Inspiring. Meaningful. Adventure.

Place-based Learning in the Great Outdoors

Whew. We made it through another long, hot, sticky, steamy July. Florida residents know, because of our warming climate, there are at least two more months of summer. Why are we seeing more fires, floods and droughts, not to mention sea level rise, that is making it increasingly difficult to live in safety for large numbers of Floridians? Someone should look into this. Moving on, in this issue we hear once again from environmentalist extraordinaire, Ryan Smart, executive director of the Florida Springs Council. Read his take on what is happening in state government as it pertains to our springs, rivers and waterways. Also, Brian London has agreed to contribute to this issue. Brian is a nationally-known tourism advocate and expert. In addition to our monthly how-to video on standup paddling, we feature stories on the worsening red tide situation on the gulf coast, and a shout out to two of our great volunteers, John & Beth Courtright, who have been working for years to protect the Florida panther. Lastly, we want to welcome FortisPay to our list of great partners. Please see their announcement near the bottom of the page. We can't wait for the weather to cool so we can begin our 2021/2022 season. 'See you in September.

2021-2022 Paddle Florida Season

Happy Paddler Exclusives

Governor Ron DeSantis and the members of the Florida Cabinet will soon take on the important responsibility of selecting a new Secretary to lead the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

 Following the demise of the Department of Community Affairs and undercutting of our regional water management districts, the DEP Secretary is the most important position in Florida with respect to the health of Florida’s waters. It is no surprise that Florida’s waters have deteriorated over the past decade, from increasing non-point pollution and environmental catastrophes like the Mosaic sinkhole and Piney Point spill, while DEP has been run by Secretaries that are more concerned with protecting regulated industries than protecting our environment. 

It will be up to the next DEP Secretary to solve Florida’s water crisis which has led to record manatee mortalities, red tide, and decreased flows and algae covering many Florida’s springs and rivers. Governor DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet should appoint a Secretary who is dedicated, first and foremost, to protecting all of Florida’s natural treasures and empower him or her with the ability to take on Florida’s largest polluters and advocate for policies, rules, and laws necessary to do so.  [Read more…]

Except for a few turtles hanging out on tree limbs and some birds circling overhead, no one knows about the kayak trips I’ve been taking at Hanna Park in Jacksonville, Florida. There are no social media postings about my adventures, and rarely do I take new photos of Florida’s natural beauty. For too long I have been a poor advocate for the activity I had come to enjoy. 

But why was I so unwilling to share my positive experience with others? The fear that others would see how much fun I was having, and then want to join me on my next outing, overtook me as a real possibility. These were my unspoiled waterways. Inviting others would only increase the chances that things would be less perfect the next time I got on the water. I knew what others were missing out on, and for a long time I wanted it to stay that way.

Marketing experience tells us that before a decision to engage is made in the consumers’ mind, they must first be made aware of the activity. This ‘did you know’ educational effort catches the widest possible group of participants. The group narrows quickly, however.  Knowing about something and having an interest in it are two different things. From there, the list of possible paddlers decreases even more dramatically. [Read more…]

Articles of Interest

Decades of progress cleaning up Tampa Bay could disappear in a couple of years without vigilance, two top estuary management officials warned Friday, as a toxic Red Tide bloom torments the region.

They held up the Indian River Lagoon on Florida’s East Coast as an example. The loss of seagrasses there following repeated algal blooms and pollution is considered a likely cause for this year’s mass die-off of starving manatees.

“It only took two years of bad water quality in the Indian River Lagoon to really set them back decades,” said Ed Sherwood, executive director of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. “We need to get our bay back on track, and we need to get it back on track quickly.” [Read more…]

Photo: Luis Santana, Tampa Bay Times

One day last year, Storm Kahealani and his sister Meadow were playing outside when they came running into the house screaming hysterically. “A panther got Daisy!” Meadow cried as her brother sobbed uncontrollably.

Daisy was a goat. She was one of three dwarf Nubians the family had brought when it moved to Florida from Washington state two months earlier. The family settled on 2 1/2 acres of slash pine, sabal palm, and palmetto scrub in a sprawling semirural housing development on the outskirts of Naples, Florida, called Golden Gate Estates. There was a fenced-in backyard for the goats.

Started in the 1950s, Golden Gate is part suburb, part Wild West. On one side lies Naples, a Gulf Coast city of sand beaches, seafront mansions, and luxury hotels. On the other side is the largest expanse of wilderness east of the Mississippi River, including Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, and the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. Golden Gate is an early example of a Florida type: the land venture that lures outsiders into the state’s rural interior with intimations of semitropical paradise. With mile after mile of widely spaced houses, dead-end roads, drainage canals, and more woods and scrub than manicured lawn, Golden Gate is still a beacon for migrants who stream into Florida, young families and graying retirees alike, all looking for a small patch of paradise. It was perfect for goats, too. [Read more…]

Photo: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

How To: Learn to SUP in 5 Minutes

If you're new to paddle boarding, in 5 minutes you can get the tips you need to get out on the water safely and efficiently. [Learn more…]

Click here for video.

Support Paddle Florida