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Environmentalists, government officials to gather in Stuart to discuss Everglades

 

By Tyler Treadway

 

STUART - About 300 heavy hitters from government, science and nonprofit agencies will gather here Thursday through Saturday to assess the past, present and future of efforts to restore the Everglades ecosystem.

The Everglades Coalition, a consortium of 54 local, state and national conservation organizations dedicated to restoring "The River of Grass" and all its components from Kissimmee to the Gulf of Mexico, will hold its 27th annual conference at the Hutchinson Island Marriott Beach Resort & Marina.

Lisa P. Jackson, administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and Herschel T. Vinyard Jr., secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, will attend the conference, said Julie Hill-Gabriel, state co-chairwoman of the coalition. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., also is scheduled to attend; U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is sending a representative.

Gov. Rick Scott is scheduled to be in Stuart on Thursday, and Hill-Gabriel said he's been invited.

"We're trying everything we can to get the governor," she said.

Mark Perry, executive director of the Stuart-based Florida Oceanographic Society and a member of the coalition board, said it's important to bring the environmental movers and shakers together.

"To get things done," Perry said, "you've got to get everyone talking, face to face, about the issues. And in the case of Everglades restoration, we're talking about multiple jurisdictions - local, state and national - and multiple concerns - water quality, wildlife preservation, economic assets. So it gets really complicated."

Perry said part of the conference will focus on the upcoming state legislative session and the coalition's hope that more money for restoration projects will be forthcoming.

With the theme "Everglades Restoration: Worth Every Penny," the coalition's job will be to convince government officials that the allocations are money well spent, Perry said, adding the restoration effort already has created about 10,500 jobs.

"So it's good for the economy," he said. "If you want to create jobs, why not create jobs that do some good - like restoring the Everglades?"

The keynote speaker will be Carl Hiaasen, a Florida author and syndicated columnist, who will address the dinner and awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 7.

Topics include management of Lake Okeechobee, how to maximize money for restoration and how to raise money for restoration locally, a session in which Perry and other local environmentalists will talk about Martin County's conservation efforts.

"Immediately after the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was adopted in 2000," he said, "we here in Martin County got going with our projects. We taxed ourselves to the tune of about $75 million over 10 years to put up our share in order to get matching funds. Finally, the federal and state money is starting to come in as well; and what we did here is a model for other counties to follow. So it's appropriate that the conference should be held here."

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