Tuesday, April 29, 2014

All Over the Place

Amazing!

Nature is awesome. In 1997 Captain Al Anderson of Judith, Rhode Island tagged and released a 14-pound bluefin tuna. Sixteen years later the same tuna, landed by a Nova Scotia fisherman weighed in an extra 1,200-pounds.

During a recent International Gamefish Association Great Marlin Race, a monster black marlin, tagged and released in Australia, traveled 2,500 miles in 69 days before its satellite tag released.

 


History Either Gets Buried or Forgotten

An attorney for the MDM Group, a group of developers dishing out a billion bucks to build up on a downtown Miami archaeological site, says MDM will appeal a decision by a Historical Preservation Board to the Miami City Commission. The Preservation Board voted in-favor to better protect the site.

I say to those who wish to build on this ancient Tequesta village, read Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher -The Epic Life and Immoral;  photographs by Edward Curtis. Educate yourselves.

It is difficult for some of us to understand we do not own the land any more than we own the sun or the sky. In a similar content, the hell with those people trying to correct our past wrongs. Looking back, it is clear the USA government totally destroyed and took full advantage of the Native Americans. From investigating the history it is also clear the native folks were much better Earth stewards than we are today. Called them what you wish: Indians, Native Americans, or native folks, they deserve our respect. A personal favorite Native American place to visit is the Ais Indians Turtle Mound midden on the northeast side of the Mosquito Lagoon in the Canaveral Nation Seashores. 










Heroin Addiction


The media hype around the recent overdose deaths of celebrities has made me ask myself, what percent of people have a clue about dreads of heroin addiction?

It is past time for society to seriously consider legalizing the majority of illegal drugs, and quit spending billions on drug enforcement and containment of drug related criminals.  Let's focus more of our assets on the treatment of addicts, the early education and intervention within our communities. Neither the Just Say No or The War on Drug has been successful programs. Now is the time for a major change in the norm.  


Rodney Smith, CEO of Little Pond Publishing;and author of Catching Made Easy and Enjoying Life on the Indian River Lagoon is a visionary and community leader who like to share his tales. Download these books digitally on Amazon, iTunes and Barnes and Noble by searching "Rodney Smith+Name of book"; or order the soft-covered books online!  See all of Rodney's upcoming events and exploits at www.rodneysmithmedia.com.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Five Choices to help Save Planet's Biodiversity

We must stride to fill our yards with wildflowers that use no chemicals, watering or $$$ wasting maintenance over non-native grasses that must use chemicals, water and $$$ wasting maintenance.
Let get something straight immediately. Humans are a big part of the
Earth's biodiversity. At the same time, us humans are the biggest cause for the historical and exponential decline in the planet's biodiversity we are now experiencing.

Here are five steps one can use in their own yard to help slow down this catastrophic decline in the Earth's biodiversity. These steps have been provided by the executive director of Florida's Marine Resources Council, Dr. Leesa Souto.
 

  1. Add biodiversity to your yard — a place for butterflies, birds, and humans to thrive.
     
  2. Stop using chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. These components are not only killing the quality of our drinking water, but also the waters of our lagoons, rivers, springs, lakes, bays, etc.
     
  3. Plant native trees and wildflowers; and if you follow this step, it will make the first step easier.
  4. Remove non-native plants and turf grasses. Not only will this improve the natural health of our yards, but it reduces the costs associated with the maintenance of your property.
  5. Cultivate the dirt with worms and compost. How we treat our soil is fundamental to our success in improving our natural relationship with nature.
  6. Release ladybugs in your yard. Enjoy you're visitors!

Create an environment in your yard with a healthy balance of native trees, plants and wildflowers, soil, clean water, native birds, insects and animals. All of this will add to a biodiversified future.


Rodney Smith, CEO of Little Pond Publishing;and author of Catching Made Easy and Enjoying Life on the Indian River Lagoon is a visionary and community leader who like to share his tales. Download these books digitally on Amazon, iTunes and Barnes and Noble by searching "Rodney Smith+Name of book"; or order the soft-covered books online!  See all of Rodney's upcoming events and exploits at www.rodneysmithmedia.com.