1 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: From Meat Eaters World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. 2 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,800 Speaker 2: This is Col's Week in Review with Ryan cow Klan. 3 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,639 Speaker 2: Here's cal game. 4 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,959 Speaker 1: We're catching up with. Are you current? You're current? Do 5 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: you still have your captain's license? 6 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 2: Yeah? 7 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, Captain Chris Whitman Captains for Clean Water. If 8 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 1: you haven't heard of this organization, you're you're probably not. 9 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:38,560 Speaker 1: This is a big assumption, but you're probably not overly 10 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,160 Speaker 1: tied in with like the saltwater fishing community, Captains has 11 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: grown significantly over the years. Chris will have to chime 12 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: in with with how long that is. But we're talking 13 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: with Chris today. We're gonna learn more about Captains for 14 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: Clean Water. We're gonna learn more about water in the 15 00:00:55,960 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: state of Florida, which is an incredibly nuanced, uh subject, 16 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: and and lots of stakeholders involved. And if you don't 17 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 1: know about Florida's surrounded by the ocean, so h and 18 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: it's very close to the ocean both in elevation and 19 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: uh yeah, perimeter. I guess you'd say, so lots to 20 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:24,039 Speaker 1: learn here, especially for for this Montana kid with me 21 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:28,479 Speaker 1: as always as Jordan Sillers. Jordan's probably a little more 22 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: well read on the subject right now, so hopefully he'll 23 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: be joining in with some questions. This is another episode 24 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: of Cal's Uh Cal of the Wild Cal's We Can 25 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: Review interview segment. Thanks for joining along. We got a 26 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: lot a lot happening these days. Uh, and you're listening 27 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: is so appreciated. So Captain Chris tell us about Captains 28 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: for Clean Water. 29 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, hey, guys, thank you for having us on Captains 30 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 2: for Clean Water. We're a grassroots advocacy group, stakeholder group 31 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 2: started by myself and another fishing guide, Daniel Andrews. We 32 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 2: both born and raised in South Florida fishing guides and 33 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 2: hunting guides by trade, and saw the massive decline in 34 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 2: our ecosystem as a result of Florida's water mismanagement, and 35 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 2: ultimately that that led us to such catastrophe in our 36 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 2: in our estuaries here, that it that it kind of 37 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 2: forced us to take a look at where where the 38 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 2: future of our fisheries and where the future of the 39 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,799 Speaker 2: Everglades was going, and and that led us onto a 40 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 2: journey of ultimately walking away from our careers as fishing 41 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 2: guides to form Captains for Clean Water to really create 42 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 2: an organization to fill a void. There was science on 43 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 2: the issue of Everglades restoration and restoring the flow of 44 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 2: water from the middle of the state back to the 45 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 2: Everglades where it historically went. There was science on it, 46 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 2: there was engineering on it. The largest bipartisan restoration plan 47 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 2: ever in the history of our country voted into law 48 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 2: in the year two thousand and in twenty sixteen, when 49 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 2: we were in the midst of a water crisis, we 50 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 2: were shocked to find out that, you know, we're at 51 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 2: the halfway point, or should have been at the halfway 52 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 2: point of Everglades restoration, and not a single one of 53 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 2: those projects within that restoration plan had been completed. And 54 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 2: what we recognized was this wasn't an engineering problem, it 55 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 2: wasn't a science problem. There was a void, and the 56 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 2: void was the public. It was the stakeholders who were 57 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 2: impacted who their voice was absent. They just simply people 58 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 2: like Daniel and myself who were fishing guides, grew up 59 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 2: on an island, were not involved in pushing to see 60 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 2: progress happen. As result, there was no political will. Special 61 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 2: interests were able to just kind of dictate and influence politics, 62 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 2: to delay and kick the can down the road and 63 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 2: very little progress was happening. So we built the organization 64 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 2: to be a mechanism to both educate people in the 65 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 2: public about Everglade's restoration and then also be a mechanism 66 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 2: for them to use their voice. And we had the 67 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 2: philosophy that if everybody knew about this problem, it would 68 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 2: have been fixed a long time ago, and if we 69 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 2: could elevate the public pressure through education, that that public 70 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 2: pressure would ultimately be the only thing that we could 71 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 2: do to drive political will to fix these issues. And 72 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:50,359 Speaker 2: so that's why we formed Captains for Clean Water. And what. 73 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: I see of Captains, and you and I have been 74 00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 1: friends for a while now, is lobbying right, like lobbying 75 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: efforts either in d C or at the state level 76 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 1: or state level being state capital and Commission meetings. From 77 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: what I see Captains does it does a great job 78 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: of just being in that room consistently and providing that 79 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: consistent message. Is that like the main driver of why 80 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:28,480 Speaker 1: people should be involved with CAPTAINS. 81 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think the main driver is we're you know, 82 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 2: we're talking about the future of a national treasure, the Everglades. 83 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 2: It's no different than if we were talking about Yellowstone 84 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 2: or Boundary Waters or Bristol Bay or anything else. And 85 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 2: so whether you live here or whether the Everglades is 86 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 2: like a bucket list place that you want to come 87 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 2: pursue tarpin or go hiking or camping or whatever, that 88 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 2: should be the main driver of why people should be 89 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 2: involved is just the the ultimate value of the Everglades. 90 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 2: The impact that captains has is you know, the lobbying 91 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 2: point's a good point. For example, we don't have a 92 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:18,280 Speaker 2: single lobbyist in our opinion. You know, a paid lobbyist 93 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 2: is going to go in and push for whatever somebody's 94 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 2: paying them to advocate for. The most powerful lobbying voice 95 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:28,479 Speaker 2: you have, as we know, like what's going on with 96 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 2: the public lands issue right now, is the authentic voice 97 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 2: of the public. And in order for us to empower 98 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 2: the public and the individual stakeholders to bring that authentic 99 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 2: voice and lobby on behalf of themselves or on behalf 100 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 2: of their businesses to d C two policymakers in Tallahassee 101 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 2: or Washington, we have to first educate them on Everglades's restoration. 102 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:01,159 Speaker 2: The fact that you had this massive ecosystem at the 103 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 2: turn of the century, in the early nineteen hundreds that 104 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 2: was drained and diverted and water was bled out, and 105 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 2: the whole thing was compartmentalized, and as a result, the 106 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 2: East coast and the West coast of Florida would get 107 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 2: way too much water in the wet season, and that 108 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 2: water that was destroying those coasts historically would flow down 109 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 2: to the Everglades, So the Everglades would get too dry, 110 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 2: and Florida Bay down in Florida Keys would get too salty, 111 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 2: and so Everglades Restorations as planned to reconnect that system 112 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 2: to allow Lake Okeachobe's waters to flow back through the 113 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 2: River of Grass back to Florida Bay, rehydrating the Everglades 114 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 2: and reducing those damaging discharges to the east and the 115 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 2: West coast. And so in order for us to expect 116 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 2: people to continuously, over the course of years or decades 117 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 2: advocate to see this massive project through to completion, they're 118 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 2: going to have to have an understanding of that problem, 119 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 2: of the solution that's in place to that problem, and 120 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:09,679 Speaker 2: then be able to convey to policy makers how those 121 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 2: issues are symptoms of that water mismanagement affect them personally, 122 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:17,160 Speaker 2: their way of life, their business, anything like that, and 123 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 2: in doing so, we've been able to build a movement 124 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 2: of authentic voices of people who can simply say, this 125 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 2: is affecting me, this is affecting my business, my job, 126 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 2: our employees, our state's economy, a national treasure. And that's 127 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 2: really a message that coming from those individual people resonates. 128 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 2: It can't be denied by policymakers. And it's a lot 129 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 2: different than, you know, the message of a paid lobbyist 130 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 2: that's in there multiple times a week for any number 131 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 2: of issues. When when folks with you know, raccoonized sunglass 132 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 2: tands and scruffy beards and people who definitely do not 133 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:03,559 Speaker 2: look like they fit in in the halls of d 134 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 2: C show up, they get noticed, Yeah darn right. 135 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 1: And they can speak passionately about their issue, right, So 136 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:14,959 Speaker 1: absolutely tell it, tell a good story. 137 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 2: Yeah. And it's and it's they do because they're coming 138 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:26,320 Speaker 2: from such a pure place of somewhere they love or 139 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 2: their lifestyle or the future of of what shapes them 140 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 2: into the people they are. Being able to pass that 141 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 2: on to the next generation is at stake, and so 142 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 2: it's it's just it's just the you know, the old 143 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:44,079 Speaker 2: adage you fight to protect what you love and and 144 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 2: that's going to come through in that message of this 145 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:52,360 Speaker 2: is this is a genuine, honest, authentic movement that is 146 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 2: trying to save a place that's valuable not only to 147 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:58,840 Speaker 2: citizens of Florida, you know, fishing guides like myself, but 148 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 2: to people across the entire country and really around the world. 149 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:06,320 Speaker 2: I mean, the Everglades is an incredible place and it 150 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:11,320 Speaker 2: would be catastrophic to you know, to humanity to lose 151 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 2: it because of bad decisions by people. 152 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:18,800 Speaker 1: And what's going on right now like that, what's the 153 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 1: issue of the day that CAPTAINS is working on. I mean, 154 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,079 Speaker 1: obviously none of this stuff happens overnight. I'm going to 155 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:31,559 Speaker 1: go ahead and assume that all those Everglades restoration projects 156 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: have not been accomplished. Where are you at? 157 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 2: So when CAPTAINS was formed in twenty sixteen, well, I 158 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 2: guess backup. Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, we call SERP as 159 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:49,920 Speaker 2: for an acronym, SERP was put into law in the 160 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:53,960 Speaker 2: year two thousand. It was it was bipartisan effort between 161 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:58,000 Speaker 2: President Bill Clinton and Governor Jeb Bush. It's a state 162 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 2: and federal partnership to execute the largest ecosystem restoration project 163 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 2: in the history of our country and it's sixty eight 164 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:10,079 Speaker 2: infrastructure projects to again reconnect that flow, and it was 165 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,440 Speaker 2: estimated that it would take thirty years to complete. So 166 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 2: by twenty thirty they thought we would complete this. In 167 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:19,719 Speaker 2: twenty sixteen, not a single one of those sixty eight 168 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 2: projects were completed. Since then, you know, here will be 169 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 2: our organization will be ten years old this next February, 170 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:33,600 Speaker 2: February of twenty six We have now seen over the 171 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:38,679 Speaker 2: last eight years, record funding out of both Washington, d C. 172 00:11:39,559 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 2: And the State of Florida, year after year after year. 173 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 2: And that was really the way Everglades restoration was stalling. 174 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 2: It wasn't It wasn't the Army Corps of Engineers and 175 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:53,280 Speaker 2: the Water Management District, the agencies involved in building these 176 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:57,080 Speaker 2: projects weren't being funded to the capacity that they needed, 177 00:11:57,120 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 2: and so they just the projects weren't moving at the 178 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 2: right place. As a result of that massive public pressure, 179 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:06,640 Speaker 2: there's been more political will, and we've seen record funding 180 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 2: out of Governor Desanis out of both of his terms. 181 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:15,840 Speaker 2: We saw record funding from President Trump in his first 182 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:19,920 Speaker 2: term President Biden and then and then again out of 183 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 2: Trump's budget this year. So this is something that in 184 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 2: a world of very divided politics, we see massive support 185 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:32,839 Speaker 2: and it's a result of that public pressure. So where 186 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 2: we are today, over fifty five of those sixty eight 187 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:40,640 Speaker 2: projects are now well underway in construction or have been completed. 188 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 2: We have attended dozens of ribbon cuttings, groundbreakings, and everglades 189 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:52,240 Speaker 2: restoration is now really moving at a lightning pace. The 190 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:59,560 Speaker 2: reality is we have we have a single special interest opposition, 191 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:03,760 Speaker 2: and that's the industrial sugar industry. It's similar to kind 192 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:07,200 Speaker 2: of that issue with Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, where 193 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 2: you had a special interest pushing politically to get something 194 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 2: that really didn't benefit the United States citizens or the 195 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 2: citizens of Alaska as a whole, and could cause irreversible damage. 196 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 2: The sugar industry here benefits from the status quo of 197 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 2: water management. Water being held back in Lake Okachobee and 198 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 2: no longer able to flow south is almost like a 199 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:39,559 Speaker 2: guarantee of water supply to the sugar industry who's located 200 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:43,080 Speaker 2: primarily directly south of Lake okachobe So it's like that 201 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:46,960 Speaker 2: old archaic way of managing the lake treats the lake 202 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,960 Speaker 2: as a reservoir instead of a natural functioning part of 203 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:55,520 Speaker 2: the ecosystem, and the result of that old water management 204 00:13:55,600 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 2: was it throws off the balance of the entire everglade system. 205 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:02,840 Speaker 2: Too much water to the coasts, not enough water to 206 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:07,440 Speaker 2: the everglades. And so for a long time, you know, 207 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:11,280 Speaker 2: here in Florida and and in d C, the sugar industry, 208 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:17,960 Speaker 2: who's federally subsidized, has has massive tariffs on import sugar 209 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 2: that elevates the price the floor of their product. And 210 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 2: then through a number of subsidy issues, they're they're basically 211 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 2: able to make production of sugar in the United States 212 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,720 Speaker 2: much more valuable than in the other parts of the world, 213 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 2: and they take and they put that money back into politics. 214 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:43,240 Speaker 2: And it's it's something that for a long time, before 215 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:48,640 Speaker 2: people were involved, they were able to dictate the the 216 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 2: speed at which these happened through just political influence. And 217 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 2: so you know, we have now seen that that fight 218 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 2: is constant and it's kind of twofold. It's what it 219 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 2: really is is not about growing sugar, and it's it's 220 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 2: not about just restoring the everglades. The fight is really 221 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:12,160 Speaker 2: about controlling water and who controls the water. And you know, 222 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:16,520 Speaker 2: in Florida here water it's not like California and Florida. 223 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 2: Water is public, it's not privatized, and so there's this 224 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:26,680 Speaker 2: effort of how do how does the sugar industry, which 225 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 2: is two big corporations, really how do they get and 226 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 2: maintain as much control over that water as possible? And 227 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 2: that's really what the fight. They see that any water 228 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:41,200 Speaker 2: that is going to the Everglades is water that's not 229 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 2: available to them, and they, you know, they actually went 230 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 2: as far a couple of years ago to sue the 231 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:54,320 Speaker 2: Army Corps of Engineers, who's building the largest components of 232 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:58,000 Speaker 2: Everglades restoration. That the kind of cornerstone or heart of 233 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:02,359 Speaker 2: Everglades restoration being what's called the Glades Agricultural Area Reservoir. 234 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 2: I know, Cal you and I have talked about that before. 235 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 2: It's the EAA Reservoir. It's a reservoir that'll take Lake 236 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 2: Okeachobe's polluted water. We'll take it in during the wet 237 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:14,840 Speaker 2: season instead of discharging it to the coast, We'll clean 238 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:18,520 Speaker 2: it through filter marshes, through engineered wetlands, and then we'll 239 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 2: send that clean water back south to the Everglades in 240 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 2: the dry season to keep that ecosystem hydrated. They sued 241 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 2: the Army Corps of Engineers over the operations of that reservoir, 242 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 2: saying that you know, the core could build it, which 243 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:36,200 Speaker 2: is a four billion dollar reservoir that the taxpayers are 244 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 2: paying for, but that they should be entitled to that 245 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,960 Speaker 2: water rather before it would be sent to the Everglades. 246 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:48,160 Speaker 2: And they sued. We filed an amekas brief on behalf 247 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:52,440 Speaker 2: of the Army Corps. It went to the district court 248 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 2: in Miami, where they ruled in favor of the Corps. 249 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 2: They sent the judge there cited our brief, and then 250 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,840 Speaker 2: they appealed it and to the appellate court in Atlanta, 251 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:08,199 Speaker 2: and and they recently again ruled in favor of the 252 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:12,600 Speaker 2: Army Corps. So there's been these attempts legally and politically 253 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:17,639 Speaker 2: to control the water in Florida. And that's really the 254 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 2: big fight that those two big industrial sugar companies bring. 255 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 2: And that's the threat that everyglade's restoration has to overcome 256 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 2: over the decades to see it through to completion. And 257 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 2: so you know, where we are today is more progress 258 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,760 Speaker 2: than ever before, but under a constant threat of of 259 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,679 Speaker 2: you know that that progress being stalled or delayed and 260 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:45,480 Speaker 2: control the water being hijacked, and one of the things 261 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:50,639 Speaker 2: that's happening currently that's it's very similar to the public 262 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 2: lands issue or selling off of public lands, is the 263 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,840 Speaker 2: sugar industry is recently proposed to put a rock mine 264 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:05,200 Speaker 2: in the Everglades next to these big restoration projects, and 265 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:08,359 Speaker 2: a couple of issues. One is just the fact of 266 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:12,760 Speaker 2: forty years of mining in the Everglades can have detrimental 267 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:19,240 Speaker 2: ecological impacts, but it could also that EAA reservoir. To 268 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:22,160 Speaker 2: put into perspective for people, it's an above ground reservoir. 269 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:23,920 Speaker 2: So it has a thirty foot burm all the way 270 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 2: around it, and it's this you could put the island 271 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:30,960 Speaker 2: of Manhattan inside of it. It's ten thousand, six hundred acres. 272 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 2: It's massive, and so you've got this massive above ground reservoir, 273 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 2: and you can imagine what thirty or forty years of 274 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:42,639 Speaker 2: blasting one thousand feet away could do to the integrity 275 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 2: of that reservoir, could cause it to leak, and so 276 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:50,880 Speaker 2: real concerns there. But the bigger picture is they're selling 277 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:56,399 Speaker 2: this rock mine as a water resource project, saying, after 278 00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:59,679 Speaker 2: forty years of mining, we'll have this hole in the 279 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:01,879 Speaker 2: ground that it'll have water in it and then it 280 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:06,719 Speaker 2: can be available for restoration. And they're doing that because 281 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 2: mining rock mining in the Everglades in itself is prohibited 282 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:16,600 Speaker 2: unless it's for the purpose of building a restoration project. 283 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:19,680 Speaker 2: So they're trying to disguise this forty year long rock 284 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:23,400 Speaker 2: mine as this restoration project. And it's a massive fight. 285 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:28,040 Speaker 2: And the real long term goal there is not the 286 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,880 Speaker 2: eight hundred million dollars of aggregate that they would get 287 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:35,359 Speaker 2: out of that land, but is the setting the precedent 288 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 2: to what the future of that land will be. Will 289 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 2: it be available to restoration projects or will it become 290 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:45,720 Speaker 2: rock mines that then who controls that water that is 291 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 2: left over in those holes? And ultimately it's it's a 292 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 2: way for them to tactically gain control or privatize water 293 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:58,919 Speaker 2: that would be otherwise would be public water. And so 294 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:03,119 Speaker 2: it's a massive fight. It's just kind of unfortunately statis 295 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:05,159 Speaker 2: quo to what we're seeing now across the country is 296 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:11,119 Speaker 2: this effort by special interests to you know, take a 297 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 2: grab at public lands and public waters. And the only 298 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:19,280 Speaker 2: effective tool that we all have as Americans to push 299 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:21,640 Speaker 2: back against that is our collective voices. 300 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,919 Speaker 1: Chris can I ask what might be a dumb question, 301 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:31,560 Speaker 1: what does the sugar industry want with a rock mine? 302 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:37,800 Speaker 2: So they what is is they've got after decades of 303 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 2: farming in the EAA, the whole land south of Lake 304 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:45,120 Speaker 2: ok chob is very very fertile, like mock soil. It's 305 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:49,439 Speaker 2: peat soil. So when it's hydrated, it's like a sponge. 306 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:54,200 Speaker 2: After decades of a series of you dry it out, 307 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:56,800 Speaker 2: you know, you artificially drain it, you dry it, you 308 00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:59,640 Speaker 2: plant it, you flood it, what's happened is the soil 309 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:04,200 Speaker 2: subsides and oxidizes, and so the area in the south 310 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:09,840 Speaker 2: part there near these everglage restoration projects, they've actually lost 311 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,640 Speaker 2: up to eight feet of soil and they're hitting caproc 312 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 2: so it's no longer productive area to farm because there's 313 00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:20,400 Speaker 2: just not any dirt. So now they're looking at what 314 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 2: is the next resource they can extract from that land. 315 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:28,840 Speaker 2: And here there's limestone and that can be used for 316 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 2: building roads. And as we know, Florida as well as 317 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:35,520 Speaker 2: everywhere in the country, is being developed a lot faster 318 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:40,720 Speaker 2: than we would like to see it. But they're looking at, Okay, 319 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:44,679 Speaker 2: we can extract this limestone, but you're not allowed to 320 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:48,240 Speaker 2: mine in that area unless it's for restoration, So let's 321 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 2: call it a restoration project. So I think if you 322 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 2: look at it in a timeline, what is their goal 323 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 2: is in the next thirty years thirty five years would 324 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:00,720 Speaker 2: be to extract nearly a billion dollars worth of aggregate, 325 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:05,920 Speaker 2: sell that aggregate to the state and development, and then 326 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:11,680 Speaker 2: you would have a sixteen foot deep, eight thousand, six 327 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:15,240 Speaker 2: hundred acre series of holes in the ground that would 328 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 2: be holding water that then the question is who does 329 00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:21,400 Speaker 2: that water belong to? You know, this is on their 330 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:25,119 Speaker 2: land now. So I think the thirty year goal is 331 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:30,400 Speaker 2: a billion dollars of aggregate. The real goal is control 332 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:35,720 Speaker 2: of that much water. And here in Florida, it's it's 333 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:38,679 Speaker 2: almost like never ending. It's not just the capacity that 334 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 2: would be in that hole. You dig a hole a 335 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 2: couple of feet deep here, you hit water. So if 336 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 2: you've got this massive hole in the ground, you can 337 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:48,639 Speaker 2: pump water out of it. It almost like just keeps 338 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,440 Speaker 2: coming in. So that the long term goal is it's 339 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:55,720 Speaker 2: a it's an attempt to gain control over that water 340 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 2: and then really set the precedent for what will the 341 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:02,679 Speaker 2: rest of the six or six hundred thousand acres of 342 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:07,960 Speaker 2: Everglades agricultural area become when it becomes unfarmable, you know, 343 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 2: will it be rock mines and then developments or will 344 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:14,439 Speaker 2: it be able to be sold to the state to 345 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:19,480 Speaker 2: build actual restoration projects. And you know that's really there's 346 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:25,080 Speaker 2: a multi benefit layer to them. Not it doesn't benefit, 347 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 2: it actually harms the taxpayers. And the fact of can 348 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:33,160 Speaker 2: harm the ecosystem, can threaten everyglades's restoration, can threaten control 349 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 2: of the water being privatized. And then it also elevates 350 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:41,840 Speaker 2: the artificially elevates the value of that land. So if 351 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:44,000 Speaker 2: the state wanted to go in and buy ten thousand 352 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:47,280 Speaker 2: acres of land to build a filter marsh, the value 353 00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 2: that lands about ten to twelve thousand dollars an acre. Well, 354 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:52,520 Speaker 2: if now you can make the case that you can 355 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 2: mine it for a billion dollars, now the value that 356 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:58,320 Speaker 2: lands one hundred thousand dollars an acre. So now the 357 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 2: taxpayer's got to spend a billion dollars to acquire the 358 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:05,760 Speaker 2: land before you ever start building a restoration project. And 359 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:11,680 Speaker 2: so it could just lead to restoration in the future 360 00:24:11,720 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 2: of Everglades restoration almost becoming impossible because of the financial 361 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:17,679 Speaker 2: burden that would come along with it. 362 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: Gotcha, Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, it sounds like a 363 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:26,320 Speaker 1: real pivotal moment in Florida history right now, Like what 364 00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:27,680 Speaker 1: way do you want your state to go? 365 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 2: It is and you know, politically they're very, very powerful. 366 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:39,280 Speaker 2: They've been able to fast track this project through. You know, 367 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:44,200 Speaker 2: there was a law passed last year that changed the 368 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:51,920 Speaker 2: way that a unsolicited proposal goes through the process, where 369 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:57,359 Speaker 2: a normal Everglades restoration project, these projects are identified, they're 370 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 2: designed and developed by the Southfold Water Management District and 371 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 2: the Army Corps of Engineers, and then they seek contractors 372 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:10,000 Speaker 2: to build the designed project and those project designs goes 373 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 2: through years of vetting and studies and analysis to make 374 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:17,040 Speaker 2: sure that they don't have detrimental effects and that they 375 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 2: will in fact benefit Everglade's restoration. They take they go 376 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:25,760 Speaker 2: through years of stakeholder input. Everybody from fishing guides in 377 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:29,440 Speaker 2: the in the tourism industry to the industrial sugar industry. 378 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:34,399 Speaker 2: Everybody can come to the table there and that those 379 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 2: those projects are intentionally very long in their approach. This 380 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:46,679 Speaker 2: new unsolicited proposal process was put into law and it 381 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:52,400 Speaker 2: basically allows in this case, the landowner Sugar and the contractor, 382 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:55,880 Speaker 2: which would just be the contractor that would normally put out, 383 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:59,000 Speaker 2: you know, a bid on building these projects, to propose 384 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:03,240 Speaker 2: a project that wasn't identified or designed by those agencies, 385 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 2: and coincidentally, maybe maybe not, I don't really believe in coincidence, 386 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:13,280 Speaker 2: but when that law was passed forty eight hours later, 387 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:17,600 Speaker 2: this project was the first proposal to ever be put 388 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:24,360 Speaker 2: through that process. And the chain of events that happened 389 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:28,000 Speaker 2: we brought attention to this, something did not smell right. 390 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:34,600 Speaker 2: The applicant being Sugar, withdrew their application and then on 391 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:40,320 Speaker 2: Christmas Eve they sent a letter to the Water Management 392 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:46,640 Speaker 2: District to basically reinitiate this. And then on New Year's Eve, 393 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:50,639 Speaker 2: the executive director of the Water Management District sent a 394 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:55,080 Speaker 2: letter to the Zoning Commission in Palm Beach County, which 395 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 2: is where this project could be located, saying that this 396 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:01,919 Speaker 2: project could possible will be a resource project. And so 397 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 2: it was very suspicious and ever since then it's been 398 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:10,680 Speaker 2: fast tracked through the process, kind of rammed through, circumventing 399 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:14,320 Speaker 2: the public input part of it, and so we've really 400 00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:19,120 Speaker 2: been ringing the alarm bells and and recently it's it's 401 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:21,919 Speaker 2: gone viral. We put one of our videos of one 402 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 2: of those interactions now is approaching four million views on YouTube. 403 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:31,719 Speaker 2: And so it's something that the public is furious about 404 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:35,800 Speaker 2: that it's not acceptable, and it's now it's just been 405 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 2: moving at such a fast paced through the political process 406 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,840 Speaker 2: that you know, the public is saying, like, we need 407 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 2: to we need to stop and and put put the 408 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 2: brakes on this thing and make and analyze it to 409 00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:53,119 Speaker 2: see what the actual impacts could be. And so now 410 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 2: now that's kind of our our biggest focus and biggest battle, 411 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 2: and ultimately it's going to come down to DP revoking 412 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:06,639 Speaker 2: that permit or the governor weighing in and saying, you know, 413 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:12,119 Speaker 2: this could threaten Everglades restoration and we're not going to 414 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,440 Speaker 2: move forward with this. You think about that eight thousand 415 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:18,639 Speaker 2: plus acres would be really valuable if they wanted to 416 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,159 Speaker 2: turn it into a filter marsh, and that's something that 417 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 2: could be built in a couple of years and we'd 418 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:29,439 Speaker 2: have a functioning, you know, restoration project that would be 419 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 2: cleaning water within a few years versus forty years of 420 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:34,520 Speaker 2: rock mining. 421 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:40,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, and so the trade off that they're offering, I imagine, 422 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:42,440 Speaker 1: right is we're going to provide x amount of jobs 423 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:46,560 Speaker 1: for X amount of time. There's probably some sort of 424 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:55,760 Speaker 1: agreement to fund restoration and other places, or that's typically 425 00:28:55,840 --> 00:29:00,480 Speaker 1: part of these puzzles somehow, someway as that tracking down there. 426 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:03,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, close the jobs thing. Yes, they're saying that 427 00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 2: this will create one hundred and forty jobs. So in 428 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:14,040 Speaker 2: the world of jobs supported by our ecosystem in Florida, like, 429 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:19,480 Speaker 2: that's not even measurable. I mean, the EAA reservoir construction, 430 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:22,400 Speaker 2: which is like a ten year project, is estimated to 431 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:27,520 Speaker 2: create seventy thousand jobs. So one hundred and forty jobs 432 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 2: is It's just it doesn't even compute the. 433 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:38,240 Speaker 1: That seventy thousand job number. That's probably not direct ditch 434 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 1: digging on the resume. 435 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 2: No, no, it's not. It's a it's a and that's 436 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:46,480 Speaker 2: the number from the water management district in the Army Corps. 437 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,400 Speaker 2: But it's probably direct jobs as far as actual workers 438 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 2: on the ground. And then the fact that you know 439 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 2: all of the infrastructure, the trucking, the hotels, everything that 440 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:03,240 Speaker 2: goes along with that, all the way to the engineers 441 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:07,840 Speaker 2: and scientists and stuff that are analyzing it in other areas. 442 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:12,160 Speaker 2: But that's their number. As far as like the funding 443 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:15,479 Speaker 2: part or funding restoration. The way this is being sold 444 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:22,760 Speaker 2: is they will pay for the startup and then they 445 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:28,000 Speaker 2: would turn it over to the state to take on 446 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:32,960 Speaker 2: the cost of the actual restoration project forty years from now. However, 447 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,760 Speaker 2: we've seen this exact scenario with a different reservoir on 448 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:40,080 Speaker 2: the East Coast called the C fifty one Reservoir, where 449 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 2: they proposed it as a public private partnership same way 450 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:48,560 Speaker 2: as this, and said that the landowner and the applicant 451 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:52,880 Speaker 2: would carry the cost. Once they got approval, they went 452 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 2: back to the legislature for funding the very next year, 453 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:01,240 Speaker 2: and so now that project has cost the taxpayers of 454 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 2: Florida almost three hundred million dollars one year. They went 455 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:08,440 Speaker 2: and asked the legislature for fifty million, and the legislature 456 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:10,719 Speaker 2: gave them one hundred million, game twice as much as 457 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:14,600 Speaker 2: they asked for. So we know we know how this 458 00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:17,760 Speaker 2: game works. You're going to propose it saying we're going 459 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:21,000 Speaker 2: to provide this this project, and then when we're done, 460 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:23,160 Speaker 2: we'll turn it over and at that point the taxpayers 461 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,400 Speaker 2: will pay for it. But what will really happen is 462 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:27,640 Speaker 2: once they get the green light, they'll go back to 463 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:31,640 Speaker 2: the legislature, which they are one of the top political 464 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:34,600 Speaker 2: donors you know, across the board on both sides of 465 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:38,200 Speaker 2: the aisle, and they'll put in a funding request for 466 00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:41,160 Speaker 2: appropriations and next thing you know, this will be a 467 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:47,040 Speaker 2: taxpayer funded rock mine that has little to no benefit 468 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:50,200 Speaker 2: to the taxpayers. And so it's it's a it's a 469 00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:54,520 Speaker 2: tactic to further subsidize the actions of one of the 470 00:31:54,520 --> 00:32:00,040 Speaker 2: most heavily subsidized you know, companies or or u s 471 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:03,360 Speaker 2: interest in the nation. And that's just that's just kind 472 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:04,240 Speaker 2: of their their mo. 473 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:08,640 Speaker 1: Everybody's got patience to wait forty years and see what 474 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:13,320 Speaker 1: happens on good faith, right, that's got to be that's 475 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:16,720 Speaker 1: got to be on your side. What so, what what 476 00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 1: can folks do right now? How do they how do 477 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,960 Speaker 1: they learn more? And uh, how do they get involved? 478 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:25,200 Speaker 2: Chris, Yeah, thank you for that. I think that the 479 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:28,040 Speaker 2: best thing is is visit Captains for Clean Water. You 480 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 2: can go to our website or follow us on social 481 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:35,760 Speaker 2: if you don't already all of this content we put out. 482 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:40,520 Speaker 2: As you guys know, the key to to really creating 483 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:43,880 Speaker 2: public pressure is to engage on that content. If you 484 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:46,520 Speaker 2: if you see these videos and stuff we put out 485 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:51,560 Speaker 2: about this, like it, share it, comment on it, let 486 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:55,680 Speaker 2: policymakers know how valuable the Everglades is. And then also 487 00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:58,520 Speaker 2: if you're interested in in the biggest value is people 488 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:02,080 Speaker 2: having a better understanding and opportunities like this to talk 489 00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:06,880 Speaker 2: to you guys, to give people long format information about 490 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 2: these issues. This we're talking about Everglades restoration as a 491 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:12,720 Speaker 2: whole and some of the current struggles. But we just 492 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:16,160 Speaker 2: launched a podcast, Captains for Clean Water podcast. It is 493 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 2: on all your typical platforms that you would typically get 494 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:23,920 Speaker 2: a podcast, as well as on YouTube, and we do 495 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:28,160 Speaker 2: incorporate videos and stuff of some of these interactions at 496 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 2: these agencies. So YouTube is a great place to to 497 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:34,960 Speaker 2: get the full picture. But the very first podcast we 498 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:38,800 Speaker 2: ever did, What is about This Rock Mine and Episode one, 499 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:42,440 Speaker 2: and so I think those ways, you know, plug in 500 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:46,920 Speaker 2: with us on our social follow us, you know, follow 501 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:50,400 Speaker 2: us on on YouTube and listen to that podcast and 502 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:53,400 Speaker 2: educate yourself and engage in the fight and add your 503 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:56,320 Speaker 2: voice to the movement to save the Everglades. 504 00:33:57,280 --> 00:34:00,959 Speaker 1: You got a stake in this right and as I 505 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:06,320 Speaker 1: say often these days, if you're not willing to speak 506 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:09,080 Speaker 1: for it for yourself. Somebody else is going to be 507 00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:10,719 Speaker 1: in that room doing it and you may not like 508 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:15,319 Speaker 1: what they say. You're absolutely learn more. Get involved. Sounds 509 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:18,920 Speaker 1: like captains will help you with the tools you need 510 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:24,480 Speaker 1: to confidently stand up there and say your piece. So 511 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:27,000 Speaker 1: what's the fish and report down there, Chris. 512 00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:31,880 Speaker 2: Fishing is actually great. Yeah, it's been a fantastic tarpin season. 513 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:36,439 Speaker 2: The red fish and snook bite is very very good 514 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:41,920 Speaker 2: right now. And you know, I think that's a great 515 00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:46,960 Speaker 2: way to leave this conversation. Is the even though we've 516 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:53,480 Speaker 2: seen such significant decline and impact in these ecosystems, the 517 00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:57,439 Speaker 2: Everglades is still such an incredible fishery and is still 518 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:02,480 Speaker 2: so resilient. If we give these places like the Everglades 519 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:07,280 Speaker 2: the opportunity to be in recovery, they will recover and 520 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:13,360 Speaker 2: and the fishing is great. It's it's just reinforces why 521 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:17,520 Speaker 2: we fight so hard to save this place, because there's 522 00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:19,919 Speaker 2: there's no place like it. If you if you've ever 523 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:24,040 Speaker 2: chased tarpin on a fly in in the Glades, you 524 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:27,080 Speaker 2: know exactly what I'm talking about. And uh, if you 525 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:31,080 Speaker 2: haven't and you're a fly fisherman, it should absolutely be 526 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:32,160 Speaker 2: on your bucket list. 527 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:35,480 Speaker 1: Darn right, man, this it's shaping up to be the 528 00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 1: second year in a row. I haven't gone down there. 529 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:41,960 Speaker 1: And man, once he once, he kind of make it 530 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:45,080 Speaker 1: part of your schedule. It's kind of a necessary thing. 531 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:48,040 Speaker 1: It's just a different place. Once you're out on the water, 532 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:53,760 Speaker 1: you're not gonna lie. Florida traffic is brutal, brutal, brutal, brutal. 533 00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:57,080 Speaker 2: It's to me, it's it's my elk hunting. It's like, 534 00:35:57,160 --> 00:35:59,960 Speaker 2: once you do it, that's part of your life forever. 535 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:04,120 Speaker 2: And uh, you know, whatever struggles it takes to get 536 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:06,920 Speaker 2: to that point, to be on that mountaintop or be 537 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:09,680 Speaker 2: in the in the in the depths of the Everglades, 538 00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:12,520 Speaker 2: it's it's once you're there, it's it's worth it and 539 00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:13,279 Speaker 2: it changes you. 540 00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:16,440 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, man. And and you know, we're talking about 541 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:21,040 Speaker 1: this massive public lands steel that we're in. It is 542 00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:24,440 Speaker 1: no different than than the water steel, right. And and 543 00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:28,400 Speaker 1: if folks over there could contextualize the fact that they 544 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:32,319 Speaker 1: could walk out to that boat slip, have all their 545 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:37,799 Speaker 1: gear ready to roll, and that ocean's been privatized, that 546 00:36:37,880 --> 00:36:42,480 Speaker 1: bay has been privatized, that river estuary has been private, privatized, 547 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,319 Speaker 1: and you can no longer go out there that that's 548 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:48,839 Speaker 1: what we're dealing with out here in the West right now. 549 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:53,120 Speaker 1: And and those are the places that for the folks 550 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:56,560 Speaker 1: who can't stand that traffic and the congestion, like we need. 551 00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:59,799 Speaker 3: That stuff to to survive, right we do need Fine, 552 00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:03,160 Speaker 3: that's it's like that, that's our it's it's you know, 553 00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:05,720 Speaker 3: we make the argument a lot of times with policy 554 00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:10,120 Speaker 3: makers the economic value, because that's a language they understand. 555 00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:14,320 Speaker 2: But to us, it's it's a spiritual value. It's it's 556 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:16,440 Speaker 2: like who we are. It's where you go to to 557 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:20,359 Speaker 2: be yourself. And without that, it's kind of like you're 558 00:37:20,480 --> 00:37:25,360 Speaker 2: you're completely lost. And so no, it's it's you know, 559 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:29,080 Speaker 2: it's it's a lesson that you know, I learned too late. 560 00:37:29,239 --> 00:37:32,759 Speaker 2: I believe I'm born and raised here, fourth generation. I 561 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:34,600 Speaker 2: grew up on an island. It was a fishing guide 562 00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:38,040 Speaker 2: and it took until I was in my you know, 563 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:40,719 Speaker 2: late thirties to get involved in this. But don't ever 564 00:37:41,400 --> 00:37:44,680 Speaker 2: assume that somebody else is going to protect and save 565 00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:51,200 Speaker 2: something you love. You. If there's a something impacting something 566 00:37:51,239 --> 00:37:54,759 Speaker 2: you care about, you damn well better be part of 567 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,920 Speaker 2: that effort, if you expect to to see it, you know, 568 00:37:58,200 --> 00:37:59,120 Speaker 2: last in the future. 569 00:38:00,239 --> 00:38:03,560 Speaker 1: That's right, man. And I think another important takeaway for 570 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:07,799 Speaker 1: people is if you're thinking, don't worry all the way 571 00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:11,640 Speaker 1: in next election cycle, you're basically saying you're going to 572 00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:15,839 Speaker 1: give up on a lot of good stuff before mid 573 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:19,200 Speaker 1: terms or the next big election, right. 574 00:38:19,360 --> 00:38:23,439 Speaker 2: And and and if you have this old mindset of oh, 575 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:26,440 Speaker 2: it's it's one side that you know, it's it's the 576 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,640 Speaker 2: Republican side or the Democrat side, like that's not how 577 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:32,240 Speaker 2: politics works. That's exactly what they want you to believe. 578 00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:38,560 Speaker 2: The reality is massive, powerful special interests. They work, they 579 00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:41,880 Speaker 2: have ties across both sides of the aisle, whoever's in powers, 580 00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:46,839 Speaker 2: who they're leveraging. And there's no political party that's going 581 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:50,600 Speaker 2: to come to your rescue. There's no single organization that's 582 00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:53,160 Speaker 2: going to come to your rescue. The only thing that 583 00:38:53,239 --> 00:38:58,560 Speaker 2: will come to rescue these places and special areas is 584 00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:01,520 Speaker 2: the collective voice of the people. And that's it if 585 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:04,279 Speaker 2: we demand, if we demand it, and then there is 586 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:08,560 Speaker 2: you start putting your eggs in one political party or 587 00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:12,080 Speaker 2: the other, or or whatever it's, you will lose. You 588 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:13,440 Speaker 2: absolutely will lose. 589 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:16,680 Speaker 1: Darn right well, Thanks a bunch, Chris. We'll get you 590 00:39:16,719 --> 00:39:20,600 Speaker 1: back on here for some updates. If all these awesome 591 00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:26,200 Speaker 1: listeners have any questions for Captain Chris Whitman, you can 592 00:39:26,239 --> 00:39:29,600 Speaker 1: get a hold of him directly at Captains for Clean Water. 593 00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:31,799 Speaker 1: But if you want to reach out to ask c 594 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:34,920 Speaker 1: A l. That's Askcal at the Meteater dot com. We 595 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:38,799 Speaker 1: will him back on to answer those, or we can 596 00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:41,240 Speaker 1: connect with them and answer them here on the show. 597 00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:44,960 Speaker 1: Thanks a bunch, Chris, keep fighting a good fight, keep 598 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:48,279 Speaker 1: us posted, and we'll talk to you again soon. 599 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:58,359 Speaker 2: Thank you Kyle, Thank you Jordan. Appreciate the opportunity.