Seminoles to sea-level rise: An environmental history of Fort Lauderdale
“Cooley’s Massacre” reads the sign at Cooley’s Marina marking the site of the Seminole attack in 1836 which led to the creation of Fort Lauderdale as a military post in 1838.
With an era of development spanning just 178 years that completely remade the area from swamp-lands into “the Venice of America,” we have now entered an era that may require “un-making.” Climate change, sea level rise and their effect on the Florida coastline and people represent the new attack to which we must respond.
Environmentalist and author Audrey Peterman will discuss this span of history at a meeting of the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, Fort Lauderdale History Museum, 231 S.W. Second Ave., Fort Lauderdale on Monday, April 11, 6:30 -7:30 p.m.
“We are the ancestors of the future,” says Mrs. Peterman. “It’s important for us to know where we are, how we got here and what’s happening now so that we can affect the future in the most positive way. Other-wise we run the risk of passing on to our descendants a diminished environment in which they are unable to meet even their basic needs.”
Reflecting the increasing attention being paid to the environment, Mrs. Peterman will also be speaking at History Miami Museum, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami, on April 8. Fragile Habitat: Conversations for Miami’s Future will be presented by Florida International University (FIU) and will include community members, activists and university faculty.
For more information call (404) 432-2839,
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