Last week I attended a workshop titled Just Add Water.  The objective, as stated in the agenda, was to “identify and explore promising strategies to promote landowner participation in Everglades and costal ecosystems restoration.”  Also on the agenda were code words like “Lake Okeechobee Watershed” and “conservation.”  Generally these terms mean you’re fixin’ to get screwed to Florida cattle ranchers.  With great skepticism, other cattle ranchers and I listened to speakers from the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA), a representative from the 10 County Coalition for Responsible Management of Lake Okeechobee, a field researcher from Resources for the Future (RFF), and others.  To my surprise these folks were looking for partners in conservation projects instead of condemning our cattle operations.I suppose a little background about the state of Florida’s plumbing is necessary.  In a nutshell - just north of Orlando, in the center of the peninsula, begins a system of lakes and creeks flowing south that eventually end up in Lake Okeechobee.  From there water travels out of the lake into either the Everglades or the Atlantic Ocean off the southeast coast via a few rivers, estuaries, etc.  (Two sentences, not to shabby!).  Over the last hundred years or so an intricate system of canals and dykes has been built to swiftly drain excess water away making it suitable for agriculture and urban development.  This was necessary due to the fact that Florida receives an average of 50 inches of rain per year, most of it coming in the 3 summer months, and the terrain is flat.  So what made it possible for all these folks to move to Florida – drained land or the invention of air conditioning?  That’s another topic.

Land free from seasonal flooding lent itself to more urban development, cattle pasture, vegetable farms, and citrus groves.  And then the evil plant macronutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, reared their ugly heads.  They have been traveling unimpeded right down to the Everglades and Atlantic coast causing a myriad of problems.  The main culprit of phosphorus and nitrogen pollution is debatable, but what is for sure is that the federal and state governments are going to do something about it.  You see, phosphorus is an eccentric nutrient. “P”, as his friends call him, wants to make a slow journey, take in the local fare, and maybe just stay a while – get attached to a native plant’s root like back in the old days.  When “P” is rushed southward it gets angry and causes blue-green algae blooms and such.  Nitrogen is blamed for skin lesions, tumors and death of dolphins, sea turtles, and manatees.  Nobody likes that.

 Over the last 4 years a study, conducted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) through the Florida Ranchlands Environmental Services Project (FRESP), “concluded that the [government] agencies could buy these environmental [water management] services from cattle ranchers at a lower cost than producing the services by building new public works projects.”  Hmm…cattle ranchers can complete projects cheaper than the government?  No way, I’m stunned.  Essentially cattle ranchers would change water management practices (i.e. flood pasture land) to ensure a better natural uptake of phosphorus and nitrogen. Subsequently ranchers would be compensated for the loss of grazing.  Coastal ecosystems and the Everglades would benefit and restoration could begin.

The moral of the story young producers is this – not all environmental, conservation, and/or wildlife organizations are made up of card carrying anti-agriculture activist with tie-dyed shirts and ratty hair.  There are a few (e.g. ORCA and WWF) with extremely intelligent individuals at the helm steering them in the direction of common sense solutions.  As cattle ranchers we know that we are great stewards of the land.  Now we may go a step further and be part of an environmental restoration plan.  I will remain skeptical until someone shows me a check for water management services, but I see promise in the current activities of those researching the possibilities.  Hi I’m Ricky, cattle rancher and marine conservationist (sounds very sexy doesn’t it!).  You westerners may have more experience with similar programs.  Let me know what you think.