Saturday, December 27, 2014

Tsolkas in the Post

Everglades EarthFirst! leader Panagioti Tsolkas wrote a Commentary article in the Palm Beach Post today, answering the Post's editorial supporting the Scripps/Kolter project for the Briger Tract. If you have been following the Briger drama, this is akin to waving the white flag. Mr. Tsolkas makes some good points but mostly the commentary is a rehash of old history. The train, as they say, has left the station. From the Commentary by Mr. Tsolkas:
Now that clearing land has begun on Briger, and the developers know that Everglades Earth First! and the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition have been collecting data (and using motion-detecting cameras which, I might add, are much more reliable for detecting wildlife than supposed “snake-sniffing dogs”), they have admitted to the presence of 75 tortoises in the area where the current work is anticipated to have an impact.

This new information places the actual number of burrows in Briger at likely over a hundred, with each one providing habitat for literally hundreds of other species — including some of Florida’s most endangered critters. It’s also worth noting that gopher tortoises are on the brink of being uplisted from “Threatened” status to “Endangered,” for the exact reason of developments like this.
I am sure that all of their work is not "results oriented" and adheres to all scientific and biological research protocols and methods. Remember, this group was the one that said nothing should be done at the beach due to the presence of ancient archeological resources, including the possibility of human remains. None were ever found during the process that was overseen by archeological experts.

No mention of that battery in the lake