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Friday, May 18th, 2012 #1309
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I would rather sit under an old cypress
and listen to a river flow
than in a politician's chamber
hearing voices "in the know"
-- Old Man RiverMark Renz photo art
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This week's Caloosahatchee Condition Report.
Scientific information about the condition of the Caloosahatchee and estuary.
Seventeen days of 0 cfs flow through S79 to the Caloosahatchee estuary contributed to increased algae blooms upstream of the Franklin Lock and an increase in chlorides at the Olga Water Treatment Plant. Downstream of the lock, salinities are increasing throughout the estuary. The river continues to exceed the 30 day moving average of 10 psu salinity and exceeded the one day 20 psu salinity threshold an additional 5 times in the past week.
Algae is present and chlorophyll concentrations are elevated from east of S79 to LaBelle. Independent laboratory tests at Lee County's Olga Water Treatment Plant recorded the presence of cyanobacteria and some toxin presence.
Surface salinity at Ft. Myers increased over the past week from from 18.7 to 20.7 psu. Salinity at Beautiful Island increased from 16.3 to 18.1 psu and at the SR 31 Bridge salinities increased from 14.4 to 14.5 psu. No flow through S79 the past 17 days has caused salinity to increase downstream of the structure from 11.0 to 13.9 psu. SCCFs Shell Point RECON sensor recorded salinities of 30.5-36 psu which continue to exceed the preferred salinity range for oysters.
A 3-day pulse release was initiated Tuesday morning, 5/15/12. We request proactive water releases continue after the current pulse concludes to prevent development of algal blooms and further deterioration of the Franklin reach of the river.
Past reports and background information on Caloosahatchee conditions are available online at: http://www.sccf.org/content/201/Caloosahatchee-Condition-Reports.aspx
Rae Ann Wessel
Natural Resource Policy Director
Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation
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Florida crumbling
Gainesville.com - Editorial
May 16, 2012
During the freeze of 2010, Plant City farmers pumped water out of the ground continuously for 11 days to insulate their strawberry crops against the biting cold.
"The massive water withdrawal dropped the level of the aquifer sixty feet in a week and a half," Gainesville author Cynthia Barnett writes in "Blue Revolution: Unmaking America's Water Crisis."
"One hundred and forty sinkholes opened up in communities surrounding the farms. Seven hundred and fifty residential wells dried up. | | |
An underground chasm closed Plant City's Trapell Elementary School....". Sinkholes are a natural phenomenon in porous, limestone-girded Florida. Even so, the cause-and-effect relationship between dropping groundwater tables and increased sinkhole occurrence is absolutely clear.
And a prolonged drought - coupled with continuing, excessive withdrawals from the aquifer - all but guarantee that still more sinkholes, like the one that forced the evacuation of a family in Jonesville last week, will occur.
Which raises an interesting question:
Sinkholes are so common in Florida that the insurance industry has gone to the Legislature to limit its liability for claims.
But what is the culpability of the state - legally and ethically - when permitted draining of the aquifer creates sinkhole activity that destroys property, homes and businesses and endangers public safety ? Does the state's doctrine of sovereign immunity cover all sins ?
"Even though it's related to the drought, it's really over-pumping of the aquifer that is making matters worse and making conditions such that we're more likely to have sinkholes," Alachua County environmental protection director Chris Bird told The Sun this week.
The massive Jonesville sinkhole is yet another warning sign that Florida is flirting with a water disaster. Our politicians and water managers haven't even begun to adopt a conservation ethic sufficient to counteract Florida's consumption bias in water use policy.
That needs to change, and soon. Florida is crumbling beneath our feet.
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Dear friends,
A week ago we launched a hard-hitting new campaign at 350.org: an all-out push to end fossil fuel subsidies.
Well, that campaign has caught fire. Thousands of people are signing on every day - but your voice is still missing.
Take a minute to add your name: www.350.org/subsidies
Instead of telling you all the details about fossil fuel subsidies, I thought I'd share a few numbers that really make the case:
Here's a live version of that counter that really drives the point home. Watching that bottom number tick up with every passing second is pretty outrageous, but there's good news: we now have an opening to end these taxpayer handouts to corporate polluters. A new poll revealed that 70% of Americans - including majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans - support ending fossil fuel subsidies.
If you think it's time we stopped giving billions of dollars to the companies that are polluting our air, super-heating our planet, and distorting our democracy, the most important thing you can do is sign on today and spread the word.
More soon,
Jamie Henn for the 350.org Team |
After 15 years and tens of thousands of acres kept from being developed, many wonder if the program itself can be preserved. |
 | Mo' Hens
Click Mark Renz image for more photos |
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Is the EPA Covering up Oil Dispersant Dangers?
Corexit is one of a number of toxic dispersants that are used to atomize the oil and force it down the water column so that it's invisible to the eye. In this case, these dispersants were used in massive quantities, almost two million gallons so far...
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The summer rail-trail season is right around the corner-and is there a more memorable way to kick it off than with a seven-day adventure on two of the most popular trails in the country?
Join us in one month for the 2012 Greenway Sojourn from June 17 to 24, and you'll get to pedal end to end on the C&O Canal towpath and Great Allegheny Passage-from Washington, D.C., to Pittsburgh, Pa.-and experience 335 miles of spectacular mountain views, small towns, viaducts and tunnels, and with some of the best riding companions you'll ever find. You'll cycle through several eras of canal and railroad history, and we have a variety of special educational programs offered along the way.
This year's ride marks our 10th Sojourn, and it's a special milestone for us. From all the trails we've explored in Pennsylvania, to all the friends we've met along the way, we are proud and excited to be part of so many amazing memories.
If you haven't made up your mind, or if you're worried about the commitment or challenge of such a long ride, fear not. We'll have all the logistics lined up for you on the ride itself, and the longest day involves a little more than 60 miles-but you can do 15 miles of that by train (and all during an uphill section!).
There's still time to sign up, but don't wait too long, as registration closes on Friday, June 1. You can sign up online today or call Wilderness Voyageurs at 800.272.4141.
We have quite a ride set up, and we hope you can make it out with us this summer!
Happy Trails,
Tom Sexton
Director, Northeast Regional Office
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
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Killer Griz Click on photo to sample a chapter of Mark Renz's 6,000-mile bicycle trip around the U.S. in 1984. If you care to read more, just replace each chapter number in the URL with the next or previous number.
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Today the Center for Biological Diversity is launching a groundbreaking report, and I wanted you to be the first to know.
In time for Endangered Species Day tomorrow, the report, On Time, On Target: How the Endangered Species Act Is Saving America's Wildlife, is a powerful new review of the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act.
We took an in-depth look at 110 protected species from all 50 states -- from whales and sea turtles to foxes and whooping cranes -- to determine how well the Act is working for them.
The results are stunning: 90 percent of the studied species are recovering right on time to meet recovery goals set by federal scientists.
Our study is a potent rebuke of recent critiques by right-wing politicians who deem the Act a failure. In fact, it's just the opposite. We found that, again and again, wildlife and plants from every corner of the country are being saved from extinction and placed squarely on the road to recovery by the Endangered Species Act.
You can check out species in your area on this new interactive regional map of the 110 species.
In less than an hour I'll be hosting a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to reveal the findings of this report and talk about next steps.
I've been in D.C. all week meeting with some of the federal government's top wildlife officials and congressional staffers to discuss our results, which can be found at our website, www.ESAsuccess.org. I'll also be sharing the report with other environmental groups so that we can work together to ensure it directly helps endangered species.
Over the past few months, I've devoted myself to the research and analysis needed to make this report a unique, in-depth study of our country's most powerful wildlife law. I was able to do that because of the incredible knowledge and dedication of the scientists and other staff at the Center -- and your ongoing activism and support for our work.
Ultimately, the report should transform our national conversation about the strength and success of the Endangered Species Act, giving the Act solid protection from those who want to tear it down.
This is a great moment for all of us who care deeply for endangered plants and animals.My thanks to you and the many Center staff who helped bring this project home.
I encourage you to read the report at www.ESAsuccess.org and share this important step forward on Facebook and Twitter.
Thank you,
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| Kierán Suckling
Executive Director
Center for Biological Diversity |
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P.S. You can download a PDF of the 16-page report here.
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A Million People tell EPA to Adopt Proposed Carbon Pollution Rule
By Climate Guest Blogger
Make your voice heard by clicking HERE to submit a favorable comment to the EPA today!
by Jackie Weidman
As of this morning, more than one million comments supporting carbon pollution limits have been submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the first month of the commenting period these statements from families and individuals all over the country declared their support for the EPA's new standards to cut industrial carbon pollution from power plants. This is already the largest number of public comments sent to the EPA on any issue, with more expected in the final month of the commenting period, ending June 25.
A broad coalition of clean air, labor, and other progressive organizations - including the Center for American Progress Action Fund - delivered the following statement about the carbon pollution rule:
"Americans broadly support the EPA's efforts to reduce dangerous air pollution that threatens the health and safety of our children, communities, and wildlife. More than one million Americans have now voiced their support for these important safeguards and called on the EPA and the White House to move forward with the strongest possible standard for new and existing power plants."
Existing power plants are responsible for adding more than 2 billion tons of carbon and other toxic pollutants into the air each year - nearly 13,000 pounds for every man, woman, and child in the United States. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to climate change and threatens the health and safety of Americans. Climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, causing more event-related deaths and injuries.
Next week, on May 24, EPA will conduct public hearings will take place in Chicago and Washington D.C., allowing for more public participation in the rule-making. As big coal companies spend millions of dollars to weaken these public safeguards, it is increasingly critical that EPA continues to hear from Americans who support reducing carbon pollution from new and existing power plants.
Please join us and more than one million Americans calling for cleaner air.
Make your voice heard.
Jackie Weidman is a special assistant for energy policy at the Center for American Progress. |
Get wild! Get wet! Get involved with your watershed! Charlotte Harbor Environmental
Center, Inc. (CHEC) will be conducting Ecoweek 2012 Camp at Cedar Point Park for
children ages 8 to 14 beginning Monday, June 4, to Friday, June 8, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Our theme this year is "Habitats - Home Sweet Home!" and the cost is still only
$60 per child for brain stimulating environmental activities such as a seagrass wading
adventure, trail walks with plant and animal identification, live critter encounters, a field
trip to Stump Pass State Park, wildlife and native plant education and other
exciting activities designed to teach students about the watershed we all share! Join the
fun and register now! This program is supported in part by Southwest Florida Water
Management District. Cedar Point Environmental Park, a Charlotte County-owned
facility, is located at 2300 Placida Road in Englewood. It is managed by Charlotte Harbor
Environmental Center, Inc. (CHEC), a nonprofit organization serving the Charlotte
County community with environmental education, recreation, research and preservation
land management. For further information and/or to register, call us at (941)475-0769.
Bobbi Rodgers
Resource Manager
CHEC/Cedar Point Environmental Park
(941) 475-0769
www.checflorida.org
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While paddling the Peace River... This small catfish was just big enough to have outgrown it's habitat -- a plastic 12-oz. water bottle. The whiskered juvenile was too fat to squeeze out of the narrow mouthpiece. Formerly someone's thirst-quencher, the bottle somehow wound up on the bottom of the river. We freed the lucky cat, assuring it had a second chance at life -- for the moment. Mark Renz photo art
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Everglades Headwaters Proposal- 150,000 acres!
"This initiative is aimed at preserving a rural working ranch landscape to protect and restore one of the great grassland and savanna landscapes of eastern North America. The partnerships being formed would protect and improve water quality north of Lake Okeechobee, restore wetlands, and connect existing conservation lands and important wildlife corridors to support the Everglades restoration effort."
- Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
http://www.fws.gov/southeast/evergladesheadwaters/
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Future community of 500-700 residentsApple snail eggs (Pomacea canaliculata)
Mark Renz photo
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http://www.sfrestore.org/
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) will be holding a Project Delivery Team (PDT) meeting for the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) Monday, April 18 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the South Florida Water Management District Headquarters in the Governing Board Auditorium, Building B-1, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406. PDT ...meetings enable federal, state and local agencies and tribal governments to provide their input into the Central Everglades Planning Project. Members of the public may attend the PDT meeting and provide public comment at the end of the meeting.
Additional information on CEPP is available at:
http://evergladesplan.org/pm/projects/proj_51_cepp.aspx
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Sincerely,
Eco-Voice Moderator
Eco-Voice, Inc.
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