Page 26 - CFANOct13

THE FLORIDA- a g r i e d u
GEORGIA WATER FEATURE |

FIGHT: HOW WATER

RIGHTS IMPACT
FLORIDA’S OYSTER PCFB'S

INDUSTRY

IN THE LATEST EPISODE in a decades-long

water fight, Florida filed a lawsuit against Georgia in
the U.S. Supreme Court over use of water from a shared AG TEACHER

river basin. At issue is whether Georgia’s consumption
of water has deprived Florida of fresh water needed

to support its oyster industry. The lawsuit comes just of the Year
months after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA) issued a fishery disaster dec-
laration for Florida’s oysters.

The Florida-Georgia water dispute, which also in-

volves Alabama, centers on a river system that starts in Challenging Kids Through Ag Education
Georgia and flows through Alabama and into Florida,
I
where it empties into the Apalachicola Bay. The Bay
is the home of Florida’s oyster industry, which is now by MICHAEL “JAMIE” SELF, Ed.D.

facing total collapse. Georgia contends that ongoing
droughts and overharvesting of oysters are to blame,

while Florida officials claim that upstream water use by
metropolitan Atlanta has deprived the Bay of fresh wa- N SOME WAYS, ERICA MORSE has been preparing to be in agriculture
education her whole life. Ag was a part of her family life and upbringing. Her dad
ter and increased salinity.
worked for the Mosaic Company, and the family raised horses on their property. She also
Previously, all three states have been involved in showed cattle growing up— just like she teaches her students to do now.
litigation and negotiations related to Georgia’s right to

use water for the growing Atlanta area. In 2011, the
11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Geor-
Morse is quick to advocate for the Morse originally pursued her degree
gia, allowing Georgia to use water for Atlanta’s drink- broader scope of Ag education, pointing in business from Webber International
ing supply. The Supreme Court declined to review that
out the stilted perception the public University. While there, she was a substitute
decision, and the current lawsuit seeks injunctive relief
against Georgia to stop its allegedly excessive water may have about the subject. teacher for the Polk County School Board.
“Sometimes people have She enjoyed teaching, working with
consumption to the detriment of downstream users.
a limited or even slightly children, and being a valuable help to
The present lawsuit demonstrates the increasing negative view of ag education, people. So, after graduating she got her
difficulties of sharing finite resources such as water, and
like we just raise animals certification to teach and took a position
the need to strike an appropriate balance between the to show, but it’s more in Reading education.
demands of urban growth and the needs of downstream
about challenging kids She kept her eyes open for opportunities
ecosystems. The tilt of the balance is impacted by poli- to grow personally and closer to her passion and applied for an ag
tics, law, and the influence of advocacy groups in-
to be career-ready,”
teaching position at Lake Gibson Middle
volved in both. As with many other significant
explains Morse.
School. After five years in the position,
legal issues faced by Flor-
Morse has been selected as the Polk County
ida’s farmers today, all
Farm Bureau Outstanding Agriculture
these influences con- Teacher of the Year. “It’s crazy,” says Morse,
verge in the courts
“because there are so many good Ag
whose decisions
teachers and I was selected.”
SHE KEPT HER
can make or break
The Polk County Farm Bureau EYES OPEN for
recognizes outstanding programs and a sector of the
opportunities closer industry.
individuals who advance the interests to her passion and
of farmers and ranchers in Polk. The by DOUGLAS LOCKWOOD, III
applied for an ag
organization is part of the larger Florida
teaching position at
Farm Bureau, with more than 147,000 Lake Gibson Middle
member-families representing Farm BIO: A Winter Haven native, Doug received his B.S. degree in 1975 from
School.
Duke University and his law degree in 1979 from Stetson University.
Bureaus in 60 Florida counties.
Doug currently practices in Peterson & Myers, P.A.’s Winter Haven office.

26 | CFAN
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