Seventeen Everglades Earth First! activists were arrested in an effort to re-open Barley Barber swamp for public use and immediate scientific monitoring. Expressing great concern for the impact Florida Power and Light has had on this landmark property, activists engaged in civil disobedience to assert the need for immediate independent scientific monitoring of the oldest bald cypress trees in Florida. The group has made multiple requests of FPL to re-open the swamp and address the deteriorating condition of the area they promised to preserve.
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Six of the activists entered the area of the Barley Barber swamp where the old boardwalk still stands awaiting visitors. They refused to leave their positions in the swamp without an official commitment from FPL to end their contamination and draining of area wetlands. Others were arrested during a support rally on adjacent property.
Barley Barber Swamp is being killed by the massive 3750 mg Martin County power plant that hovers over it and the seventeen mile cooling pond that surrounds it.
Following a five day standoff, six activists entered the swamp through a public waterway and chained themselves to trees. Eleven other activists were swept up by the police in a frivolous attempt to quell the protest. Currently, Everglades Earth First! is confronted with the immediate need to raise $18,000 to bail these courageous activists out of Martin County jail.