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Friday, Feb. 3rd, 2012 #1201 |
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| Florida Wildlife Federation | |
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***SAVE OUR SEAS, BEACHES AND SHORES, INC. ***
Go to: www.sosbs.org for the petition to protect our beaches
Mission
The Florida Wildlife Federation is a statewide nonprofit organization, made up of Floridians from all walks of life. Our common goal is to conserve Florida's fish, wildlife, water and plant life. We encourage all citizens to appreciate Florida's environment through sustainable outdoor recreation. We invite you to join us in supporting Florida's fish, wildlife and natural areas.
Nancy Anne Payton
Southwest Florida Field Representative
2590 Golden Gate Parkway, Suite 105
Naples, FL 34105
Office: (239) 643-4111 Cell: (239) 784-5119
nancypayton@fwfonline.org
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 | Where getting lost is a choice
Peace River -- Mark Renz photo
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Chief of Engineers Report signed for C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Jacksonville District received a signed Chief of Engineers Report (Chief's Report) for the C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project in Miami-Dade County, Fla., Jan. 30, 2012. The Chief's Report, signed by Acting Chief of Engineers Maj. Gen. Merdith W.B. Temple, has been submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works for review. Following review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), it will then be submitted to Congress for authorization.
View the Chief of Engineers Report for the C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project: http://evergladesplan.org/pm/projects/project_docs/pdp_29_c11/013012_c111_chiefs_report.pdf
The C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project focuses on the restoration of flows to Florida Bay via Taylor Slough in Everglades National Park as well as the restoration of the Southern Glades and Model Lands and other associated wetlands and estuarine systems. It plays an integral role in meeting the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) system-wide ecosystem restoration goals and objectives.
The USACE Jacksonville District in cooperation with its co-sponsor, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), completed a Final Project Implementation Report (PIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project in January 2011. This final report describes the project purpose and need, location, evaluation of the alternatives and the recommended plan.
View the Final PIR and EIS for the C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project: http://evergladesplan.org/pm/projects/docs_29_c111_pir.aspx
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Florida Forever Coalition
Saving Essential Florida: Creating Permanent Funding for Land Conservation.
A proposal by the Florida Wildlife Federation, working with its partners in the Florida Forever Coalition, to create a permanent, dedicated source of state revenue from the existing documentary stamp tax to fund land preservation. This will continue and expand one of the world's largest and most successful land conservation programs.
Goal:
Utilize every approach available to renew and expand Florida's land conservation efforts by succeeding the present Florida Forever program with a larger, more flexible and inclusive program of land preservation. The need to get it done now is urgent, while there are still opportunities to conserve large, connected landscapes. Many private landowners who wish to protect their lands are willing to sell or donate conservation easements. Public lands, such as our state parks (which hosted more than 19 million visitors last year) and our state forests, both need additional lands and linkages to protect them from rampant development. What is lacking is a reliable source of funding to accomplish these goals when Florida Forever ends.
Present legislative conditions for renewed efforts to accelerate and promote a successor to Florida Forever do not appear to be promising. State tax revenues are lower than expected and short term projections are not sunny. Thus, few elected officials want to initiate a robust new program. These conditions have caused the Federation to recognize that any expectation of automatic renewal, much less an expansion of Florida Forever, is far from likely. We have therefore turned to other means, including amending the state constitution, as an approach we can embrace in order to complete Florida's conservation effort.
Steering Committee:
The present members of the Florida Forever Coalition Steering Committee are: Florida Wildlife Federation, Trust for Public Land, Audubon of Florida, Florida Recreation and Parks Association, The Nature Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife, 1000 Friends of Florida.
For more information, please contact Jay Liles at jliles@fwfonline.org
or (850) 656-7113.
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 | Contemporary drifter
Mark Renz photo art
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CHNEP 2013 calendar: Art and photos are due July 14
Submit your artwork for the CHNEP 2013 calendar
We live in a beautiful place and many of you have captured this beauty in your artwork, as is evidenced by the calendars produced by the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) since 2005. The CHNEP is a partnership program working to protect the natural environment of Florida from Venice to Estero Bay to Winter Haven.
We hope you will consider being a part of the 2013 calendar. Please let others know who you think may be interested in participating.
You can have your artwork published.
Have you captured an image of the beauty of the natural environment? The image could have been captured today or 50 years ago in any medium (photography, oil, illustration, etc.) within the CHNEP study area of Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee and Lee counties and portions of Highlands, Manatee, Polk and Sarasota counties. Whether you are young or old, professional or amateur, you may submit up to three (3) digitized entries for consideration by the people within the region for inclusion in a 2013 calendar.
There are two ways to submit your images: by email or on a compact disk (CD). No matter which way the images are provided, they must be received by 5 p.m. July 14, 2012. If you hand deliver them, they must be dropped off at the office before 5 p.m. on Friday, July 13.
Each entry must be accompanied by a release form that allows the CHNEP to use the entries in items such as the calendar, the Harbor Happenings newsletter or on the program website. Images will only be posted for selection if a completed release form (available at www.CHNEP.org <http://www.CHNEP.org
> ) is received and if the images are submitted as digital files. A signed model release form (available at www.CHNEP.org <http://www.CHNEP.org> ) must also be provided for each recognizable person in the image(s).
Send the images by email to mhilgendorf@swfrpc.org <mailto:mhilgendorf@swfrpc.org> . Do not consider them received until you receive an email confirming they were received. If you do not receive this confirmation email, your entries were not received. In lieu of the printed release form, go to the website and complete an online version of the entry form. (Our email has been upgraded so we are now able to accept large files.)
or
Send the CD and completed release form (The entry form is page 2 of this document.) to:
CHNEP Calendar Art Contest, 1926 Victoria Avenue, Fort Myers, FL 33901-3414
Please write your name and "2013" on the face of the CD.
You can help select images for the CHNEP 2013 calendar.
Images received by July 14, 2012, will be posted as early as possible in the month of August 2012 on the website at www.CHNEP.org <http://www.CHNEP.org> . During the month of August, the public will select images they believe best depict the beauty of the estuaries and watersheds in the CHNEP study area. CHNEP staff will have the final decision on entries posted and printed and will not display images that are obscene, provocative or whose content is otherwise questionable or whose quality does not conform to the standards as specified here. The CHNEP retains sole discretion as to what constitutes inappropriate content.
Subscribe to Harbor Happenings to receive a calendar.
The calendar is anticipated to be sent free to every person who subscribes to the program newsletter, Harbor Happenings, by September 14, 2012. To subscribe, complete the request form on the program website. If you already receive the newsletter or are submitting images, there is no need to do anything more.
More guidance is provided on our website www.CHNEP.org <http://www.CHNEP.org> .
Support the calendar as s donor or sponsor
In 2008, the CHNEP began asking for donations to help defray production expenses. Thank you to everyone who has supported this project with a donation. In 2012, the CHNEP provided sponsorship opportunities. In the 2013 calendar sponsor possibilities are in 1" increments ($100/inch) ranging from 1"x1" for $100 up to 12" wide x 9" high for $10,800. See the message below for more details.
We hope you'll help us produce the ninth calendar that depicts the beauty and diversity of the natural environment of southwest Florida.
Thank you.
Maran Brainard Hilgendorf, Communications Manager
mhilgendorf@swfrpc.org <mailto:mhilgendorf@swfrpc.org> , Phone ext 240
Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program
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Ding Darling Friends funds 2012 refuge interns
Through memberships and donations to "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS), the Society funds living expense stipends for J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge interns.
Throughout the year, around 10 interns from around the country come to the island and help the refuge with important conservation programs and research. New, highly qualified interns recently joined the staff under the program.
A graduate from the University of California Santa Barbara with a bachelor of science degree in zoology, Kim Ramos clocked in as a refuge environmental education intern in December 2011 and will stay on through May 2012.
Ramos was born and raised in California and previously served as an intern at Devils Postpile National Monument in Mammoth Lakes.
"In a time where kids are spending less and less time outdoors, I feel incredibly lucky to be in a position where I can take them outside and hopefully inspire a passion for wildlife and conservation," says Ramos.
Two new biology interns arrived in January. Seth Maddox, an Auburn University, Alabama, graduate with a bachelor's degree in wildlife science, departed in early February.
Lisa Strait, who hails from Rochester, Michigan, where she graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in zoology, will stay on at "Ding" Darling into June 2012.
She has interned previously at the Kalamazoo Valley Bird Observatory in Michigan, with the snowy plover program at SCCF on Sanibel Island, and with the piping plover program at Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts.
"I knew how wonderful the diverse biology of the island was," Strait explained her decision to apply for a "Ding" Darling internship. "Sanibel is such a great place, and I loved working with the wildlife and the people here, so I couldn't wait to come back."
"It is always fun to meet the new interns and see their enthusiasm for making a difference," said DDWS Executive Director Birgie Vertesch. "They bring fresh, new perspective and ideas to the conservation work being accomplished at the refuge and help enhance the abilities of the refuge biology and education staff."
Anyone interested in underwriting the cost of a "Ding" Darling internship can contact Vertesch at 239-292-0566 or director@dingdarlingsociety.org. |
Everglades National Park is one of America's greatest treasures. In addition to being a one-of-a-kind subtropical destination for tourists, this World Heritage Site is a tremendous economic generator for Florida. In 2009 alone, Everglades National Park created nearly 3,000 jobs. More than 2,300 of these jobs were in the local private sector and generated
more than $165 million in visitor spending.
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America's Great Waters Coalition is hosting a webinar on Congressional Authorizations for Restoration Programs
Thursday, February 9 at 4:00 p.m. EST. Please join Coby Dolan from Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz's office, Peter Alexander from the Northeast Great Waters Restoration Initiative, and Jeff Skelding from the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. They will discuss what a Congressional authorization means, why one is important, strategies and processes for securing one, and the prospects for securing a new authorization in the current political climate in Congress.
What: Great Waters Coalition Webinar on Regional Restoration Program Authorizations
When: Thursday, February 9 at 4:00 p.m. EST
Who: Coby Dolan, Legislative Director, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Peter Alexander, Northeast Great Waters Restoration Initiative
Jeff Skelding, Campaign Director, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
How: Dial: 1-877-890-9502, Passcode: 8599270#
Webinar information:
1) Go to: npca.adobeconnect.com/acadiaa
2) Select the "Enter as a Guest" radio button and enter your name
3) Press the "Enter Room" button
4) Enjoy the meeting
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 | Palmetto Sea
Mark Renz photo
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Southeast American Shoreline Studies is a shoreline BLOG for Gulf States: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and on the Atlantic side, Florida and Georgia. (The blog posts are mostly from amateur enthusiasts.)
Leisurely paddling and observation at a variety of sites difficult to visit by any other means. Kayak, paddle, life vest, etc supplied. If you haven't used a kayak before, a short training session before the trip will get you going.
Call John at (941)966-7308 for reservations.
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 | The Great Articulator
Juvenile Barred owl -- Mark Renz photo
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Eco-Voice Moderator
Eco-Voice, Inc.
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