Trout Lake Nature Center leads conversation about growth, water, conservation at symposium

EUSTIS — Trout Lake Nature Center brought area environmentalists together Saturday for a conservation symposium to explore ways to create a better future for Lake County's green spaces and waterways.

The event saw representatives from 15 groups that independently tackle various local environmental issues to discuss current challenges and find ways to work together. Supporters of state parks, the Audubon Society and nature councils were joined by groups less well known for their conservation efforts, such as the Tri-City branch of the NAACP and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

These disparate groups have found many areas of common interest, and that environmental causes in particular can link everyone in often surprising ways.

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Beverly Ward, the event's keynote speaker, addressed that kind of unexpected interconnection. Ward is an anthropologist and former professor at the University of South Florida whose research focused on urban transportation and disadvantaged communities, but she addressed the event as a representative of Earthcare, a Quaker ministry.

Ward discussed environmental justice, which includes designing and enforcing rules while respecting and including disadvantaged communities — which often shoulder a disproportionate burden. Ward showed that Lake County grew twice as fast as the rest of Florida between 2010 and 2020, and that managing that growth — including roads, housing, pollution mitigation and green space - can use improvement.

"We don't always make good decisions on how we build, what we use to build and where we build," said Ward. "Are the people who live in the communities engaged in the process? Are they coming up with the solutions that they're going to have to live with? Quite often we get a lot of top-down, heavy handed decision making rather than going to communities and saying 'What are the issues and how would you like to see them addressed?'"

The symposium also brought three area experts to discuss water and open space issues in Lake County: Ron Hart, former executive director of the Lake County Water Authority, Rick Ault of Keep Clermont Rural and University of Florida professor Mark Hostetler.

Hart opened with a talk about improving the water quality in the Harris Chain of Lakes, and the effects of runoff and climate change on area waters. He said that increased heat and heavier draws on the aquifer result in shallower - and therefore less healthy - lakes and streams.

He also addressed House Bill 1105, the controversial move to change the Lake County Water Authority from an independent body with elected members to a group under the county commission, who would also appoint the board members. That bill, proposed by State Rep. Keith Truenow, has passed the legislature and now awaits review from Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Hart was deeply concerned about the changes and suggested that new scheme could allow for abuses of power if the agency loses independence.

"There has been some very negative legislation that has been introduced to alter, impact the agency," said Hart. "I don't think this is necessarily good for Lake County nor is it good for conservation"

Rick Ault took issue with how growth has been handled, especially in South Lake. He said there is no formal consensus over the meaning of "open space" or "green space," and that developers easily find loopholes to define backyards or subdivision common areas in ways that allow for more even more houses.

Ault also pointed out the absurdity of new bike lanes on roads with no bike racks on parking areas.

"Where I live, Walmart in Clermont is surrounded by a road network that's all newer so its all got bike lanes on it. They've got three or four big apartment complexes within a quarter mile. There is no bike rack in that store. Give people a way to not have to get into their car," said Ault.

Both Hart and Ault remarked that no politician will say they are against conservation, but its up to the people to follow the voting records and see who actually stands up for the environment.

Mark Hofstetler addressed a similar issue, known as green washing, when builders and planners market their projects as environmentally sound but do little in the way of action to ensure those claims are well founded.

He emphasized that good planning was important, but without proper construction and management there can't be smart growth. For example, he said, there are incentives in place to create "no mow" retention ponds, which are allowed to act as small spots of wilderness with native vegetation. But if homeowners associations aren't properly informed and monitored, they will mow over the plants and destroy the environmental benefits.

"If you have the public involved, you have the building professionals involved and you have policy makers involved, that's when it works," he said.

That was a key takeaway for many — getting people more engaged can lead to better environmental outcomes. Susan Fetter, of the Lake County Conservation Council, said environmental organizations need to be attracting and educating people.

"Find something happening that touches you," she said. "Its hard to know all of the underlying things going on that make things the way they are, and the more you start learning you will find something to get excited about."

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Nature center hosts symposium on environmental issues in Lake County