The Merits of Saving the Indian River Lagoon

Sunset Indian River

Last month, I visited the Indian River Lagoon with Riverkeeper Marty Baum and his friend Gunnar Johnson.  The Indian River Lagoon is ground zero for water quality problems in Florida.  They have even had two funerals for this waterway.  It is heavily used by people and the hand of man has had a very negative impact on it, yet there are still beautiful areas and if we adopted better water policies the situation could be improved and it could bounce back, which is why Marty works as hard as he does.

Ball of Fire, Indian River

Riverkeeper Marty Baum on Patrol

Marty is a fifth generation Floridian and remembers when the waterways were crystal clear and a beautiful blue color all through the lagoon.  Today the water is dark and frequently almost black in places.  

St. Lucie Line

Marty drove us out to where you can see the line created by the dark waters of the St. Lucie juxtaposed against the clearer blue water of the Atlantic.  It was shocking to see the contrast. Marty, an avid fisherman for much of his life, only fishes for sport in these waters knowing what he does about the water quality issues here.

Clearer Ocean Water Beyond the Mouth of the St. Lucie

If Marty were to eat any of the fish he catches, he would catch them here or further out in the Atlantic.  When I saw the color of this water, I was both happy and sad.  Happy that clear water still exists, but sad at what has been lost in the Indian River Lagoon.

Island in a Dying River

The five mile radius around this island once boasted more biodiversity than anywhere in North America.  Now it is heading towards a monoculture.  Because of the tides and the way the rivers in the lagoon flow, this side of the St. Lucie gets more of the darker waters from Lake Okeechobee, while the other side gets more of the clearer ocean water.  We didn't see any fish jump and hardly even saw any birds on this side.  Coming back, we traveled along the opposite shore.

Pelican Landing on Bird Island

Marty took us to a bird island on this side that had quite a number of birds. I was happy to see that they looked pretty healthy, as I had read the horror stories of the pelicans dying along with the manatees and dolphins from 2011 to 2013.  Nevertheless, fishing in these waters must still be taking a toll on their health.  Unlike people, it is not an option for birds to decide to just fish for sport.  We watched these beautiful creatures for quite some time and a few highlights are included below. 

Pelican in Flight

Roosting on Bird Island

Landing in the Waters of the St. Lucie

Watching all these pelicans and other birds fly in and out, I wondered if they would still find enough to eat here if the water quality continues to deteriorate.  Marty and Gunnar told me about the second phase of a restoration program to reintroduce live oysters to the river.  Each oyster can filter 50 gallons of water per day.  350 volunteers grew about 60,000 oysters in the past year.  Old shells, after being dried out to kill bacteria, are put back into the river as well, to provide habitat for the new oysters.  Gunnar was helping in the volunteer efforts to put them in the water.  Marty said he couldn't risk it, as he had recently suffered from MRSA, which people have been getting from putting their arms or other body parts in the river if they have open wounds.  My hat fell off my head, and I checked my hands before I reached in to pull it out.  

Oyster Restoration Project

After we got off the river, Gunnar drove us up to the locks and we arrived in time to see one of the releases.  The water coming out was disgusting brown sludge.  It did not even look like water to me, which was even more I saw some catfish swimming just outside of the lock.  It boggled my mind that anything could live in that water at all, and I wondered in how many ways the systems of these fish had mutated.

The scum along the shoreline shows the effects of too many nitrates and other chemicals in the water, which alter the balance of life.  Certain weeds, grasses and plants along the banks may thrive, but the diversity within our waterways is strangled. It is this toxic water, along with the water released from Lake Okeechobee that makes its way into the St. Lucie and the Indian River Lagoon. Although the death rates of ocean mammals and pelicans are not as extreme as they were between 2011 and 2013, the images of the water you see here show how much pollution still remains.  The Indian River Lagoon still has a long way to go before it is heathy again, but Marty and other experts believe it is possible if the right steps are taken.  

Astoria, A Great Little Fishing Town Along the Columbia River...

Sunset, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

Sunset Geometry ©Lynne Buchanan

When I was in Oregon for a Flash Powder retreat, we went into Astoria on two different occasions.  Located along the Columbia River, this fishing town has a great vibe and lots to look at.  The sunsets we saw both nights were wonderful, one we saw from down by the piers and the other from the top of the column.  

Sunset from the Column, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

Breaking Rays, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

There were lots of interesting pilings covered in green algae that made interesting patterns along the shoreline.  In the daytime, the emerald hues called the most attention, while at dusk they created patterns that lead towards the horizon.

Algae Covered Piers, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

Last Light Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

The seals were hiding on the plants under the buildings on stilts.  They made lots of noise and found their way into lots of unusual patterns.  It was difficult to photograph them with the shadow and light, but then this one seal came right underneath me and kept looking up.  The light caught him perfectly making his whiskers appear golden.

Seal in Repose ©Lynne Buchanan

Decomposing Dock ©Lynne Buchanan

One of the things that fascinated me most about Astoria was all the old docks and patterns created by the decomposing docks.  I can't wait to use these images as transfers in my multimedia paintings.  The textures were incredible.

Wall Painting, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

Old Car, Astoria ©Lynne Buchanan

There were lots of quirky things in Astoria too. The wall painting with the fish and cat above had some weird hovering beings in the shadows.  The old car below actually must still run, because the first time we were in town we saw it here and the next time it was on another street.  Amazing.

First Signs of Spring ©Lynne Buchanan

The first signs of spring were on the trees and filled me with such happiness, especially silhouetted against a blue sky with fluffy white clouds.  Last time I was in the Pacific Northwest it was raining constantly by the time I left, so I was very grateful for the beautiful weather on this trip.

Magic is Happening in Seaside

View from the Cliff, Seaside ©Lynne Buchanan

Tidal Pool ©Lynne Buchanan

The late afternoon light on the beach in Portland was amazing.  Such a drastic change from the bleak morning.  Amazing how changing the light and climate is here, and when the late day sun came out I couldn't stay inside any longer.  The flowers, glasses, clouds, and sand patterns were such a visual delight and could have been been over the top, but finding the right path into the scene created visual harmony.

The Illusion of a Path to Somewhere ©Lynne Buchanan

Zigzag to the Inlet ©Lynne Buchanan

The first photo looked like footprints to somewhere, but they were raised up instead of indented, a positive impression that tricked my mind.  The light lit up the zigzags patterns in the sand and made them vibrate.

Driftwood Drone ©Lynne Buchanan

Driftwood By the Sea ©Lynne Buchanan

Pointing to the Last Light ©Lynne Buchanan

The driftwood on the beach created shadows, lines and such drama with the light and shoreline.  Such fun to look at from different handles and engage with.

Divine Magic ©Lynne Buchanan

God rays always are always a welcome sight, especially when they are so evenly and perfectly spaced.  The way the energy from this orb that gives us fire to grow and evolve was just about to burst from the top of the cloud was such a fitting sight in this workshop with Flash Powder Projects, where we are all working to open to what it is that makes us create our art.  If I needed a sign, here it was...

Portland Has it All

Field of Wildflowers ©Lynne Buchanan

Lupine ©Lynne Buchanan

This was my first visit to Portland in the spring and it was so beautiful.  My friends drove me through the Columbia River Gorge to this incredible field by the side of the road that we wandered all over.   Flowers covered the field and for a moment I forgot about droughts and other problems facing our planet, although they said even here there was not enough snow this year.

Hood River Rocks ©Lynne Buchanan

The Alchemy of Water ©Lynne Buchanan

After the field, we drove on to a little overlook of the Hood River and climbed through the trees to the rocks.  Watching the water fall over and around the rocks, finding its path in the beautiful light was magical.  I especially liked studying fall into crevices and then spill out on the other side, transformed by the flow of water, something that we take fore granted but which we should cherish as the source of life that is it.

Mount Hood with Clouds Approaching ©Lynne Buchanan

There was snow on the top of the mountain and the trees looked so beautiful dusted in white as the 

dark ominous clouds hovered over our heads.

Under the Burnside Bridge ©Lynne Buchanan

Rainbow over the Hawthorne Bridge ©Lynne Buchanan

When we got back into town, I decided to walk up and down along the Willamette River.  A storm was approaching, which added a lot of drama and made the lighting conditions interesting.  First part of a rainbow appeared, then part of a second, and then when I continued past the Hawthorne Bridge, I saw the full rainbow over the bridge.  I was about to change my lens to the widest one, when the skies opened up and I had to take shelter.  

Waterfall, Portland Japanese Garden ©Lynne Buchanan

Japanese Maple ©Lynne Buchanan

The last day together, we returned to the  Portland Japanese Garden.  Last time I was there in the fall and there were no leaves on the Japanese Maple, nor were the plants in bloom.  It was so spectacular. The gardens were beautiful in the fall too, though the explosion of color in spring is quite different.  Looking forward to returning to Portland again soon!  You can experience every weather and lighting condition in a single day, which is quite unusual.

A Chance Meeting with Two Beautiful Women Right After I Saw a Double Rainbow

Double Rainbow ©Lynne Buchanan

To further the discussion of beauty started by a post of a Dove add showing women trying to decide whether they should walk through the average or the beautiful door, I would like to relate a “chance” meeting I had with an incredible handicapped woman and her friend, whom I met at a restaurant last night.  If I had been thinking, I would have asked if I could take their photographs.   Unfortunately, I was too moved to remember to do this.  Instead, you will have to connect with their light through my words.

After my friends in Portland had taken me to an amazing field with wildflowers and Mount Hood, they went home to rest.  I decided to walk along the river in downtown Portland since the clouds were so nice.  As I was in the Pacific Northwest, the weather inevitably changed.   Before the rain came down hard, first one and then a second rainbow appeared.  It was such an incredible sight that I walked around and made images of these rainbows from several vantage points. Then the sky opened up and I made for the closest building, which happened to be the Three Degrees restaurant.  I had been wondering where I was going to eat anyway, so I happily went in and sat at the bar and ordered a delicious Pistachio Loaf and a glass of wine.

A short while later, this woman entered and pulled up her wheelchair near me.  I smiled at her and went back to my food.  When I had finished eating, another woman came in with her dog.  The two were friends.  I moved my bag off the chair next to me, so the second lady could sit next to the woman in the wheelchair.  The second lady had the sweetest smile and her dog was very good.  It was a service dog, I later learned, but it was not wearing the vest and she didn’t make it behave like a service dog either.  She has a brain tumor, though I would never have known from speaking with her.  She was wearing colorful shoes that sparkled like her eyes and the three of us laughed and talked and I showed them a photograph of my own dog.  Then, the hostess asked the woman to leave, as her dog was not wearing the vest and it was an establishment that served food.  The woman smiled and said good-bye.  She told me she’d known that was going to happen, but she’d wanted to come in and say hello to her friend.  I was sorry to see her go.

The first woman told me that people often mistook the second woman for being homeless, but she wasn’t.  She was married to a wealthy attorney, but she had this brain tumor.  I said, I’d thought she was beautiful.  Her smile said it all.  Whether she was rich or poor or somebody or nobody had not even crossed my mind. 

Then the woman in the wheelchair started talking about all the work she did with people in crisis and she blew my mind.  Here was someone with no legs, totally impassioned, not complaining, and doing everything she could to help other people.  There was no fierceness or anger or any sign of a chip on her shoulder.  During our conversation, I learned she was widowed and had lost her brother and sister.  I would have expected to see a broken person, but she was more whole than most people I have met in my lifetime.  She too had an amazing smile and radiated kindness and compassion.  I shared with her my water advocacy work and we both discussed the environment and eventually the conversation turned to Native Americans and the greater appreciation indigenous peoples have for the earth.  Then the woman said that they, like the handicapped, are marginalized too.   Their voices are not heard either.  Always, it comes down to the loss of our voices and our courage to try and express ourselves even when we are being silenced and to do this with grace. 

She told me I was going to change the world.  I told her she already had.  When I finally got up to leave, I told her how beautiful she is as I gave her my card and a hug.  “Next time you are in Portland,” she said, “you have a place to stay if you don’t mind the couch.”   Then she told me the best way to walk back to the hotel, so I would be safe and not in danger of being mugged.

The entire walk back I reflected on how totally uplifted I felt around these two amazingly beautiful women, whom most of society would not even have noticed.  I also forgot all feelings of loneliness and lack of worth that I sometimes experience being a woman on her own over 50.  The soul connection I had experienced was so deep that I even felt beautiful myself.  This is the power of women uniting and sharing our voices for the benefit of all living beings, especially the marginalized, which in this day and age is everyone but the wealthiest individuals.  When we heed the call, and step into our true power that is beautiful and suddenly people begin appearing all around us who lift us higher. 

First Signs of Spring and Tending My Inner Spring

First Signs of Spring, Salt Lake ©Lynne Buchanan

When I was in Salt Lake City last week, the first signs of spring were in the foothills.  I went on a lovely hike with my cousin and his family and saw all the new growth on the trees, while in the background the mountains were still capped with snow, albeit a lot less than is desirable.  The drought and lack of snow pack will likely create water shortages soon.  Still, for the moment, the newly burgeoning leaves bespoke hope and regeneration and all the miracles of rebirth that are experienced everywhere in nature this time of year.  My heart always expands in the presence of unbounded life like this, where nature makes no apologies for displaying the energy that creates delicate yellow green leaves, all in full color amid soft and welcoming light.  Just being in the presence of such vibrant trees makes me want to put down my own protective armor and live fully in the moment.

Rocks with Lichen ©Lynne Buchanan

On the way down, we came to this beautiful spot with a pile or rocks in brilliant hues painted by the lichen.  Organic forces combined with the elements to create a masterpiece unimaginable to me until I saw it with my own eyes.  The textures were so inviting and I loved how the shape of the pile echoed the foothills in the background.  Nature paints such beautiful canvases and it is such an honor to stumble upon them.  Sometimes I just want to run from place to place taking it all in, finding sacredness everywhere I look and celebrating it through my awareness and the images I make, either within my own mind or through the lens.  

Other times, I feel as if I need to draw in again.  The act of shining out our energy and intentions to heal the earth and allowing ourselves to be expanded by her must be balanced by contracting and getting in touch with our own inner springs of inspiration and healing.

Inner Spring, Kanapaha ©Lynne Buchanan

For me, today was a day of connecting within.  After so much travel and work and all the arid climates I have been in, I was finally home in my own swampy jungle.  I took my beloved Takoda to Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, intelligent dog that he is this is one of his favorite places.  In lots of areas the sun was a bit too bright and forceful on my eyes, which preferred to be half closed and meditative today.  It suddenly dawned on me that what I needed was to connect with the little zen waterfall by the bridge. Watching it trickle from rock to rock made me think of the inner reservoir of energy within me.  It doesn't always have to be a raging fire, even if I am an Aries,  but there is always passion for my purpose and for connecting with others who understand the value of nature–how she teaches us how to turn two into one, flow around obstacles, wash away pain, and provide the movement that allows for transformation.  The quietude and serenity made my puppy and I so happy, as we sat on the smooth, cool rocks and listened to the gentle trickle.  The water enlivened the scene and brought life into the hardened places in my heart, the spots that haven't been allowed to feel because they lacked on object.  For a moment I loved water, and it was enough.  I said a silent prayer to keep the spring and rivers flowing, within and without.

Pointing the Way to Hope

Pointing the Way to Hope @Lynne Buchanan

Last night my mother and I watched this sunset on Sarasota Bay and I immediately sensed how symbolic it was of my experiences earlier that day on the Caloosahatchee River and touring John Paul's orange groves.  My mother and I arrived at Indian Beach along the bay about twenty minutes before sunset.  The cloud layer was rather heavy and for much of the time, there was no light emanating.  The tide was so low, I walked out into the bay anyway, mesmerized by the marker in the foreground which is typically only found on mountains and marks some significant point at which you have arrived.  Then suddenly, the sun peaked through the only hole in the clouds and cast a golden glow on the water.  The feeling that instantly came to me was one of hopefulness, despite all the dark clouds on the horizon.  With the right intentions, we can move forward to create a healthier earth and more peaceful environment.

This was such a fitting end to my day on the Caloosahatchee with John Paul, a very wise orange grove owner who graciously spent the day with me and explained all the new farming techniques he is employing, which I believe could benefit all types of growers.  Before we went to his groves, we kayaked on the Caloosahatchee, the river he grew up on.

Oxbow Near La  Belle ©Lynne Buchanan

This particular oxbow north of La Belle suggested the peaceful, more primitive beauty of the Caloosahatchee before it became so developed.  Many of the other oxbows are totally grown over or are covered with invasive Brazilian Peppers.  This one still had some palm trees and other natural growth.  John Paul said when he grew up they swam in the river all the time and even drank from it, something that would be very dangerous to to do now.  Leaving the natural oxbows is so important for the health of the river, as is restoring the ones that have been altered.  Nevertheless, that is not enough.  The water quality itself must be improved.

Abandoned Sailboat, Caloosahatchee River ©Lynne Buchanan

When I was on the river last, I also photographed an abandoned boat, which had been salvaged and then left again.  Traveling north from La Belle this time, I past a host of other boats that had been left to the elements. Notices were posted that the owners would be fined daily, but the boats had been there for months, with all identifying information removed.  Many were likely left over from Hurricane Charley.  Perhaps the owners got paid off by the insurance companies and bailed.  It just seemed so telling–a dead river dotted with dead boats.

An Explosion of Clouds, Palms and Invasive Plants ©Lynne Buchanan

Yet, with the reflections in the still water, the clouds, and the palms, I could understand why some might want to live along the river's edge.  However, having your lawn abut the land directly with fertilizer seeping into the river each time it rains or you water the lawn, is dangerous to the environment.  The overgrowth on this creek off the Caloosahatchee was so thick we got mired very soon after we started paddling up it.  

Immature Ibis Floating in Innocence ©Lynne Buchanan

Before we got stuck in the overgrowth, we came upon this beautiful immature ibis.  Since I started working on this project, I have kayaked parts of the Caloosahatchee River three times and I have rarely seen any birds, except near where the river reached the Gulf, so I was happy to see this young bird no matter how strange the water looked.

Invasive Plants with Bacteria ©Lynne Buchanan

A few hundred yards from where we saw the bird, we saw this horrible water.  I am not a scientist and am not fully versed on all invasive species and bacteria types, but when I saw this water I was completely certain that it was not something that was indicative of a healthy environment.  In fact, I was afraid to touch this water and was very careful to try and keep the drips from my oar out of the boat and off my skin.  I instantly felt worried about the bird and any other life forms that were trying to live along this creek. When people live in their homes with their doors locked and only see nature on television, they do not see what we are doing to her.  It is heartbreaking.

John Paul in his New Experimental Grove ©Lynne Buchanan

People often blame agriculture on the water quality problems, and they do contribute along with  lawns and asphalt runoff.  However, there are a few inspirational people out there like the orange grove owner John Paul, whom I spent the day with yesterday.  This is where I see the hope for our future and I am so deeply grateful to him for his vision and his desire to think out of the box and fix what is broken.  He is even an active member of the Caloosahatchee River Citzens Association.  He grew up on this river and wants to see it healthy again.  

John Paul walks the talk.  Orange grove owners in this area have seen an up to 70 percent decline in their crops of late due to greening.  John Paul believes it has a lot to do with drought, climate change, and taking too much water from the aquifer for development.  The water table all over Florida is dropping, and this is causing the roots of the trees to become unhealthy, he believes, and for this reason they are becoming more susceptible to bacteria and other stressors. Trees that used to live 50 years are now living 15-20 years and are less than half the size.  John Paul was worried and being a very intelligent well-traveled person, who spent time in the Peace Corps, he decided to try some experimental tactics.  One thing he imported to Florida was underground irrigation like they do in arid climates such as California.  The field above is a new high density field with underground irrigation that John Paul recently planted.  He dug into the soil and showed me how damp it was through many layers, unlike the very sandy earth in his older groves.  Even better, it allows the grower to control exactly how much water goes into the soil, versus surface watering which requires ditches that collect excess amounts of fertilizers and other nutrients and then dump them into the river, if they are not captured and cleaned.  John Paul does attempt to capture and re-use much of the water on his property.  However, since economic times have become so difficult due to greening and other issues, they have not been able to invest as much money in water quality measurement.

The Magic Tree ©Lynne Buchanan

The tree above is a year and a half old.  Typically trees this young do not produce fruit. However, the underground irrigation allowed the trees in this grove to thrive and become so healthy that they produced fruit way earlier than usual and copious amounts at that.  In addition, John Paul was also able to reduce his water consumption by 40% from the preceding year.  Many of the trees with above ground drip irrigation were suffering from greening, but not these trees.  The way of the future must be high density crops with low water usage, because we are running out of both land and water. Underground irrigation prevents loss of water from evaporation, as well as reducing the need for spraying pesticides because the trees are so much healthier to begin with.  This grove is 70 to 80 percent organic already and they are hoping to reduce pesticides more each year. John Paul has even imported Pongamia trees from India that are natural insecticides as well as being good sources of biodiesel fuel.  Additionally, if the orange trees are planted closer together and are smaller in size with more fruit, the costs of harvesting also decline because ladders are unnecessary and/or have to be moved less frequently and certainly not raised as high, which lowers workers compensation payments.  Though the upfront costs of underground irrigation are high, John Paul will likely make that back with higher producing, healthier crops in closer proximity that cost lest to harvest.

The population on this planet is increasing, and we still need food.  We cannot tell all farmers to cease production, but we need to find sustainable methods of farming that don't harm our water supply and the environment.  I applaud grove owners and farmers such as John Paul for trying to find the best way to utilize their land, grow nutritious, organic food and leave the smallest footprint possible.  He was willing to talk to me and participate in my upcoming museum exhibition, because he hopes this will open a dialog between all farmers so they can all learn from each other and discover better production methods.  Let communication and learning begin...