[Coral-List] Reminder - Sign On: Science Community Letter for Florida Keys Restoration
Steve Gittings - NOAA Federal
steve.gittings at noaa.gov
Mon Jan 27 16:09:10 UTC 2020
Phil - You very considered response has a lot of legitimate concerns, no
question about it. And a lot of people involved in planning for
restoration have expressed the same thoughts. But like a lot of the
comments I've seen coming in on the draft management, I'm disappointed that
it is entirely negative, without suggestions for ways that the water
quality improvements that you correctly raise should be addressed. You say
that the money planned for restoration would be better spent on measures to
return water quality to oligotrophic conditions. But under what authority
and mechanisms might this be accomplished? If we can't answer that, then
how is the sanctuary supposed to respond?
I hope you don't take this as a criticism for what it is in your letter,
but more a frustration that negativity alone provides ammunition for others
who have other motives to inhibit action, and leaves the sanctuary without
constructive, specific suggestions that could change the priorities of the
management plan.
Steve
On Mon, Jan 27, 2020 at 10:45 AM Phil Dustan via Coral-List <
coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> Dear Shannon and Coral Listers,
> I finally decided to add my two cents, not that I think it will change any
> of the wheels that are turning towards another attemp to manage a coral
> reef system. I think echos of Clive Wilkerson are appropriate here, "We
> can't manage reefs, only people".
> Phil
>
>
> January 24, 2020
>
>
>
> Sara Fangman
>
> Sanctuary Superintendent
>
> Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
>
> 33 East Quay Road
>
> Key West, FL 33040
>
> And
>
>
>
> Shannon (Yee) Colbert
> Policy and Conservation Director
> National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
> 8601 Georgia Avenue, Suite 510
> Silver Spring, MD 20910
>
>
>
> Re: Docket Number NOAA-NOS-2019-0094
>
>
>
> Dear Ms. Fangman and Colbert,
>
>
>
> As a research scientist who has studied the ecology of the Florida Keys
> since 1974, one of the creators of the USEAP Florida Keys Coral Reef
> Monitoring Project in 1994-2000, former Science Advisor of the Cousteau
> Society, and an academician for 38years, I would like to add my scientific
> opinion to the discussion.
>
>
>
> The plan to restore some of the most well-known reefs is the Florida Keys
> is a failed project before it begins. It will generate millions of dollars
> in funding for programs, and will generate a lot of publicity, but it will
> not accomplish the fundamental task of coral reef restoration in the
> Florida Keys. This is because the ecological conditions necessary for
> vibrant coral reefs do not exist in the Keys anymore This is why they have
> receded and are now less than 1-2% of what they were in the 1970’s when we
> began to track their change. The simple fact of the matter is that the
> ecological condition that enable reefs to flourish make them vulnerable to
> humans including: low nutrients, high sunlight, low sediments, high rates
> of herbivory, low rates of removal, high fish biomass, low rates of human
> physical destruction. From a systems point-of-view both terrestrial and
> marine systems must be operating at peak efficiency with respect to
> nutrient cycling and retention. They are biologically accommodated
> communities of the highest order and cannot be “restored” by simply adding
> coral. This is hubris of the highest order, a brash form of scientific
> malpractice.
>
>
>
> Land development in the Florida Keys, South Florida, and much or the United
> States that drains into the Gulf of Mexico also inhibits the development of
> reefs in the Florida Keys as well as South Florida. Land-based effluent is
> a toxic mix of metabolic inhibitors, poisons, oxygen-sucking BOD,
> microorganisms, and geological sediments so as to preclude healthy
> conditions for reefs in the region. People point to the Dry Tortugas as a
> success story but in fact, those reefs, since monitored in the 1970’s, have
> probably lost 25-50% of their living coral.
>
>
>
> The heterotrophic structure of the water column now supports higher levels
> of bioerosion to the extent that the reef substrate is decreasing in
> volume! Reefs require oligotrophic condition for long term vitality. Water
> quality must be improved before any serious long-term restoration should be
> considered. Much of the degradation is a product of local, regional, and
> national land development. The State of Florida exudes hundreds of millions
> of gallons of polluted runoff and sewage with various level of treatment.
> This nutrient and carbon laden watershed effluent preclude the development
> of healthy reefs along the coastlines of Florida and the Florida Keys. To
> be sure, the technology exists to clean it up, but the political will
> refuses to understand the importance over commerce and profit.
>
>
>
> Furthermore, the “conservation practices” that have been instituted by the
> Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuaries have mostly failed. No-take zone
> were so small as to be useless; spearfishing and commercial fishing is
> still allowed throughout much of the entire Keys; commercial sport diving
> operations have resulted in reef trampling that eclipses the damage done in
> many national parks on land. Commercial interests have reigned supreme with
> merely mild lip service granted to the ecological rights of reefs.
> Sanctuary Programs have done almost nothing to curtail the downward spiral
> of reefs since the 1970’s. The management programs allowed commercial
> interests to swamp ecological concerns, the expensive sewer system may have
> improved nearshore bacterial counts but has not stopped the flow of
> nutrients to the reef as treated effluent is being pumping into the path of
> tidal pumping as noted by the work of Gene Shinn and his colleagues.
>
>
>
> This list of ecological issues could go on and on but I feel that I have
> made my point without even bringing up increasing atmospheric carbon
> dioxide levels. To think that it is possible to reestablish a coral reef
> community in the midst of the catastrophic environmental degradation still
> underway in the Keys is fallacy. To throw tens of millions of critical
> dollars in to mix is near criminal. The funds could be used to further
> restore water quality, curtail land-based sources of pollution, and begin
> to move commerce out of the Florida Keys. Were the requisite ecological
> conditions met, the reefs would initiate their own restoration faster,
> stronger, and more widespread than humanly possible. But this requires a
> nature-based approach, not the *glorious, shining top-down, plant it and
> they will grow approach* being proposed. Just like any farmer planning a
> crop, the planting conditions must be prepared beforehand before the
> seedlings are set.
>
>
>
> While I like the idea of restoring the Florida Keys Reefs and would, almost
> more than anything else, love to see the reefs once again attain their
> luxuriance, I am sorry to say that this project will not begin accomplish
> that task.
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Phillip Dustan PhD FLS, College of Charleston, SC
>
> Phil.dustan at gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jan 21, 2020 at 5:29 PM Shannon Colbert <
> shannon at marinesanctuary.org>
> wrote:
>
> > CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not
> > click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know
> > the content is safe.
> >
> > Hello again,
> >
> > I wanted to send a quick reminder, if you have not already done so...
> >
> > *Please consider signing on to this science community support letter to
> > support the Florida Keys.* We need to have your voice heard!
> >
> > *To Sign On*: Send your first and last name, including degrees,
> > affiliation, and organization/business name as it should appear on the
> > letter signatures to Shannon Colbert (shannon at marinesanctuary.org).
> *Deadline
> > to Sign On: Wed, Jan 29. *
> >
> > If you have already signed on, please consider sharing this with other
> > partners and colleagues for their support.
> >
> > --
> > Sincerely,
> > *Shannon (Yee) Colbert*
> > Policy and Conservation Director
> >
> > *National Marine Sanctuary Foundation*
> > 8601 Georgia Avenue, Suite 510
> > Silver Spring, MD 20910
> > Office: 301-608-3040 x 304
> > Cell: 202-870-0387
> > Twitter: @MarineSanctuary | Facebook: /MarineSanctuary
> >
> > DISCOVER WONDER – learn more at www.MarineSanctuary.org
> > <
> https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmarinesanctuary-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com%2FRedirect%3Fukey%3D1vMT38NIZKcJAMcULW-3PRGfA5_w8FiCA4dkeFYB_ZAI-1775483685%26key%3DYAMMID-45757750%26link%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.MarineSanctuary.org&data=02%7C01%7Cdustanp%40cofc.edu%7C27d2e00a76204fa64a9208d79ec15d98%7Ce285d438dbba4a4c941c593ba422deac%7C0%7C0%7C637152425669056592&sdata=2M249GatSHf8Uc%2F2fTuI9jdnuwBcHz4dp4IHAwaSjm0%3D&reserved=0
> >
> >
> > -------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Hello Phillip,
> >
> > Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a national treasure and a
> > hotspot of marine biodiversity. But, the threats to the Florida Keys’
> > marine environment are greater than ever. Sound science needs to be the
> > foundation of decision-making for adaptive management and restoration of
> > the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The Florida Keys Restoration
> > Blueprint
> > <
> https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmarinesanctuary-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com%2FRedirect%3Fukey%3D1vMT38NIZKcJAMcULW-3PRGfA5_w8FiCA4dkeFYB_ZAI-1775483685%26key%3DYAMMID-45757750%26link%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ffloridakeys.noaa.gov%252Fblueprint%252F&data=02%7C01%7Cdustanp%40cofc.edu%7C27d2e00a76204fa64a9208d79ec15d98%7Ce285d438dbba4a4c941c593ba422deac%7C0%7C0%7C637152425669056592&sdata=RkgW0sCjpMMgi%2BI2XvPy%2FT1osbOAI6PDg0L%2BmZbV9PM%3D&reserved=0
> >
> > offers an opportunity to address threats to the sanctuary, restore
> > habitats, protect marine wildlife, and safeguard ecosystem services.
> >
> > *Sign our science community support letter (attached with some early sign
> > ons) urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to ensure
> > that sound science underscores management decisions to protect and
> restore
> > the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. *Public comment is open until
> > Jan 31, 2020.
> >
> > Please take the following actions to speak up and amplify support for the
> > Florida Keys.
> >
> >
> > *1. Sign On to this Science Community Letter: *Send your first and last
> > name, including degrees, affiliation, and organization/business name as
> it
> > should appear on the letter signatures to Shannon Colbert (
> > shannon at marinesanctuary.org). *Deadline to Sign On: Wed, Jan 29. *
> >
> >
> > *2. Use this Letter to Start Your Own Letter to Submit: *If you want to
> > sign a letter of your own, please use this letter as a starting point and
> > submit it directly to Regulations.gov (Docket Number NOAA-NOS-2019-0094)
> > <
> https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmarinesanctuary-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com%2FRedirect%3Fukey%3D1vMT38NIZKcJAMcULW-3PRGfA5_w8FiCA4dkeFYB_ZAI-1775483685%26key%3DYAMMID-45757750%26link%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.regulations.gov%252Fdocument%253FD%253DNOAA-NOS-2019-0094-0001&data=02%7C01%7Cdustanp%40cofc.edu%7C27d2e00a76204fa64a9208d79ec15d98%7Ce285d438dbba4a4c941c593ba422deac%7C0%7C0%7C637152425669066584&sdata=Z9ep%2FKlRa%2FxETdmwIaWUGqbim%2FnNN31Bg0GfUfBLYog%3D&reserved=0
> >
> > .
> >
> >
> > *3. Share this Letter with Your Colleagues and Networks: *Share our
> > letter in your own colleagues and partners and encourage them to sign on
> > today. Feel free to use this email as a template.
> >
> > --
> > Sincerely,
> > *Shannon (Yee) Colbert*
> > Policy and Conservation Director
> >
> > *National Marine Sanctuary Foundation*
> > 8601 Georgia Avenue, Suite 510
> > Silver Spring, MD 20910
> > Office: 301-608-3040 x 304
> > Cell: 202-870-0387
> > Twitter: @MarineSanctuary | Facebook: /MarineSanctuary
> >
> > DISCOVER WONDER – learn more at www.MarineSanctuary.org
> > <
> https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmarinesanctuary-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com%2FRedirect%3Fukey%3D1vMT38NIZKcJAMcULW-3PRGfA5_w8FiCA4dkeFYB_ZAI-1775483685%26key%3DYAMMID-45757750%26link%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.MarineSanctuary.org&data=02%7C01%7Cdustanp%40cofc.edu%7C27d2e00a76204fa64a9208d79ec15d98%7Ce285d438dbba4a4c941c593ba422deac%7C0%7C0%7C637152425669066584&sdata=jDtJBUzg4FDOaPmglmRcOkdl9NiK5tAs0i9DS6UELy4%3D&reserved=0
> >
> > [image: beacon]
> >
>
>
> --
> Phillip Dustan
> Department of Biology
> College of Charleston
> Charleston SC 20401
> Charleston SC
> 843 953 8086 (voice)
> 843-224-3321 (m)
>
> "When we try to pick out anything by itself
> we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords
> that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe. "
> * John Muir 1869*
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> https://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
--
Dr. Steve Gittings, Science Coordinator
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
1305 East West Hwy., N/ORM62
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(240) 533-0708 (w), (301) 529-1854 (c)
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