Letters to the Editor

Stop Niagara's water pumping

Some experts believe our supply of drinking water will dry up within a decade. You, as a homeowner, with your own well, are restricted from pumping more than a few hundred gallons per week as a means of preserving the aquifer. Yet a for-profit company, Niagara Bottling, was given a permit to pump 484,000 gallons per day. If our citizens are so weak and naive to let this stand, then they deserve to be made slaves to a bureaucratic government. When our water supply dries up, you have only yourself to blame. It is time to protect your rights and your future. Stop this now.

—Don Thompson

Winter Park

No access to spirituality

Older people do not have access to religion when they need it the most. Whereas Christian residents of nursing and assisted living facilities can attend weekly chapel services, Jewish residents are unlikely to receive any religious opportunities. When they want to pray or discuss religious issues who can they turn to? They may be facing life and death issues or grappling with relationships gone awry, personal secrets and other issues related to the latter stages of life.

In the Jewish community, few people who have been members of a congregation throughout their lives continue their membership payments while living in long-term care facilities. As a result, they are unlikely to receive visits from the rabbi or the Social Action Committee. In many cases, they feel totally abandoned by the Jewish community.

The Jewish Pavilion offers a unique service to our elders living in nursing facilities. Pavilion staff and volunteers visit 300 Jewish seniors in the Orlando area who reside in 44 long-term care facilities. The agency also provides intergenerational musical celebrations, holiday and Sabbath festivities for residents of all faiths.

What is so exciting about the Jewish Pavilion's outreach efforts is that seniors are served no matter where they reside. Other faith communities could easily adopt this model of care. Because volunteers provide the bulk of the service, it is a very inexpensive way to enhance the lives of thousands of our elders. Visit www.jewishpavilion.org for more information.

—Nancy Ludin,

Jewish Pavilion executive director

Cold snap threatens Florida's manatees

The cold winter of 2010 has resulted in unprecedented numbers of cold-related manatee deaths in Florida.

Through Feb. 12, there have been more than 300 confirmed deaths from all causes. Of these, 167 have been attributed to cold stress. Another 116 deaths have been labeled as undetermined/unrecovered, and many of these were also likely caused by cold stress because of their location and timing. Based on a synoptic survey of 5,076 manatees counted in January, this year's deaths represent a loss of 6 percent of the entire state's population in just the first six weeks of the year. These tragic numbers come on the heels of last year's record mortality. Incredibly, in the last 14 months, at least 729 manatees are known to have died in state waters. We can only hope that 2010 does not bring red tide to our coasts or another record year for manatee boat strike deaths like we saw in 2009, as these events could result in hundreds more manatee deaths. Although cold-related deaths are considered a natural cause, the events of this winter highlight the vulnerability of our state's manatee population, and reinforce the importance of safeguarding winter habitat and minimizing human-related threats to this species.

When we hear countless news reports of hundreds of manatees dying from cold, we can feel powerless to help. However, there are a number of actions that everyone can take to help safeguard our state's iconic manatees.

If you live in Florida, contact your legislators and ask them not to cut funding for the manatee critical care treatment program, which is a part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) budget. This money helps Florida's three critical care facilities provide vitally needed emergency treatment for manatees injured by boats, entangled, orphaned or suffering from cold stress or red tide toxicity. Without this funding, injured manatees would needlessly suffer and die. The staff at these critical care facilities, along with staff of the FWC and other groups, have been working tirelessly and selflessly to care for manatees during this winter's prolonged cold weather.

Florida's springs provide natural winter habitat for Florida's manatees. Reduced spring flows caused by increased human demand for water have decreased available habitat at some of our springs, while access to other springs has been reduced or eliminated by weirs or dams. One such spring is Silver Spring in Marion County, which is the largest of Florida's springs. Manatees have completely lost access to this spring due to the Kirpatrick (Rodman) dam. Restoration of the Ocklawaha River and removal of the dam would restore manatee access to Silver Spring. Unfortunately, this restoration would be delayed at least another 50 years if the Jim King State Reserve bill passes during the spring session of the Florida Legislature. If we are going to safeguard manatees in the long-term, we need to protect and enhance their natural warm-water habitat. Floridians, ask your legislators to support the Florida Springs Protection Act this session (SB568) and vote against the Jim King State Reserve bill (SB466/HB695).

If you live in Florida, or plan to visit the state, look for ways to decrease water use to protect water resources. Every drop of groundwater or surface water we use is a drop we take away from the manatees' home. The area hardest hit by this winter's cold weather was the Everglades. Historically, warm groundwater would exit the aquifer through seeps and small springs and provide a refuge to manatees in the Everglades during winter months. However, extensive development and canal dredging have altered the flow of water over the last 100 years, decreasing the availability of these seeps and springs and leaving manatees at risk.

If you boat on Florida's waterways, either as a resident or a visitor, always be on the lookout for manatees. Careful boaters can prevent manatee injuries and deaths caused by watercraft. If you see an injured or dead manatee, please immediately contact FWC's 24-hour hotline at 1-888-404-3922. Manatees simply cannot afford another year of record watercraft deaths.

Manatees and Florida's environment need your support and your voice. These simple actions can make a life-saving difference for Florida's endangered manatees.

—Dr. Katie Tripp

Director of Science & Conservation, Save the Manatee Club