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Monday, May 7th, 2012 #1298 |
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Daily Eco-Voice Emailed Digest of news, views and events.
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A Founding Sponsor of Eco-Voice, Inc.brought to you by the
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The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has a long history monitoring and protecting our water, including the first landmark Naples Bay study conducted in 1979. Water quality monitoring and research are still large parts of the work we do.
Throughout the five-county region, we work with planners and decision-makers to ensure they are educated on the that stringent water management tools and best practices are in place, utilized and enforced across the region, and that they base their decisions on best-available science.
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http://www.evergladescoalition.org/index.htm
The Everglades Coalition is an alliance of 57 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. Through consensus the Everglades Coalition is dedicated to:
- Advocating for the restoration, protection and enhancement of the greater Everglades ecosystem;
- Supporting and providing education and public understanding regarding all aspects of the Everglades ecosystem;
- Supporting and sponsoring research in the protection, restoration and enhancement of the Everglades ecosystem;
- Facilitating the coordination of information resources, strategies and efforts among Everglades Coalition members.
The Coalition works in the public arena to inform decision-makers on the collective view of the conservation community regarding the greater Everglades ecosystem. Some of the tools used by the Coalition include policy papers, comparisons of proposed policy decisions focused on sound science, and public comments on critical aspects of restoration.
Two Co-Chairs lead the Everglades Coalition, are authorized to speak on its behalf and are elected by Coalition members on an annual basis. A Board of Directors serves the Coalition and is responsible for the general management of the business affairs and property of the Coalition. Members of the Board of Directors are elected for a term of two years.
The 2012-2013 Everglades Coalition Co-Chairs are:
- Dawn Shirreffs, National Parks Conservation Association
- Jennifer Hecker, Conservancy of Southwest Florida
The 2012-2013 Everglades Coalition Board of Directors are:
- Tom Bausch, Martin County Conservation Alliance
- Julie Hill-Gabriel, Audubon
- Laurie MacDonald, Defenders of Wildlife
- Drew Martin, Sierra Club, Florida Chapter
- Mark Perry, Florida Oceanographic Society
- Laura Reynolds, Tropical Audubon Society
- Jason Totoiu, Everglades Law Center
Annual Coalition Conference
The Coalition's Annual Conference seeks to raise critical, timely issues for in-depth debates in an open, accessible forum. Community leaders and political figures come to discuss their positions, pledge their support and offer challenges to the community. The conference is attended by decision-makers from federal, state, local and tribal governments, agency representatives, stakeholders and a vast array of public and private interests including scientists, educators, contractors, conservationists, the media, students and the general public. The conference is the largest annual forum for debate of Everglades conservation and restoration.
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By CURTIS MORGAN
Cmorgan@MiamiHerald.com
Peace may finally be at hand in the decades-long Everglades dirty-water war.
Eight months after Gov. Rick Scott flew to Washington to extend a political olive branch and personally pitch Florida's latest plan for stopping the flow of polluted farm, ranch and yard runoff into the Everglades, state and federal negotiators are on the verge of an accord expected to be hailed by both sides as a major milestone.
A settlement crafted with the goal of resolving two protracted and paralyzing federal lawsuits - one goes back almost a quarter century, the other eight years - could be soon finalized, possibly within the month, according to officials on both sides of the confidential negotiations. ...
Most key technical issues - such as the size of additional artificial marshes used to scrub dirty, nutrient-laced storm runoff that has poisoned vast swaths of the Everglades - have been largely sorted out. But both sides cautioned the deal could still be delayed as negotiators work through the nuts and bolts of rolling out, implementing and enforcing a complex and likely controversial agreement.
Environmental groups and sugar growers have heard increasingly encouraging reports from negotiators over the past few months, though they have not been briefed on key details. But they agree the new cleanup blueprint that emerges will stand as a landmark in the costly, contentious legal and political battles to revive the struggling, shrunken River of Grass.
"It would be huge for everyone,'' said Gaston Cantens, a vice president for Florida Crystals, one of the region's largest sugar growers. "For a business, whenever you can have stability and certainty, then you can make long-term plans with confidence.''
Environmentalists are reserving judgment, with some bracing for a deal they fear will be a compromise that might fall short of providing the Glades the pristine fresh water it needs and will push cleanup deadlines, already repeatedly delayed, back by years.
David Guest, an attorney for EarthJustice who represents several environmental groups in a 24-year-old lawsuit brought by the federal government that first forced Florida to deal with Glades pollution, said he has heard enough about the framework of the deal to know he'll find plenty to question.
But even Guest acknowledges, "It's absolutely going to be progress, there is no doubt about that."
The South Florida Water Management District, which oversees restoration projects for the state, responded to questions with a statement, saying the state plan was "scientifically sound, economically feasible and would bring about long-term protection for America's Everglades.''
"We've had productive dialogue with our federal partners and have made significant progress toward an agreed-upon approach. However, there are some outstanding issues that are important to Florida." For both the Obama and Scott administrations, finalizing a major Everglades deal would represent a political win and a rare example of bipartisan cooperation. It would be particularly notable for the governor, a tea party-backed, anti-regulation Republican healthcare executive who infuriated environmentalists in his first year in office by slashing environmental programs and gutting much of the state's grown management oversight. ....
Most key technical issues - such as the size of additional artificial marshes used to scrub dirty, nutrient-laced storm runoff that has poisoned vast swaths of the Everglades - have been largely sorted out. But both sides cautioned the deal could still be delayed as negotiators work through the nuts and bolts of rolling out, implementing and enforcing a complex and likely controversial agreement.
Environmental groups and sugar growers have heard increasingly encouraging reports from negotiators over the past few months, though they have not been briefed on key details. But they agree the new cleanup blueprint that emerges will stand as a landmark in the costly, contentious legal and political battles to revive the struggling, shrunken River of Grass.
"It would be huge for everyone,'' said Gaston Cantens, a vice president for Florida Crystals, one of the region's largest sugar growers. "For a business, whenever you can have stability and certainty, then you can make long-term plans with confidence.''
Environmentalists are reserving judgment, with some bracing for a deal they fear will be a compromise that might fall short of providing the Glades the pristine fresh water it needs and will push cleanup deadlines, already repeatedly delayed, back by years.
David Guest, an attorney for EarthJustice who represents several environmental groups in a 24-year-old lawsuit brought by the federal government that first forced Florida to deal with Glades pollution, said he has heard enough about the framework of the deal to know he'll find plenty to question.
But even Guest acknowledges, "It's absolutely going to be progress, there is no doubt about that."
The South Florida Water Management District, which oversees restoration projects for the state, responded to questions with a statement, saying the state plan was "scientifically sound, economically feasible and would bring about long-term protection for America's Everglades.''
"We've had productive dialogue with our federal partners and have made significant progress toward an agreed-upon approach. However, there are some outstanding issues that are important to Florida." For both the Obama and Scott administrations, finalizing a major Everglades deal would represent a political win and a rare example of bipartisan cooperation. It would be particularly notable for the governor, a tea party-backed, anti-regulation Republican healthcare executive who infuriated environmentalists in his first year in office by slashing environmental programs and gutting much of the state's grown management oversight.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/05/2785647/settlement-close-in-glades-cleanup.html#storylink=cpy |
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Red Tide Update
Present Status; Southwest Coast:Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples analyzed this week alongshore between Pinellas and Collier counties or offshore of Lee County.
Concentrations of K. brevis ranging from very low to medium were detected several weeks ago offshore of the gulf side of the Florida Keys (Monroe County), however no recent samples have been analyzed from that region. It is possible that patches of K. brevis remain in those areas.
Present Status; Northwest Coast: Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in a water sample collected this week alongshore of Levy and Citrus counties.
Present Status; East Coast: Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism,was not detected in a water sample collected this week in the Indian River Lagoon system (Brevard County).
Please follow this link to the current statewide interactive Google Earth map:
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The Web site also provides links to additional information related to the topic of Florida red tide including satellite imagery, experimental red tide forecasts, shellfish harvesting areas, the FWC Fish Kill Hotline, the Aquatic Toxins Hotline (for information or to report human health effects), and other wildlife related hotlines:
(http://myfwc.com/research/redtide/events/status/contact/
).
and click on "Harmful Algal Bloom Species".
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Karen
Karen E. Atwood
Harmful Algal Bloom Group
FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute |
To see the amazing photos from the day: www.climatedots.org
We're going to need you soon to fight the political battles that will make use of these images, but for the next day or two just relax, and enjoy the feeling of solidarity that comes from knowing there are millions of people thinking the same way, harboring the same fears and, more importantly, the same hopes.
On we go together.
With such gratitude,
Bill McKibben
P.S. There's still time to submit photos for our slideshow and compilation video -- just send your best photo as an email attachment to photos@350.org.
Make your city and country the subject line of the email, and put your story and description in the body. So many thanks in advance!
350.org is building a global movement to solve the climate crisis.
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Gauging Public Opinion on Climate Change Policy
Majorities of Americans say that global warming and clean energy should be among the nation's priorities, according to a new survey. Will those feelings translate into any action in the government? Anthony Leiserowitz of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication discusses the survey's findings.
Copyright © 2012 National Public Radio®.
IRA FLATOW, HOST:
This is SCIENCE FRIDAY from NPR. I'm Ira Flatow. If you pay attention to the rhetoric between climate change supporters and deniers, you would think that it is a polarizing issue that you could predict by political party affiliation, which way people might fall on issues like clean energy, on taxes on energy. Well, there's a really interesting new poll out this week that says that's not true. A majority of people of all parties believe that global warming should be a political priority and they want their elected officials to do something about it.... |
The goals of the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) that will help restore habitat for an array of wildlife include: - Connecting freshwater from Lake Okeechobee with the Southern Everglades,
- Delivering additional freshwater flows to Everglades National Park,
- Relieving unwanted water releases to the Northern Estuaries,
- And preventing water in the Everglades from being lost to tide through seepage.
While a new initiative, the components are existing projects that will now be planned cohesively and implemented together. This coordinated planning effort will result in an overall cost savings, while the shortened time frame will expedite progress and help reverse thecontinued decline of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Project components of CEPP include water storage and treatment in the Everglades Agricultural Area and the Decompartmentalization (Decomp) of Water Conservation Area (WCA) 3A. Long known as the "heart"of Everglades restoration, Decomp is an absolutely critical project that will break down barriers to natural sheetflow in a large remaining segment of the Everglades just north of Everglades National Park. WCA 3 is not simply a gateway to move water from north to south, but a huge expanse of remaining Everglades that contains valuable ridge and slough and tree island habitat. Relief for WCA 3 cannot come soon enough, as it is critical habitat for the severely endangered Everglade Snail Kite. These birds are not currently nesting in the area because of degradation resulting from our inability to move water more naturally in and out of the system. |
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The Florida Coastal and Ocean Coalition (Coalition) is a group of organizations working together to conserve, protect
and restore Florida's coastal and marine environments. The Coalition emphasizes the need for an ecosystem-based
approach to coastal and ocean management, and recognizes the important linkages between the health of Florida's
economy, and the health of its beaches, dunes, coral reefs, mangroves, oyster reefs, sea grasses, salt marshes and
other coastal natural resources. The Coalition calls on Florida's governor, state agencies, Cabinet, Legislature and
Congressional delegation for action and leadership to achieve the goal of healthy ocean and coastal ecosystems.
The Coalition Steering Committee is made up of representatives of the following organizations: Conservancy of
Southwest Florida, 1000 Friends of Florida, Gulf Restoration Network, Indian Riverkeeper, Natural Resources
Defense Council, Reef Relief, Sea Turtle Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation and The Nature Conservancy. |
Help Protect the Caloosahatchee
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have cut off environmental water flows to the Caloosahatchee from Lake O.
The SFWMD Governing Board recomended to the CORPS that water releases from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee Estuary be made to flush algal growths in the upper fresh water pools (and one flush has been made) but did not request water for salinity balance in the estuary. This decision singles out the Caloosahatchee for damage while NO OTHER WATER USERS are restricted from using their full permitted amount!
Please write, email and call both the SFWMD Governing Board and Corps of Engineers. Ask them to resume these vital releases.
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South Florida's dry conditions are likely to improve with a wet season that is forecast to be average, but it will take time to build on April's rainfall to recharge regional surface and groundwater sources, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the National Weather Service reported at a joint briefing.
"We still have portions of the District that are below average for rainfall, and May's typically high evaporation rates and long days with lots of sun mean water levels can fall rapidly," said Susan Sylvester, Chief of the Water Control Operations Bureau. "Rainfall is the primary source of recharge and an average wet season will help water managers balance flood control, water supply and the health of the natural system for 7.7 million residents and the environment."
The National Weather Service's 2012 wet season forecast calls for:
* Probable early and wetter start to the wet season
* Precipitation outlook for near to above normal precipitation into June, with near normal precipitation for the remainder of the season
* Slightly above normal temperatures
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The Department of the Interior's Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives is moving!
After nearly 16 years of a very successful partnership and shared office arrangement with Florida International University's Southeast Environmental Research Center, the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives (AKA, Task Force Office) is relocating to new office facilities in Davie and Homestead, Florida.
The DOI's Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives (OERI) has recently been provided with the opportunity to link up more closely with two of our sister Bureaus, the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Science Center which is housed on the Nova Southeastern University campus in Davie, and the National Park Service's South Florida Natural Resources Center which is housed in the Krome Center in Homestead. This new partnership with our DOI's Bureaus will enable enhanced communications with USGS and NPS on Everglades restoration initiatives and science research.
The move to the new facilities should be completed on or about May 11, 2012.
The contact information for our offices once we move is provided below. Please update your address books and contacts with this new information. Please note that OERI staff email addresses and mobile phone numbers will remain the same.
OERI Main office:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives
7500 SW 36th Street
Davie, FL 33314
Phone: 954-377-5971
OERI Satellite office:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives
950 North Krome Avenue
Homestead, FL 33030
Phone: 954-377-5971
If you have any questions about our new facilities or how to reach us once we move, please contact Dawn Armel at 954-377-5971. |
Organize a 2012 River Cleanup
Organizing a river cleanup is a great way to reconnect your family, friends and neighbors with the streams and rivers in your backyard. The first steps to organizing a river cleanup are selecting a date and location, and registering your cleanup online.
When you register, your cleanup will appear on the Find a Cleanup map, allowing volunteers to find you. We provide FREE trash bags to all organizers who register their event four weeks in advance.
Organizing a river cleanup is a rewarding experience. You'll be satisfied in knowing that you are playing a role in improving your hometown waters.
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Eco-Voice Moderator
Eco-Voice, Inc.
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