Why Over-Constructing Sucks

I have no problem accepting that you want to live in a nice condo/house/mansion surrounded by golf courses and pools, very near some fabulous shopping center. I have a problem accepting corporations, such as St. Joe Company, who want to propose a $312 million airport to be built in the coastline of the Emerald Coast - off the Gulf of Mexico, roughly bounded by Pensacola, on the west and Panama City, on the east-. This region is famous for the stunning beaches and sugar-white sands plus the emerald-green water. I’ve been there so I speak facts. There is even a nearby, unused airport far more suitable to meet the air travel demand for the area. Also, they want to transform the land into housing developments and shopping centers. The demand for more real estate has escalated; the process of construction in that sensitive area will have a huge impact in the lives of many animals, and that bothers me. For example, 200 pound giant turtles travel from as far as Africa to the northwestern coast of Florida from late spring to late autumn, they climb ashore during the night, lay the eggs in the same place they were born, and disappear by morning. This nesting ritual is one of the few rites clearly to be interrupted by the development of a concrete jungle. This large-scale commercial and residential development will seriously affect longleaf pine forests, cypress swamps and wetlands, home to red-cockaded woodpeckers, bald eagles, Gulf sturgeons, Florida black bears, sea turtles and other wildlife. Even the glare of artificial lights will cause a problem; they can disorient loggerhead hatchlings as they search for the oceans edge. Truth is that taxpayers are responsible for funding these types of projects, activities that threaten wildlife habitats, and the only way to stop it is by acting in favor of the largest remaining stretch of unspoiled beaches and wetlands in Florida. Why does it matter? This is what Biogems, a National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) initiative, say about the 9.5 million acres that encompass the area: The Emerald Coast's vast network of wetlands and forests provides a natural buffer against Gulf Coast hurricanes. These wild lands also help regulate river flows, lake levels, and groundwater tables, and clean groundwater of sediments and other pollutants… Florida black bears depend on the Emerald Coast's vast unspoiled stretches of forested wetlands for denning and resting. Only about 1,000 to 1,500 of these bears, Florida's largest land mammal, survive today. Protected from glacial freezes, wildlife and plants have thrived on the Emerald Coast since the Cretaceous period. As a result, this region is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the United States. This is only one of the regions we need to stand up for as we raise awareness. The other places are featured in this recent list of endangered areas within the Americas: United States: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska; Cumberland Plateau, Southeastern United States; Emerald Coast, Florida; Redrock Wilderness, Utah; Tongass National Forest, Alaska; Western Arctic Reserve, Alaska; Yellowstone-Greater Rockies.
 Canada: Castle-Bighorn, Alberta; Heart of the Boreal Forest, Manitoba.
 Latin America: Patagonia Coast, Chile; Tahuamanú Rainforest, Peru; Upper Gulf of California, Mexico. Biogems achieved one of its victories after sending more than 35,000 messages to Mexico's chief shrimp exporter, Ocean Garden Products, urging them to protect an endangered porpoise, the vaquita marina. The company and the local fishing industry agreed with NRDC to avoid accidental catch of the vaquitas –there are less than 500 left- and eliminate illegal fishing in the Upper Gulf. Now that’s what we are talking about! Come on people, say that you don’t approve of building an airport and endangering wildlife by writing a quick note to: Dean Stringer, Manager Federal Aviation Administration Orlando Airports District Office 5950 Hazeltine National Dr., Suite 400 Orlando, FL 32822 Lawrence Evans Chief, Regulatory Division U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District 701 San Marco Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32207-0019