[Coral-List] reservoir dredging

[Todd Barber]

I agree Douglas....I am sickened at the lack of action to help
Dean.....it really makes me angry that the politicians and government
folks on one hand are spending millions on coral
restoration/research/meetings/etc yet stand by and watch, without
raising a hand, senseless destruction of the same asset under their
jurisdiction.

I have dedicated my life to trying to offset human impacts to coral
reefs now to watch one be killed on purpose by my own
government....well enough said let's just say it makes me angry as
^%$&$%.

Thanks,

Todd R Barber
Chairman, Reef Ball Foundation
609 PORTIA N ST, NOKOMIS, FL 34275

941-484-7482 (Direct)
941-720-7549 (Cell & Goggle Voice)
toddbarber Skype

www,reefball.org (Reef Ball Foundation)
www.artificialreefs.org (Designed Artificial Reefs)
www.reefbeach.com (Reefs for Beach Erosion)
www.eternalreefs.com (Memorial Reefs)
www.reefball.com (Reef Ball Foundation)


On Mon, Sep 3, 2012 at 4:06 PM, Douglas Fenner
<douglasfennertassi at gmail.com> wrote:
> C'mon, listers!!!  Only 12 people out of 6000 care enough about the
> deliberate destruction of a pristine reef to even ask to sign a petition to
> save it?  It's not exactly like you're being asked to lie down in front of
> the dragline and risk getting killed, nor being asked to donate money.  Are
> we going to let this thing happen without even letting it be known that we
> think it's wrong?
>      Send Dean an email asking him where to sign the petition.  How are we
> going to save the reefs if nobody will stand up for them?  Where are the
> 3100 people who signed the Consensus statement on reefs announced at ICRS??
>
> Cheers,  Doug
>
> On Sun, Sep 2, 2012 at 1:48 PM, Dean Jacobson <atolldino at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Listers:
>> I finally snorkeled the dredge site this weekend.  A PII excavator has
>> ranged over 50-100 meters
>> of shoreline opposite the Majuro reservoir, industriously digging 20 foot
>> deep
>> borrow pits along the edge of the reef flat where just last week there was
>> 100%
>> coral.  This despite plans to rescue and
>> relocate coral before dredging began here.  The
>> devastation is sickening, almost more than I can bear.  This is a very
>> coral-rich zone that is literally
>> swarming with fish (parrotfish, surgeons, rabbitfish, all used as food once
>> they grow bigger) in its natural state, a valuable nursery.  I have posted
>> “before and after” panoramas on
>> Flickr (“Majuro reservoir reef ” set) and two equally spectacular videos
>> on Youtube (my channel is “atolldino”).
>> This one shows the dredging aftermath:  http://youtu.be/bfh1qvTCPz4
>> Another shows the pristine, fish-rich reef a short distance to the east,
>> which will be mined any day now.
>>  (Videos would be of better
>> quality, but the GoPro2 housing I back-ordered is taking over a month to
>> arrive
>> by mail from Cairns!  Can anyone loan me
>> one? I already have a camera.)
>> I am hoping that this mining can still be stopped, before it
>> spreads further to the east and further away from shore.  Once the giant
>> crane is moved onto an
>> elevated platform, it can operate even at high tide, reaching much further
>> from
>> shore.  Dredged coral is being piled up high
>> on the site, evidently to construct the platform or causeway along 500
>> meters
>> of shore.  An environmental law clinic in
>> the US is considering championing this case.  It is stupid, and
>> unnecessary, and criminal that FAA is using US taxpayer’s
>> money to make this disastrous reef mining happen ($16 million!).  In this
>> age, and on such a vulnerable atoll, it
>> is simply beyond belief.  The regulatory
>> process here on Majuro has been flagrantly fraudulent and dishonest.  An
>> EMP (including a mitigation plan with no
>> specifics) is approved by the local EPA, then ignored.  The entire project
>> is mired in corruption, greed,
>> incompetence and willful ignorance, with FAA’s inexcusable consent.  How
>> can this be tolerated?  Now, because I dared to accuse the EPA of
>> these attributes, a government leader is threatening to have me arrested!
>> Perhaps I can secure a meeting with someone
>> in power; evidently strong language is the only way to get their attention.
>> So far, around a dozen members of this List have requested
>> the link to my petition (thank you!), out of six thousand.  A thousand
>> signatures would be better.  Apathy and complacency just will not
>> suffice.  Please help!
>> Cheers,
>> Dean Jacobson, Ph.D
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
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>
>
>
>
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