This morning I spent an incredibly introspective morning visiting the backyard of James Hunter’s property on Clapboard Creek. The scene is increasingly common in Florida - skeletons of dead trees dotting the landscape, victims of environmental changes creating toxic conditions. The feeling was haunting and sad, as more changes are expected to happen at an accelerated rate due to climate change, dredging, and encroaching development of the marsh “edges” into industrial or residential sites. Hunter’s attachment to his property and concerns for its future are evident. For 20 years he witnessed a massive alteration of the landscape as power plants, port facilities, and luxury housing developments transformed thousands of acres of primeval wetlands. While protections exist as designated local and national preserves, most of the land is privately owned and the development threat continues. Loss of habitat due to salt water intrusion, a by product of dredging, is a real issue that has long term implications, like the loss of trees.
More to come from me on Florida’s Ghost Forests.
