From
Julia and Peter Seyffert in Florida , August 15,
2008:
The
biggest Floating Island we have in the works is
a 22foot diameter island at Sarasota Bay Club.
This one offered us a bit of a challenge to maintain.
So, Bruce Kania, inventor and warrantor of Floating
Islands is making the trip from Montana to engineer
a solution for Sustainable Ecosystems and the
client.
On
Monday August 18 Bruce will be in town and is
also providing a launch seminar at 3:30 pm at
Rosemary Court . He will be sharing the latest
in research data and application sites around
the world. RSVP to Julia Seyffert 941.351.2591
as seating is limited in this venue.
Wednesday
August 20th we will be in Tallahassee , where
the DEP (Dept. of Environmental Protection) is
coordinating a presentation with Bruce. The City
of Tallahassee has a need for islands to filter
some of their problem ponds and their representatives
will be in attendance. Attendees from Lake Watch
, Univ. of Florida and the NW Florida Water Management
District are also expected in attendance.
We
are getting everyone on the same page (or island)
about Water Stewardship!
We
have also offered to test islands in salt water
using Sarasota Bay . We have a 25 sq.ft. island
with three large pockets, ready for planting as
soon as we have a site arranged along the bayfront.
Ringling College may be the recipient of this
island once the school year is in motion.
Last
year (on 07/07/07) we launched an island into
the pond at Gillespie Park . Commissioner Fredd
Atkins was there to assist us in the launching.
The island has naturalized and is doing very well.
In fact, it has more than doubled in size with
the emergence of a volunteer aquatic plant (genus:Polygonum,
species as yet unidentified) which exceeds the
old boundaries and makes a nice habitat for the
turtles. Visit lovely Gillespie Park and check
it out.
* * * * * * *
Sustainable
Ecosystems for the Planet (SEFTP) combines products
from Floating Island International and Aquascape
Inc. as a solution for cleaning our local waters
effectively, naturally and safely. SEFTP designs
and builds natural water systems using the latest
constructed wetland technologies. The islands
we create are made from recycled plastics products
and can be placed in any body of water to act
as highly efficient bio-filters, or BioHavens™.
Functioning as floating wetlands, they are capable
of drastically diminishing contaminants such as:
nitrates, phosphates, ammonia, and harmful algae
blooms.
It
is easy to see in this picture how much
surface area is provided for microbes. This
is exactly how Floating Islands work in
the field. Roots grow into the water, which
is conveniently shaded and cooled by the
island structure. |
In
addition to cleansing the water, Floating Islands
provide habitat for fish, waterfowl, and other
native species above and below the water line.
The islands and the plant roots growing through
the islands, provide a breeding ground for beneficial
microbes which remove greater percentages of contaminants
than plants in typical wetland settings. The microbes
flourish in water and populate more readily than
they do in mud. The islands also have the ability
to sequester heavy metals and trap other sediments
that build up in problem ponds.
Launching
a 250 sq ft Floating Island. This BioHaven
provides the same filtration surface area
as an acre of constructed wetland!
Islands
can be used for cash crops, providing very low
cost farming practices. Islands provide breeding
habitats and become supermarkets for fish. They
can be used in salt water, again as massive bio-filters,
to naturalize and beautify coastlines while offering
wave attenuation. Extremely buoyant, they can
be tied together and anchored and provide habitat
for humans as well as animals and plants. Sustainable
Ecosystems is committed to the development of
holistic systems designed to enhance aquatic environments
on our planet. We are dedicated to the creative
and responsible management of water resources
and motivated by our appreciation of the interconnectedness
of all life. It is our ambition to make the world
a healthier place for all.
Some
Floating Island/Wetlands Terminology:
Biomimetics
- The science of using natural systems as models
for man-made systems. We ask the question: “How
does Nature do this?” and find ways to replicate
it. Floating Islands are, of course, an example
of this. Another example of biomimicry is seen
with Velcro™ because it biomimics sandspurs.
Eutrophication - The process whereby water bodies
receive excess nutrients that stimulate excessive
plant growth, including harmful algal blooms (red
tide).
Dead
Zone: Any body of water which has become devoid
of oxygen, and eutrophied so that it can no longer
support a balanced ecosystem is called a dead
zone. There is a large dead zone in the Gulf of
Mexico (and many more around the planet) resulting
from the nutrients poured into it by the Mississippi
River, which gathers up polluted water right from
its headwaters. How do we restore dead zones?
One floating island at a time!
Zero
Land Accommodation: A very significant feature
of floating islands is their ability to create
wetlands without taking up any existing land.
This is known as Zero Land Accommodation.
Also
of note to gardeners: with most of the detritus
gathering on the island there are two additional
benefits to this model: 1) islands are self mulching
and 2) fewer nutrients return to the water than
in traditional surface flow wetlands. This makes
Floating Treatment Wetlands a much lower maintenance
solution than traditionally constructed wetlands.
National
Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA),
in New Zealand, published a 95 page report on
the effectiveness of Floating Treatment Wetlands.
Ask us for the full report in .pdf format on CD.
We
propose a new model for retention ponds, one which
imitates nature by using Floating Islands. There
is great promise in using islands in tributaries
such as Philippi Creek and the bayous along Sarasota’s
coastline. Floating Islands will remove nutrients
before they feed the harmful algal blooms in the
Gulf of Mexico. Launching islands directly into
areas of Sarasota bay is a possibility we want
to pursue. Managing our watersheds with systems
that mimic nature is the most efficient way to
create cleaner waterways. We CAN give red tide
some serious competition for nutrients.
And we will do it, one archipelago at a time.
|
