Karen Gorenstein

It has been four years since I moved to Miami and started volunteering with the Inner City Outings program after spotting an ad in Causeways. In four years the Sierra Club changed from being one of several non-profits I only supported financially to becoming an intrinsic part of who I have become. Volunteering with the club changed me from being a person who felt deeply about environmental issues, to becoming someone who became an active voice for those issues.

I write this article to announce that I?ve stepped down as Chair from Inner City Outings and will not run for reelection to the Ex Com of the Miami Group when my terms ends next month. It is with a mixture of feelings that I leave but mostly its with pride. Pride at being part of such a wonderful program, pride knowing that I made a difference in some young lives, pride that I helped get a few kids into the ocean, into a tent or into a boat for the very first time. And pride for myself, I came to Florida looking to find the inner KG, I had few contacts and even less friends, it was time to reinvent.

I would not have thought then that I would be capable of organizing over night trips for youth, retreats for adults, fundraisers based on fondue in canoes, and drive a van full of kids in Miami traffic after canoeing with alligators. But best of all, I didn?t realize I would become so ?green?, and that as my voice became louder; I felt better. People now listen at parties when I discuss everglades cleanup, national environmental policies and local issues. The Sierra Club has become my extended family.

The recent mid-term elections have shown that Americans are ready for change and care about the environment. But real change must start with each one of us. The Sierra Club Miami Group is always in need of what we call ?volunteers?. But honestly I don?t see how we can separate the ?volunteer? from what who we are and what we all believe in. The Sierra Club, unknowingly, became the means for me to express my inner green side. What can it do for you?

Editors note

We will miss Karen's professionalism and energy. In addition, we want to thank Rod Jude who has faithfully served on the Sierra Club Board for numerous years. Thank you both for making a difference!

Newly elected board members:

• Nancy Lee
• Mark Oncavage
• Margarita Borda
• Maria Papazian
• Kent Harrison Robbins

Mark Oncavage

The Sierra Club?s Cypress award is given to an individual who has contributed greatly to the public?s environmental awareness in his or her own locale or Florida as a whole.

Juanita Greene is the epitome of a person that raises public environmental awareness. From 1956 to 1987, she was the environmental reporter for the Miami Herald. In the 1960s, she teamed up with Lloyd Miller to oppose Seadade, an oil refinery to be built on the shore of South Biscayne Bay. Juanita and Lloyd stopped the refinery. There was a highway that was to be built from Key Biscayne to Sands Key, Elliott Key, Old Rhodes Key, and Swan Key connecting to Key Largo. Juanita and Lloyd opposed the highway and had it stopped.

In 1967, she received a Ford Foundation grant on the rapid growth of Florida and to study how growth can be controlled using land use laws. In her studies, she realized the amount of destruction happening to Florida?s natural areas and began her long fight against the advance of sprawl into the Everglades. Her persistent reporting of important environmental issues helped establish Biscayne Bay as a national monument and later a national park.

Not resting on her laurels, she is now working to protect the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) from urban development. The EAA is located in Broward, Hendry, and Palm Beach Counties and is the headwaters for the Florida Everglades.

The Miami Group and the Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club are proud to honor Juanita Greene as a distinguished writer, activist, and Cypress award winner.

Craig Williams -- Florida Renewable Energy Association (FREA)

When it comes to engineering, America owes a great deal to German expertise in this field. Several major developments in the U.S. were actually based on German designs: The internal combustion engine, our interstate highway system, and the Apollo spacecraft, just to name a few. So it would make good sense to pay close attention to the direction they have chosen for their national energy policy.

In 2002, a scientific report was delivered to the German parliament that outlined an energy roadmap for the country that was quickly embraced by the German people. A new policy was then implemented to put Germany on a path to 100% clean, renewable energy. And as part of this ambitious plan, all of the country's nuclear reactors will be shut down by 2020.

Two simple facts emphasized in the report help to explain this decision: Coal and nuclear energy are environmentally unsound and all of the country's energy demands could be met by energy efficiency, solar and wind power, and other renewable technologies. It was also understood that the transition to these new technologies would revitalize the country's economy.

Already certain aspects of German renewable energy policy, such as their performance-based solar rebate system, is being copied by state governments here in the U.S. And as we debate the issue here in Florida, we can derive important insight from studying the solutions that have been adopted by a people who have already contributed successful systems to our own development.

For a good, first-hand account of Germany's energy plan, click on the link below for an interview with the former German environment minister, Jurgen Trittin http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4357238.stm

The cosmopolitan city of Paris has just opened a new Streetcar line to help reduce Greenhouse gasses emitted by diesel busses. The line which is similar in length to the proposed Miami Streetcar line will eliminate the need for CO2-spewing, diesel busses along scenic Parisian boulevards. Promotion of the use of Mass Transit, like Streetcars, reduces greenhouse gasses.

Will Miami find its inspiration from Paris or will it revert to the Detroit lobbyists that push their CO2 producing machines. History has documented Detroit?s systematic destruction of USA mass public rail transit. The Choice is up to Miami Commissioners Next January.

The Miami Street car represents more than an investment in public transit infrastructure. It helps provide environmental justice to a community that was decimated during the FDOT construction of I-395 and I-95 through its neighborhoods in the mid 1950?s. Overtown was promised a link to Miami?s mass transit system but never received anything from county officials. In 2005, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) officials wanted to open a dangerous high speed ramp next to historic Booker T. Washington High School until the community revolted. Inclusion of the Miami Street Car within the historic Overtown Business district is seen as partial justice for the previous racist destruction of Overtown.

This project which the Sierra Club-Miami group unanimously endorsed in August 2006, will give transit service to members of Wynwood, Overtown and Allapatah. Over 40 % members of these communities do not own a car and rely on the meager public transit service in our community. Unlike Coconut Grove, which is serviced by Metrorail, these communities are not served by mass transit.

Promotion of this project continues a Sierra Club- Miami Group tradition of Eastward HO initiative promoted by the club in the 1980?s. Miami Dade County is experiencing debilitative traffic congestion as a result of westward sprawl. Miami Dade should promote development along densely populated transportation corridors like Biscayne blvd.

Sierra Club-Miami Group promotes smart growth along major transportation corridors.

Even though the City of Miami Beach's Design Review Board has rejected a Miami Beach Condo tha illegally restricted access to Biscayne Bay, the condos are fighting the board.

Members of the Waverly and the Flamingo are appealing the decision. The fight for public access will continue!!

The Baywalk is part of a 6-8 block segment that has been closed off to the public for years. Seeing the success of other Miami Beach water walkways, other developers have voluntarily provided public access to Biscayne Bay. The City is hoping to create a 5.5 mile waterfront walkway.

Coky

We?re official! Our banner will say?

• ?SIERRA CLUB SALUTES DEVELOPMENT:
• TOO MUCH IS NEVER ENOUGH!?

We will feature walking skyscrapers, people in cars raising hell, (in gridlocks some of the time), and three dancing cranes. None of these strutters will be able to carry our many signs, which will be carried by construction workers and developers. The signs are funny, and the buildings will all have humorous titles.)

We?re almost ready to strut! With 20 strutters present at last night's rehearsal, we figured out a plan, and it's good.

The next time we meet will be this Sunday the 31st, before the Strut, NO LATER THAN 11 a.m. in Coconut Grove. We will have the full group then, and we'll rehearse until we get it right. At least half us know (more or less) what we're doing! We'll also do last minute stuff that's necessary to tweak our performance.

Where do we meet in the Grove? If you have participated in the Sierra Club entry in the past few years, you know already. If not, it's still easy. You may remember where the old Taurus Steak House used to be: Franklin Street and Main Highway. Just follow Franklin Street a couple of blocks and park there. If you're late, parking will be a nightmare, and you'll miss the rehearsal- please be on time.

Thank you, all those who came and helped us muddle through the first rehearsal: without your great ideas we couldn't have put it together!

Greg Bush

On January 12, 2007: Two Events will take place on Virginia Key to help plan the future of Virginia Key. You are invited to participate in either or both.

Dinner from 6pm-7pm to Honor the Late Chair of theVirginia Key Park Trust Athalie Range as well as longtime Virginia Key activist Mabel Miller who is moving out of the area. Cocktails at 5:30 (Cash bar) Dinner at 6 pm: Cost of Dinner $25 Location: Overlooking the bay at Rosenstiel School.

• Send your dinner reservations to
• Urban Environment League
• 945 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 100
• Miami Beach, FL 33139

A Separate Visioning Forum (including speakers, video overview of the island, oral history testimony and public comment) for Virginia Key open to the public from 7-9 pm. FREE Rosenstiel Auditorium, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Virginia Key.

The city is embarking on an ambitious plan to create a Master Plan for the island but it is up to the residents of the city and the county to help provide input into the design. You are invited to help the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County create a Master Plan for Virginia Key.

Check out our website at : http://www.sl owthing.com/vkbd and provide your input into the process before January 12. Let us know what you would like to see on the island's various parcels. See the documentary on the history of Virginia Key Beach Park. Take your own pictures and send them to us with your own interpretation of the key. Help us with research, or make your own documentary and place it on the web. For further information about helping us develop our website, contact us at gbush@miami.edu. We are looking for help from high school and college students and faculty and everyday residents who know about the history of the key or have ideas about its future use.

It?s up to you to envision a better future for this unique island. Please participate!

Rosalie Shaffer --Conference Chairwoman

?Meeting the Challenges for Florida?s Future?

Did you miss the conference but still want to know what happend? No problem! Just contact the Florida Chapter Website for copies of some of the presentations at this years conference!

Website Press Release

The Everglades Coalition is an alliance of 45 local, state and national conservation and environmental organizations dedicated to full restoration of the greater Everglades ecosystem, from the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes into Lake Okeechobee, through the "River of Grass", out to Florida Bay and the Keys.

Join us at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando January 18-21, 2007

YOU MAY NOW REGISTER ONLINE!

CLICK ON THE PICTURE OR LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

Mike Matthews

Controversy continues to plague the project to widen the 18-mile stretch. According to the November 24th Miami Herald, tons of excavated muck and mulched mangrove are piling up on this main road into and out of the Keys as a result of the road-widening project. Worse yet, Florida Department of Transportation contractors have come up with disposal plans that have alarmed environmentalists and regulators because they may exacerbate the existing algae bloom problem in the area.

The project to widen the 18-mile stretch, the main road into the Keys from Florida City, has caused much controversy. This road boarders Everglades National Park, and is environmentally sensitive. Some say that widening the road will only add to the Keys? overpopulation problem, and will not improve hurricane evacuation time as intended.

Over the last year, the project has been under scrutiny because it is the possible cause of an algae bloom that has turned the water next to the road pea soup green and is now threatening Biscayne Bay with potential ecological ruin. Tons of excavated muck and mulched mangrove--consequence of the road work--has pilled up along the road and must be removed before it too can cause environmental damage. Contractors for the FDOT are planning on dumping some of the waste in rock pits at a nearby state park, other plans include spreading the waste material over abandoned farmland.

The trouble is, everything in South Florida is connected, especially whereour water is concerned. The waste material may not be as ?clean? as the FDOT would like to believe, it may become another source of nutrients adding to our algae bloom problem. Atlantic waters could become contaminated, endangering sea grass, coral reefs and marine life.

South Florida water managers, and both federal and state regulators, are currently questioning the disposal plans while environmentalists are alarmed. The FDOT has delayed the moving of any waste material until environmental consultants can analyze any potential impacts.

Uncertainty abounds, yet one thing is clear: the people of South Florida have been stuck with a big mess to clean up.

Our Outings list keeps its exponential growth pace! Do you feel Like you need to get away and into NATURE? Join us for an outing!

January 6 Hells Bay Canoe Orienteering. Enjoy a challenging day of orienteering with map and compass while canoeing through mangrove lined channels and islands in Everglades National Park. Strenuous depending upon wind/wave conditions. Limit 16. Cost: $35 members, $40 non-members. Leader: Jim Gross, 305 665 2401, e-mail: JMGross3013@aol.com. (CV)

January 13 - Everglades National Park Day Hike. Introductory hiking for beginners and a refresher for veterans. We will walk the Anhinga Boardwalk Trail and the Gumbo Limbo trail and then drive to the Pinelands area and have a gourmet lunch and walk a trail there. Each trail is less than one mile long. We?ll see gators, birds, turtles, fish, insects and maybe a snake or two. Leisure. Limit 10. Cost: $20 members, $25 non-members. Leader: Kaatje Bernabei, 305-223- 6551, e-mail: cbernabei@dadeschools.net. Asst: Alan Nowell, 305-270-5262 (days), e-mail: alan.nowell@sfefcu.org.

January 13, 14, 15 Myakka Backpacking. Hiking in Florida's largest state park, six to nine miles per day for three days. Abundant wildlife and nicely marked trails. Strenuous. Limit 8. Cost: $35 members, $40 non-members. Leader: Dan Cruse, (305) 661 2975, 6580 Santona St. #27, Coral Gables,33146. Asst: Pat Lopez, 305-279-5354.

January 21 - Outing Leader Workshop. One day workshop for leaders and potential new leaders. Sharpen and learn new skills for running outings. Lunch included both days. Leisure. Limit 15. Cost: $15 members, only. Leader: Jim Gross, 305-665-2401, email: JMGross3013@aol.com. Asst: Lee Jacobs, 305-667-6962, e-mail: eeljac@ earthlink.net.

January 20, 21 - Florida Trail/Big Cypress Preserve Backpack. Backpack carrying all your gear, food, water and tent on the at times rugged Florida Trail, wet or dry, north of the Tamiami Trail amidst cypress, pine and prairie. Listen at night for owls, panthers, bobcats, feral pigs, deer and the soulful whippoorwill. Strenuous. Limit 6. Cost: $20 members, $25 non-members. Leader: Kaatje Bernabei, 305-223-6551, email: cbernabei@dadeschools.net. Asst: Alan Nowell, 305-270-5262 (days), e-mail: alan.nowell@sfefcu.org.

February 17 - Everglades National Park Day Hike. Introductory hiking for beginners and a refresher for veterans. We will walk the Anhinga Boardwalk Trail and the Gumbo Limbo trail and then drive to the Pinelands area and have a gourmet lunch and walk a trail there. Each trail is less than one mile long. We?ll see gators, birds, turtles, fish, insects and maybe a snake or two. Leisure. Limit 10. Cost: $20 members, $25 non-members. Leader: Kaatje Bernabei, 305- 223-6551, e-mail: cbernabei@dadeschools.net. Asst: Alan Nowell, 305-270-5262 (days), e-mail: alan.nowell@sfefcu.org.

February 17, 18, 19 ? Long Pine Key Camping, Biking and Hiking. Camp in beautiful pine rockland in Everglades National Park. Explore the wildlife and plant communities by off-road biking and hiking in our national treasure. Park admission and transportation not included. Moderate. Limit 13 people in seven tents. Cost: $70 members, $80 non-members. Leader: Diane Jacobs, 305-667-6962, e-mail: diane@cobbebin. com. Asst: Lee Jacobs, 305-667-6962, email: eeljac@earthlink.net. Note: Must sign up and pay in full no later then February 1!

February 21?Outings Schedule Signup Meeting. Outing leaders and assistant leaders will meet Wednesday evening for snacks and beverages to planning of our new Outings Year 2007-2008. Leisure. No limit (the more, the merrier!) No cost. Leader: Jim Gross, 305-665-2401, e-mail: JMGross3013@aol.com.

March 3 - Everglades National Park Day Hike. Introductory hiking for beginners and a refresher for veterans. We will walk the Anhinga Boardwalk Trail and the Gumbo Limbo trail and then drive to the Pinelands area and have a gourmet lunch and walk a trail there. Each trail is less than one mile long We?ll see gators, birds, turtles, fish, insects and maybe a snake or two. Leisure. Limit 8. Cost: $20 members, $25 non-members. Leader: Kaatje Bernabei, 305-223-6551, e-mail: cbernabei@ dadeschools.net. Asst: Alan Nowell, 30 5- 2 70 - 5 26 2 (day s ), e-mai l : alan.nowell@sfefcu.org.

March 4?South Dade Greenways Bike. Off-road bike trip on the Southern Glades Trail along the C-111 canal in the Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area. Look for manatees in Manatee Bay. Lunch is included, but we will not have a sag wagon! Moderate. Limit 16. Cost: $10 members, $12 non-members. Leader: Diane Jacobs, 305-667-6962, e-mail: diane@cobbebin. com. Asst: Lee Jacobs, 305-667-6962, email: eeljac@earthlink.net. Note: Must sign up and pay in full no later then February 25!

March 17 ? Noble Hammock Canoe. Paddle an interesting canoe loop trail in Everglades National Park located just north of West Lake. We will attempt to find the hidden canoe trail to West Lake. Join us in this adventure, observing lots of wildlife and gators as we go. Moderate. Limit: 16. Cost: $35 members, $40 non-members. Leader: Jim Gross, 305-665-2401, e-mail: JMGross3013@aol.com. Asst: TBA. (C)

If you are interested in a trip, call or e-mail the trip leader and ask for details or come to the signup table at the general meetings.

Our outings are listed as Leisure, Moderate, or Strenuous. Be realistic about your physical condition and the degree of challenge you enjoy. Come ready to paddle, bicycle or hike and share the work. There are no passengers on our outings, only participants. Family trips are open to everyone. Once you have made a reservation, we ask that you make a serious commitment to attend the trip. Cancellations are detrimental to our program. Our outings leaders are unpaid trained volunteers.

Please sign up early for planning purposes. All reservations must be accompanied by a non- refundable deposit. Make all checks payable to Sierra Club Outings. Please write the name and date of your trip on your check and include your phone number. Deposits are $10 on trip fees of up to $100 and $20 on trips over $100 Fees on trips of $15 or less are to be paid in full with your reservation. Full payment is due 30 days in advance of the trip. Please send all payments to the trip leader.

If you must cancel, call the leader or assistant leader as early as possible. If you cancel 30 days or more in advance, your deposit will be refunded. If you cancel less than 30 days in advance, you lose your deposit. If you cancel 7 days or less in advance, you will forfeit all fees.

PHOTO Alana Dimmick

January 2007 Jeff Tucker Earthsave- How our food choices affect the environment.

February2007 Open

March 2007 Carlos Alvarez- Mayor Miami-Dade County

It's a new year with new opportunities! Do you know someone who wants to speak to your Sierra Club-Miami Group?? Contact Ken Smith 305-758-3121

Robinson

We want to thank the thirty or so Sierra Club members that showed up to the December MPO meeting.

Although a formal resolution was not proferred by the MPO, substantial postive interest was shown by committee members. We hope that the MPO will formalize its interest in a future resolution.

Norman Wartman, Chairman of the Citizen's Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) is proposing a novel solution to the funding gap that has made it more difficult for the Everglades Skyway to become a reality. His suggestion is to tap the County's Environmentally Sensitive Lands mitigation funds to close the gap. first reported by Dan Dolan of Miami Today

This solution may eliminate the need to request funds from congress and speed up construction. STAY TUNED!

email: miamisierra@gmail.com

web: http://florida.sierraclub.org/miami/