Resident cites “Beach Killing Fields”
To the editor:
On July16, Commissioner Ray Judah will headline another workshop on Re-nourishment. The objective will be to badger non-easement signers to sign re-nourishment easements. Last official count showed only 28 percent of total easements being signed by private property owners. This after 10 long years of county’s hustling of easements.
Mayor Kiker has assured the public via the Observer “that the people will decide” this issue. What is obvious to the public is not obvious to Government here. The people have spoken.
There is so much wrong with re-nourishment. County has gone on public record that there is no scientific data supporting storm protection Common sense also tells us that. 160 feet of beach sand protects no one. There would have been no benefit for Hurricane Charley or Wilma. County agrees, no hurricane protection.
The 4.6 miles of beach is not badly eroded as town council and county blindly claim. Both county and town’s independent engineering firms concurred, the beach was stable, denying town council and county’s silly claims.
With no redeeming reasons for Renourishment, it raises the next question. What is the justification for creating awesome environmental destruction on 65 percent of our total island beach. Re-nourishment sets up overwhelming animal and plant killing fields for 4.6 miles of of beach.
There is 9.1 million cubic feet of sand dredged from the Gulf floor. That sand then goes though pumps, separators and up to seven miles of pressurized pipe, Animal and plant life from the Gulf arrives “blenderized” on the beach, dead on arrival.
Once there, it is bulldozed and crushed by heavy equipment to create a 160 foot-wide new beach amounting to 3.9 million square feet of new beach killing fields. Dead are the beach animals and plants crushed by heavy equipment and smothered by the 9.1 million cubic feet of dredged material.
Part of this 9.1 cubic feet of dredged material also covers submerged Gulf surface, adding another probable 3.9 million killing field.
All told, Ray Judah’s re-nourishment project will total 7 million feet of “killing fields.” Without question this will be the biggest man-made environmental destruction event ever on Fort Myers Beach. The dead organic material will be the biggest stink ever.. all during season.
Because the heavy equipment crushes the sand, the beach is compacted. county has said that they may plough up private owners’ easement areas two feet deep up to four times. More plant and animal killing.
According to experienced scientists, there-nourishment sand is likely to be all gone in two to five years. County agrees that the sand will all wash away.
With no redeeming benefits how can Judah and town council justify this environmental disaster and keep repeating this disaster in the future.
The reason for this comes down to Lee County’s growth and needs for beaches, a COMMERCIAL PROJECT. Translated, the reason is MONEY and POWER.
Non easement signers do not have to give the power brokers the time of day on July 16 or any other day.
Frank Schilling
Fort Myers Beach