We saw a remarkable example of the ecological imagination bear fruit in Sarasota. The brainchild of a few people who paid attention to need - an overflowing, failed drainage system - and to potential - digging water retention on a huge scale - and to inspiration - piling up the muck to create a large plateau.
That sort of attention made the Celery Fields a place of public safety (from flood), public health (340 acres to walk, exercise) and general well being (for birds, nesting areas; for people, birding areas).
At the moment the Celery Fields was maturing into a thriving natural asset, drawing people from overseas to its Audubon Nature Center, a developer nearly persuaded the Board, its planning department, and two of our five commissioners (Moran & Maio) to approve building a huge open-air dump next to the nesting areas of the Celery Fields.
It took a community to turn away that big money exploitation.
Ecological imagination won out thanks to the people who live here. It was a close call. The environment will lose out to the rampant growth pursued by Pat Neal, James Gabbert, Carlos Beruff, Gary Kompothecras, Rex Jensen and their myriad mechanical minions if we don't feed, seed, and cultivate the ecology of our political imagination.
Vote wisely.
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