© Copyright 2008 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com
Tranquil blues and whites
do not always reflect Truth.
Truth can lurk unseen…
I’ve read that all it takes is one single mangrove pod in the right place under the right conditions to blossom into a mangrove island. The evidence can be seen at the J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, which covers a significant portion of the north side of Sanibel Island. The area is part of a larger marine ecosystem which is called the J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The complex includes other refuges such as the Caloosahatchee, Matlacha (matt-luh-SHAY), Island Bay up in Charlotte County, and Pine Island.
The state of Florida recently received an “iffy” report card, which rated the state’s efforts at protecting marine life with a lot of Ds (“A” being the highest grade). This means there is lots of room for improvement in our policies and laws that govern the use and abuse of ecosystems that have an impact on these wildlife refuges. It’s not enough to have laws that only pertain to the refuges; since everything is connected, actions in the middle of the state eventually produce a downstream effect on delicate marine environments such as these.
I’m looking forward to seeing some earnest effort on the part of the state legislature toward cleaning up Florida’s act, so that subsequent report cards reflect an increase in the amount of respect we afford our natural systems.
FURTHER READING:
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge
- The Ding Darling Society
- Environmentalists release report card
click the photo to see the version posted to Flickr
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“Room for improvement” : indeed !!! Beautiful views.
Lovely shots!
Well it looks amazing in these shots but I guess we could all try harder to protect our local environment.
Beautiful pictures and an interesting post. Let’s hope the next report card has better grades!
Beautiful photos.
I doubt Utah even rates a “D” in ecosystem preservation. Most states need improvement, I’m sure.
Hope you have good luck in getting Florida to act more responsibly.
Hey – your mobile shots are stunning. Incidentally – that cow shot (around the fire pit) was done with my iPhone too . . . You can capture life pretty well with that. Happy Weekend!
LOOOOVE your profile pic! 🙂
Great phone pics, amazing!
Beautiful pictures!
Beautiful, I like the water ripples in the first pic.
That was a very pretty view.
My first comment didn’t pass muster so I’ll try again.
i hope so too! so frustrating to see such beauty destroyed.
Beautiful photos. One of these days I hope to get to your part of the world. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your comments in my blog. Your photo looked so lovely. Love the scenery.
Oh I love Ding Darling! We “snowbirds” used to go every year as part of our spring break (my grandmother has a condo in Ft. Myers)! Your pictures are beautiful (your haiku too).
Two beautiful schots!
Gr.
P-TER
Excellent point. Everything is connected, and ultimately that includes us at the top of the food chain. It’s not just about protecting endangered species, it’s about protecting all of them.
Beautiful photos though… even if all is not as it seems.
It seems like they’ve been “working” on these fragile ecosystems for YEARS. Time for a change! These are beautiful shots. I loved reading an informative Skywatch.
The second of the two pictures is absolutely stunning. The tranquil sea marsh waters beautifully reflects the beautiful blue and clouds of the overhead sky. Nice!
I love the way the convection is building on the horizon, how it’s abstract reflections shimmers out of the wind blown water surface! Great captures!
Looks like a very lovely spot. I’d love to visit there. I hope they can protect it more. It always makes me sad to hear about animals of any kind that are endangered.
lovely haiku and so true. I love how you can just see the top of the cloud under the poem “above the fold” – adds to the experience of it.
I’m hoping for a better effort everywhere to protect our planet
thanks for the info
and the wonderful tranquil photos
Tink,your photos are beautiful! I recently visited Everglades National Park and the renovation there still hasn’t gotten underway. It would be terrible to lose the beauty of Florida… 🙂
Right on, Tink! You do have pretty skies there.
We (down in the Gulf, Galveston is special to me) have similar problems due to Hurrican Ike. Most of our shrimp are lost, I think a lot of the other sea life as well. I think we gave up and are building high rise condos instead.
(Old song, ‘Put up a parking lot.’)
..
These photos are stunning, with all the shades of beautiful blue. The reflection of the sky in the marsh water is lovely.
I hope the state’s next report card shows improvement.
woops – I didn’t notice Ralph’s name on the form before I published my comment.
That’s a beautiful place. You’re right – everything is connected. Too bad we can’t see down the road and down the line before we cause so many problems and have to work so hard to correct them.
these are gorgeous shots! I really hope that things improve for the marine area. Keep us updated :O)
Ooooh! Gorgeous!
We must protect our beautiful environment.
Beautiful skies in your photos!
Sorry to hear Florida gets Ds! You have a unique ecosystem there so I hope your state government wises up soon!
That “D” grade is very disappointing. I hope Florida can raise it soon! Lovely haiku!
Lovely Haiku and BEAUTIFUL photos. Hope the eco situation in Florida improves ;–)
Hugs and blessings,
the scenery is just gorgeous. i could look at it all day
A vast looking beautiful sky you’ve captured 🙂
Happy week ahead gal!! 🙂
Really good haiku and amazing pictures!!! You did a great job combining the two memes.
Few things are more inspirational than browsing through your post here after a long day. Your fresh insight keeps me, and surely others, motivated and informed about Ocean Life. Don’t ever stop posting like this one on marine life quotes, ok?