Ed Killer: These 2021 environmental headlines would make new year better than 2020

When it comes to 2020, all I can think of is the line from the 1995 movie "Tommy Boy" when Chris Farley says, "That's going to leave a mark."

So many things happened in the past 365 days that the year-end lists every media outlet likes to run are simply overloaded. Some important news stories were undoubtedly left off mainly because there wasn't enough space to run them all.

Each year, instead of new year's resolutions, I like to use my imagination to spin forward story topics I'd like to see. It's a way to have a little hope just in case another 2020 comes along and sucker punches us.

So this New Year's Day, fill a bowl with black-eyed peas, ham hocks and collard greens — for good luck and prosperity in the new year — and check out this list of headlines we can all hope will happen in 2021.

Quiet 2021 hurricane season is opposite of busy 2020 season

When the last day of the 2021 hurricane season rolls around on Nov. 30, just imagine how amazing it would be if it were the opposite of the 2020 season. It would mean we had no anxiety in August, a stress-free September and zero evacuating in October.

The 2020 season was just too much. There was a record 30 named storms extending all the way to Iota in the Greek alphabet on Nov. 13. Thirteen reached hurricane strength. The U.S. experienced a record landfall of 12 storms. There was some $46 billion in collective property damage and 430 lost lives.

We did experience a lull in tropical storms after the 2004 and 2005 seasons, which also were pretty remarkable. Maybe we're due for another break?

Mysterious virus is wiping out Burmese pythons

The Burmese pythons in the Everglades have been at it long enough. It's about time they met their match.

Biological control of invasive species has always been hit and miss. Sometimes natural enemies catch up with some of the species, and sometimes the scientific community pitches in and helps out. Other times, the invasives adapt too comfortably and dig in, kind of like the snakes have.

More:Burmese python tracking program is winning battles

But what if a virus — let's call it snake covid — suddenly began working its way through the python community? What if some of the python hunters began finding dead snakes? Necropsies reveal the snakes were killed by a contagion that only affected Burmese pythons. Suddenly, the native wildlife of the marshes, glades and cypress hammocks can breathe a sigh of relief.

Indian River Lagoon seagrass has best growing season since 2006

Obviously this is fiction. The seagrass of the lagoon and many of South Florida's coastal estuaries has been besieged for more than a decade.

One of the worst places for seagrass growth has been the southern end of the Indian River Lagoon. Since the hurricanes of 2004, the critically important habitat of the lagoon has had a very difficult time getting re-rooted.

Lake Okeechobee discharges ordered by the Army Corps of Engineers — what has been called government-sanctioned pollution — keep the seagrass shaded by silt-laden water.

In the northern lagoon, more seagrass problems. Months-long brown algae blooms also shade seagrass and hinder growth. This Thanksgiving, the dying algae triggered a fish kill. It was just one more example of how something in 2020 went from bad to worse.

So what would happen if ideal weather and water quality conditions intersected and created the perfect environment for seagrass growth? Juvenile fish and scores of other organisms that depend upon a healthy marine ecosystem would rejoice.

Exactly the perfect amount of rain fell in Florida

There's an old saying in Florida: "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes."

So what is the "perfect" amount of rainfall for Florida? The state averages about 54 inches of rainfall, give or take a little more in one area and a little less in another. In 2020, some spots, like Hobe Sound, received their 100-year share of rainfall — twice.

More:Martin County gets 20 inches of rain in 5 days

In June and then again in October, neighborhoods flooded. Heavy rains also caused problems for water managers struggling with flood control on a system that was simply overloaded. 

More:Lake Okeechobee discharges likely to end Jan. 9

Heavy rains filled up Lake Okeechobee too quickly in the fall, causing the need for more discharges. South of the lake, the Everglades were flooded, swamping the ecologically important tree islands. Too much water, too little water: Both are troublesome. But just the right amount would be, well, something worth writing about.

Nutrient levels drop; no toxic algae observed in Lake Okeechobee

The algae bloom on Lake Okeechobee each summer went from being an occasional occurrence to an annual one. Every June, we can count on seeing the guacamole green goo begin to form on what is Florida's largest, greatest and economically most important lake.

More:Blue-Green Algae Task Force questions Army Corps plan 

What's worse is the algae is toxic to human health. Studies will be conducted throughout 2021 to ascertain what the short- and long-term health impacts are. It doesn't take a rocket scientist, or even an algae scientist, to tell it can't be good for us.

More:Researchers study Stuart residents for toxic algae effects

So that's why it would be of the most importance for us to find ways to reduce nutrient pollution in the lake — remove it or neutralize it, if that's possible — and thus take steps toward one day preventing the algae from blooming at all. Why not next year?

I, for one, will be having an extra helping of black-eyed peas and collard greens. Maybe that's what happened in 2020 — I didn't eat enough of them.

Ed Killer is TCPalm's outdoors writer. To interact with Ed, friend him on Facebook at Ed Killer, follow him on Twitter @tcpalmekiller or email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.