Today is Earth Day, and the Caloosahatchee River is 100 pounds lighter, so to speak, than it was before Megan Parsons and her friends got together last weekend for one of the region's first Earth Day celebrations and cleanups.
Parsons, an Army Corps of Engineers park ranger, organized a trash pickup in Alva around the W.P. Franklin Lock, which her agency uses to control the river’s water level and to prevent saltwater intrusion from the Gulf 33 miles downstream.
"Earth Day to me means basically being a good steward of the land," Parsons said. "I mean, everybody can do their part. Even if we're just picking up a few pieces of trash here and there, I mean, it makes all the difference in the world."
In an unfortunate moment of unforeseen timing unrelated to the volunteer work Parsons and her friends were doing last weekend, the agencies that create the regulatory environmental framework that Earth Day celebrates are in jeopardy.
Some say that's a good thing; others say it's a horrible idea.
The first Earth Day in April 1970 was a shot at developing the nation’s environmental awareness. It hit its mark, leading to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency later that year.
The Trump Administration, however, is wide open about its current plans to sideline the federal agencies that comprise the backbone of Earth Day.
That includes the EPA, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, among other environmental agencies.
The Trump Administration is attempting to roll back many of the Environmental Protection Agency's regulations and reduce the agency’s authority.
Some believe it’s about time, and they think many of the policies are overly restrictive and burdensome on businesses, particularly in the fossil fuel industry.
Many others don’t share the current administration’s views.
Opponents of the Trump Administration's plans believe that if the EPA, NOAA, NASA, and the USDA have to absorb huge reductions in staff, crippling budget cuts, and offices shuttered nationwide the agencies would become impotent.
And that would create a more toxic, more polluted America, a country whose population would appear to be running full speed in the direction of the intersection of "climate change" and "irreversible."
If successful, Earth Day 2026 may arrive in a far different environment.
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
Sign up for WGCU's monthly environmental newsletter, the Green Flash, today.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
