The Green Swamp is the second largest ecosystem in Florida. It’s a regional treasure.
The area is a patchwork of pine flatwoods, cypress domes and hardwood swamps. It provides critical habitat for a variety of animals including a number of threatened or endangered species such as the scrub jay, American kestrel, gopher tortoises and the Florida burrowing owl.
Thanks to statewide preservation efforts and about $138 million of your tax money, we can all still enjoy a thriving habitat there.
Why would we risk that for a landfill that we don’t need?
Angelo’s proposed landfill is adjacent to Green Swamp and the 34,000-acre West Wildlife Management Area.
Landfills bring with them increased traffic, nuisance animals, windblown debris and the potential for leachate releases, all of which could negatively impact the health and safety of wildlife populations.
A leachate release has the potential to destroy a wetland. It would contaminate the water system and could poison surrounding animal populations.
But at least that is faster than dying of starvation.
A variety of animals are drawn to landfill trash because it’s easy food. Unfortunately, many die from consuming non-biodegradable materials such as plastic bags. These items can cause blockage that it if didn’t kill the animal outright, it would slowly starve it to death.
Angelo’s estimates that about 1,000 trucks per day would come and go through this site. Increased traffic equals more dead animals.
Additionally, landfills attract their own forms of wildlife, such as nuisance birds, rodents and insects. These animals damage native wildlife populations by competing with them for food or exposing them to deadly parasites and disease.