Where we should invest.

Under all this grass is a thriving river spilling into a lake, spilling into the ocean.  These wetlands, once, were thought to be a nuisance, full of mud, unnavigable, too wet for construction, too dry for water way.  This little estuary, and those like it,  didn't seem important at all until we began to understand the value of wetlands, the value of intermediary places where life begins for aquatic species.

This is prime real estate!
Priceless!
But, unmarketable.  You can't make money here.

In our capitalistic thinking, if we can't make money in a piece of land, we don't want it.  We look at this piece of land from a narrow perspective. For this wetland to be appreciated, we need to ask all the residents in these parts if they enjoy their clean waters, their healthy fish, their pristine surroundings.

What we should all invest in, collectively, without each of us making any profit out of these decisions, is the protection and expansion of these spaces, for they are true investments in our way of life, in healthy life cycles for all species.

So, go on. Stop by your planning commissioner and find out how your community protects and invests in the preservation of these places.

If you live near these places, if your community has invested in their protection, you are most lucky.
Before you invest in anything else, invest in your community well being by protecting their wetlands.
Water, my good friends, is our real gold.