Fall in Love with Biscayne Bay
Mention Biscayne Bay to those who have visited and you will get a common reaction: a sigh of longing and a declaration of love for the resource. Keeping Biscayne Bay and the rest of the greater Everglades ecosystem pristine is largely the responsibility of the National Park Service, Miami-Dade County, and other federal and state agencies. Sometimes these protectors are at odds with each other over the future of Biscayne Bay.
One such instance of this conflict was over the redevelopment of the Homestead Air Force Base, which lasted for eight years and influenced the 2000 presidential election. Everglades Betrayal - The Issue that Defeated Al Gore is a tale of the events that led to the reckless proposal that would have destroyed the soundscape of Biscayne Bay and the events that led to the proposal’s defeat. In the process, everyone on both sides of the argument learned more about the special qualities of Biscayne Bay and gained appreciation for keeping those qualities untouched.
Biscayne Bay contains four interrelated ecosystems: the mangrove shoreline, estuarine bay, barrier islands, and coral reef. All of these systems depend on each other in a delicate balance. As described in Everglades Betrayal, the area’s soundscape is key to both the natural habitat and to the experiences visitors have while on Biscayne Bay. Just as humans are affected by noise, so too are animals. Although it is a new science, measuring sounds in an area to determine the soundscape was essential to the discussions that are described in Everglades Betrayal. Even more perplexing is determining what the natural soundscape should be, that is, the soundscape that would exist if human-caused noise were not present. This equation, too, is described in Everglades Betrayal.
Readers interested in learning about a recent struggle to protect Biscayne Bay and her resources will enjoy Everglades Betrayal, which is now available online. In addition, readers will be visiting Biscayne Bay in the process.
