Our July Presentation was an engaging presentation by Brian F. Call from the Panther Societ 954-443-9526 . Brian's presentation on the current status of the Florida Panther was entertaining and informative.

Sierra Club board members Mark Oncavage and Stephen Mahoney unveiled a banner alongside I-95 to help build local support for The Florida Everglades Skyway Project.

It seems to be working. Miami Beach Commissioner Mattie Bower introduced a resolution in support of the Everglades Skyway project. The Resolution passed UNAMINOUSLY.

As local stewards of our local resources, I hope the federal government will take into account the growing local support for true everglades restoration.

July 23 Moonlight Culinary Canoe Fundraiser Ken Smith 305-275-0180 $45.00 members $50.00 nonmembers

August 21 South Dade Bike Meet at Black Point Park bike to Homestead Bayfront Park (12 miles 1-way 24 miles total) Sag car provided. Bring swimsuit and lunch Dan Cruse (305) 661-2975 10$ members, 12$ nonmembers.

Do you enjoy attending festivals to socialize with people! We have great opportunities for you to talk about thr benefits of the Sierra Club. Contact mdpapazian@ms n .com for more details

Friday, July 29 7:30 PM-10:30 PM Music Festival in Little Haiti 7th Circuit Productions, 59th St. & N.E. 2nd Ave.

Saturday July 30 9 AM-2PM Parents Day St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Old Cutler & 144 St

Saturday, Sept. 24 11 AM-4PM Sweet Vine Environmental Fair Harris Field Park, Homestead

"Tamiami Trail Modernization: The Skyway " Contact Jonathan Ullman at jonathan.ullman@sierraclub.org. You can also mail a letter to the Miami Herald to express your support edherald@herald.c om

Underground Storage Wells ----- The Sierra Club has filed a federal Safe Drinking Water Act lawsuit to prevent treated sewage from being discharged into and contaminating drinking water supplies in Florida. The suit was filed against the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. For over a decade, the state has failed to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act and as a result Miami-Dade County's daily injections of 112.5 million gallons of treated sewage underground are migrating up into drinking water aquifers.

The Featured Article and other articles will represent the Club's position on a issue except if they are labeled in the Heading as Letters or Discussion. Letters and Discussion Items are the opinion of the author and not the Miami Sierra Club. Publication is meant to promote discussion.

Submissions Please submit articles to Mike Robinson and Betsy Grass (editor of the print Causeways) at the same time. Deadlines are the second Monday of each month.

Paid advertisments are being accepted by Betsy in the Print edition. Paid Advertisments to the E-newsletter will not be accepted at this time but may at a future date (pending opinion of the Miami Sierra Club Board)

An attempt to jump the gun on Virginia Key Beach Master plan was deflected July 7, when the Miami City Commission voted 4-1 to postpone approving an amendment to the lease held by the Rusty Pelican restaurant on Virginia Key that would have significantly expanded the restaurant's facilities. The proposal will now be discussed as part of the public planning process of the new Virginia Key Master Plan that is expected to begin later this year.

City of Miami Commissioner Johnny Winton pulled the item from the "Consent Agenda" which allowed for public discussion of the proposal. The city commissioners were convinced by Sierra Club members Mabel Miller and Blanca Mesa, who were critical of the proposal because it didn't provide enough public access. "It isn't always about the money," said Winton, whose district includes Virginia Key, referring to increased base rent the Rusty Pelican would pay the City under the proposalment. ``Sometimes, and many times, it is about public access to places that are important,'' he said.

The public access issues are particularly critical since the State of Florida deeded this land to local governments with the express provision that it be used for "public purposes" only and the City has never obtained waivers from that deed restriction.

Contact Blanca Mesa (bmesa26@aol.com) to become involved in the Virginia Key Master Plan.

Florida Department of Enviornmental Protection's (DEP) office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas (CAMA) is revising the management plans of Florida's 41 aquatic preserves that encompass more than 1.8 million acres and 37 coastal estuarine ecosystems and four freshwater systems. You are invited to participate in the process.

Regional workshops will focus on explaining the existing aquatic preserve program and involving the public in the process for creating statewide and site-specific preserve management.

Workshops will start July 18 at 7pm in Pinellas Park and work its way around the state (Naples, Palm Bay, Milton, Tallhassee, Cross City, Point Verde Beach, Sanford) to end in Miami on Aug 10, 2005 at 7pm in Miami Cit Commission Chambers, 3500 Pan American Drive.

Contact Cragin Mosteller (DEP), (850) 245-2112 for more information. .