Poor Water Bewilderness

With the Suwannee River and tributaries now showing signs of severe contamination and with our coastal waters repeatedly testing positive for e-coli and other not-nice germs, there is no doubt that the waters of Levy, Dixie and Gilchrist qualify as POOR, not “pure.”

“Pure” according to our Oxford Dictionary means “unmixed, unadulterated, conforming absolutely to standard of quality.”

The same dictionary defines “water” as “H20: colorless, transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid compound of oxygen and hydrogen.”

And then there’s the term “wilderness” which the dictionary describes as follows. “An uncultivated and uninhabited region.”

Meanwhile, we have a non-profit organization operating in our region which calls itself “Pure Water Wilderness.” We suggest that it change its name to Poor Water Bewilderness for who would not be bewildered by what is now found in the Big Bend area of Florida? And who would have the audacity to describe a declining eco-system such as this as a Pure Water Wilderness?

Of course, we live in a time when p.r. terms are commonly created to “spin” any concept in the direction its sponsors desire. Motives need not be honest or straightforward.

We have had the “Clear Skies Initiative” which fouled the air. We have had the “Healthy Forests Initiative” which increased logging and road-cutting. We could list a hundred such spin-labels that were clever ploys to accomplish goals essentially the opposite of what they implied. Are we suggesting that the term “Pure Water Wilderness” was purposely created in order to deceive? NO! We do not claim that the PWW people named their organization with misrepresentation as their intent More than likely when they were kicking around possibilities in their initial Name Game someone hatched the catchy idea: Pure Water Wilderness. “Sounds good; let’s go with it.”

But with the passing of time the hypocrisy of the name becomes increasingly apparent and worrisome. With the startling invasion of big money real estate operations in the area, coastal degradation, mega dairies adding to the run-off from poultry processors plus assorted heavy industries planning to double or triple their capacity, Pure Water Wilderness becomes an appropriate HISTORICAL label (circa 1950) for North Florida but surely not an accurate one for the present time and situation. Levy, Dixie, Gilchrist, Lafayette and Taylor Counties are going downhill ecologically. They have less good water, fewer wilderness areas and a mere fraction of the wildlife and sport fish species they had just a few decades back. Rivers, lakes and streams are alarmingly compromised… so much so that they cannot even support vital plant species which are part of the circle of life. Fish and other aquatic creatures are dependent on these now gone plants for spawning, for food, for cover. And recent water levels were so low that even as temperatures in the Suwannee River dropped (more quickly with less mass), entrances to key springs (manatee refuges) were too shallow to allow manatees to swim in and benefit from the life-saving 70° spring water.

In the Nov.-Dec. 06 issue of Pure Water Wilderness’s newsletter, it was reported that over 100 people showed up for its business-building workshop. To quote from the article: “The morning session speakers addressed the topic of ‘Show Me The Money!’” You can read every word of the newsletter and you will not find one mention of water quality in the region or dealing with POLLUTION, IRRESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT, RIVER MINIMUM FLOWS AND LEVELS, NATURE, WILDLIFE, BIRDLIFE, ECOLOGY OR PROTECTING THE SO-CALLED “WILDERNESS.” All it talked about was TOURISM. It is time for a name change! We do not think that PWW needs to go out of business. But we do think that to call itself “Pure Water Wilderness” is to succumb to the popular tactic of using SPIN to obscure an organization’s true purpose.

“Pure Water Wilderness” sounds like a Pro-Nature, Pro-Ecology, Pro-Conservation group. IT IS NOT. PWW is essentially a regional chamber of commerce. It would be a welcome exercise in honesty if the group were to admit it and let the admission be reflected in a new, more accurate name.

What we have in the Big Bend at the present time is truly a Poor Water Bewilderness and if PWW wanted to take on such a name, PWB, and devote itself to trying to change the area BACK to the pure water wilderness which it was long before many of the PWW people moved here, we would applaud such a move. But even if they were to simply admit the dichotomy and pledge to work toward living up to their original name - that would be amazing and a blessing.

What an adventure this could be! Can you hear the director of PWW announcing that, having realized that the organization’s name is fictional, PWW will work to make it a reality? And until it does it will not claim legitimacy for the name? That would be a headliner in area newspapers. It would be a positive development in a Florida region that NEEDS positive developments very badly.

Unfortunately, almost every physical manifestation of PWW is a sham. Even its own literature - its full color brochure, is packed with half-truths, downright lies and pictures which grossly misrepresent the area. Eg.: Featured is a photo of a panther. FWC says there are no panthers in the area and if you think there are, show them paw prints. The brochure also describes the region as Florida’s most impressive “outdoor adventure water park.” Ugh! Pictured is a human hand gripping a young alligator by the neck… something that should never be encouraged. Indeed, most of the photos are “stock,” not even shot on location. In short, the PWW literature is 90% hype and the balance is barely factual. What the region really has is a problematic Poor Water Bewilderness that needs correction via enlightened conservation. Can the PWW group answer the call to action? Doubtful. But possible. Let us pray that there will be an awakening. OR:

Let them call themselves what they are: A tri-county Chamber of Commerce.