Green Options

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Let’s just forget about restoring the Everglades, OK? And all those hundreds of thousands of acres of natural lands that Florida has acquired over the years under the conservation-aimed Florida Forever program? Who needs ‘em? Tourists mostly come to the state for that mouse in Orlando anyway, and if the locals want nature, they can plant some palms in their backyards, right?

If that’s not how you feel — and I certainly don’t — now’s the time to send a message to your elected officials in Florida asking them to reconsider what could certainly be described as the political equivalent of cutting off your nose to spite your face: a plan to address the state’s legitimately serious financial troubles by allotting zero dollars — that’s ZERO — for  the Florida Forever conservation program and Everglades restoration.

For all of Southwest Florida’s problems (congestion, a troubled real-estate market, etc.), apathy about the environment doesn’t seem to be one of them.

According to a recent telephone poll by Audubon of Florida, 91 percent of Naples/Ft. Myers residents believe the concerns of wildlife, and not just people, need to be considered when planning for development and growth. Seventy-six percent of those polled added the natural environment is very important to the quality of their life.