Miami Waterkeeper comes to Shake-A-Leg to Discuss how we will Protect our Waterways
By Zoe Diederich
The Miami Waterkeeper is a nonprofit organization based in Miami, with a mission to protect the city’s water through spreading awareness, conducting research, and reaching out to the community. The Miami Waterkeeper has advocated for the human right of clean and safe access to “swimmable, drinkable, and fishable water for all.”
South Florida is home to not only some of the East Coast’s most popular tourism, which drags in millions of guests to the beaches yearly, but it is also home to Biscayne Bay, home to thousands of marine wildlife and protected organisms. Therefore, with an increase in construction, activity via cruise ship ports, private vessels, and total population rise, the Miami Waterkeeper stepped to protect the beauty of Miami.
Miami’s waterways, limestone geology and low-sea level have always been of concern to the city’s economy and housing situation. But what about the environment? It is through rescuing endangered animals, preventing harmful construction projects, and restoration of animal habitats, that the Miami waterkeeper has used both science and advocacy to allow South Florida to simultaneously grow with the environment. Today, the Water Keeper Alliance informs the public through social media about harmful levels of pollutants at locations across the city and even other waterways around the world. Humans have the right to access clean water, so why not protect it?
