At the recent Environment “Essential Activities Workshop” held at the Orlando Science Center, Project Consultant Michael Gallis shared with participants images showing the Central Florida region has one of the most complex environmental settings of any urban region in North America.

More than 100 participants learned about our region’s environment in terms of the interaction and significance of the natural systems, as well as how the region fits into the global and continental ecosystems.

As residents of the United States “Lightning Capital,” we already know that our environment is unique. In our region, thunderstorms produce more than a million lightning strikes a year, killing an average of 10 people and causing damaging wildfires.

And that’s not all. Where else do you see a 150-foot-wide sinkhole swallow trees, pipelines and sidewalks, forcing the evacuation of two buildings in an apartment complex? Recently, Central Florida experienced its second-largest sinkhole. A 15-foot-wide sinkhole collapsed part of Interstate 4 in Lake Mary, about 15 miles north of Orlando, causing traffic delays for days while crews worked around the clock to repair the hole. Sinkholes occur when sand beneath the surface begins to erode and falls into underlying limestone cavities, causing the surface to collapse. Several factors may contribute to the collapse, including drought, excessive water pumping, traffic or construction.

Despite recent heavy rains, our region faces a more serious problem – the drinking-water supply could run out in as little as five years. Water management officials have warned that as populations and their demands increase, it will become more and more difficult to supply potable water to people without harming lakes, rivers, streams, springs and marshes. District hydrologists had relied on population projections provided by utility companies predicting water demand in Central Florida would not exceed supply until 2020, but officials at the St. Johns River Water Management District estimate those levels will be reached by 2006.

Click map to enlarge

These few examples are proof the Central Florida environment is unique. As you can see in this map, Central Florida’s location - in the transition zone between the coastal plains and the tropical wetlands, has an extremely variegated pattern of physical and natural features. Unlike more uniform parts of the state, Central Florida’s rivers, ridges, ecology and drainage patterns vary greatly inside a small and tightly interwoven transition zones.

There are many wonderful assets that need conservation and protection, including an extensive series of parks and conservation areas, the largest being the Ocala National Forest with over 380,000 acres. Hundreds of species of birds, animals and marine life coexist within the infrastructure of space and technology on Merritt Island and Cape Canaveral. Marshes, saw palmetto and scrub vegetation cover the Central Florida region, along with 1,500 acres of citrus groves planted by early settlers. More than 200 species of birds live in Central Florida year around, and the number increases with winter migration. Additionally, this region is home to a variety of endangered species such as the southern bald eagle, the brown pelican, peregrine falcons, manatees, and green sea turtles, among others.

The region’s environmental systems form a foundation for its economy and quality of life. In most regions of the United States, the environment affects the quality of life, but the Central Florida economy actually depends on it.

To review the Environment Workshop notes, the list of participants or to know more about any of the 13 areas of study, go to www.myregion.org. If you have any comments or suggestions, you may contact Shelley Lauten, Project Director, at 407.835.2444 or Toll Free at 1-800-900-5315.