Our World's Greatest Lagoon in Crisis

Gold at the end of the rainbow — the Indian
River Lagoon.

My leap into saltwater fly fishing was defined by both blunder and success. It started some thirty-five years ago along the east shore of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). If I remember correctly, I used a tin bobbin to apply a coat of red nylon thread to secure three small dabs of white bucktail on the neck of a Mustad Shaughnessy- 3407 hook. My fly rod and reel were as rudimentary as was the design of my fly. The reel had no handle to reel in its line; it only had a thin metal lever used to energize a spring-loaded device to retrieve the fly line. The two-piece yellow fiberglass rod was heavy and cheap, much like my first fly casts and presentation.

Regardless, I knew of many places along the IRL Coast that were special sweet spots for the fish I targeted using my substandard fly rod and poorly hand-tied flies lived. I fished those habitats; the ones rich in lush sea grass beds and those thickly shaded with red, white and black mangrove canopies. These areas were often teeming with crabs, shrimp, mullet, glass minnows, and many of the other forage foods which attracted an abundance of the marine critters I worshipped.

Over time, I caught spotted seatrout, snook, tarpon and red drum, despite my lack of fly fishing grace and skill. The IRL system was a fly fishing paradise back then; I should've never taken those days for granted.

I became a fishing guide a few years later, depending on the Lagoon's vigor and vitally to afford my family their lifestyle. On good days back then, my clients could catch and release over a hundred spotted seatrout before lunch if they wanted to.

Many others discovered the bountiful IRL Coast, and moved here to explore and relish the blessings of its bounty. Developers cleared land and drained wetlands, built homes, and landscaped the yards with non-native plants and grasses that depended on fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides and routine watering. During that time, State, county and city officials tailored laws and regulations that made it easy for the developers to change the lay of the land, and in the long run, alter the quality of our water and our lives.

Yes, what has placed the IRL in crisis is an explosion of growth and population within its watershed. The fact is, Florida's economic machine has been fueled by development and real estate and other connected industries for generations, and the chances of this changing anytime soon are near zero.

The results of this reckless development and horrifically poor management and leadership on issues directly connected with storm water and ground water issues has plagued the health of Florida's waterways. Regardless, we all should see the light at the headwaters of the Lagoon, because individually we can make a huge impact on the conservation of the IRL and the other rivers, lakes, springs, creeks and bays of Florida.

For instance, our family has “Floridified” our yard and adopted the “Three R System.” Practicing reusing, reducing and recycling we hope for a brighter IRL future, a future where green sea grass once again covers its bottom.

For more on how you can make the wise choices on how to return health to Florida's waterways check out befloridian.org or contact me, Rodney Smith, at irlcoast@gmail.com. Together we can proactively change Florida's 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.

Get Wet and Catch More Fish

Here are a couple of things people ask me all the time. “Is getting wet a necessary part of catching big fish,” and “where and when can you find big fish in the summertime?” It may sound like we’re talking about two different things, but if you read on you’ll see how they can sometimes be related.

Because of the intense heat (average high temperature is 90 degrees!) this time of year along the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), fish seek out places to find relief from the heat, and generally, deep water isn’t an option because the IRL’s average depth is only three feet!

As a guide, I’d seek out docks, bridges, piers, and any other shady niches that provide comfort for fish as the days grew hotter. I also learned the importance of being on the water well before the sun rose too high when fishing the flats for red drum, spotted seatrout and snook. Fish would often leave the deeper water early, go into the shallower water to feed, and then head back to brisk water as the sun and water temperatures rose.

Over time, discovering wade fishing with my clients was a cooler option this time of year. They enjoyed getting out of the hot boat and into the refreshing water for a spell, and it is much calmer especially along Florida’s Atlantic beaches. Of course, be careful of stingrays, sharks, crabs or any critters or things that may be hazardous to your body.

Have you ever been overwhelmed trying to land a big fish on undersized tackle?  If so, you understand how difficult and downright challenging it is to do it, especially around any type of structure. There have been times when I found myself chasing fish that were either taking all my line or going under water, over or around structure.

One particular time comes to mind when guiding my friend, Chad Helping. Chad hoped to catch a large black drum. A perfect cast was made, placing his bait, half of a blue crab, on the Indian River Lagoon’s bottom between a cement piling and a couple thick steel cables running into the water. Within seconds, he hooked a large fish, and did his best to keep it out and away from the structure. After a minute or two it looked as if the fish had hopelessly wrapped Chad’s line around the structure. In an effort to save the day, I jumped into the Lagoon with Chad’s rod and reel, and swam under and around the cables until the line came free. From the water, I handed Chad back his tackle, and after an extended battle he landed his trophy — a 54-pound black drum.  

Getting wet may not be the key to your fishing success, but I’ve found it to be the key to cooling off in the heat, and at times, landing oversized fish on undersized tackle. Try it; you may find it enjoyable!

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.

Now's the Time

PureOceanTV.com's Valhalla – empowers solar powered
and wind!

According to Matt Krantz reporting for the USA TODAY, "Solar stocks have turned into the brightest spots for investors." Wow, this is great news! Finally, the capitalist are capitalizing on the realization of climate change. There still may be a slim chance left to retain a portion of Earth's biodiversity. 

The most recent U.N. Climate report paints a gloomy picture. The time has come for the capitalist and industrialist to act. According to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change a rapid shift to less-polluting energy sources is needed immediately to avoid catastrophic global warming. Their report states worldwide emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases have accelerated to unprecedented levels, and between 2000 and 2010 these emissions have increased more quickly than any time during the past three decades. The report is startling, and in line with what the U.N. has been reporting for the past two decades. 

If you doubt the urgency directed by this report, read Sustaining Life- How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity. This ultra-comprehensive look at the global health of Earth's species and their habitats; and edited by Eric Chivian, M.D., and Aaron Bernstein, M.D. Members of the Center for Health and the Global Environment Harvard Medical School. The book lays out the immensity of the problems we all face brought on by accelerated climate change caused by human activities.

Our sons, James and Jake Smith, aka PureOceanTV.com, have taken serious steps to disengage from the continued madness of burning fossil fuels by organizing and facilitating the Green Horizons project. In an effort to educate and inspire people of the possibilities of detaching from today's mainstream energy grid and excessive materialism, their journey is happening now. Check out their latest blog and keep up with their latest adventures on Facebook. 

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.

Still a Fisherman

Being a lifetime fisherman, I consider it a solid insurance policy to carry a spare rod and reel as an emergency backup whenever I’m on a fishing trip. Having a dozen lively jumbo shrimp in the boat's bait well to provoke a strike from an uncooperative cobia or tripletail is always a good idea, too. Sooner or later, these types of insurance usually pay dividends.



Today you can buy insurance coverage for everything from Alien Abduction to Pet Health. A prime example of the extreme infatuation we humans have with sharing our risks is an article from a June 2012 Forbes' called “Thirteen Types of Insurance a Small Business Owner Should Have.” The story  suggests a minimum of thirteen types of insurance for a small business owner to buy, but it's difficult to believe anyone could afford thirteen different kinds of insurance. And if a business does buy this much coverage, doesn't the cost get passed on to the consumer?



A wise man once told me you only buy an insurance policy to save yourself from complete collapse, or as protection from a disaster that could break you permanently. In my opinion, the need for insurance is limited directly to one's risk. You should only buy coverage if you can't maintain your lifestyle without it.



On this note, I'd like to mention a recent experience. After not being able to afford health insurance for the past couple of years (because of a pre-existing condition), it was with great concern that I stopped into Chris and Maggie Robertson's One Insurance Group in Melbourne, Florida, to shop for health care coverage. After checking out the Federal Exchange, I opted to visit their local business hoping they'd share a little more insight with me on the benefits of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act.



What I heard was pleasantly surprising. The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare, was signed into law in March 2010 and upheld by the Supreme Court in June of 2012. It is not the nightmarish debacle we've been led to believe it is. From what I can see, our family will now be able to afford health insurance for the first time since I had a pacemaker/defibrillator dropped into my chassis back in 2010.



It's not for all folks, but much needed relief for small business owners like us who paid over $1200/a month for 7 years — until we hit the $100,000 mark — then we stopped. 

Complete collapse is a little less likely now! 





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.

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.

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.

Thanks, Mom!

Mom was a strong woman who would
stand up to any man!

My mother was a tough woman, despite her stunning looks, hourglass figure, fiery red hair and mind- piercing green eyes. As a teenager, she raised a black bear from a cub and opened a turquoise jewelry shop in Cherokee, NC. An entrepreneur at heart, she established and ran Smith's Trading Post in Tampa for nearly forty years with both a steel fist and kid-like energy. Mom was a strong woman who would stand up to any man, but back in the day she paid a high price for this strength.

Once I watched her pick up a rifle to shoot a man. He was threatening to cut down a mammoth cypress tree growing between our lakefront properties (That's a completely different story.) There's no doubt she would have killed him if she thought she needed to save the tree. Not surprisingly, it was Mom who taught me the importance facets of nature and conservation.

The same year, 1963, after she successfully defended the cypress tree, I found an injured red-winged blackbird in the woods. We kept the bird in a cage hanging in an oak tree, nursing it back to good health. I'd talk to the bird, and I swear it would listen to me. One morning, it was time to release our feathered patient, but, unfortunately, instead of my little friend in the cage, there was a four-foot long red cornsnake with a large lump in its belly. It was a bummer; I wanted that snake dead, until Mom explained to me the way nature worked.

"There's a balance in nature, son that we humans don't always understand," she said.

I watched the snakes fixed eyes and slithering tongue closely as Mom opened the cage, releasing it up into the oak. Over time, my fear of snakes evaporated completely.

I've always had an innate ability to strike up a conversation with a stranger, and as a very young child they tell me I had no fear of anyone. However, what I fear now more than ever before, are human beings. Indulging in books like Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction and the mind expanding Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity has led me to believe human choice are the biggest problem we face today. If we humans (especially governments) don't start making wiser choices about how we live on this planet soon, I assure you the vast majority of us will not be having such a good time in the very near future.

We must stop abusing nature to further our human pleasures and material gains. We now are facing a time where we must make decisions based on how our actions affect the sustainability of biodiversity. I understand this will take time, and we don't have much time, but now is the time for a change!

Another time has come; Mom died on Christmas Eve 2012. I may have lost one of my greatest mentors, but the foundation in nature and conservation she gave me has continued to mentor me in many rich ways over the past years.

Thanks, Mom, I love you.




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.

Don't Leave Your Legacy on the Back Shelf of Your Mind

Whether you realize it or not, we're all working on our own individual legacy. Yes, our paths may vary greatly, but the way we establish and reach our personal legacy is the same for each and every one of us. First, there's a thought, then the action on that thought, which becomes a habit with routine, and in turn, it becomes one's legacy. It is as simple as that; you're building your legacy through your life's action. With this said, you might wonder why we do the things we do? Is it simply because we are reacting to a stimulus? Usually it is.

When I decided to move ahead with the idea to paddle and camp the entire

The Paddling Team of
Rodney Smith and John Kumiski

length of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) in an effort to raise awareness and educational funds with my great friend, Captain John Kumiski, it was in response to a stimulus. The stimulus was the declining health of the Indian River Lagoon. We thought about and considered this idea for almost  ten years before moving forward with it, but we didn't leave it on the on the back shelf of our minds forever.

As a writer, my mission is to provide my readers with entertaining, educational and enlightening ideas, focusing on using, and not abusing, our great outdoors. In the end, I'm comfortable with this legacy. I've also come to realize that we think we do our best, and our best varies from day-to-day and moment-to-moment. We do our best by keeping this in mind; the trick is to be honest with yourself.

Get more productive at polishing  your legacies by staying focus on beginning with the end in mind. It may take a little time to establish this direction, but it will be a worthwhile use of your time and effort. Do yourself a big favor, and don't fall into the human trap of leaving the important things on the back shelf of your mind.

Learn more about our IRL Paddle Adventure.

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.

Taking the Next Step with your Writing

Basically the outdoors has been my niche.  

For the longest time I've written primarily on the outdoors genre focusing my pen towards topics like fishing, boating, camping and surfing. Oh yeah, I've dappled in other areas more often lately, like conservation, but basically the outdoors has been my niche.  

Recently I've taken a sharper, more critically inspection of my pen's aim. What I see is a need for a stronger focus on education advocacy. Take for instance, in my home state of Florida; the Department of Education celebrated Literacy Week in the middle of January, while the rest of the nation celebrated National Literacy Action late in January. Its surprising Florida is ahead on the celebration, but its educational system has lacked behind the vast majority of our nation's school systems for as long as it has been in existence. Wait a minute; I'm not blaming the teachers or anyone else.

Unfortunately, the one thing Florida politics pride themselves is the pace of our state's population expansion. They preach that the growth is Florida's only savior.  

When I was a boy Florida was ranked thirtieth in the nation in population, and very near the bottom of the heap in money spent on education. Today our state is ranked third in the nation population-wise, and we're still spending far less than the majority of other states on education. This disparaging statistic sickens me. Education is a big part of quality of life.

Recently I attended a Florida Writers Association's (FWA) winter conference in Bradenton. The FWA volunteers did a fine job of organizing and running this event, and overall the instructors did teach a wide variety of topics dealing with the craft of writing. The idea of attending the conference was generated on a desire to reach authors and expand my knowledge of writing. My objectives were reached in both categories.  

However, what I relearned from attending this conference is the value of mentors, and how each of us can reach new levels of understanding by teaching others what we have learned. When we mentor young readers and new writers, not only do we give back to our roots, but also we expand our circle of influence and increase our comprehension of the subjects we teach. 

For a better world, writers, get out there, sharpen your skills, share your knowledge with other writers and readers, and watch your world grow — then our quality of life expand.

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.

Crossroads of the Indian River Lagoon — a Trip and a Memory!

The paddlers discuss their observations!

(This was an incredible trip. The Indian River Lagoon sights and sounds we experienced were amazing. What I learned was She, the Lagoon, has given us so much, and now I question what have we given her in return for her copious treasures. She has given us great memories. She has given us bountiful seafood. She has given us trophy catches, She has given many of us so many reasons to live. Now it is time anglers stand up for the her. It is time we stand up for our environment. It is time we stop taking from her, and give a little back to her.)

A sterling and copious moon illuminates the vast and lucid sky above the Indian River Lagoon. We’re at the Crossroads, near the St. Lucie Inlet; behind us is Long Island, and in front sits Rocky Point. It’s here, every day for thousands of years, the Lagoon’s confluences have mixed with the north and south forks of the St. Lucie River and the Atlantic Ocean. It is from here, lying in my sleeping bag on top of Jim Moir's boat dock, our host, and this year's winner of the Disney Conservationist of the Year Award, that I contemplate the future of America's richest estuary.

A group of us have paddled together over 170 miles (New Smyrna Beach to Jupiter Inlet), camping on numerous spoil islands and shorelines, and eating fish from her waters along the way. Traveling eight-to-ten miles a day has set the pace needed for us to clearly see her dynamic changes and to better understand her constant routine.

Maybe the Indian River Lagoon hasn't changed so much since the white man first sailed and paddled down her shores. In 1884, James Alexander Henshall, author of Camping and Cruising in Florida, wrote of the mighty gales which could chop and discombobulate her shallow waters, wreaking hell and havoc with paddlers and sailors alike, within the blink of a blind mullet's eye. On the IRL Paddle Adventure we experienced her gales, and they taught us the winds and tides still rule. Henshall also wrote about collecting driftwood for campfires and cooking; we did the same to warm our souls and soles on her sandy beaches. Together we found that like a hundred years ago, the sunsets and moonrises gracing her horizon can take your breath away, and raccoons and rats patrolling her shorelines can carry away your provisions in a heartbeat, if given the proper chance.

Take my word for it, after paddling and camping along her entire length, I want to believe not so much has changed here along this majestic and wondrous IRL coast during the past hundred years or so. Yet, despite these observations, there is less seagrass, crabs, shrimp, gamefish, forage fish, turtles, bottle-nose dolphin, waterfowl, and filter feeders like oysters, clams, sea squirts, menhaden, etc. I dearly want to believe she's the same girl she once was, (the one I fell in love with some forty years ago) regardless if there are more people, homes, condos, businesses, roads, lawns, lights, ditches, causeways, spillways, byways, algae, bacteria, sea walls and pollution connecting to her.

A hundred years ago, an early outdoor photojournalist, St. George Rathbone, wrote of his pilgrimage to Florida, where he encountered endless beds of oysters, massive schools of game fish and mats of seagrass spanning the Lagoon's girth, so thick they restricted his vessel’s passage. Today this is not the case.

On this clear moonlit night, Jim told me it will take courage to make the right decision as to which way we will head now that we've both physically and spiritually reached our crossroads.

As we’ve paddled her length, and the more I’ve seen of her, the more I see her as our ultimate connection between nature and humankind, as I witness her biodiversity dwindle. In my eyes the time has come; our nation's greatest lagoon is sick. She's very ill, slowly dying a death of a thousand cuts. She has been injected with fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides and many other poisons; diked by seawalls, causeways, fences, rocks, rubble, etc. and permanently altered by dredges, power plants, boat wakes, fences, impoundments, climate change, front end loaders, chainsaws, dynamite, cranes, jetties, docks, piers, ports, locks, and so forth.

The negative results of these altercations are apparent to me. From south of Port St. John in the Indian River, through the Barge Canal and past Sykes Creek and the Banana River Lagoon, we saw little or no seagrass until we reached Vero Beach. Where we once saw spartina grass (under certain conditions spartina is the world's most prolific habitat; it produces a greater biomass than a rainforest per acre), mangroves and natural shorelines thirty years ago, we now see seawalls, docks, massive waterfront homes with bright green, chemically-enhanced lawns. Kudos to the folks who came up with naming Florida’s choice of coastal sod, St. Augustine; it sounds so Floridian.

She's our nation's greatest refuge for fish, birds and marine mammals. She’s our nation's greatest marine nursery, a sanctuary for numerous protected species, and thousands of other animal, fish and plant species. To think we would all stand by and assist in her death is unthinkably depressing to me.

After reading this, hopefully you're asking yourself what needs to be corrected to save her, and what chances does she have to survive?

Today I read about the decline of our planet's biodiversity from Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity, “Most disturbing of all, as a result of all these actions taken together, we are disrupting what are called ‘ecosystem services,’ that is, the various ways that organisms, and the sum total of their interactions with each other and with the environments in which they live, function to keep all life on this planet, including human life, alive.”  Despite her terrible decline, the Indian River Lagoon still provides one of the world's greatest ecosystem services.

Here's what we need to do if we want to save her. Collectively, we must become more aware of our choices, and how these choices we make on land directly influence the health of our watershed. We must limit our concern for ourselves, and increase our concern for our environment if we want to survive the next century.

Unfortunately, some would say, we the people are probably too cheap, greedy and under-educated to save her. You can call it foolishness or whatever you wish, but I have an underlying hope, or a serious faith, that things can change in a positive way and we the people can conquer ourselves, and in the future improve our relationship with our planet. Let's hope so, ‘cause she's hurting.

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.

Melbourne 31 Miles, Beaches 33 Miles

Platts Supermarket - 1955; compliments of www.westmelbourne.org.

The day's first brilliant sun rays blasted directly under the closed lids of my weary eyes. It took me seconds to realize why. We were heading dead east on old Highway 192 past Yeehaw Junction where a sign read Melbourne 31 Miles, Beaches 33 Miles. The sunlight's cutting light had finally edged its way under the two surfboards that had been shading my naked eyes. 

My neck was stiff and sore as hell. My flippin’ empty belly managed to grab the majority of my immediate, painful attention as I caught a lingering scent of siphoned gas from the neck of my shirt. Inherently, the sun's light dazed me. But it was the unique combination of gas vapors and Led Zeppelin's “Stairway to Heaven” slapping my nose and ears that directed my eyes to the front seat where Chris and Lester's heads moved in marvelous unison. Occasionally their heads thankfully blocked the sun's morning glare.   

Back then, Highway 192 was an empty two-lane highway winding through a part of Florida that hadn't changed much since the beginning of the last ice age. Bordered by the thick and lively Florida fauna and flora, the road's path was dominated by ancient live oaks dressed in resurrection ferns, Spanish moss and cypress trees punctuated in red orchids. 

This part of 192 was a lonely road slicing the St. John’s River south to north and inhabited only by cow pastures and Camp Holly. Compared to today's standards, very little stood between the west shore of the Indian River Lagoon and Yeehaw Junction, except for a solo traffic light stopping traffic at U.S. 1 and New Heaven in downtown Melbourne.

Much has changed since the mid-‘70s. Old Highway 192 has doubled its number of lanes, and there's much more traffic moving across it back and forth, and far more houses springing up along its course. But two things have not changed; those signs still read Melbourne 31 Miles, Beaches 33 Miles—and I still love surfing!

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.

Caught A Moment

The ocean reef at the beach in Satellite Beach, Florida

I finally caught a moment here on my iPad between preparing our fall garden and catching a few waves. These are the places, the ocean and land, where I get my inspiration. 

A hint of fall has arrived to parts of the Indian River Lagoon Coast. Yesterday at the Melbourne International Airport the high/low temperatures were 84/68 degrees, and we had no rain. In this part of the central IRL coast we're about six inches below normal.

A solid three- to four-foot northeast ground swell has provided good surf with long, glassy rides. Fast-moving tight schools of mullet and menhaden are attracting many of the best inshore species to our beaches. Snook, king mackerel, sharks, tarpon, barracuda and bluefish are catchable within a hundred yards of the shore.

It's impossible to fully predict the digital interactive wave before us. But after reading a Florida Catholic article on iPads in schools and then listening to an NPR report on the same subject, one thing is for sure; we may see its crest. The possibilities for today's authors are wide open in this new world of technology.

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.

Looking Back

Rodney and Chris standing in front of the old
four door 1969 Ford Fairlane!

Looking back, I’ve always thought it was a damaged heart, not a broken mind, that drove me to surfing, but it was literally Chris Summers at the wheel of his mom's dingy yellow, four-door 1969 Ford Fairlane. Absolutely nothing cool about the old heap stood out, except for the two surfboards sticking haphazardly out of its back seat passenger window.

I got my first taste of gasoline on my first full day back in my neighborhood after spending 30-plus, spirit-adjusting days in St. Petersburg, Florida, attending the Goodwill Inpatient Drug Rehab Center. My deal with Chris was simple; if I could produce the fuel needed to get the Fairlane back and forth to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, I could accompany him and his friend Lester surfing. I had no money, but Chris had a short piece of green garden hose, a flaky-red-metal, five-gallon gas can and the skills of an experienced siphoner. So, after spending a little time on job training, I was off siphoning. At the time, Chris was working on his Eagle Scout badge, and he seemed to know everything. If surfing and siphoning was good for him, it was going to be good for me.

During my predawn fluid assault, I only hit up the cars stowed under well-lit carports. The hot 40- to 60-watt bulbs made the job easier, and the carport kept them drier, making the task of writing their owners a thank you/IOU note on their hoods or trunks less difficult. The messages were Chris' idea. He said no one needed to carry a dark conscience with them. Period. Over time I learned much from his diplomatic madness.

The day was July 3, 1975, and it was the year of our high school graduation. Both Chris and Lester were heading to USF to secure their business and CPA degrees. I'd changed high school five times before taking a General Educational Development test during my glorious month of rehabilitation in St. Petersburg. It wasn't until 10 years later, though, while seeking further enlightenment, that I found out I had passed the test and earned my GED. And it wasn't until nearly 40 years later that I realized it wasn't the pot I'd been smoking that drove me to rehab but falling in love for the first time and getting my heart crushed—which all led to surfing.

Later that summer, I recall a conversation I had with my favorite aunt, Helen. We were sitting in a wooden swing talking about how I'd found my purpose in life. I told her surfing was the only thing I needed for life, and she told me it was good but one day that would change. I'm still waiting.

Lake Charles - Cajun Giant!

I-10 is not all concrete and asphalt!

Plenty of festive Cajun food, song and dance lubricated the conversations I had with the many interesting writers and communicators attending the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association's 49th annual conference in Lake Charles, Louisiana. One particularly interesting encounter was had with the luncheon's keynote speaker, Louisiana's Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne, and he was funny as all heck! Dardenne is both a great speaker and ambassador of Louisiana. I told the Lieutenant Governor he didn’t have a chance at being elected Governor because he actually has a sense of humor. Thankfully he laughed!

While it was a long road for Little Pond Publishing to get to Lake Charles—figuratively and literally—the last few months have been an extraordinary period of young growth for this emerging digital publishing house, and it’s gone by like the blink of an eye. A powerful, relatively small core group has been created as the foundation of Little Pond Publishing—an extremely insightful, skilled and passionate team, if I do say so myself.

While in Lake Charles, I rekindled a relationship with a 7th-generation Texas fishing guide, Captain Dr. Brandon Shuler. I'd first met this transformative conservation advocate, author and fishing guide at a Columbia Sportswear and Bass Pro Shops media event. These two outdoor industry corporate giants invited us writers to the Middle Keys to learn more about their work with partners like the Ocean Foundation and Seagrass Recovery. Check out the Ocean Foundation’s website to learn how they’re working together to restore healthy seagrass to heavily prop-scarred grass flats.

Dr. Shuler has recently earned his Ph.D. in literature and publishing from Texas Tech. As you may imagine, our conversation centered on digital publishing and what appears to be an extremely bright future for eBooks and publishers of digital works. We hope to be hearing more from Dr. Shuler on digital publishing in the near future.

During my trip I read Serpent's Curse. This eBook written by Mark Bradbury and published by Little Pond Publishing was an easy and entertaining read. The first of many, we hope, by Mr. Bradbury. To learn more about Mark Bradbury, check out his blog, MarkBradbury.blogspot.com.

Contact me if you know of any writers’ groups who would like Little Pond Publishing to host a mini-workshop.
 
‘Til next time!

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.

Square One

Mark Sosin's interest in epublishing is growing!

After 20 years in the publishing industry it seems as though we are back to square one. Three years ago we knew very little about the emerging digital publishing world, but it is amazing what we have learned over a short period of time.

What we have discovered is we are all sharing similar paths when it comes to first understanding then embracing and utilizing the many valuable resources available to us as authors and artists in the digital publishing world. While we may all be following similar ePaths, most of us are at different eJunctures.

By attending both the Florida Outdoor Writers Association's and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association's annual conferences recently, we've learned that everyone seems to be coming up to speed in regards to the ePublishing world. The process seems very similar to the transformation we experienced just a few years ago with the emergence of digital photography.

Through our conversations with many authors and artists, Little Pond Publishing has developed packages and services designed to assist the beginner, as well as the seasoned professional, from start to finish.

If you would like us to consult with you throughout the ePublishing process, we can; or if you just need some of the a la carte services we provide for authors and artists, we can do that, too.

While striving for excellence in customer service is our primary goal, our main focus is to build a long-lasting win/win relationship with you as we navigate the ePublishing process together.

Here at Little Pond Publishing we understand that by listening to your needs and desires we are able to design an ePublishing program that works best for your success.

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.

What's the Term?

It took only 17 years and a hundred days or so in the publishing industry to truly appreciate the value of thoroughly comprehending the language and terminology connected to what you spend your time doing.

Recently a friend, author Mark Dotson, was reviewing Road to Matapalo, a manuscript of mine. Forthright, he offered his opinion. "Seeing I'm not a surfer, I didn't understand the majority of the surfing lingo you used." It was Mark's way of saying, “You best check that out.”

As a publisher working with hundreds of writers, I've found understanding the lingo is absolutely essential to the success of ePublishing for all parties involved. A recent teleconference conversation between Little Pond Publishing team members and an author started with introductions and then turned toward an informal language and terminology review. This made our communication sharper, more focused and mutually beneficial.

Here are a few eBook and digital publishing terms for you.

ePublishing: short for electronic publishing

ePub or EPUB: short for electronic publication. These come in many formats, including eBooks, digital magazines, newsletters, etc.

Tablet reading device: the full name for a tablet. It's the same as any mobile, compact device (little computer), like the iPad/iPhone, Google Nexus, Kindle, etc.

Print on demand: this means books are not printed until ordered and can be printed one at a time.

MOBI: an eBook file format. Converting files is a major part of ePublishing.

Coming up to speed with the new world of eBooks and digital publishing lingo is going to be a critical part of success for today's writers and artists. Comprehending simple terms like hash tags, file formatting, fixed electronic layout and flowable electronic layout will help put you in the driver's seat. As an author or artist, don't find yourself incapacitated by a lack of ePublishing vocabulary. Success is only a few words away!






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.

Characteristics of a Book Reader

Have you ever noticed how reading habits vary from person to person? Some of us can only read one book at a time, while others have multiple titles sitting by their bedside, in their bathrooms, scattered about their house and office.

Romantic novels are the king for some, crime mysteries work for others, and a good many of us never investigate either of these genres. More than once a sage has suggested to me it is best to move away from your comfort zone and be a consumer of many topics. This can be difficult and ever so rewarding.

I'm a slow, steady reader. Prolific in the titles I consume, I’m more like the turtle than the hare, eventually reaching the finish line. Following the adage stop and smell the roses, I wallow in the words and connect to the author's message. Books with a message captivate me. I have no time for shallowness.

I like it when people share books with me, and people have shared many. There's something very special about someone knowing you’ll appreciate their connection to an author, book or subject. Two of my dearest friends, Rusty Chinnis and Mike Holliday, share books with me often. Rusty is famous for casually mentioning an author, and then voilà, two days later that author’s newest book is delivered to our doorstep.


While I won’t be sending any of you a new book anytime soon, I'd like to share a few of the books I've read during the past year or so. Mike Holliday leant me Dead Zero by Stephen Hunter. With its drones, death squads and strong military flavor, this one varied far from the literary path I usually follow. Regardless, I found it to be relative to today's world, provocative and entertaining. I rooted for Ray Cruz to the end.

John Englander's High Tide on Main Street deals directly with sea level rise and our ability to deal with it. Living with Florida's Atlantic Beaches: Coastal Hazards from Amelia Island to Key West by David Bush is a technically sharp, science-based look at Florida's east coast beaches and barrier islands. I suggest these books to anyone living on or near the beach or concerned with sea level rise.

Life and Death of the Salt Marsh by John and Mildred Teal was an equally sobering look at our world. Al Gore's newest interactive eBook, Our Choice, was by far the most creative publication I coddled in 2013. Strauss and Howe's The Fourth Turning is an interesting look at why we are where we are in America today. Books John Adams by David McCullough and The New Revelations: A Conversation with God by Neale Walsch were both uplifting and interesting. I reread two iconic books, one for pure pleasure - To Kill a Mocking Bird - and one for pure strategy - The Art of War.

Books are central to our ability to communicate our collective knowledge. They are always a good gift idea. For Christmas 2012, our favorite youngest son, Jacob, gave me a book I highly recommend everyone study, Zen Yoga.

Namaste

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.

A Thumbnail Idea!

The Florida Dung Beetle- an idea?

It's funny how little things can generate great ideas.

In this case, it’s an exciting find. Our crew of hikers, seven of us, huddle close together, marveling over our discovery. Our captive, a rainbow scarab, is a brilliant iridescent blue-green beetle with a hoe-like brown horn projecting well above his wedged forehead.

Sandra Friend, and John Keatley lead our hike. Their shared passion for hiking is contagious. We're a group of Florida Outdoor Writers Association’s conference attendees who opted out of fishing on the great Kissimmee River basin. This year's conference host, the rustic Westgate River Ranch, is situated at Lake Kissimmee's south shore and connected to the KICCO Wildlife Management Area. We're hiking the Florida Trail south toward Ice Cream Slough.

Along the way I find him wallowing and lifting the earth under a pile of unidentifiable clay-like gray dung on a very narrow portion of the Florida Trail wedged between a divined grove of ancient palmettos. For me it's one of the more interesting beetles I've seen, and I've seen my good share. Twenty years ago while surfing and camping in Pavones, Costa Rica, my companions and I discovered a huge, somewhat similar-looking beetle in brush near our campsite. It had a marvelous glitzy exoskeleton, and its body nearly filled my hand. After we caught and released the critter, we watched in amazement as it opened its wings and loudly buzzed away. It was twice the size of some of the birds we were seeing around us.

This Florida dung beetle is about the size of my thumbnail. Noticeably happy when I gently place him down he disappears back under the scat, quickly escaping the tip of the palm fond branch I use to achieve its poopy catch and release.

While this critter encounter could lead me down a path lined in crappy thoughts, it actually paves a pathway of inspiring possibilities. I marvel at how such a diminutive beetle can generate the strength to lift a hundred times its weight in dung.

Later that day back at River Ranch, the FOWA conference's annual Al Hubbard Corporate and Tourism Showcase is buzzing with writers and authors. Many of them visit our LPP display and fill out our LPP writer's questionnaire. The data we receive from the questionnaire clearly shows the vast majority of writers understand and appreciate the value of publishing an eBook and have the desire to publish an eBook.

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. 

Everyone Loves a Contest

Everyone loves a contest. As Americans, the thrill of winning is in our blood! The vast majority of us take pleasure it competing or watching great sports. Often competition helps deliver the energy needed to lift us up to the next level. It has been this way and will remain this way for eons.

For this reason, Little Pond Publishing (LPP) is sponsoring two one-of-a-kind contests for both sage and novice writers. Autumn Tales is for the writers of murder, mystery or romance novels; and Tattle Tales is for the writers of children's books. For more information on these excellent opportunities go to littlepondpublishing.com

As a digital publishing house, we believe it is critical for LPP to lead the way in communicating with writers in new and creative ways. These contests have be designed for this very reason. Today writers have more creative and technical tools within their reach than ever before, and it's LPP's goal to help them utilize these assets.