Joni Mitchell song lyrics apropos to Mosaic mining, destruction of nature | Bradenton Herald

The “bird’s nest” seen during a tour of the Mosaic Center for Nature, Exploration, Science and Technology, which is expected to open in September as part of Robinson Preserve expansion. — The “bird’s nest” seen during a tour of the Mosaic Center for Nature, Exploration, Science and Technology, which is expected to open in September as part of Robinson Preserve expansion. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com

Most of us recall the poignant lyrics of Joni Mitchell’s environmental clarion, “Big Yellow Taxi.” Excerpts include: “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” “They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum.” “Then they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ‘em.”

How apropos this is in relation to the Mosaic Center for Nature at the Robinson “Preserve.” Mosaic is an extraction mining company that is by its actual operation disastrous to our fragile environment and to our precious water sources, but they have enormous funds with which to express their supposed nature-loving propaganda.

It is ludicrous to construct a multimillion dollar building on once pristine land, but the deed is done and sadly only a few of us understand, “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone.”

Skip Hannon

Bradenton

This story was originally published February 22, 2017 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Joni Mitchell song lyrics apropos to Mosaic mining, destruction of nature."