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Conservation: Chiefland Volunteer Awarded Volunteer of the Year
April 26th, 2013

Conservation: Fish of the Week: Black Grouper
April 20th, 2013

Conservation: Fish of the Week: Bonnethead Shark
April 13th, 2013

Conservation: FRIENDS OF LOWER SUWANNEE AND CEDAR KEYS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES 2013 ANNUAL MEETING / REFUGE OPEN HOUSE
April 5th, 2013

Conservation: Fish of the Week: Red Snapper
March 28th, 2013

Conservation: Fish of the Week: Gray Triggerfish
March 22nd, 2013

Conservation: Fish of the Week: Goliath
February 22nd, 2013

Conservation: Fish of the Week: Dolphin
February 20th, 2013

Conservation: Fish of the Week: Bluefish
February 8th, 2013

Conservation: Fish of the Week - Cobia
December 18th, 2012

Conservation: Fine art at Dennis Creek
December 14th, 2012

Conservation: CEDAR KEY SCRUB STATE RESERVE CELEBRATES THE NEW YEAR WITH A FIRST DAY HIKE
December 14th, 2012

Conservation: Cedar Keys’ Holiday Light(house)
December 14th, 2012

Conservation: FWC`s Women’s Fishing Clinic a Huge Success
December 13th, 2012

Conservation: Fish of the Week - Black Sea Bass
December 12th, 2012

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Food for Thought

Food for Thought

Eileen Bowers

I was settin` at this restaurant
When the waiter came up and said, "What do you want?"
I looked at the menu---it looked so nice.
Till he said, "Let me give you some advice."

He said, "Spaghetti and potatoes got too much starch,
Pork chops and sausage are bad for your heart.
There`s hormones in chicken and beef and veal,
Bowl of ravioli is a dead man`s meal.

Bread`s got preservatives, there`s nitrates in ham,
Artificial coloring in jellies and jam.
Stay away from doughnuts, run away from pie,
Pepperoni pizza is a sure way to die.

Sugar`s gonna rot your teeth and make you put on weight,
Artificial sweetener`s got cyclamates.
Eggs are high in cholesterol, too much fat in cheese,
Coffee ruins your kidneys and so do teas.

Fish got too much mercury, red meat is poison,
Salt`s gonna send your blood pressure risin`.
Hot dogs and bologna got deadly red dyes,
Vegetables and fruits are sprayed with pesticides."

So I said, "What can I eat that`s gonna make me last?"
He said, "A small drink of water in a sterilized glass."
And then he stopped and he thought for a minute,
And said, "Never mind the water---there`s carcinogens in it."

So I got up from the table and walked out in the street,
Realizin` there was absolutely nothing I could eat.
So I haven`t eaten for a month and I don`t feel too fine,
But I know that I`ll be healthy for a long, long time.

This poem, entitled Food? was written nearly 30 years ago by American poet, humorist and children`s author Shel Silverstein. Mr. Silverstein, who has been deceased for nearly 15 years, would not be amused that we have made little progress over the control of quality of our food and water.

But what if we the citizens of Cedar Key could have more local control over our food? High-season employment at Kona Joe`s Island Cafe presented the perfect opportunity to collect 5 gallon pails full of coffee grinds, veggie and fruit peelings and innumerable egg shells that were composted and then fertilized a spring crop of beans, squash, tomatoes and peppers. This workable scenario convinced me that we could indeed have more control. What if all food waste from all our restaurants and school were collected, added to chipped yard waste, composted and then used to fertilize a community garden? Wouldn`t that not only allow us to utilize a valuable resource that we`re currently paying to have trucked to a landfill, educate our children about planting a seed and harvesting a crop and also give us local control over our food? Now that`s some food for thought.

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