Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch surveys area rivers from a plan piloted by her husband, Ed Lippisch. (Go-Cam photo from Ed Lippisch)
Her shocking photos of Lake Okeechobee’s polluted, dirty water fouling the St. Lucie River, the Indian River Lagoon and the turquoise Atlantic propelled Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch to Facebook fame on the Treasure Coast. Her several-times-daily posts on Facebook about river issues, history and rallies keep the Sewall’s Point Town Commissioner in the spotlight.
The Army Corps of Engineers and South Florida Water Management District, which jointly manage the lake, began dumping excess lake water in May. Now the east and west coast rivers are overwhelmed with blooms of toxic, blue-green algae dangerous to people and wildlife. And no end to the releases is in sight.
Ms. Thurlow-Lippisch made a big splash at state Sen. Joe Negron’s hearings on the river when she suggested Florida should condemn the land it needs to create a flow-way south of the lake.
The Guardians, a group that fights to preserve “the Martin County difference” through planning for future growth, has joined the “Save Our Rivers” campaign and is posting photos, videos and reports on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, along with following Ms. Thurlow-Lippisch’s activities.
Find links to river action activities here.
Ms. Thurlow-Lippisch, organizer of the River Coalition’s activist children, the “River Kidz,” speaks anywhere she’s asked these days. At a women-for-the-river rally luncheon. At the Sugarland rally in Clewiston Sept. 1, where hundreds of residents worried about the Caloosahatchee, the St. Lucie and the Indian River Lagoon gathered at the first-ever east-west coast demonstration.
On Facebook, she posts river bacteria counts, history lessons, and suggests words such as “riverlution” to describe the battle. She adds links to other websites aimed at educating her peers. “You’ve got to hand it to Mrs. Maggy Hurchalla,” she writes on the Save the Indian River Lagoon Facebook page Wednesday (Sept. 4.) “…72 and fighting for the river like a young soldier. See her new web site at www.rivercrisis.com/.”
Her good manners, unusual among social media users, have her posting public “thank yous” to the Clewiston mayor, Sen.Negron, and anyone who works to help the rivers.
She even cheerfully posted a Palm Beach County blogger’s attack accusing Martin politicians of “Communist tactics” for suggesting using the state’s powers of eminent domain as a solution.
So, is she considering running for a public office beyond Sewall’s Point? Maybe the state legislature, which could use a few well-informed river warriors?
“I’m trying to think how best to fit in,” she said in a telephone interview. “I’ve watched some of the new legislators, and see how they are pressured to vote the party line…and if you don’t support the party agenda or the party will, the party won’t support you.
“I don’t know if I’d be willing to conform (to that) for years…maybe I would do better working from the wings.”
She confesses to a “fantasy of running for governor” but said she realizes that takes more money, time and organization than she has.
She is heartened that the city of Stuart endorses her suggestion that the state condemn land south of Lake Okeechobee for a flow-way and said she’s shocked that sugar industry and agricultural business representatives who own the land haven’t “come together to do something” sooner.
She supports programs already planned, she said, “but we’re talking about amounts of water we can’t even imagine.” The public has to push for more water going south, she said, more storage north of the lake and for changing laws that allow big farms to pollute.
“We need to toughen laws on polluters,” she said.
As others have begun to realize, Ms. Thurlow-Lippisch knows there’s no quick and easy solution. “If we have a core group of committed people willing to stick together for 10 years” to fight for changes, she believes, the problems can be solved.
A noble ambition, for sure. Ms. Thurlow-Lippisch shows she can use social media to cultivate the political clout needed to help turn Facebook posts into a movement for change. And she’s gathering a fan club. Keep an eye on her.
Sally Swartz is a former member of The Post Editorial Board. Her e-mail address is sdswartz42@att.net