Back in the 1980’s Al Bernetti, the executive director and founder of the National Teen Angler Program, a 501 (C) 3 for middle and high school teens interested in boating and fishing, (www.teenanglers.org), volunteered as Vice President and subsequently President of the Alligator Lake Chain Homeowners Association. A six-lake chain in Osceola County, The Alligator Chain of Lakes should be of interest to all Floridians because it is an integral part of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes,

"The headwaters of the Everglades".

Mark Perry of the Florida Oceanographic Institute has said that

" Pollution that starts here ends up in the Everglades".

So it should come as no surprise that Al’s still fighting for clean water.

Al’s recent battles with Osceola county and state agencies over protection for the Kissimmee water shed is but just another chapter in his book.

Recently a restoration and storm water retention project designed and funded by Al

On a bay that serves Alligator Lake was destroyed by Osceola County Staff, before it was 6 months old.

I recently caught up with Al having lunch overlooking the Ft. Pierce Inlet,

And posed some questions:

Question: How did you feel knowing that Osceola County would fight you tooth and nail, rather than work together, over correcting the stormwater run-off problem killing the bay by your home?

Astonished is the first word that comes to mind. Back in the 80’s there were lots of Backward thinking agency staffers at the county and state level, but to realize that in the 21^st century our teen anglers are better educated in point and non point source pollution is mind-boggling.

Question: What do you think other people would do if they went to their favorite fishing spot only to find all the fish were gone?

Funny you should ask that Rodney, that’s one of the 1^st education sessions that the teens go through. If we are to have a healthy resource in the future we must be pro-active now. I would hope that your readers wouldn’t wait until it was that bad, we need to step up every time we see a problem and hold the responsible parties accountable, that’s the "Teen Angler Way".

Question: How did you come to these conclusions Al?

Sitting in on hundreds of inter agency meetings and commission workshops, has taught me that "we" the anglers are the ones that really care and we must not be "asleep at the wheel", Florida’s resources are too important, they are Florida’s lifeblood.

Question: So Osceola County’s Engineering Dept. destroyed an environmentally sound and water habitat protecting project you had put your money, time and heart into after they had approved it?

Yes, as a matter of fact I wouldn’t even have known they were tearing it out if I hadn’t come by just by chance. No notice or communication of any kind.

Question: Why do you think this type of anti-environment event happens and how do you feel about it?

We have to remember that for years everytime Osceola did a "Lake Drawdown", the mind set was " Flush the toilet send it South and let them deal with it" and Osceola would start with a clean lake so to speak. Too many drawdowns in too short a period of time shows that something isn’t right.

But to answer your question,

In my opinion, in Osceola County, there’s usually a very well connected person behind the scenes. We now have to find out who that person is.

But we must remember the staff of these agencies see a paycheck and pension first. We have a different mindset; we do this for love not for money. We are not getting paid.

I feel that if the only objective, before anyone could leave the negotiating table, was to hammer out a solution that included what was best for the resource first, we wouldn’t have these problems. But that will never happen.

The agencies and staffer’s love to use the term " Best Management Practice"

Sometimes their best management practice is in how they throw that phrase around.

It needs to be implemented a lot more than it is.

The little guy needs Coastal Angler Magazine, some place that he can turn to get the word out, otherwise the problems never see the light of day and that’s a tragedy.

Question: How can we learn from your experience and change it for the better?

1^st and foremost send an email to each of these county commissioners and tell them to

"Stop Polluting Alligator Lake". These commissioners are brand new and just elected,

If there is a chance for change it will come from them. They are 3 out of 5 commissioners and that’s a majority.

Fred Hawkins- fhaw@osceola.org

Michael Harford- michael.harford@osceola.org

Brandon Arrington- barr@osceola.org

Let them know that what they do effects everyone in Florida.

Where else are you going to find that commitment? Nowhere!

This issue is so important to our teen anglers and Florida’s future that we are producing an episode of teen angler television, a video documentary highlighting what teen anglers did for the resource and what Osceola, D.E.P. and South Florida Water Management did to the resource. We will use it as part of our teen angler environmental education sessions.

This teen angler episode will also be available to schools as well as other organizations that have an interest in the outdoors and how to better take care of it.

We all live down stream and we must do better.