Hands Across The Sand - stories, photos, video

Looking back at the replay, it almost looks like Ft. Desoto whipped our butts. Not only did they seem to have more people, but they seemed gosh darn almost "organized". Surely the Beaches of SoWal can play that game. We demand a recount... let's see if DeSoto (wherever that's at) can field more HATS than we can, in the middle of March. I bet, if we did it again, pooled our resources, our handshakes, (and rented a dad-bum helicopter!) We could beat that beach...

Lots of people in the Tampa Bay area, many of them retired and staffing multiple orgs like Sierra Club, Audubon, etc. Plenty of youth movement also.

YouTube- Hands Across The Sand protest at Fred HowardPark

oh I love this one! the people held hands in a big circle.

Lots of people in the Tampa Bay area, many of them retired and staffing multiple orgs like Sierra Club, Audubon, etc. Plenty of youth movement also.

That doesn't necessarily mean we can't trash talk them into a "duel to the dune", handshake to handshake...Maybe they get more hands on the board, but do they get that dramatic flyby we will get...

A special thank you to Kurt for your tireless and organized efforts to run sowal.com so everyone can have a common meeting ground, stay informed, and offer info. It is addicting and alot of fun. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and a curtsy to the moderators as well. God bless you, or don't worry be happy, whichever appeals to you.

Don't worry about the friendship requests, just click the thank you button :funn:;-)

A special thank you to Kurt for your tireless and organized efforts to run sowal.com so everyone can have a common meeting ground, stay informed, and offer info. It is addicting and alot of fun. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and a curtsy to the moderators as well. God bless you, or don't worry be happy, whichever appeals to you.

Don't worry about the friendship requests, just click the thank you button :funn:;-)

Thank the stars for wireless netbooks. It would be hard to run this baby from the beach without one.

Hands Across The Sand in Destin, Florida behind the Whale's Tale.
- video by Chris Clauson

YouTube- Hands Across The Sand in Destin, Florida

Also provided to 30a TV by Chris
Watch "Floridians Join Hands Across The Sand to Protest Oil Drilling"

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Thank you for being there

Join us wednesday at Bud & Alley's to meet an Anti drilling Senator!

Meet Florida Senator Dave Aronberg with us at Bud & Alley's Restaurant this Wednesday at 5:30 p.m! Senator Aronberg is running for Attorney General and has been a vocal opponent of drilling for oil in Florida's waters

Thanks for the invite Dave- any yummy specials? Finger foods?

Yes! good stuff as always!!

We will provide lots of free good eats and Senator Aronberg is an amazing person when you meet him. A great leader and a very personable Senator. He was the first Legislator to call me and offer his support of Hands Across The Sand. Let's help him on his quest to become Attorney General!!

Photos and story from further south. It was a great day for the state of Florida.

Activists unite on beach in protest against oil drilling - Miami-Dade - MiamiHerald.com

Jacksonville Beach photo

we were there-3 of us at Seaside and it was beautiful. i asked about t-shirts but forgot who to pm. my husband wants a large. i'll post pix when i get my camera back-hubby borrowed.

we were there-3 of us at Seaside and it was beautiful. i asked about t-shirts but forgot who to pm. my husband wants a large. i'll post pix when i get my camera back-hubby borrowed.

Shirts will continue to be sold at the Seaside Farmers Market. There are currently about 40 dated shirts remaining. The next batches will not have a date.

Bumper stickers coming soon too.

Here are some pics from Ed Walline. Great turnout!

Also posted a link to more:

Picasa Web Albums - Bobby - Hands across ...

Ha! I see me! I hate crowds but this is important enough that I came out anyway.

Here's my pics

Blue Mountain Beach
Hands Across The Sand
February 13, 2010

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Gidget your pictures are so cool. Thanks for always posting something that makes one smile!!!!!

One More Reason

One More Reason Oil Spills Are Bad: Surface Cleanup can Make it Worse for Fish Below
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04.13.09
Travel & Nature
Buzz up!

oil spill cleanup
Photo: Getty

Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Right?
A study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry points to something pretty shocking: One of the usual methods of cleaning up an oil spill can help save birds and marine animals on the surface of the water, but it makes things worse for life below. The culprits are chemical dispersing agents that are used to make the oil "bead up into tiny droplets that can mix into the water and disperse into deeper layers. Underwater currents can then theoretically dilute the oil and its risk to the environment."

But while these detergent-based chemicals might look like they make a big difference to use, looking at the scene from above the water, they can apparently cause lots of harm to fish.

From Discovery News:

Dispersion spares surface-dwelling animals, such as birds and otters. But as oil drifts downward, it falls on fish and on the eggs that are stuck to surfaces or buried in the sediment.

To find out just how dangerous dispersed oil might be to fish, Hodson and colleagues performed a series of laboratory experiments with beakers that were meant to simulate contaminated lakes. In all of the beakers, the scientists mixed water with diesel oil, then added newly hatched trout embryos. In some beakers, the scientists added a dispersing agent. [...]

Exposure to dispersed oil doesn't kill a lot of fish, Hodson added. Instead, it either kills eggs before they hatch or leads to damage or deformities in juvenile fish. Compared to the horrifying appearance of oil-drenched birds on beaches, it can be hard to catch the attention of the public -- or even of cleanup managers -- with such subtle and hidden health effects.

"What he's saying, and he's correct, is that it could be way more fish fingerlings or eggs that are impacted than you'd ever impact birds," Kinner said. "It kind of adds fuel to the discussion."

Watch out for protesters. One rammed our table at the Seaside Farmer's Market yesterday with his hover round.

One More Reason Oil Spills Are Bad: Surface Cleanup can Make it Worse for Fish Below
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04.13.09
Travel & Nature
Buzz up!

oil spill cleanup
Photo: Getty

Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Right?
A study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry points to something pretty shocking: One of the usual methods of cleaning up an oil spill can help save birds and marine animals on the surface of the water, but it makes things worse for life below. The culprits are chemical dispersing agents that are used to make the oil "bead up into tiny droplets that can mix into the water and disperse into deeper layers. Underwater currents can then theoretically dilute the oil and its risk to the environment."

But while these detergent-based chemicals might look like they make a big difference to use, looking at the scene from above the water, they can apparently cause lots of harm to fish.

From Discovery News:

Dispersion spares surface-dwelling animals, such as birds and otters. But as oil drifts downward, it falls on fish and on the eggs that are stuck to surfaces or buried in the sediment.

To find out just how dangerous dispersed oil might be to fish, Hodson and colleagues performed a series of laboratory experiments with beakers that were meant to simulate contaminated lakes. In all of the beakers, the scientists mixed water with diesel oil, then added newly hatched trout embryos. In some beakers, the scientists added a dispersing agent. [...]

Exposure to dispersed oil doesn't kill a lot of fish, Hodson added. Instead, it either kills eggs before they hatch or leads to damage or deformities in juvenile fish. Compared to the horrifying appearance of oil-drenched birds on beaches, it can be hard to catch the attention of the public -- or even of cleanup managers -- with such subtle and hidden health effects.

"What he's saying, and he's correct, is that it could be way more fish fingerlings or eggs that are impacted than you'd ever impact birds," Kinner said. "It kind of adds fuel to the discussion."

Thanks for posting this. I had wondered about this more than once when listening to news reports of oil spill "cleanups".

Dave vs Sarah Palin

Orlando Sentinel ? Beach Beat

It promises to be one of the hot topics during the upcoming session of the Florida Legislature: a debate over opening up the Florida coast to oil and gas drilling.
Last weekend, thousands of people gathered at 80 different beaches for Hands Across the Sands, a rally organized against drilling.

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A final tally isn?t available, but turnout was well into the thousands, said founding organizer Dave Rauschkolb.
The largest gathering, between St. Pete Beach and Desoto, included 2.500 people and featured speeches from both Democratic and Republic officials who support maintaining the ban. At least 400 people turned out at Seaside Beach on the Panhandle, the beach closest to Rauschkolb. And there are scores of photos on Facebook featuring the crowds at the 80 different beaches.
?We were extremely pleased with the turnout statewide because it was so cold,? he said. ?This was the largest gathering united against oil drilling and it?s my belief that ppeople who want oil drilling are in the minority in Florida.?
Opponents include environmental groups, but also virtually every Chamber of Commerce in the Panhandle, where business leaders are worried about the impact to Florida?s treasured tourism economy (which in 2008 amounted to $65.2 billion in tourist spending and $3.9 billion in tourism tax sales revenues). Dozens of city and county governments ? from Cocoa Beach to Clearwater to the Keys to Destin have also passed resolutions against oil drilling.
Meanwhile, in Tallahassee, the oil drilling push hasn?t abated. On Wednesday, the general government policy council of the state Legislature just passed House Memorial 563. You can read the full bill text here, but essentially, it?s a statement to the U.S. Congress supporting the end of the moratorium against drilling in federal waters off Florida. There is a companion bill in the Senate (Senate Memorial 1726) but no schedule yet as to when either body could take up the bill.
Rauschkolb said he was disappointed the measure is moving along in Tallahassee, showing that there are lawmakers who disregard the thousands who protested oil drilling just a few days before. ?The words Memorial are fitting because this could truly be a ?Memorial? signaling a death knell to our beautiful, pristine coastline and waters and a serious threat to our valuable tourism industry,? he said. ?This is a fight for Florida?s Soul. ?
As a sidenote, while the Chambers of Commerce in the Panhandle are aligning against oil drilling, one high profile proponent of drilling backed the end of the moratorium in Daytona Beach. In a sold-out speech to the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, former Alaskan governor, former vice-presidential candidate and best-selling author Sarah Palin voiced her support for drilling offshore Florida. Her comments: ?Someone said a tourist wouldn?t like seeing an oil drill so close to the beach, but I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That drill produces for America. It produces jobs.? That statement drew a round of applause during the dinner, which included the top business leaders in a city, and region, that depends on the tourist dollar.

Thanks for posting this. I had wondered about this more than once when listening to news reports of oil spill "cleanups".

I found this very interesting too. I think you could use this to compare with many things.....that by doing what seems the right thing for man and animal most often turns out to harm or kill so many more. Reminds me of war.

I really learned a lot from McLain's talk at the forum. He is very well informed on oil drilling, technology, clean-ups, and the reality of the situation versus what is promised. He is 100% against this drilling proposal because he knows just what the result will be.

And he's not some tree hugger - he's a consultant who literally TAUGHT the oil companies how to manage and clean-up their spills. The man who says he still has oil under his fingernails from the last spill he worked on because you can't ever really clean it up says it will be an environmental and economic disaster, I listen to him.

To Dave and all the others who helped organize 2/13, profound and sincere thanks.

Now, with SB 2622 in the works, what does Hands have in mind for the next steps?

I've already written Sen. Gaetz, Rep. Coley, and Gov. Crist and strongly urge everyone else to do the same.

I'm equally sure there's much, much more to be done.

Wait and see who votes for oil and who votes for Florida

It is clear the Senate and House is determined to push this through this session. The Senate just filed a companion bill that would allow for drilling. They kept saying there would be no movement this year in order to lull us into a trance. I felt this was a smokescreen from the start. That is why I chose Feb 13 to do HANDS to keep the attention on the issue and keep pressure on the Legislators who are running for office this election year.

They know now is probably the only opportunity for this to pass because it is likely the overall climate will become less favorable because of growing negative sentiment on drilling in Florida. We will plan another huge HANDS event at a later date with warm weather when many more thousands of people will be on the beaches. I think that is the last thing they would want; especially in an election year.

The main focus now is to encourage every person you know in Florida to write our Policy Makers in Tallahassee. This is already happening all over the State. They are hearing us but I fear they are ignoring us. I will be posting on the Hands Site a list of those who voted for OIL and those who voted for Florida in the House bill last summer and the "Memorial resolution recently passed regarding lifting the Federal Ban". I am working on a website redesign now.

Right now, we need to hammer on Don Gaetz's, Marti Coley's and Jimmy Patronis's door every day with emails and phone calls. I don't believe any of Don Gaetz's earlier statements saying he won't vote for oil if it affects the military mission. The Base commander of Eglin came out and said it would affect the mission and Don still said he was not convinced. Basically Marti Coley and Patronis parrot what Don says about the military with little consideration for our tourism and coastline and waterways. I have hope for Jimmy Patronis though. He is a good guy with solid roots in our coastal economy and beaches. Hope springs eternal. I don't disagree with all of Gaetz's initiatives, in fact I have never had reason to think negatively about him until I found him clearly on the wrong side of this issue. As our Coastal Senator I believe he should come out strongly against oil drilling as a protector of our coastal interests. This really should be a no brainer for him in my opinion. I shake my head every day in disbelief.

I would not be surprised if there are some heavy back room negotiations going on with the military otherwise this "disclaimer" would not be repeated over and over by Gaetz and company. I would not be surprised if some announcement came out some time soon that will state a deal has been struck with the military giving an "out" for our local politicians. They will be able to say "we saved the military mission so let's drill baby drill!

The truth is his son his son, Matt Gaetz who is running for District 4 House has received thousands of dollars from the very interests that are lobbying to lift the oil drilling ban in our waters. Jeb Bush's endorsement of Matt is lockstep with this notion as well. Would it surprise anyone if Jeb's brother was one of the anonymous Texas oil interests behind all this? I would find it very odd if Father Gaetz does not vote with his son on this issue. But again, hope springs eternal. Don Gaetz has received little on no contributions from the oil interests but his net worth is $22 million so I doubt he needs it.

The first time I spoke with Don Gaetz about this was when he called me on my cel phone 3 hours after I posted on SoWal what I felt to be true that he was in support of oil. He was very upset that I "mischaracterized" his position. I retracted the statement and he sent me his position on oil drilling at the time. (Read his written response posted in the original thread I started on HANDS on October 2 2009.) Based on his reaction in the call, I knew I was on to something. His carefully worded response cemented my belief that all concerned would have been happy for this issue to continue flying under Floridian's radar. Well, we changed all that didn't we? After thousands of Floridian's on 80 beaches statewide joined hands everybody is talking about oil. And now that oil is on the lips of Floridian's, they don't like the taste of it. And with every call and email to our Legislators they are being heard.

Senator's and House Members and Governor Christ? If you can hear me: We will never let Florida forget who sold out our beautiful treasured coastline and waterways. We will never forget. Are you listening now?

Yes, in answer to your question, there is much, much more to be done. Aside from calling and writing your Senators, House members and Governor, Now, we just need to sit back and watch and wait and see which Senators and House Members vote for oil and which ones vote for Florida. Florida's leaders, flush with Oil Lobby contributions, we will see just who sells out our coastal legacy.

We may be the last generation of Floridians who remember an unbroken horizon free of oil rigs. We may be the last generation to breath clean air free of diesel fuel from increased traffic from tankers and crew boats. We may be the last generation of Floridians who remember pristine white beaches free of oil from busted pipelines and rigs. No Senators, House Members and Governor Christ we will never forget and I promise, those who vote for oil instead of Florida vote in peril of their political futures in Florida. That's a promise from this generation of Floridians.

Dave Rauschkolb

Beautifully put, Dave. I think you may need to consider going into politics, sir!