An Old Lion Of Wetlands Is Roaring Mad

By DANIEL RUTH

Published: Jun 28, 2007

There's one old lion of the environmental movement who may have entered into the winter of his life, but he is still capable of a bellowing growl in the face of political buffoonery.

When the Hillsborough County Commission voted last week to end decades of local wetlands protection, Roger Stewart, perhaps this area's most ardent environmental champion, was of a mind to punch a few noses.

And even with a dicey 82-year-old ticker, he still might.

For 30 years, until his retirement in 2000, Stewart ran the county's Environmental Protection Commission, which gained a national reputation for its tough-minded effectiveness.

Or put another way, Stewart's EPC staff actually did its job. Whatta concept!

So as he sat in his Antioch home and watched commissioners begin to dismantle 30 years of work, 30 years of dedication to duty, 30 years of a much admired legacy, Stewart felt beleaguered.

Protecting The Public

"Oh, it's terrible," he said. "I don't know how to describe it.

"We are protecting the public."

Begun under Stewart and continued by his successor, Richard Garrity, the EPC program imposed stricter rules for destroying wetlands than state regulations demand of developers.

You'll not be surprised to know developers have lobbied for years to have the wetlands fuddy-duddies shut down.

And as luck would have it, the developers found a quartet of willing environmental flunkies to do their bidding when Commissioners Ken Hagan, Jim Norman, Kevin White and, of course, Brian Blair, all voted to abolish the wetlands protection program.

"They're derelict in their duty," Stewart snapped.

White, who has received $40,000 in campaign contributions from development interests, was adamant that his "vote can't be bought." Perhaps not, but renting is a whole other matter.

Purely Scientific

"I'm a basket case," a much embittered Stewart said, noting that the argument for abolishing the local wetlands protection program because it duplicates the functions of state agencies and organizations such as the Southwest Florida Water Management District is at best specious.

The management district "and the state will not aggressively pursue wetlands protection," Stewart argued. "They are political bodies we didn't vote for."

The county wetlands preservation efforts, Stewart said, "are purely scientific. It's the only reliable protection."

In 1974, Stewart became something of a national cause celebre when he was featured on "60 Minutes" exposing widespread pollution flowing into Tampa Bay.

For embarrassing his commission bosses, Stewart was canned, only to win back his job after a more embarrassing public outcry.

Stewart's wise judgment on the environment made him an icon in green circles.

Asked what would have happened had he still been running the EPC, Stewart chuckled. "I probably would have been fired again.

"Still, I miss being there," Stewart said of his old job. "It's wrenching."

A final commission vote on turning the county's wetlands over to cement mixers could come next month. Public comment, though hardly welcomed, will be heard.

The old lion's gait may have slowed, but he still might have one more prowl left in him.