My fellow signatories, this is the 100th time that I have reported to you an UPDATE related to the "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" online petition. I realize that it may be out of fashion for an entity working towards actually achieving a beneficial environmental cause to regularly update its supporters -- but I shall continue to alert you as to the current "goings-on" involving our movement to restore to free-and-swift-flowing again the Ocklawaha River system for the 56 miles from Silver Springs to the St. Johns River.
2,448 have signed this petition FOR-FREE $$$. Let’s get to 2,500!
THE LATEST NUMBERS: 2,448 supporters of the "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" online petition as of 1500 hrs EDT 8/26/18. Thank you to all who have signed FOR-FREE $$$!
This is probably the most important petition in the history of the Ocklawaha River issue since those that were sent to President Johnson (D) and later President Nixon (R) asking that the Cross Florida Barge Canal (CFBC) be stopped.
Remember that it was President Nixon (R) on 1/19/1971 (more than 47 years ago) that HALTED any further construction of the CFBC and stopped any impending closure of Eureka Lock and Dam, thus ensuring that the planned 19,000-acre "Eureka Pool" (reservoir) was never cleared and flooded. Nixon's order is why we are still able in 2018 to begin to RESTORE to free-and-swift-flowing again the 56 miles of mainstream from Silver Springs to the St. Johns River. If "Eureka Pool" had been cleared and flooded the Ocklawaha River would have been destroyed forever. Does anyone disagree with my preceding "destroyed forever" statement?
Although I spend very little time on the St. Johns River itself, "Ocklawahaman" in 2016 -- after reading "Technical Publication SJ2016-1" authored by John Hendrickson of the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) -- had to finally accept this COLD, HARD, and SIMPLE FACT:
Why hasn't Rodman Dam (aka Kirkpatrick Dam) already been breached to restore the free-flowing Ocklawaha River? Because, YES, the St. Johns River is more important to Florida and the United States of America than its largest tributary stream; the Ocklawaha River!
The ST. JOHNS RIVER since its designation by President Bill Clinton (D) on 7/30/1998 is the only "American Heritage River" in Florida and that's probably the major reason why the SJRWMD has not yet approved the Environmental Resource Permit (necessary for Ocklawaha River restoration to start) applied for by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in 1997. The St. Johns River is granted extra protection and scrutiny as a result of its "American Heritage River" status. Even our honorable last elected-as-a-Democrat Governor Lawton Chiles who ordered Ocklawaha River restoration couldn't get around this "American Heritage River" status to begin the draining of Rodman Reservoir -- Governor Chiles (D) had been "shot in the foot" by President Clinton (D).
"American Heritage Rivers are designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to receive special attention (coordinating efforts of multiple governmental entities) to further three objectives: NATURAL RESOURCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, economic revitalization, and historic and cultural preservation."
Note that in the excerpted paragraph above, "Ocklawahaman" capitalized the words, "NATURAL RESOURCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION" because they seem to relate very closely to the "1999 consent decree between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Earthjustice -- regarding the St. Johns River -- to establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for impaired Florida waters" (that John Hendrickson of SJRWMD wrote and explained of in 2016).
A restored to free-flowing again Ocklawaha River has been presumed potentially GUILTY of further polluting the St. Johns River (with excess NUTRIENTS) until it can be proven potentially INNOCENT (of further polluting the St. Johns River with excess NURIENTS) by the environmental scientists at the SJRWMD.
And that is why John Hendrickson's scientific work for the SJRWMD is so vitally important to Ocklawaha River restoration and why the rest of the "goings-on" probably "ain't worth a spit in the river!"
This "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" online petition is based upon the 2016 SJRWMD "Technical Publication SJ2016-1" by John Hendrickson. His 107-page document contains the latest scientific data (gathered since 1999 [by SJRWMD and FL DEP]) -- about DISSOLVED SILICA, NITROGEN, and PHOSPHORUS (and their combined effects on possible [downstream] St. Johns River harmful algal blooms) -- best supporting that the restoration of the Ocklawaha River will be beneficial for the entire St. Johns River basin.
I IMPLORE ONCE AGAIN that all of the pro-restoration groups PLEASE FACE REALITY now and start working WITH John Hendrickson, recently promoted to Supervising Environmental Scientist of the SJRWMD -- before this distinguished public servant RETIRES (he has more than 30 years of Florida service) -- HELP John when and wherever you can, just as "Ocklawahaman" has been advising since April of 2016! I don't have another 47 years left to wait for the breaching of Rodman Dam.
Friday 8/24/18 was the 26-month anniversary of the 6/24/16 creation of this "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" online petition! And I sadly believe that in the next several months you will become quite aware that the recent litigation efforts by others to free the Ocklawaha have failed (just like they all have going back to 2012 and even earlier) and that once again the "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" online petition is the only restoration "goings-on" that is still GOING!
When you join with the "Ocklawahaman" to "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" by signing the online petition FOR-FREE $$$ it costs you NO $$$. "Ocklawahaman" has NO lawyers or staff for you to payroll! YOU get to buy a backpack, BBQ dinner, canoe, or kayak with your own DOUGH $$$ and enjoy the remaining segments of the free-flowing Ocklawaha River and its superbly forested jungle-like corridor.
IMPORTANT NOTE: "Ocklawahaman" Paul Nosca is a totally non-commercial & NON-NOT-FOR-PROFIT, retired, private citizen and does not seek $$$ and does not accept any $$$ contributions for the administration and promotion of his individually-created petition! The State of Florida and the United States governments -- that provide me retirement benefits (for my past services to them) -- OWN almost all of the Ocklawaha River's water and its submerged and corridor lands and collect taxes from MOST all of us. Lets FOR-FREE $$$ encourage Florida and the U.S.A. to wisely follow the principals of ecology and FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM for the benefit of the St. Johns River!
Show your support for the free migration -- St. Johns River to Silver Springs -- of the Florida manatee, channel catfish, and Atlantic-race STRIPED BASS. Note that the native Atlantic-race STRIPED BASS lost its only suitable spawning habitat of the entire St. Johns River basin (and the southernmost in the U.S.) when Rodman (Kirkpatrick) Dam was closed across the Ocklawaha River on 9/30/1968. The St. Johns River to the Ocklawaha River to the Silver River to Silver Springs breeding area was the ONLY successful STRIPED BASS spawning waters entirely in the State of Florida.
Riverine LARGEMOUTH BASS have been native to the Ocklawaha River for perhaps thousands of years -- they don't need Rodman Dam or Rodman Reservoir for their survival!
PHASE ONE of my administration of this formal appeal is MY ACTIVE PROMOTION ONLINE -- mostly on "Facebook" -- of it along with the collection of FOR-FREE $$$ signatures and comments by those who support the "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" online petition.
PHASE TWO will consist of "Ocklawahaman" delivering via email all of the pertinent signature and comment documents to the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL DEP).
PHASE THREE will be my negotiating with personnel of the SJRWMD to arrange for electronic communications and/or meetings with certain staff and/or management where "Ocklawahaman" -- or my designated SURROGATE -- would do his/her best to represent the will of this petition's signatories: who "do hereby respectfully petition the SJRWMD and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL DEP) to earnestly begin, move forward with, and finally carry out the process of restoring to free-and-swift-flowing-again the Ocklawaha River -- 'Source to the Sea' -- from its Silver Springs supreme headwaters to its St. Johns River estuary. This restoration process would require the breaching of the earthen Kirkpatrick (Rodman) Dam at the location where the historic Ocklawaha River channel flowed through it prior to September 30, 1968."
And for Florida and U.S. government employees that aren't allowed to sign the petition publicly because of social media policies, "Ocklawahaman" has created a SECRET VOTE "Do You Favor the Breaching of Rodman Dam to Restore a Free-Flowing Ocklawaha River?" online poll at http://www.poll-maker.com/poll790342x4Bd4496B-32 As of 1500 hrs EDT on 8/26/18 the results of this SECRET VOTE online poll are 231 "Yes" for breaching Rodman Dam and only 021 "No" (against breaching Rodman Dam).
You are cordially invited to join the "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" group page on "Facebook" at your convenience. OK, fellow "restorationists" -- i.e., folks that desire a free-and-swift-flowing-again "Source to the Sea" 56-mainstream-mile Silver Springs-Silver River-Ocklawaha River system by the breaching of Rodman Dam -- YOU can post your Ocklawaha-related experiences, information, and thoughts on this page now FOR-FREE $$$. If you already are on "Facebook" It should be easy for you to become a member -- just visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/1937718656450177/
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE! ACTUAL EXPERIENCE FISHING & HUNTING in the Florida outdoors (and that of our sister Southern states) and Florida government, politics, and the US military MATTERS!
"Ocklawahaman" is a U.S. Army veteran and this OLD SOLDIER has experienced the Florida outdoors since 1962. Before I even started mowing grass for my parents, I was paid (in nickels, dimes, or quarters) for feeding chickens and mullet to an alligator at an Inverness tourist stop along US-41. My bass fishing in Florida began in 1965 some 53 years ago. I'm enrolled in Medicare now, ha, ha.
UNLIKE ALMOST EVERYBODY ELSE INVOLVED WITH THIS ISSUE, more of my life's outdoor time -- fishing, exploring, and hunting -- has actually been spent in the Ocklawaha River basin (canoeing its waters and swamp-stomping or hammock-humping its jungle-like swamps and hammocks) than anywhere else.
"Ocklawahaman" has NO LARGEMOUTH BASS FISHING "IMAGE" PROBLEM which is quite the opposite from most all of the other restoration personalities. "Google" "Paul Nosca" sometime and then click "Images" and you'll find many photos of "Ocklawahaman" actually in the great outdoors: canoeing, exploring, fishing, hiking, lawful hunting, etc. Then do the same with any of the other Ocklawaha River restoration or even the "Save Rodman Reservoir" fishing and hunting celebrities to see what you'll find, if anything. And "Ocklawahaman" has actively advocated for Ocklawaha River restoration since 2006 for NO-$$$.
Thank you for any positive consideration that you might have towards signing FOR-FREE $$$ the "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" petition and/or encouraging others to do so!
And know that I am in favor of a free-and-swift-flowing-again "Source to the Sea" 56-mainstream-mile Silver Springs-Silver River-Ocklawaha River system! How about YOU?
For me Job #1 is to "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" period! I'll let the others accept your donations for their agendas.
Most sincerely, "Ocklawahaman" Paul Nosca, Administrator of the "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" online petition.
P.S. Think about this: If instead of the St. Johns River the Apalachicola River had been named Florida's only "American Heritage River" by President Clinton (D) in 1998, TWO Florida rivers would have benefited -- (1) The Ocklawaha River would have been restored to free-flowing again and (2) The Apalachicola River would probably have been studied intensely for the possibility of removing Jim Woodruff Hydroelectric Dam to improve its water volume discharge (less the massive EVAPORATION of Lake Seminole) and water quality! Go figure!