Jimmy Buffett impressed me in 1981 and died a year ago on September 1; although he is no longer alive, he impressed me again last week.
I had just discovered Buffett in the early 1980s when he released an album called Somewhere Over China. The best song on the tape was also called Somewhere Over China, and it got me so hooked that I played it over and over until the tape wore out.
(That’s what they did. That’s why someone invented the CD, which is no longer as popular as albums, which was the reason cassettes were no longer popular in the first place.)
Buffett is often portrayed as a man in tropical luxury. Several of his album covers show him lying in a hammock, strumming a guitar. He has sung about being an aging pirate, about being a sailor’s son, about being a Floridian, about trying to reason with hurricane season.
Who knows? I don’t know.
When I finished listening to the song “Somewhere Over China,” I had no idea that in addition to producing that album, Buffett also founded the Save the Manatee Club with former Florida Governor Bob Graham.
The club was founded because water quality issues threaten the survival of manatees, and its mission is to protect manatees and their aquatic habitat through education, advocacy and research.
Save the Manatee Club has become the world’s leading manatee conservation organization, and Buffett quietly served as co-chairman of the organization until his death, using his influence, money, and time along the way.
Chief Parrothead has done much for Florida’s environment.
Buffett testified before Congress in support of reauthorizing the Endangered Species Act, citing the West Indian manatee as an example of a species that has benefited from protection.
Of course, Buffett supports nonprofits dedicated to protecting coral reef ecosystems when he works with the band Coral Reef. (You mean his band name has another meaning?)
Buffett helped raise funds for disaster relief after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. He supported Florida’s “Save the Manatee” license plate. Buffett starred in public service announcements and used his concerts to raise money for waterway signs to protect manatees from speeding boats.
For two decades, Buffett has served on the board of the Everglades Foundation, a nonprofit environmental organization that serves as a member of other nonprofit environmental organizations, and whose work is currently focused on restoring the Everglades, which may not happen until the end of the Anthropocene.
While singing “Take It Easy,” Buffett is also working to secure the future of several of Florida’s iconic species. He continues to use his influence to support environmental causes related to ocean conservation, water quality and protecting Florida’s ecosystems.
Then, on September 1, 2023, Jimmy William Buffett Jr. died.
Will. Isn’t this a surprise?
A few months ago, Buffett’s will was filed in the Palm Beach County Courthouse, and once again, I was impressed by this man.
That was what he wrote halfway through his will. It was not a clause about copyright or royalties from his career, but a rare special clause. It asked for something related to his hobbies that would use the fruits of his career to become financially viable.
Buffett has made it clear that he wants his businesses and properties to always be environmentally friendly.
Credit where credit is due: For my interpretation of the environmental clause in Buffett’s will, I turned to the “Behind the Scenes Blog” of Kristen Stapleton, a retired reporter for the Palm Beach Post who can’t seem to stop writing—and for whom I have great admiration—and who now writes extensive commentaries on a range of topics, combining opinion and fact, often touching on the realm of environmental politics.
After recounting the above in a recent letter, Stapleton asked:
“Who would do that?” she wrote in The Backstory blog. “Who would consider the environmental condition of their business and estate when drafting their will? Or the future environmental condition of their business and estate? Who would approve future expenditures to protect their business and estate from environmental harm, even without the threat of litigation or government action?”
I think it’s Jimmy Buffett. That’s what I’m going to say.
“Despite his rock-and-pop songs about goofing around in the Florida Keys, drinking and smoking marijuana, Buffett is a brilliant entrepreneur who cares deeply about protecting the environment, especially in Florida,” Stapleton wrote.
Inspire others?
There is a common misconception that environmental journalists are environmentalists, like activists like Greenpeace or Jimmy Buffett.
You can’t do that. There’s a law of journalism, a proper law, that says you have to be objective at heart, and that’s hard enough to do unless you’re overly passionate about what you’re reporting.
Environmental journalists are a group of professionals who, through luck, fate or desire, have entered a field of researching, analyzing and producing mass communications about earth sciences or the natural environment in which we live, including air, water, soil and climate.
Is the city hall reporter a secret politician? Is the police reporter an undercover cop? Is the school board reporter a night school teacher? Of course not.
reporter yes Allow yourself to be human, and in doing so, appreciate the passion some people have for their profession or hobby.
That’s what I did here.
I believe that Jimmy Buffett has a belief in his heart that by using environmental clauses in his will to ensure stewardship of natural resources, he will inspire others to do the same.
Now we join WGCU’s Water Quality Report Start with what Jimmy Buffett would like us to do.
Red Tide
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sampled red tide organisms. Karenia brevisthere have been no positive test results statewide.
No fish kills suspected to be related to red tide have been reported in the past week, and no respiratory irritation symptoms related to harmful algal blooms have been reported in Florida in the past week.
The Sanibel Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic has taken in a laughing gull that was hospitalized for exposure to red tide toxins. The animal is still receiving treatment. Although the number is high, it is significantly reduced compared to previous weeks.
Blue-green algae
Florida health departments have not reported blue algae in the area since Tropical Storm Debbie passed through.
The agency reminded residents that winds and tides tend to push components of cyanobacteria around, so people in the area should be alert for potentially toxic algal blooms.
Approximately 50% of Lake Okeechobee has low to moderate bloom potential, and blooms are widespread.
FDEP said it’s important to remember that the potential for cyanobacteria can change due to rapid changes in environmental conditions or satellite inconsistencies.
What is red tide?
Red tide is a harmful algal bloom caused by high concentrations of toxic dinoflagellates Klebsiella breviswhich is a microscopic algae in the Gulf of Mexico.
Red tides usually form naturally offshore, usually in late summer or early fall, and are carried to coastal waters by wind and ocean currents. Once offshore, these opportunistic organisms can take advantage of nearshore nutrient sources to fuel their growth.
Flowering usually continues into winter or spring, but in some cases can last for more than a year.
Are red tides harmful?
Klebsiella brevis It produces potent neurotoxins that are harmful to both wildlife and human health. Wind and wave action can damage K. brevis cells and release toxins into the air. That’s why you should monitor conditions and stay away from beaches infested with red tide.
During red tide outbreaks, people in coastal areas may experience varying degrees of eye, nose and throat irritation. Some people with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma or chronic lung disease may experience more severe symptoms.
Red tide toxins can also affect the central nervous systems of fish and other marine life, causing fish kills.
What causes red tide?
Red tides form naturally, but recent studies have found that humans can make them last longer or become stronger by injecting other nutrients into them. But biology (living things), chemistry (natural or artificial growth nutrients), and physics (concentration and transport mechanisms) interact to produce algal blooms. No single factor causes red tides to form.
What is Cyanobacteria?
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are a class of organisms that can live in fresh, salt or brackish water.
Large collections of cyanobacteria, called blooms, can change the color of water to blue, green, brown, orange, or red. Some blooms look like foam, scum, or mats on the surface of freshwater lakes and ponds. As the algae in a bloom die, the water may smell like something that was naturally smelly is now rotting.
Is blue algae harmful?
Different types of cyanobacteria look different and have different effects. However, regardless of the type, many types produce toxins that can make you or your pet sick or may cause skin and eye irritation if swallowed.
FDEP recommends not entering waters where algae is noticeably spotted or clump together or where the water is discolored. Pets or livestock should not come in contact with algal bloom material or fish in water or on shorelines affected by algal blooms. If contact occurs, wash the animal immediately.
What causes blue algae?
A cyanobacteria bloom occurs when the normally present cyanobacteria exceed normal levels. Within a few days, the bloom can cause clear water to become cloudy.
Winds tend to push floating blooms toward shore, where they become more noticeable. Cyanobacteria blooms can form in warm, slow-moving waters that are rich in nutrients. Blooms can occur at any time, but most often occur in late summer or early fall.
If any major type of water quality alert is issued, you can find details here WGCU’s Water Quality Report.
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