvkkRV6moxsMDoFEQ4pnDu_B1NEY6UJn1uMFrmF1zxk-sNH3Qajb8ZqGDen5LWFwVGh8hFwxnu1ixNQYH8TSlwW0quvUkuR5jAUhR6vbt1iI1gNBW7w/s320/IMG_2464.heic" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">And here is Guru Rinpoche!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGIgD9VnyLlRt577AK93v13tuHL57DDjvqQ0BxcXNHmd8FS98AYhowQOsr7VLa1mrnjdMs4c4m7IC2pjEptP03gzceHgVOwUiT_rinT852tPUJ56XUjyjAvEv5uDaHoEM6qx0gNgF9JjJfLqaIalg1uZOPUwSRTE5i48jVqCV7jA4168O1JL6qGJ3IQ/s4032/IMG_2465.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGIgD9VnyLlRt577AK93v13tuHL57DDjvqQ0BxcXNHmd8FS98AYhowQOsr7VLa1mrnjdMs4c4m7IC2pjEptP03gzceHgVOwUiT_rinT852tPUJ56XUjyjAvEv5uDaHoEM6qx0gNgF9JjJfLqaIalg1uZOPUwSRTE5i48jVqCV7jA4168O1JL6qGJ3IQ/s320/IMG_2465.heic" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><span>There were several photos that had lights dancing on the water, like dakinis; I think of the squiggly lights as evocations of the naga spirits.<br /></span><br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmARtufYMWoklulQmeut0ro5bRx90xSbRn-tffc_6spyWLYTJlgJImbR8fza1NAk4Mg9EMGlT97anIGoZAVfjfa2AuMfSZMtrFU_aLeMBFIC3TyZsqFxQ1FBMKb_Nq4xhSAZQ6FLjWcuIhv9Rvtmpq6KCQ88wdq6Awtc-OHROqO0qoNioJpe9S93eA8A/s4032/IMG_2470.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmARtufYMWoklulQmeut0ro5bRx90xSbRn-tffc_6spyWLYTJlgJImbR8fza1NAk4Mg9EMGlT97anIGoZAVfjfa2AuMfSZMtrFU_aLeMBFIC3TyZsqFxQ1FBMKb_Nq4xhSAZQ6FLjWcuIhv9Rvtmpq6KCQ88wdq6Awtc-OHROqO0qoNioJpe9S93eA8A/s320/IMG_2470.heic" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSFEOqr8c5D4WFuEbb1dbLt6AtStXPrA7SdEdAswLZZhCN6KrCMGkABk34qt5p8l5fqRzG-xSn1Zvbv9tVsehPHHAdnrTuzpKErUgW-FUN1GDc6R4CWfJblv19byTAHG_m2ERyuIPqTTglv2WvZp7CxPMWZthzkp9eZvZ_d7w1sMuhVuL0ME_Qt_IxQ/s4032/IMG_2469.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSFEOqr8c5D4WFuEbb1dbLt6AtStXPrA7SdEdAswLZZhCN6KrCMGkABk34qt5p8l5fqRzG-xSn1Zvbv9tVsehPHHAdnrTuzpKErUgW-FUN1GDc6R4CWfJblv19byTAHG_m2ERyuIPqTTglv2WvZp7CxPMWZthzkp9eZvZ_d7w1sMuhVuL0ME_Qt_IxQ/s320/IMG_2469.heic" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">And so I wonder: If we see figures or objects in nature, are the images we project upon such things culturally conditioned, or could they have another source, perhaps past-life connections in our mindstreams? The anthropologist Marlene Dobkin de Rios surmised that the visions people experienced while taking hallucinogenic drugs were culturally conditioned. I wasn't on drugs at the springs--I haven't taken any hallucinogens in many years--but I would surmise that other types of visions could also be culturally conditioned, and I've certainly had enough exposure to Buddhist iconography and beliefs that I can't discount that "cultural conditioning" for the shapes my mind imposed upon these lights on the water.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The real lesson here (if there is one), I think, is that we humans are hard-wired to interact with Mother Nature who surrounds us. How that interaction takes place depends upon many things, but our spiritual orientations and beliefs are a big part of that--of how we relate to what Karmapa calls "the container" within which we are "the contained." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Is the natural world a "real" commodity to be exploited for profit? Or is it a "magic" or even sacred connection that's essential to life? Or something in-between? Or something else entirely? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">For the Tibetan Buddhists with whom I study, water is Mamaki, one of the five female Buddhas (image by Eleanor Mannikka).</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQnGYhSMJgv4ROH4mxfh1axEXAvBQ_r7Zu7wxrKm97DetTwxxnddUQQ1Nm6jw2iF2oruaGsgw1JFarKG1EPTc8tM90TLHYnKLPBP0g7bjeIAIzGrZkFU7MLiVpJ7lnrSk862LKT973dhbYgXP2rbhikTWcJJUvyLiAEzwQmqd02b3SRJJFCqV5KlYeA/s429/Mamaki.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQnGYhSMJgv4ROH4mxfh1axEXAvBQ_r7Zu7wxrKm97DetTwxxnddUQQ1Nm6jw2iF2oruaGsgw1JFarKG1EPTc8tM90TLHYnKLPBP0g7bjeIAIzGrZkFU7MLiVpJ7lnrSk862LKT973dhbYgXP2rbhikTWcJJUvyLiAEzwQmqd02b3SRJJFCqV5KlYeA/s320/Mamaki.jpg" width="224" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">How does your spiritual tradition view water?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-30977512373384177342021-12-04T17:53:00.003-05:002021-12-04T17:53:47.553-05:00The Ghosts of Dudley Farm<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmRIyYJGxP1oLBUJBqn7jXzab6ft8yXc0LHKzsfvDevB1zwYPI3cN2XtmFy33zWrU-Z1CAQBlwad6flsQErsJaOz-ahRTXYbuPEYuRLr6VJChJZpFclGg7fIyX5iwMwyUb1auWaOi_XKZ/s824/Blue+Lady+of+Dudley+Farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="614" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmRIyYJGxP1oLBUJBqn7jXzab6ft8yXc0LHKzsfvDevB1zwYPI3cN2XtmFy33zWrU-Z1CAQBlwad6flsQErsJaOz-ahRTXYbuPEYuRLr6VJChJZpFclGg7fIyX5iwMwyUb1auWaOi_XKZ/w298-h400/Blue+Lady+of+Dudley+Farm.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div>How do we measure progress? It depends upon who we are.<div><br /></div><div>The capitalist measures progress in cement and steel, the return on investment, the expansion of the fractured skyline of the metropolis.</div><div><br /></div><div>The bureaucrat measures progress in budget allocations, increasing efficiency and effectiveness, widespread acceptance of and conformity to organizational rules.</div><div><br /></div><div>The farmer and the green witch measure progress in the health of crops and livestock, the cycles of growth and harvest and decay that mark the shifting cycle of the changing light.</div><div><br /></div><div>I measure progress in the growth of spirit, development of clear vision, reclaiming the primordial knowledge that there is more to the world than meets the literal eye.</div><div><br /></div><div> *** </div><div><br /></div><div>People are hungry for the psychic, not the fake-psychic telephone lines but the real psychic dimensions of spirit--which we have relegated to the realm of the psychological and psychosocial shadow.</div><div><br /></div><div>I saw this hunger at a friend’s fourteenth birthday.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ten girls--a group that ran the gamut from the very shy to the boy crazy to the troubled teen to the extraordinarily well adjusted--practically stormed the kitchen table where I sat in semi-darkness, flanked by a crystal ball and an assortment of lit candles, shuffling a deck of Tarot cards.</div><div><br /></div><div>We played a Tarot game, and I taught the girls a smidgen of the ancient symbolism--pentacles for craft and wealth, swords for conflict and intellect, rods for country life and new beginnings, cups for love and intuition--and then I did a reading for each girl.</div><div><br /></div><div>I sat for nearly four hours, from nine in the evening until after one in the morning.</div><div><br /></div><div>“How’s the line in there?” the girls would call from the next room, wondering if their turns were getting near.</div><div><br /></div><div>The most popular question was, “Will I have a boyfriend this year?”</div><div><br /></div><div>One girl asked how she could improve her relationship with her father. Another asked how she could become a better person.</div><div><br /></div><div>The readings were wildly divergent. Some were troubling, some were reassuring, others revealed the normal teenage turmoil of fourteen-going-on-fifteen-and-waiting-for-my-license-to-drive-and-permission-to-date.</div><div><br /></div><div>*** </div><div><br /></div><div>Which brings us, in a roundabout way, to Dudley Farm. </div><div><br /></div><div>I come to the Tarot after years of interest and loving the images, but with very little real, practical reading time. The experience of reading for nearly four hours straight for a group of fourteen-year-olds was both exhilarating and exhausting.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I’m weary, I always seek solitude in the countryside. So, the week after the Tarot party, I found myself at Dudley Farm twice in the same week. The farm is a home for my soul.</div><div><br /></div><div>*** </div><div><br /></div><div>I could tell the story of the farm--how P.B.H. Dudley moved to the land near Newberry in western Alachua County before the Civil War, how his descendants farmed that land until the mid-1990s, how Miss Myrtle Dudley honored her mother’s wish to keep the farm intact by donating the homestead to the Florida Park Service so the land could be preserved as a working farm, how the Park Service dragged its heels with plans for the property until Miss Myrtle died and the bureaucrats suddenly realized that the farm was a potential cash cow.</div><div><br /></div><div>But there is a level at which the farm must tell its own story to each visitor, must speak in the language of soil and sunlight, full moon and shadow, falling leaves and rain, legend and ghost story.</div><div><br /></div><div>*** </div><div><br /></div><div>It is not hard to imagine ghosts at Dudley Farm--indeed, it is hard not to imagine them, here on the land where generations of Dudleys lived and loved and died--especially when time stands still on late October afternoons and the setting sun pours gold-orange shafts of light through the tree-lined lane in front of the old farmhouse.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the early 1900s, it was down this lane that cattle were driven to market. It was down this lane that families arrived from nearby areas to shop or post letters at the farm, the community center for the area that we know today as Jonesville. </div><div><br /></div><div>And it was down this lane, one clear moonlit autumn night, that four ghosts came riding. </div><div><br /></div><div>*** </div><div><br /></div><div>Here is how the last Dudley to live on the farm, Miss Myrtle, described the haunting. </div><div><br /></div><div>She was a little girl at the time, and the front porch of the farmhouse was filled with people--probably relaxing and telling stories after supper and a hard day’s work--when the sounds of voices and horses’ hooves were heard coming down the lane. </div><div><br /></div><div>Four riders approached the front gate. Myrtle’s Uncle George stood up and went to the gate to meet the visitors, as was the country custom. </div><div><br /></div><div>But as little Myrtle and the whole porch full of people watched, all the riders simply dissolved into the clear night air. Disappeared. Vanished. In plain sight of everyone there. </div><div><br /></div><div>“It wasn’t just one or two people who saw it,” Miss Myrtle said. “The whole front porch was full. There wasn’t much sleeping going on here that night, after that experience.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, almost as an afterthought, Miss Myrtle described another apparition who was often seen in the lane--a woman in a blue dress, walking, who vanished when anyone tried to approach her.</div><div><br /></div><div>“They never did understand it,” said Miss Myrtle. </div><div><br /></div><div>*** </div><div><br /></div><div>But maybe it’s not so hard to understand, when you know that “Dudley” comes from an Old English word that means “place of the dead.” And when you know that it was to Dudley Farm that neighbors brought their dead to be prepared for burial. </div><div><br /></div><div>And especially when you know the farm on a cool October twilight, when scudding clouds blow past the waxing autumn moon. Then you can revel in the chill, feel the veil that separates the worlds of the living and the dead begin to part, and--out of the corner of your eye--maybe even see the ghosts of the past dancing in the air or moving across the land that the Dudleys farmed for more than a century.</div><div><br /></div><div>*** </div><div><br /></div><div>I took a friend with me to the farm that week, a woman who is gifted with clear vision and so can see between the worlds. I told her about the riders at the gate and the woman in the lane, and how I worry that air pollution and modern life may wreak havoc on the old wooden buildings. </div><div><br /></div><div>I reminded her that I had asked her advice about preserving the farm once before, and that she had told me the only thing that could stop the destruction was an old person sitting on a front porch in a rocking chair.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Look,” my friend said, pointing to the four rockers on the front porch of the farmhouse. “Look. All the chairs are moving.”</div><div><br /></div><div>I looked. She was right. Each chair was rocking, ever so slightly, back and forth, back and forth.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was no breeze. The chairs were empty. </div><div><br /></div><div>*** </div><div><br /></div><div>We are, all of us, hungry for the psychic. We have banished this dimension of our spirits to the nether worlds of illusion, television and motion pictures, repressed dreams of the soul that longs for contact with something larger than itself--something not split apart.</div><div><br /></div><div>So now we rock on our porches and tell ghost stories in the twilight, whisper our visions in the dark, and begin, ever so slowly, to speak the truths that we have known, all along, but have been pressured by the idea of “progress” into forgetting.</div><div><br /></div><div>***</div><div><br /></div><div>And up the tree-shaded lane, four riders are approaching.</div><div><br /></div><div>And up the tree-shaded lane, a woman in a blue dress is walking in the afternoon light.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>(c) 1998 aww</div><div>Part of this appeared a number of years ago in an article in <i>The Gainesville Sun. </i></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-59386973450650510972021-11-19T11:47:00.000-05:002021-11-19T11:47:41.595-05:00Once Upon a Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rUo74hITHbb4owhM0SYd2L0WjApCz1SoVv5vzp8HQkp5tAfRxizeD2HC2Gf_u5UzBuyqWgfYPM7sDUMtdi997obqKX-hk3K2D68vd6GkbT_zyRdW8npPRWdPAToDuxRTkZzuY9pC_g5b/s800/10+Ich+River.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rUo74hITHbb4owhM0SYd2L0WjApCz1SoVv5vzp8HQkp5tAfRxizeD2HC2Gf_u5UzBuyqWgfYPM7sDUMtdi997obqKX-hk3K2D68vd6GkbT_zyRdW8npPRWdPAToDuxRTkZzuY9pC_g5b/s320/10+Ich+River.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Once upon a time there was a civilization that considered itself "advanced."</p><p>The people of that time were given priceless gifts by Mother Nature--clean oceans, fertile estuaries, and pure freshwater springs that sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight.</p><p>The people of that time were also given priceless tidbits of wisdom in old sayings, stories and scriptures that were passed down through generations:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A myth about another advanced civilization that had destroyed itself.</li><li>A scripture about the dangers of worshiping a golden calf (material wealth).</li><li>A cautionary tale about not shitting where you eat or drink.</li></ul><p></p><p>And what do you think happened?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><p></p>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-48791870828627876342021-11-19T11:30:00.000-05:002021-11-19T11:30:02.638-05:00Kali Yuga (A Snippet)<p>The lie becomes truth<br />Up becomes down<br />The bold inherit the earth<br /><br />Poles shift<br />Weather changes<br /><br />We rearrange<br />Our lives</p>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-6919185733813910632021-11-10T10:06:00.000-05:002021-11-10T10:06:40.318-05:00Today in Florida, I Will Attain Enlightenment (a Vow)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFfcbncqhZgyFzyRoyyiEi4XZc1bM6O1v2ckZAqA6rATFgwd0b5OJPQ667mkhYy4avLP0Hgwvna7LSOBm8T7ejffxeIe7Y48vFRd14inygW6d6mFkAw4WTjve7ipP17AX-_CD2vKE2POz/s2048/Speedy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFfcbncqhZgyFzyRoyyiEi4XZc1bM6O1v2ckZAqA6rATFgwd0b5OJPQ667mkhYy4avLP0Hgwvna7LSOBm8T7ejffxeIe7Y48vFRd14inygW6d6mFkAw4WTjve7ipP17AX-_CD2vKE2POz/s320/Speedy.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the manatee</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the gopher tortoise</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the panther</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the scrub jay</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the indigo snake</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the key deer</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the bonneted bat</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the Miami blue butterfly</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit many tiny mice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the sea turtles</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the sturgeon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the pigtoe mussels</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the wood storks and roseate spoonbills</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit the American crocodile</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">today</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to benefit all sentient beings</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will attain enlightenment</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">a word witch</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">11-10-2021</div></div></div><p></p>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-929414470481402852021-08-07T15:21:00.000-04:002021-08-07T15:21:17.354-04:00sliding into this dark abyss<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGQOIv5zw1bHj5MEiGlaZkohguzc4UVA2FrpodJUampbRKY6jzNWZCtVs7JHsWNwMEomly3gt5KBMF8UWxuCyp3uq9e7h8rId5Ni38HcIJhrn7gj0t65k01tdQqfL7g81a9HSWiWyNu6f/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGQOIv5zw1bHj5MEiGlaZkohguzc4UVA2FrpodJUampbRKY6jzNWZCtVs7JHsWNwMEomly3gt5KBMF8UWxuCyp3uq9e7h8rId5Ni38HcIJhrn7gj0t65k01tdQqfL7g81a9HSWiWyNu6f/" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>climate change<br />global pandemic<br />sixth extinction<br /><br /><span> I'm washing lettuce<br /></span><span> at the kitchen sink<br /></span><br />Gulf Stream collapsing<br />ice caps melting<br />wildfires burning<br /><br /><span> beautyberries turning purple<br /></span><span> outside the dining room window<br /></span><br />science deniers<br />conspiracy theorists<br />angry coup organizers<br /><br /><span> fox squirrels in the field<br /></span><span> deer feeding near the fence<br /></span><br /><span> autumn light approaches</span><br /><p></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span>(c) lfm, 8/7/2021<br /></span></p>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-13380328111210253212021-04-28T11:06:00.002-04:002021-04-28T11:06:25.997-04:00Two Poems on the Parinirvana of My Buddhist Teacher/For Bardor Tulku Rinpoche<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwlT4em_ios6V0rF5m_JRKBNLJAabnFzzSHvq-Y7TKurzZn1ze-_1Cw2WBnZzJR1uYkoQPUYXZiWcEDRKhh9lvo1NapF-SiisOtcAxIac5tu3T9mzvMA630BjicKcKOYnXXpLhRiUfFLK/s800/BTR+Cremation+4+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwlT4em_ios6V0rF5m_JRKBNLJAabnFzzSHvq-Y7TKurzZn1ze-_1Cw2WBnZzJR1uYkoQPUYXZiWcEDRKhh9lvo1NapF-SiisOtcAxIac5tu3T9mzvMA630BjicKcKOYnXXpLhRiUfFLK/s320/BTR+Cremation+4+SMALL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>not apart, yet<br />not together<div><br /></div><div>how to explain<br />this grief, this joy?</div><div><br /></div><div>an orphan, with<br />mind full of jewels</div><div><br /></div><div>I step into the world and<br />try to shine</div><div><br /></div><div>**</div><div><br /></div><div>year to year<br />month to month<br />week to week<br />day to day<br />hour to hour<br />minute to minute<br />breath to breath<br />everything changes<br /><br />4-3-2021 and
4/28/2021</div>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-82849429023831088542021-04-11T10:36:00.002-04:002021-04-11T10:36:50.731-04:00What Are the Barriers to Springs Restoration?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVkgykpu0er6XUhx9zjFJXCZ7i8oqCl4vx1l68mJG0TN1u8YEbyqigc9YpHCZ7PScmsJ1lPZFzlMCfJwVEGUv01S_20IK4JJG8dZgUpged7FRLuJtVk1-7CNZcCkqbGT4HF3PaZjuFTus/s600/Clarity6AlbumCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVkgykpu0er6XUhx9zjFJXCZ7i8oqCl4vx1l68mJG0TN1u8YEbyqigc9YpHCZ7PScmsJ1lPZFzlMCfJwVEGUv01S_20IK4JJG8dZgUpged7FRLuJtVk1-7CNZcCkqbGT4HF3PaZjuFTus/w253-h320/Clarity6AlbumCover.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Why are efforts to save Florida's freshwater springs so often doomed to fail? I think it's because of significant barriers that exist throughout our culture--knowledge barriers, legal barriers, funding barriers, political barriers, barriers of vision and value. Would we have more success if our water defender groups joined forces with groups outside "the choir" that are working to break down some of these barriers? What are other ways we could be more effective at dismantling or breaking through these barriers? It's clear that we need some outside-the-box thinking.</span><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Apathy/feelings of powerlessness (public, elected representatives, government agency officials, etc.)</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Greed (ex: special interest political campaign contributions lead to outsized influence on elected representatives; resistance by corporations and businesses to behavioral changes that would result in lost profits)</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Ignorance, including:</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Ignorance of Florida's hydrological cycle</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Ignorance of interconnections throughout the Floridan aquifer</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Ignorance of who makes water-related decisions and how those decisions are made/political issues</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Myth of an infinite supply of freshwater</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Failure by elected representatives and agency officials to recognize water as a public interest/common interest</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-size: medium;">State of Florida funding favors South Florida needs over North Florida needs</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Free water in rural areas/need for tiered water pricing to encourage conservation</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Lack of accountability for state agencies</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Current laws permit damage to natural systems instead of preventing it/natural systems lack their own rights to exist and to thrive</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Regulation of non-point sources of pollution prohibited at the federal level</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Ineffective Best Management Practices (BMPs), Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs), Minimum Flows & Levels (MFLs), Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) that offer only an illusion of protection for springs</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Reliance on ineffective water models and cherry-picking of model data</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Shifting baselines: Few know what we have lost.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Decreasing levels of state enforcement of environmental regulations</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">No environmental checks and balances: water management district board members appointed by the same person (governor) who appoints the head of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, no water defenders/environmentalists on water management district boards</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Economy and environment falsely perceived and opposing interests instead of linked interests</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Effects of regional water usage beyond the control of local agency officials</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">No widely agreed-upon water ethic</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">No clear definition of "public trust" in Florida water law</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Short-term thinking trumps long-term thinking on the part of the public, elected representatives, agency officials, business and commerce</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-30872143095566984832021-03-20T15:34:00.001-04:002021-03-20T15:34:16.507-04:00Mistress of Magic<p><b><i>Note: I originally published this post on March 24, 2009, but I took it down at Janis Nelson's request because she was not happy with one of my other posts that appeared on this blog; that other post was not about her. I have today learned that Janis died last year (2020) so I am re-posting what I wrote, because I believe that she has an important story that should be remembered. The website mentioned at the bottom of the article is no longer operational and I don't know if Janis ever felt as if she had received a "big victory in the city of the young." I do know that I am a wiser person for having known her.</i></b></p><p><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXHk3FM4vpIH_Q2LMm537zgkSqpYaj7nC0r-A04Tnrx1OS1KiiiJxsVTANccyueGt15KvGnM7-74J3pId2XrwuwkY9xfVmOmyqvGLXFNhf1xfkwVCNiw54pzk4mT4SPbI4IM2N-VOpf-n/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1463" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXHk3FM4vpIH_Q2LMm537zgkSqpYaj7nC0r-A04Tnrx1OS1KiiiJxsVTANccyueGt15KvGnM7-74J3pId2XrwuwkY9xfVmOmyqvGLXFNhf1xfkwVCNiw54pzk4mT4SPbI4IM2N-VOpf-n/" width="171" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"...Morgan le Fay was not married, but put to school in a nunnery, where she became a great mistress of magic." -Malory,</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-style: italic;">Morte d'Arthur</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7795265304242343899" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">So begins one of my favorite novels of all time, Marion Zimmer Bradley's<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Mists of Avalon</span>—a riveting re-telling of the Merlin and Arthur legends from the point of view of the women involved.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The "mistress of magic" quote has always reminded me of my friend Janis Nelson. I first met Janis in the early 1990s, when I heard about her from a co-worker. I have been fascinated by things psychic and occult since I was very young, but was actively discouraged from pursuing these interests by my parents, who wanted me to be grounded in the "real world." (I'm still trying to figure out where and what that is, by the way.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I had two aunts and a maternal grandmother who encouraged my interests, however, but I did pick up a healthy dose of skepticism somewhere along the way, so I never actively sought a psychic reading until my friend Sheri mentioned that she and her mother knew a psychic who did not advertise, but did all her business by word of mouth. I immediately decided that was the person I wanted to see—Janis Nelson.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I'm betting that if a Hollywood screenwriter had written a script about Janis's life, it would have been rejected by every major studio because no one would have believed it. Born and raised on Gallows Hill in Salem, Massachusetts. Largely self-taught in astrology and the Tarot while living a hermetic existence outside Woodstock, New York. Spirited away to Palm Beach, Florida, where she became the city's first licensed psychic and began reading for the rich and famous. Thrown into the middle of one of the sleaziest, most publicized private divorces in history, that of Peter and Roxanne Pulitzer. Libeled in numerous major media outlets, including<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Time</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>magazine. Lost her reputation, her possessions, her livelihood. Sued for libel, but had her case thrown out of court because of mistakes in its presentation. Went from waltzing with Pavarotti at The Breakers to wandering barefoot around Gainesville and eating from dumpsters.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">One day, shortly after her libel case had been thrown out of court, Janis went to the mailbox to find a flyer for a new series by Time-Life Books: "Mysteries of the Unknown." The first volume?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Psychic Powers.</span>Up until then, books about psychics had been hard to find. Today, they're everywhere.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Janis rebuilt her clientele, slowly, over the years, and she has written a book about her experiences—a psychic's eye view of a celebrity divorce. Her writing is unique. But even more than her writing, it's her story that intrigues me, because it speaks to what we as a culture have done now for thousands of years—banished what we don't understand about the psychic and the feminine to the netherworlds of silence and shadow.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Thankfully, things are changing. A psychic in Kingston, New York, predicted many years ago that Janis would have a big victory in the city of the young, a place where the devil lives in a big hole in the ground and the River Styx flows. Just northwest of Gainesville is Devil's Millhopper State Geological Site, a huge sinkhole; just southeast of Gainesville, down by Cross Creek, is the River Styx.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Janis is still waiting for her big victory in the city of the young. In the meantime, she's put up a website you can visit at:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="http://janisnelsonpsychic.com/" style="color: #aa77aa; text-decoration-line: none;">http://janisnelsonpsychic.com/</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">And in a bit of serendipity, I just noticed that the word of today at www.dictionary.com is thaumaturgy, "the performing of miracles or magic." Hmmmmm....</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="color: #777777; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10.14px; font-stretch: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.75em 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"></div>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-80387298172016761782020-06-07T13:29:00.000-04:002020-06-07T13:29:34.785-04:00Standing Up Instead of Standing By<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>(Note: Names have been changed.)</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Circa 1973-74</b><br />I’m driving home to my duplex apartment just outside Tampa after my yoga class at the University of South Florida, where I’m studying anthropology and Asian religions. Yoga leaves me somewhere between fully energized and completely relaxed; it’s a pleasant space for both brain and body and I’m looking forward to some quiet time to do homework as I pull into a parking space, shift my black VW Beetle into neutral, and switch off the ignition.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m almost to the door of my apartment when I notice that the door to the apartment opposite mine is wide open—not characteristic behavior for Jerry and Fred, the two black men who are renting there. While I exchange friendly hellos with them, we don’t socialize too much; however, I have learned from them to appreciate the soulful voice of Barry White, whose records seem to be in continuous rotation on their turntable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Concerned about the open door, I knock on the doorjamb and peer inside. Furniture has been upended and is in considerable disarray. No one answers my knock. Almost without thinking, I enter, walk through the apartment and go out the back door, which is also wide open.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There on the ground, Jerry is struggling while being forcibly held down by a couple of white men. Another white man, our landlord, is holding a large grey concrete block right over Jerry’s head, obviously getting ready to bash it in.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Adrenaline kicks in and I start screaming as loud as I can. “Robby!! Stop it!! Stop it right now!! What are you DOING???”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Robby stops and looks at me blankly, as do his two friends. “He hasn’t paid his rent!” Robby explains, as if this is justification for assault or worse.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“You can’t do this! That’s not a reason!” I keep up the high-pitched screeching and now other neighbors are coming out of their apartments to see what is going on. With an audience gathering, Robby and his two friends back off and Jerry jumps up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“I’m calling the police and this needs to stop,” I declare, and retreat to my apartment. I leave my front door open in haste as I head to the phone to dial 9-1-1. One of Robby’s accomplices appears at the door and says to me, “You don’t need to call the police, it’s just that he didn’t pay his rent.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I give the guy a cold stare while I’m waiting to talk to the police dispatcher. “That doesn’t matter,” I say. “That’s not a reason to hurt or kill someone.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is a flicker of surprise on the guy’s face. Evidently that is a new thought for him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I finish the call and head back to the scene of the crime just in time to see Jerry break a large Coke bottle against the side of the duplex and point the shards straight at Robby and his two friends.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Jerry!” I scream again. “You can’t do this! I’ve called the police and they are on the way! Put that bottle down right now! The police are coming!!” I keep screeching and more neighbors appear.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jerry puts the bottle down and backs off. When the policeman arrives, I tell him that I need to talk to him before he leaves, point him to my apartment, and make my retreat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The questioning goes on for a while and thankfully, the policeman remembers to come talk to me. I tell him everything I witnessed, in sequence. I am fairly sure there will be an assault charge for Robby and his friends.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The policeman tells me that the assault will be written up as a “landlord-tenant dispute.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jerry and Fred move out of their apartment shortly after this incident.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Circa 1996-97<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The public relations office of the college where I write press releases and newsletter articles is going through a transition. Our graphic design coordinator has left to take a teaching position, and we are getting complaints from employees in other departments that their graphics jobs are not being completed in a timely fashion. Those complaints are starting to pile up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our boss, Layton, calls a staff meeting to clarify who can accept work and how jobs are to be prioritized. He announces that instead of routing all work requests through the graphic design coordinator, each designer is now able to accept those requests from other offices at the college.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We begin discussing the progress of several jobs that have landed on the complaint list. When our one black employee, Teresa, reports that she has accepted a job from a black employee who works in the library, the conversation takes a surprising turn.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Layton and Patty, the new graphic design coordinator, don’t think that Teresa should have accepted that job from the librarian. They begin to light into Teresa and as their criticism escalates, Teresa bursts into tears. Layton agrees that she should take a few minutes to collect herself. Teresa leaves the room.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When Teresa comes back to the conference room table with her Kleenex box and sits down, I think, “Good, now this will stop.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But it doesn’t stop. Layton and Patty light into Teresa again, and again Teresa starts to cry.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Hold on just a minute,” I say, as calmly as I can, holding up an outward-facing palm. “What is the problem here? You have just told us that anyone in graphics can accept jobs from other offices, and now you are telling Teresa that she can’t? Please stop and think about what you are saying, because you’re talking out of two sides of your mouth.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Layton begins to seethe. I have openly challenged his authority. The meeting breaks up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As time goes on and Layton avoids speaking to me, it becomes obvious that I’m in trouble—and finally, word comes down from the college’s human resources department that my contract is not going to be renewed for the next academic year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The college president, for whom I sometimes draft speeches, calls me to ask what has gone on. I tell him. “Who else knows about this?” he asks me. “No one,” I tell him, “because I haven’t discussed it with anyone outside this office.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is a pause and my intuition tells me that the president may be getting ready to intervene on my behalf, or may be wondering if there’s something else he can do. “I will say one other thing,” I offer. “It’s okay with me if I am let go. Why would I want to work for someone who doesn’t want to work with me?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Later, it dawns on me that this was a racist incident—that if Teresa had been a white employee, she would not have faced chastisement in front of everyone in the department, but would have instead been called into a closed-door meeting with only Layton and Patty in attendance. I communicate that insight to the president of the college and to the head of human resources, with whom I also have a long conversation about exactly what happened.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The end of the academic year approaches and with it, the end of my job. Teresa visits me in my office one day. “Do you think that what you did in that meeting has something to do with why your contract isn’t being renewed?” she asks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Yes,” I answer, “it has everything to do with it. And I’ll tell you something else. I’d do the same thing again in a heartbeat, because it wasn’t right and it should never have happened.”<br /><br />After my job ends, I apply for unemployment. I realize that I probably won’t receive it, since I had been a contract employee serving at the pleasure of the college’s administrators. Getting unemployment in that circumstance is unheard of.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I get called to a meeting with a woman in Florida’s unemployment office. I briefly describe what happened and she checks her computer; she’s obviously reading something and I see her blink and sit up a bit straighter in her chair. She looks a bit shocked.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My unemployment claim is approved and I receive money from the state for the next six months while I look for another job. I’m fairly certain that the college’s human resources officer supported my request.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I use part of my newfound free time to do something completely different. I travel on Friday nights to Cassadaga, Florida, where I take classes in psychic development with Eloise Page, a well-known Spiritualist medium and inspirational speaker.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need.</span></div>
A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-30405812119204728062020-03-18T15:49:00.001-04:002020-03-18T15:54:40.639-04:00Death of the Blue Springs: A Horror Movie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTJh9ZZqFUicCysqoDiPioHwBm7eXpMzKWWHODm7E4bZayF2l5lIZhR1l47nvVTIzqFUq1dTA714-7JwBWeogMvPRTq2n4m4hAsgJt58xz5iC418V_k5nUSWagqAfbuMNRpszRZxFB6XE/s1600/NakedSpringVent_FStowe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTJh9ZZqFUicCysqoDiPioHwBm7eXpMzKWWHODm7E4bZayF2l5lIZhR1l47nvVTIzqFUq1dTA714-7JwBWeogMvPRTq2n4m4hAsgJt58xz5iC418V_k5nUSWagqAfbuMNRpszRZxFB6XE/s320/NakedSpringVent_FStowe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Could it happen here?</i></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">OPENING SCENE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Young Woman stands with an Older Man on the bank of a beautiful clear blue freshwater spring. Other people—the Young Woman’s classmates on a geology field trip with their college instructor, the Older Man—are milling around at some distance. Young Woman and Older Man are silently gazing into the depths of the spring, looking pensive.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">“You know,” Older Man says, “if these springs ever get polluted, it will take Mother Nature hundreds of years to clean them up.”<br /><br />Young Woman laughs at the absurdity of the thought.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">CAST OF CHARACTERS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anthropologist: An intelligent, beautiful and intuitive young woman who is grounded in an unidentified spiritual Asian path (Taoist? Buddhist?). A specialist in political and corporate power structures, she is trained to see the interconnections (not always obvious to others) between the environmental, economic, spiritual, scientific and political sectors of a society. She’s introverted but not shy and is unafraid to ask tough questions or to speak out against injustice directed toward other people or Mother Earth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Scientist: A Ph.D. at the local university who is an expert on freshwater springs and is documenting the reasons for their decline. He has identified a pattern of failing springs on the local river that alarms the Anthropologist and gets the attention of the TV Reporter, but he is ignored by Officials and most of the public. (Doesn’t every good horror movie begin with a scientist who is being ignored?)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Artists: A painter and a photographer who have, intentionally or unintentionally, depicted the decline of the springs over years of bad political and environmental decisions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lawyer: A brilliant, handsome law professor who is also a member of the board of directors of a local springs defender group. He has researched state and federal laws extensively and leads a small statewide “fringe” effort to change current laws. He has received anonymous death threats that he suspects come from some major industrialists.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Writers: A journalist who covers big environmental stories for a large metropolitan newspaper and a rural resident who writes books set in the Springs Heartland, similar to the ways that Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings wrote about Cross Creek and Marjory Stoneman Douglas wrote about the Everglades.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">TV Reporter: A springs defender at heart, the Reporter uses every opportunity to bring the story of degrading springs to the attention of the public.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cave Divers: A man who began cave diving as a youth and the woman who is his video production partner. By filming, mapping, writing and lecturing about the underground aquifer that feeds the springs, they try to raise public awareness about the connections between springs, aquifer and drinking water supply.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Officials:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Chairman of the Board of the local water management agency, a businessman with a string of ethics complaints about his conflicts of interest.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>The Executive Director of the same agency, an agriculturalist who has forged good communications with and seems sympathetic to the springs defenders.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>The Secretary of the State Department of Environmental Permitting, who walks a tightrope between his business and political supporters and the springs defenders. A supporter of the Governor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>The Governor, who poses as an “environmentalist” solely to win votes and whose actions give lie to that label.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Two state Legislators who have crafted laws that create the illusion that the State is saving the springs and who take steps to keep local municipalities from enacting stronger springs protections.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">·<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>County Commissioners and their Lawyers who, when approached by the Anthropologist and her friends, prevent local legal changes that might help to save the springs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">PLOT SYNOPSIS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After some years away, an Anthropologist (the Young Woman in the opening scene) returns to take a higher education teaching job in the mid-sized town where she spent her college years. The town is centered in an area called the Springs Heartland, the largest concentration of freshwater springs on the planet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On a weekend visit to go swimming, the Anthropologist discovers that the area’s blue freshwater springs have begun to turn green. She chances to meet two Cave Divers emerging from the spring and begins to question them. She becomes very concerned and because she is trained to look at the holistic “big picture” of social situations, she begins to investigate what has caused the greening of the springs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In her spare time, the Anthropologist meets with the Scientist, Artists, Writers, the TV Reporter and Officials who have various roles in defending the springs and in maintaining water quality and water supply. When she attends the meeting of a local nonprofit springs defender group, she meets a sympathetic Lawyer with whom she develops a romantic relationship.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Anthropologist also attends state water management agency and legislative delegation meetings. She interviews state and local Officials. With coaching from the Lawyer, she discovers how laws are written, at the expense of the springs, to support the wealthy that hold political power. Banding together with the Lawyer and other friends she has made while doing her research, she mounts effort to hold Officials accountable and to change the laws. Those efforts are blocked at every turn and she finally realizes that the Officials who hold power are completely unwilling to make changes that might save the springs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just as the Anthropologist begins to realize the futility of her efforts, the springs go dry, saltwater intrudes into the increasingly polluted aquifer and the water becomes poisonous for drinking or irrigation. As large numbers of people get sick, the local health care system collapses alongside the water supply. These failures lead to a crash in the local economy, after which public chaos and an increasingly violent societal breakdown rapidly follow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To save herself and to be able to share at the national level what she knows about the causes of the collapse, the Anthropologist—accompanied by a few friends—makes a daring escape from the chaos and destruction that have been caused by ignorance and greed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-840789101867453532020-02-21T20:04:00.000-05:002020-02-21T20:04:19.806-05:00Fluffy Bunnies, Dying Springs and the Rights of Nature (Part 3 of 3)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcZipTv5RFSUXMRpTeXqVmBhbU40zxcytbBNZnRfW0_yVQi5hZYVfQ0w1uEGvd6w51rQKKGHbIJa4rJ47mVqUZWpwyKsMyWy9qIH-G0CVZR1aVMFmp9BKfbzI77yneE-1G4b7hlh1LdY1/s1600/Reflecting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcZipTv5RFSUXMRpTeXqVmBhbU40zxcytbBNZnRfW0_yVQi5hZYVfQ0w1uEGvd6w51rQKKGHbIJa4rJ47mVqUZWpwyKsMyWy9qIH-G0CVZR1aVMFmp9BKfbzI77yneE-1G4b7hlh1LdY1/s320/Reflecting.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Santa Fe River seen from Rum Island Spring</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The idea that Mother Earth and Her ecosystems have the right to exist and to thrive is not a new idea. Indigenous people have lived this view for thousands of years, but relatively modern European law (upon which U.S. law is based)—law developed largely by landed gentry—has subverted the idea of humanity's relationship with the natural world by relegating Nature to the status of "property." And in property-based law, only certain people are allowed to have legal "standing" to defend natural systems in court.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Christopher Stone's landmark article, <i><a href="https://iseethics.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/stone-christopher-d-should-trees-have-standing.pdf" target="_blank">Should Trees Have Standing?</a></i>, was published in 1972 and makes the argument that natural systems should have their own legal rights. The article is often cited as the inspiration for the current rights of nature movement. (Stone has since expanded the article into a book with the same title.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The nonprofit group I work for, the Ichetucknee Alliance, was granted standing to defend the Ichetucknee in one legal challenge but was denied standing in another. So there is no guarantee that even groups whose mission is to restore, protect and preserve specific natural systems can fulfill that mission through our courts of law.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have watched other environmental groups challenge actions by state agencies and corporations that harm Florida's springs and rivers. Those groups are sometimes denied standing, as the Ichetucknee Alliance was, but even if they are granted standing, they invariably lose their challenges.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Florida Rights of Nature (RON) movement is a response to this crisis of legal standing that leads to the destruction of Nature, but it is more than that: It is also a response to a crisis in our democracy in which state governments and the federal government can deny people the right to govern their local communities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Like many people who are worried about what we humans are doing to Mother Earth, I am committed to doing what I can to reverse our current destructive trends. When I had the opportunity to get involved with a campaign to amend Alachua County's home-rule charter by having a Bill of Rights for the Santa Fe River placed on the 2020 ballot, I jumped on board.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the first public information session we held for this SAFEBOR (Santa Fe River Bill of Rights) effort, one young man asked, "How long do you think it will be before the State of Florida preempts you from doing this?" My answer was quick: "Until the next legislative session." (Everyone laughed because they knew that was true.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sure enough—the Florida Legislature is now in session and language to preempt local governments from enacting rights of nature laws is sailing through committees. Those of us involved in SAFEBOR and Florida's RON movement knew this was coming and we see it as validation for our efforts, because as Thomas Linzey said recently, "The fact that they're trying to preempt you means you already have the right to do what you're doing."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the recent Florida Rights of Nature Convention (RONcon) held at the University of Florida's Law School, I asked Linzey: "If Alachua County wants to put SAFEBOR on the 2020 ballot and the State preempts us from enacting rights of nature laws, what should the County do?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Linzey's answer: "Do it anyway."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do it anyway because our springs and rivers are being destroyed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do it anyway because our current regulations and laws are not preventing our springs and rivers from degrading.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do it anyway because Florida needs to <span style="line-height: 107%;">recognize nature and ecosystems as having that highest level of
protection that can be afforded by law.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Do it anyway because ecosystems need substantive rights that can be enforced.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do it anyway because people in communities have a constitutional right of local self-government that enables us to enact stronger environmental protections than those set by the state.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do it anyway because that same constitutional right of local self-government limits what laws the state can override.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do it anyway because the Declaration of Independence reads: "...</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any
Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the
People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its
Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to
them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”</span><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do it anyway because the Florida Constitution reads: "<u>Article I, Section 1. Political power</u>. – All political power is inherent in the people. The
enunciation herein of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or impair
others retained by the people" and "<u>Article II, Section 7</u>. It
shall be the policy of the state to conserve and protect its natural resources
and scenic beauty. Adequate provision shall be made by law for the abatement of
air and water pollution and of excessive and unnecessary noise and for the
conservation and protection of natural resources."</span><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do it anyway to get a challenge into the courts that will enable resurrection and expansion of the <a href="https://a0af5022-c1e5-45af-9c8a-b11d448e331e.filesusr.com/ugd/952f0d_07972bc7a4004b88bdd3ae05a45fc6c9.pdf" target="_blank">Cooley Doctrine</a> that asserts certain municipal lawmaking cannot be preempted by state law.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do it anyway because even though a court challenge will be costly, there are some things that are more important than money.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do it anyway because now is not the time for baby steps. Now is the time for brave people to stand up strongly to the forces that are destroying Mother Earth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do it anyway because it's the <i>right</i> thing to do.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Many thanks to Thomas Linzey for tutoring on these legal issues.</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style><style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:8.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-79172051972209084132020-02-19T20:48:00.001-05:002020-02-19T20:49:28.415-05:00Fluffy Bunnies, Dying Springs and the Rights of Nature (Part 2 of 3)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpa0tTQ6FcSmzvnVV0AGGNHRfIn1zvfj2IuN6Mut9dOvg9C7tKepT1LW-3C96ssd7LYoo3uyzYdRaEZSPm-wubnJpzqssK1mwOSgCSes9LCwvWIAM6mXzvtcpAFX6J5EFLD_7OiIkSq4S/s1600/DeadDyingSpringsLARGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpa0tTQ6FcSmzvnVV0AGGNHRfIn1zvfj2IuN6Mut9dOvg9C7tKepT1LW-3C96ssd7LYoo3uyzYdRaEZSPm-wubnJpzqssK1mwOSgCSes9LCwvWIAM6mXzvtcpAFX6J5EFLD_7OiIkSq4S/s640/DeadDyingSpringsLARGE.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For the next seven years, I talked about the rights of nature idea to anyone and everyone who seemed </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">even</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">slightly receptive. I bulldogged the idea because I knew that Florida was on the fast track to lose our priceless freshwater springs—the largest such concentration of springs on the planet—and because I couldn't stand by and do nothing as the springs were damaged by overpumping from the Floridan aquifer and pollution by people and industry (including, but not limited to, agriculture).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Florida's Eden, a group of artists who had joined forces in Gainesville to create awareness of springs problems, produced the "Dead and Dying Springs" graphic above. The list of dead and dying springs is a reminder for anyone who needs it that we human beings are playing an active role in the destruction of these ecosystems.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I felt like I was talking into empty space for most of those seven years. When I mentioned rights of nature, people would smile and nod; sometimes a more engaged person would ask a question or two, but that would be the end of it. The impression I got from these conversations was that people thought it was a novel idea but they didn't think it was something that would ever catch on. Every now and then, though, I'd run into someone who would resonate with it. Those people gave me hope.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fast forward almost seven years from 2013, and I saw a Facebook post from Chuck O'Neal in the Orlando area, who—coincidentally or not—I had met at Democracy School when we sat next to each other. Chuck was musing about the idea that he might want his activist's legacy to be the establishment of a rights of nature movement in Florida. I immediately messaged him, "You need to get in touch with Thomas Linzey."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had been in touch with Thomas about the possibility of having the Ichetucknee Alliance, the group I work for, get involved with RON, but the directors of that small group weren't interested in taking up the rights of nature banner and had several good reasons for not doing so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I exchanged several more messages with Chuck, and in each one I stressed, "You need to talk to Thomas Linzey." I gave Thomas's contact information to Chuck, and eventually the two connected—and what a connection that turned out to be!<br /><br />Chuck arranged for Thomas to come to Florida and hosted a meeting at his house in which Thomas gave a crash course in RON to a small crowd of people who were intrigued with the idea. It seems like things moved really fast after that, but actually it took almost a year for the big event to unfold: the Florida Rights of Nature Convention (RONcon), held in February 2020 at the University of Florida Law School's annual public interest environmental conference.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've heard from one person who attended those events in the past that the second day of that conference, which was the day RONcon was held, usually has an attendance of about 35 people. This year, we filled a large lecture hall to standing room only capacity!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH69EnNqLEETCuHHBOQAF8BcSArOiLK4YwPHKoPyQDHufECgRr2yeEJCi5p_MIENd_VUwkQWnuwuW01iDfaZ4NUh2AigbHdjJtAuH1ajWphvBWM3hP_f3oVmKeNgqqoeg0SirL1CKolrYg/s1600/FLRONcon1+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="796" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH69EnNqLEETCuHHBOQAF8BcSArOiLK4YwPHKoPyQDHufECgRr2yeEJCi5p_MIENd_VUwkQWnuwuW01iDfaZ4NUh2AigbHdjJtAuH1ajWphvBWM3hP_f3oVmKeNgqqoeg0SirL1CKolrYg/s320/FLRONcon1+SMALL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUWzzEaWBEyrD0nk-41kikx1rsw6LOvADzFSV76o4J1MJC9yJ_u9rdKIQTY5Y3GLom5fB1w587_OcP7xz6-iyhavnUP1K1_0F1CdWc3HNDkD4zENLWaYYsVD7d8-XrrTwGROGEDRejbBh/s1600/FLRONcon2+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="800" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUWzzEaWBEyrD0nk-41kikx1rsw6LOvADzFSV76o4J1MJC9yJ_u9rdKIQTY5Y3GLom5fB1w587_OcP7xz6-iyhavnUP1K1_0F1CdWc3HNDkD4zENLWaYYsVD7d8-XrrTwGROGEDRejbBh/s320/FLRONcon2+SMALL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Following RONcon, a group of people who were particularly interested in and committed to starting a rights of nature movement in Florida got together and with Chuck's leadership, we formed the Florida Rights of Nature Network. There are now people working on bills of rights for local rivers in all areas of Florida, from the Panhandle to the southern part of the state!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And the person who called these ideas "fluffy bunnies" has now admitted that the rights of nature movement has momentum in Florida.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But what exactly are these bills of rights for natural systems supposed to do? Stay tuned for Part 3 of this blog series.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-3280289923723612872020-02-19T20:06:00.002-05:002020-02-19T20:06:23.327-05:00Fluffy Bunnies, Dying Springs and the Rights of Nature (Part 1 of 3)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkw6Oi5At5fu5FzrdxIy1QIiwHF181Fg7vqeX_caAtGxAt3vWcn2Q1-Um2U9i5FpCWegJ-1H3oYhU6vTeWxXnuckeSTYvmyvjvEFmXJt9VpNoVcMvNoskmWdO3KKz1jKjRDLJrD4okFXI/s1600/worlds-fluffiest-rabbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="600" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkw6Oi5At5fu5FzrdxIy1QIiwHF181Fg7vqeX_caAtGxAt3vWcn2Q1-Um2U9i5FpCWegJ-1H3oYhU6vTeWxXnuckeSTYvmyvjvEFmXJt9VpNoVcMvNoskmWdO3KKz1jKjRDLJrD4okFXI/s320/worlds-fluffiest-rabbit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Back in 2013, I attended a Democracy School that was led by Thomas Linzey and Mari Margil of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) at Barry University Law School's Center for Earth Jurisprudence in Orlando. The school was a crash course in what I didn't learn in high school civics or any of my college classes—namely, how the USA's laws have been structured, since the Constitution was written, to benefit business and commerce at the expense of Mother Nature who sustains us. Even the landmark environmental protection laws that were passed in the 1970s have failed by enabling individual landowners and corporations who own property to receive permits for activities that can lead to the destruction of that property and nearby natural systems.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had two major takeaways from Democracy School. The first was a quote by Jane Ann Morris, a corporate anthropologist who said, "The only things environmental laws regulate are environmentalists." As a water defender working primarily for the Ichetucknee River and its associated springs, I can vouch for the fact that Morris's statement is true. We activists are extremely limited in what we can speak about—usually only minor problems and never the "big picture"—and limited in whether or how we can challenge activities that cause harm to ecosystems.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When faced with questioning or openly challenging environmentally harmful activities, activists at state agency meetings find themselves trapped in scenarios that play out like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1. Agency staff members present a slide show and describe their “process.”</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2. During public comment, people point out substantive flaws in the agencies’ positions and/or flaws in scientific methodology and findings. People decry lack of meaningful action, beg for substantive change, and ask pointed, simple questions that put agencies on the spot.</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">3. Agency representatives hem and haw with answers to simple questions. Often there are comments about the need to do more studies.</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">4. An email address for written comments is projected on a slide.</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">5. The meeting is adjourned.</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">6. Nothing ever changes, except for the harm to Mother Nature, which increases.</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The results of those meetings seem to be inevitable. After public feedback, which is sometimes received patiently and sometimes not, the individuals or corporations eventually get the permits they've requested or the state agency moves forward with its planned actions. Water defenders are left feeling like we're behind a big truck that's dumping trash (or worse!) at us as we desperately try to shovel it away, only to be buried by the contents of the truck at the end of the road.</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My second takeaway from Democracy School was a lot more positive: It was the idea that by granting legal rights to individual natural systems like the Ichetucknee or Santa Fe rivers, we could level the playing field between business/commerce and Mother Nature in our courts of law and possibly provide much-needed protections for vulnerable ecosystems.</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I saw this rights of nature (RON) concept not as a magic bullet, but rather as a "helicopter idea" that enabled us to get out in front of that trash truck to spark a paradigm change and a change in our culture. Instead of treating Mother Nature as an object, people could be encouraged to treat Her as a subject with whom we're in a healthy instead of an abusive relationship—not as a "thing" that can be destroyed for private profits, but as a living system that we, and many other animals and plants, depend upon for our survival; as a benefactor, to whom we owe acts of kindness in reciprocity for all She has given us.</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And I was thrilled to learn from CELDF's representatives that rights of nature laws were being adopted in various parts of the world!</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I came home from Democracy School determined to spread the word as widely as I could about this new approach to defending Mother Earth. One of the first people I told was the head of an environmental organization I was working for. "Giving rights to the river?" he laughed. "That's some real fluffy bunny stuff right there."</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He might have even rolled his eyes.</span></div>
<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-16512718433845174122019-10-20T16:32:00.001-04:002019-10-20T16:32:31.042-04:00Heart of My Heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqQw_GU2XL_FAuNmQJhKrFckf4JnEEFJ2oH7l5G-UzKmV5G46FuAcYgLf8AkTyEhDyomqg81Yv1DIRfGZudNcjZlNX5YvFGa3hAxTPCojjiookWqnzD6stEOIT7X2jA5mzfJFk0xDHF0C/s1600/KKR+Cremation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1600" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqQw_GU2XL_FAuNmQJhKrFckf4JnEEFJ2oH7l5G-UzKmV5G46FuAcYgLf8AkTyEhDyomqg81Yv1DIRfGZudNcjZlNX5YvFGa3hAxTPCojjiookWqnzD6stEOIT7X2jA5mzfJFk0xDHF0C/s320/KKR+Cremation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>
<w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>
<w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heart of my heart<br />
Going up in flames</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You are a lamp<br />
Even in death</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
May your lovingkindness</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and compassion—</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like the</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Buddhadharma<br />
you taught—<br />
blaze<br />
forever<br />
throughout the</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10 directions<br />
and 3 times</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
as this profound</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
emptiness</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
gives way to</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
fullness</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
of gratitude and</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
transformation</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-Karma Norjin Lhamo, on the occasion of Khenpo Karthar
Rinpoche’s (her refuge lama's) cremation<br />
in the season of Halloween</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
October 20, 2019</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-14729748253243689352019-09-29T14:47:00.000-04:002019-09-29T14:53:29.138-04:00A Gathering of Ghosts and Demons: Generosity and Realization in Tibetan Buddhism<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHw720xS9gbMXeEsGsLXu_lA7GW-pScsTFGHAcUDSaNDHLKpD_j3xf-RY-BBbO4cZs_dRBt_NCVQhLgKxP3DL3Yy6m4RenRYufrVY10tzkfZSar7swrBmh7osush66TJDzHQKYtqV7yaj/s1600/demon-FC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="588" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHw720xS9gbMXeEsGsLXu_lA7GW-pScsTFGHAcUDSaNDHLKpD_j3xf-RY-BBbO4cZs_dRBt_NCVQhLgKxP3DL3Yy6m4RenRYufrVY10tzkfZSar7swrBmh7osush66TJDzHQKYtqV7yaj/s320/demon-FC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Show me a culture without ghosts and spirits, and I’ll show
you an alien culture—something not of this Earth—because stories of things
spooky and strange, seen and unseen, are found everywhere, in all belief
systems. And the explanations of such haunting phenomena are as varied as the
cultures that give birth to these magical stories.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The banshees of Ireland and the Scottish highlands, who warn
families of impending death with otherworldly cries and laments, are thought to
be the ghosts of women who died in childbirth. The Japanese yurei, also
female ghosts, are trapped by powerfully gripping emotions in an intermediate
state between life and death. In the Voudon tradition of Haiti, zombies are
acknowledged to be reanimated corpses brought back to a kind of life by skilled
magicians. And of course, there are the countless stories of vampires who suck
the life force from their victims—perhaps a reflection of the universal
experience of being around people who drain us of our energy?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So it comes as no surprise that the world of Tibetan Buddhism
is populated with its share—if not more than its share!—of ghosts, demons,
ghouls, and otherworldly beings. What is different in the Buddhist tradition,
however, is the explanation of these phenomena.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the best windows into the sometimes-spooky world of
Tibetan Buddhism was opened to us by the Tibetan woman, Machik Labdron (or
Machig Lapdron), who lived in the 11th century. Machik, whose name
means “One Mother,” fused the Indian Buddhist tradition of chod with
her own visionary experiences to create a special practice, the Chod of
Mahamudra.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6ZJ7drQd-xyjAoA8twfaaBw24CSKXe9xqmzZXRnr3Q01SBSIfh9TKPzA4H6UAFHpNKbrv132AIbl22c7Eldl6o_b4w2d0UyTvXLib76YlLtRo9CCthNz0EGLNe_uixQe_1qpvhMIoiYw/s1600/MachikThangkaSmall-225x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6ZJ7drQd-xyjAoA8twfaaBw24CSKXe9xqmzZXRnr3Q01SBSIfh9TKPzA4H6UAFHpNKbrv132AIbl22c7Eldl6o_b4w2d0UyTvXLib76YlLtRo9CCthNz0EGLNe_uixQe_1qpvhMIoiYw/s1600/MachikThangkaSmall-225x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machik Labdron</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The most spectacular part of the practice, <i>lu jin</i> or
“charity of the body,” is an eerie visualization that involves offering one’s
own body as food for worldly and otherworldly beings—an extreme, supreme act of
generosity. The aims of the practice, however, are eminently practical:
to benefit other beings and to overcome the self-fixation that Buddhists hold
to be the source of so many of our problems.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Machik herself is a magical being, a wisdom dakini—a human
embodiment of the essence of enlightened mind. And her popularity in modern
times begins with a ghostly story. Here is how Tsultrim Allione, the author of <i>Women
of Wisdom</i> who has recently been recognized as an emanation of Machik
Labdron, describes one of her first experiences with this dakini.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">…I was in California
at a group retreat given by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. One night we were doing the
Chod practice, and at a certain point, when we were invoking the presence of
Machig, visualizing her as a youthful white dakini, a wild-looking old woman
suddenly appeared very close to me. She had grey hair streaming up from her
head, and she was naked, with dark golden-brown skin. Her breasts hung
pendulously and she was dancing. She was coming out of a dark cemetery. The
most impressive thing about her was the look in her eyes. They were very bright,
and the expression was one of challenging invitation mixed with mischievous
joy, uncompromising strength and compassion. She was inviting me to join her
dance. Afterwards I realized that this was a form of Machig Labdron.<sup>1</sup><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Machik advises us that the best places to practice chod—also
known as severance, as in severance of self-fixation—are the wild and haunted
places that create an atmosphere of isolation and fear. Among the guests we
invite to the practice are more than a few terrifying apparitions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Who among us would not be frightened by the antagonizing
enemies, those “unembodied gods and demons who manifest sights and various
weird apparitions to the eyes and cause fear and terror and then alarm and
horror, with trembling and hairs standing on end”?<sup>2</sup></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Who wouldn’t feel intimidated by the body demon, an entity
that connects with us in the womb and remains with us until our skin and bones
separate after death? “It is the lord or owner of this outcaste body made of
flesh and blood, a vicious inhuman spirit that says, ‘This is I,” Machik
explains. “That bad spirit leads us around by the nose and makes us engage in
bad karma.”<sup>3</sup></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Which of us would not be chilled by contact with nagas,
snake-like animals who inhabit waterways and springs, or the eight classes of gyalsen,
male king spirits and female demonesses who together symbolize attraction and
aversion, two of the Buddhist poisons?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Who wouldn’t be scared silly by the sight of various male
and female devils, planetary spirits, death lords, harm-bringers, belly-crawlers,
personifications of types of disease, lords of epidemics, and black magic
spirits?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And perhaps many of us have felt the unease that comes from
bad spirits of haunted places, those spirits who dwell in unsettled places
where we may visit or live.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But if we could help them, who among us would fail to offer
sustenance to all sentient beings, from beings in hell where they experience
unimaginable torture, through the realm of the hungry ghosts—with their huge
bodies and tiny throats that deny them the sustenance they crave—up through the
animal and human realms to the realms of the gods?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All these frightful and awe-ful beings, and more, are the
guests Machik Labdron urges us to invite to the feast of severance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This emphasis on demons and ghouls in Machik’s practice is
no accident—it’s quite deliberate, because directly facing what terrifies us is
one way we can awaken from our ignorance, one way we can realize the unbounded
wisdom and compassion that are our birthrights as beings who possess, hidden deep
in our hearts, the very same nature as the buddhas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a famous story about Milarepa, another Tibetan
Buddhist saint who was, coincidentally (or not!), a contemporary of Machik
Labdron’s.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Tseringma and her four sisters were female deities. When they
first met Milarepa they tried to scare him and they did all kinds of magic
tricks to try to frighten Milarepa, but Milarepa was never frightened. He knew
that these demons were like demons in a dream when you know you are dreaming.
He did not take them to be truly existent and so then they were so impressed
with Milarepa that they developed faith in him. They became his students; they
became his Dharma Protectors, the protectors of his teachings and they also
offered Milarepa siddhis, special powers…</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>But that is the difference between demons when you don’t
know their true nature and demons when you do know their true nature. They go
from being malicious to being protectors.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>In the end, in fact, there is no such thing as a demon. That
is what you recognize in a dream when you dream of a demon and you know you are
dreaming. You recognize that there really is no demon there. That is the
ultimate nature. There is neither any deity that helps you nor any demon that
harms you. Sometimes these supernatural beings are called god demons because if
they like you they are like a god and if they do not like you they are like a
demon. They can decide. But when you recognize you are dreaming it does not
matter what they appear to be. You know their true nature.<sup>4</sup></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So in the Vajrayana—the form of Buddhism taught in Tibet—we
learn that the appearance of demons and ghouls, when not seen through, is a mara or
obstacle to enlightenment. Seen through—when we experience our minds
directly—these same demons and ghouls become protectors (dharmapalas) and
sources of spiritual powers (siddhis) and realization.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apparitions of male
and female demons and ghouls<br />
For as long as your guise has not been seen through are maras.<br />
Obstacle-makers who nothing but trouble spell<br />
If their guise is seen through obstructors are dharmapalas<br />
A hot bed of siddhis of such a variety<br />
In the end, in fact, there are neither gods nor goblins.<br />
Let concepts go as far as they go and no more.<br />
This is as far as they go and no more, he said.<sup>5</sup><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The appearance of demons and ghouls is, finally, revealed as
nothing other than the self-projection of our own minds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How precious now the
idea of seeing a ghost.<br />
It reveals the unborn source, how strange and amazing!<sup>6</sup><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So this Halloween—when numerous ghouls and devils and demons
and ghosts appear at your door—recognize these frightful sights as reminders of
your own mind’s clarity and spaciousness. And then—in the generous spirit of
Machik Labdron and Milarepa—offer them some candy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFt1Q471pmM9iV39885_BSoFKfgpeqovBgBqCKwKggkDEa8fd8qeTYRLBrgQVLMd1Y07KUA6ZYF1fQeBDlilbRgIdZCVoP6FRLa9tZnX7eiWxXZdt2EKaL3b4Djpcbv-xV2UkoYC2XYK1/s1600/ltlghost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFt1Q471pmM9iV39885_BSoFKfgpeqovBgBqCKwKggkDEa8fd8qeTYRLBrgQVLMd1Y07KUA6ZYF1fQeBDlilbRgIdZCVoP6FRLa9tZnX7eiWxXZdt2EKaL3b4Djpcbv-xV2UkoYC2XYK1/s1600/ltlghost.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Sources<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup>1</sup>Women of
Wisdom, </i>Tsultrim Allione, Snow Lion Publications, 2000, pp. 28-29.<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup>2</sup>Machik’s Complete
Explanation: Clarifying the Meaning of Chod, </i>translated by Sarah
Harding, Snow Lion Publications, 2003, p. 141.<br />
<sup>3</sup>Ibid., p. 141.<br />
<sup>4</sup>Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Tampa, Florida, Halloween 2005
(private transcript).<br />
<sup>5</sup>“Distinguishing the Provisional from the Definitive in the Context
of Mahamudra,” a realization song that was taught by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso
Rinpoche in Tampa, Florida, Halloween 2005 (private transcript).<br />
<sup>6</sup>Ibid.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Karma Norjin Lhamo is a student of teachers affiliated
with the Tibetan Karma Kagyu lineage. She has recently had the good fortune to
attend a series of teachings about Machik Labdron given by her refuge lama,
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra in Woodstock, New York.
Halloween has always been her favorite holiday. She urges people who are interested in learning about
Buddhism to seek out a qualified teacher.</div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<br />
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
</style>
-->A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6597115306275781810.post-75383041992560312032019-04-16T12:55:00.000-04:002019-04-16T12:55:03.662-04:00Florida’s Springs and Rivers Need Their Own Legal Rights (Part Two of Two)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_ZgyA5sSVXPiOsz_oLcxu1chpKLDl2JbeYHxMbDhaSwu5r68OFKDjXeUrNIDO8Vu69paKXiEimLk03EGb9-Al4f27avx9fd-Z0RqiGwoc8UtyAL2Gbol9lkz3E-M0b0CVZSNydPoa71t/s1600/108ThingsNo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_ZgyA5sSVXPiOsz_oLcxu1chpKLDl2JbeYHxMbDhaSwu5r68OFKDjXeUrNIDO8Vu69paKXiEimLk03EGb9-Al4f27avx9fd-Z0RqiGwoc8UtyAL2Gbol9lkz3E-M0b0CVZSNydPoa71t/s320/108ThingsNo1.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The source of laws that currently
constrain our ability to save Mother Earth is the U.S. Constitution. But our
country has another primary founding document, the Declaration of Independence,
from which CELDF has drawn inspiration and ideas to build a new democratic
movement that empowers citizens to fight for granting rights to living natural
systems such as springs and rivers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This Rights of Nature movement is
now gaining traction not only here in the USA, where over 220 communities have
embraced it, but also throughout the world in places such as New Zealand,
India, Ecuador and Bolivia. <a href="https://celdf.org/rights/rights-of-nature/rights-nature-timeline/" target="_blank">Click here to find a timeline of this movement on CELDF’s website.</a></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">CELDF’s strategy is modeled on the
rights-based struggles to abolish slavery and grant full citizenship rights to
people of color, to grant voting rights to women, to grant marriage equality
rights to gays and lesbians and, more recently, to grant legal rights to
animals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">All of these social movements,
including even the American Revolution, began with courageous people who were
willing to challenge or even break existing laws in order to change those laws.
All these movements started small, grew over time as more people became aware
of them, and eventually resulted in widespread social change and changes to our
laws.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">CELDF believes that same strategy
can work to grant legal rights to natural systems. Their staff is actively
working to help citizens push their local governments to enact bills of rights
for iconic natural features. The strategy recognizes that once the word is out
about this movement—which has now accelerated to the point that citizens of
Toledo, Ohio, have voted to grant legal rights to Lake Erie, following an
incident of severe and widespread drinking water contamination—citizens of more
and more communities will decide to get involved. And the more people who get
involved, the more people will learn about how our current legal system is
failing to protect the living systems that we need to sustain us and many other
forms of life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Is this approach a “magic bullet”?
No. CELDF acknowledges that there will be pushback at the beginning of such an
effort not only from city and county commissions and their lawyers (because new
ideas always meet resistance!) but also from corporations and business
organizations in the form of threats of lawsuits and actual lawsuits.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Even when local municipalities are
courageous enough to enact Rights of Nature laws, the final legal outcomes of the
sure-to-follow lawsuits are far from certain. That’s because this movement is
so new and so few cases have made it to court yet. It will be up to the courts
to make decisions about how Rights of Nature laws affect current laws, and this
will be a long process. The alternative, however, is to keep doing what we’re
already doing, and to keep getting the same ineffective results.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I’m thrilled to report that the Rights
of Nature movement now seems to be taking off here in Florida. Following the
weekend in Apopka with Thomas Linzey, activists in Central Florida have created
a project they’re calling WEBOR. That acronym is stands for Wekiva Econlockhatchee
Bill of Rights for those two rivers that straddle the Orange and Seminole
county line. Early plans call for this to be a citizens’ initiative that will
gather petitions to put the Wekiva-Econ Bill of Rights onto the ballot in an
upcoming election, so the citizens of Orange and Seminole counties can vote on
it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Other citizens are considering
attempts to have the county commissions in home-rule counties (with charters) act
directly to put Rights of Nature laws into county charters when those documents
are revised.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Is the Rights of Nature movement an effort whose time has finally come
in Florida? I’ve been spreading the word about this approach for the last six
years, so I certainly hope so!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 0.25in;">“We’ll know more later,” as my mom
always said.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>A Word Witchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04945717356576119953noreply@blogger.com0