{"id":3502842,"date":"2024-08-15T09:32:07","date_gmt":"2024-08-15T09:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/?p=3502842"},"modified":"2024-08-15T09:32:07","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T09:32:07","slug":"okeechobee-county-kept-great-with-conservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/stories\/2024-08-15\/okeechobee-county-kept-great-with-conservation\/","title":{"rendered":"Okeechobee County: Kept Great with Conservation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okeechobee County is located in Florida\u2019s Heartland Region, within the 3000-square mile Kissimmee River Basin. The Heartland stretches from Orlando in the north to the intertidal coast of mangrove forests to the south, forming an area commonly referred to as the \u201cRiver of Grass<\/a>.\u201d Water flowed hundreds of miles through this enormous network of marshlands, helping to shape an ecosystem of unrivalled subtropical biodiversity.<\/p>\n

Today, the Okeechobee wetland system has shrunk to half its former glory. Agricultural, residential, and commercial development has brought red tides, poisonous algal blooms, fish die-offs and the attendant costs in health and quality of life. Red tides\u00a0have become so severe<\/a>\u00a0that they present a breathing hazard. And the environmental impact to this ecosystem is not limited to people living close to the wetlands. One-third of Floridians\u00a0rely on the Everglades for clean water<\/a>, so for-profit development of the Okeechobee system entails profound downstream repercussions.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Okeechobee County, in the Heartland Region of Florida (Okeechobee County Location Map<\/a>,\u00a0Central Florida Regional Planning Council<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n

Thankfully, we may be regaining an appreciation for a region once thought of as unproductive \u201cswampland.\u201d In recent years, the state has sought to reverse some of the damage to the Okeechobee ecosystem through wetland restoration and conservation. It is a race against time, complicated by the\u00a0\u00a0thousand new residents<\/a>\u00a0who move to Florida every day.<\/p>\n

Okeechobee County is faced with complex interacting threats to ecological and human systems. Yet the county also has opportunities to implement land stewardship policies that could help it join the ranks of\u00a0other \u201cnaturally great\u201d counties<\/a>. To this day, large tracts from the original \u201cRiver of Grass\u201d remain undisturbed. The system represents a valuable ecological reserve that we could safeguard with just a modicum of conservation.<\/p>\n

Troubled Waters<\/h3>\n

At 730 square miles, Lake Okeechobee is the tenth largest lake by area in the United States. It is a shallow lake, whose maximum depth is normally only about 12 feet, with more than 100,000 acres of wetlands along its shores. A set of Army Corps of Engineer channelization projects meant to prevent flooding raises water levels to 15-16 feet during the rainy season. This artificial water level rise has submerged wetlands, killed bird nestlings, and threatened habitat for other wildlife. \u00a0Furthermore, runoff from leaky septic fields and agriculture has increased the lake\u2019s nutrient content over 400% of the level the lake can safely assimilate. \u00a0Combined with summer water temperatures in the high 80\u2019s, such high nutrient loads produce cyanobacterial blooms that threaten wildlife and human health.<\/p>\n

This pattern of wetland degradation extends throughout Florida\u2019s Heartland, including hundreds of square miles of wetlands north of Lake Okeechobee. Formerly, these wetlands would have absorbed the surface water and nutrients before flowing southward through the Everglades. Now, channelization has created agricultural lands for grazing and sugar cane, producing outflows laden with phosphorus and nitrates. These flow to both the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts via the\u00a0Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers<\/a>. The outflow creates red tides that are lethal to wildlife and hazardous to people living on the coasts.<\/p>\n

\"Graphic<\/p>\n

Historic and current flow of the Kissimmee, Okeechobee, Everglades watershed (Captains for Clean Water<\/a>,\u00a0Key West Express<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n

Kyle Graham<\/a>, ecologist and Senior Program Manager at\u00a0Ecosystem Investment Partners<\/a>, likens the state of Florida\u2019s Heartland wetlands to a dysfunctional kidney and bladder. The filtration system established by nature has been damaged; significant measures will be needed to restore its health.<\/p>\n

Whether Lake Okeechobee can be saved and the red tides prevented will depend on efforts within the Kissimmee River Basin. Like other counties striving to conserve their ecological resources, Okeechobee County has the potential for substantial resilience. The county has put in place programs to reduce the phosphorous inputs into the lake. This effort is one piece of what Mr. Graham calls \u201cunprecedented investments in water quality\u201d by the state of Florida, exceeding $640 million per year. Some will work by preserving natural wetlands. Others will entail the construction of artificial wetlands that replicate natural processes. Lastly, some will focus on encouraging farmers to implement best practices for managing nutrient runoff.<\/p>\n

An Impaired Terrain<\/h3>\n

Okeechobee County, like many in the Heartland Region, is one of the\u00a0least populated<\/a>\u00a0in the state, with slightly fewer than 40,000 residents. Despite the county\u2019s low population density, its farms are a significant source of soil and water pollution. One of the most potent of these sources comes from decades of\u00a0nitrate and phosphorous<\/a>\u00a0application.<\/p>\n

The Kissimmee River, which runs along the county\u2019s western border, provides\u00a060 percent of the water<\/a>\u00a0entering Lake Okeechobee. Approximately\u00a070 percent of the phosphorus load<\/a>\u00a0entering the lake originates from sugarcane cultivation, livestock production, and citrus operations within the basin.<\/p>\n

But Okeechobee County is showing signs that it can transcend its legacy of environmental abuse. It is taking crucial steps to conserve and expand\u00a0natural filtration processes<\/a>. This offers hope for a healthy, biodiverse environment to millions of residents. Consolidating these gains will depend on farmers\u2019 ability to implement good land stewardship practices. Proven models exist that, if implemented, could re-establish a healthy landscape.<\/p>\n

Intercepting the Effluents \u2013 Mimicking Nature\u2019s Services<\/h3>\n

The Kissimmee Basin Stormwater Treatment Project is a proposed 4,500-acre artificial wetland along the Kissimmee River north of Lake Okeechobee. The\u00a0South Florida Water Management District<\/a>\u00a0approved the project in 2021 and selected Ecosystem Investment Partners to construct and temporarily manage it. This nutrient mitigation project would be the second largest of its kind in Florida, and the largest serving Lake Okeechobee. The completed project will pump river water to the artificial wetland to reduce ten percent of pollutants from Lake Okeechobee.<\/p>\n

The artificial wetland will treat nutrient runoff in several basins, including the\u00a0S-154 Basin in the Taylor Creek\/Nubbin Slough<\/a>\u00a0Subwatershed of Okeechobee County. Mr. Graham refers to the basin as producing \u201cthe hottest draw in the region,\u201d meaning it receives the region\u2019s highest phosphorus load. The wetland is projected to extract 100 percent of the phosphorus entering the river during the rainy season. During the dry season, water from the Kissimmee River will be pumped into the artificial wetland. This will achieve the dual goal of filtering the river water while helping to prevent the wetland from drying out.<\/p>\n

The Kissimmee Basin Stormwater Treatment Project is just one of five artificial wetland projects proposed by the state of Florida. It would be the largest to treat the water entering Lake Okeechobee. These projects underscore the importance of creating wetlands to maintain the conditions that\u00a0keep<\/em>\u00a0the Everglades county great.<\/p>\n

A Winning Strategy for Conservation<\/h3>\n

While construction of artificial wetlands is part of Florida\u2019s investment in water quality, the state is also pursuing wetland conservation. At a local level, county land use codes are a key tool in advancing this goal. For example, Okeechobee County\u2019s code allows for the transfer of development rights (TDR) from rural and wetland areas to residential zoning districts to limit sprawl. Very limited population\u00a0growth of only 4,000 residents<\/a>\u00a0over two decades has left large areas virtually untouched, providing additional opportunities for land protection.<\/p>\n

\"Side-by-side<\/p>\n

Okeechobee County 2040 \u201csprawl\u201d and \u201cconservation\u201d scenarios (Sea Level 2040 Okeechobee County, 1000 Friends of Florida).<\/em><\/p>\n

Attempts to conserve remaining open land in Okeechobee County are underway in several forms. The group 1000 Friends of Florida, along with the University of Florida\u2019s Center for Conservation Planning, has come up with an ambitious \u201c2040 Conservation Plan<\/a>.\u201d The plan would designate 40 percent of the county\u2019s land for agricultural preservation. Together with the natural land targeted for protection, the plan aims to protect 57 percent of Okeechobee County\u2019s land acreage. Furthermore, it would limit development to 400 additional acres over the next twenty-six years, just 6.5 percent of the county.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Florida Wildlife Corridor: A race against the GDP bulldozer (Florida Wildlife Corridor maps<\/a>,\u00a0Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n

Then, there is the proposed\u00a0Florida Wildlife Corridor<\/a>, a sweeping project seeking to establish a continuous ecological corridor across the state. According to the\u00a0Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN)<\/a>, preserving these undeveloped landscapes is crucial to protecting \u201cFlorida\u2019s native wildlife, ecosystem services and ecological resiliency.\u201d State spending on the corridor totals $400 million per year. The money will go toward re-establishing wetland areas throughout the Florida Heartland.<\/p>\n

The area slated for protection spans from the Everglades to the Florida Panhandle, or fully one-third of the state. In the fall of 2023, a partnership of the Florida Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense, and Conservation Florida succeeded in\u00a0permanently protecting a 2,526 acre parcel<\/a>\u00a0as part of the corridor. In June 2024, the State of Florida completed a further $41-million acquisition of 1,800 acres along the main tributary for Lake Okeechobee.<\/p>\n

Opportunities within the Commons<\/h3>\n

Restoration and conservation projects hold huge promise for repairing the wetland\u00a0biocapacity<\/a>\u00a0of Florida\u2019s Heartland. Engaging farmers with best management practices is essential. Phosphorus runoff reduction programs and payment for ecosystem services are particularly promising approaches.<\/p>\n

The 1994 Everglades Forever Act\u00a0was an important step<\/a>\u00a0towards engaging sugar cane farmers in cooperative action to reduce pollution. The Act placed limits on phosphorus runoff from farms. In response to farmers\u2019 input, the Act imposed joint liability on farmers if limits were exceeded. This regulatory framework quickly bore fruit. By 2022, farms had reduced their phosphorous discharges\u00a0by 66 percent<\/a>\u00a0of the region\u2019s 1980\u2019s baseline.<\/p>\n

Indiana University environmental social scientist\u00a0Landon Yoder<\/a>\u00a0studied the social context and patterns of cooperation between farmers and state regulators. He found that holding groups of farmers liable is an effective strategy to promote conservation. The sharing of information functions as an enforcement mechanism to encourage adoption of better land management practices.<\/p>\n

The Everglades Forever Act incentivized farmer participation through the leveraging of social norms.\u00a0The act required publicly report pollution levels online, among other measures. Competition to reduce phosphorus runoff levels became a driving force to lower the total nutrient load in the region. As Yoder explains, there is \u201can individual pride associated with low phosphorous loads.\u201d Today, 90 percent of monitoring points meet restoration goals.<\/p>\n

The jurisdiction of the act extends south from Lake Okeechobee. It doesn\u2019t cover Okeechobee County, where cattle grazing rather than sugar cane is the main agricultural land use. Cattle grazing is a lower-intensity agriculture than sugar cane cropping. Still, the area would benefit from extending the Everglades Forever Act. If Yoder\u2019s findings hold true, it should motivate farmers to cooperate to achieve best management practices.<\/p>\n

Monetary incentives are another strategy to engage agricultural stakeholders in best management practices for land stewardship. Local farmers care about the land they own, explains\u00a0Dr. Elizabeth Boughton<\/a>, Program Director and Senior Research Biologist at Archbold Biological Station. Sometimes all they need is a little help to make sustainable farming practices financially viable.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the farmers are six and seventh generation ranchers, and they feel that land stewardship is very important for a sustaining their way of life. They wish to collaborate to address the problem, and the payment for ecosystem services has proven to be successful, benefitting both the farmers and the ecosystem.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For example, to encourage Okeechobee farmers to conform to best land management practices, the state plans to pay farmers to hold back water through a system of gates and sloughs. This would reduce the number of man-made surges that currently overwhelm the Okeechobee Lake ecosystem. But if deployed too long, this practice will also increase concentrations of phosphorus in the water. Archbold Biological Station researchers are monitoring phosphorus runoff from farms to determine the optimal schedule of water retention versus release. According to Boughton, there is \u201ca sweet spot of soil saturation\u201d that achieves a balance between flood prevention and excessive leaching of nutrients.<\/p>\n

The race to preserve the biocapacity of Okeechobee is gaining urgency as the GDP bulldozer closes in on the county. Much will depend on appreciating and giving space for the natural elements that made the county great to begin with. Wetland restoration and conservation, in combination with agricultural stakeholder best management practices, is a promising model for success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wetland restoration and conservation, in combination with agricultural stakeholder best management practices, is a promising model for success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128238,"featured_media":3502863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79717,79718,213530],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3502842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-environment-featured"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3502842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/128238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3502842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3502842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3502863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3502842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3502842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.resilience.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3502842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}