|
|
|
Thursday, May 31st, 2012 #1322 |
 |
No one spoke of love
although it was clearly felt
by the cranes toward one another
the sun toward earth
and by me toward the moment
Mark Renz photo and words
|
|
|
Wetlands are fragile things, and in recent years Florida has done a horrible job of protecting them. But under Gov. Rick Scott, there are no limits to how far the state will go to change the rules to help big landowners make millions at the environment's expense. The governor and Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard should explain why the state's top wetlands expert has been suspended after using science reflected in state law to deny a permit to a well-connected landowner. The administration's integrity is as at risk as the wetlands that are being ignored.
As the Tampa Bay Times' Craig Pittman reported Monday, DEP scientist Connie Bersok has been on suspension since May 11. That is two days after she added a memo to the file of the Highlands Ranch Mitigation Bank permit application objecting to its request to expand its wetland mitigation credits from 193 credits to 424. That apparently didn't sit well with her boss, Deputy Secretary Jeff Littlejohn, who had suggested this permit expansion could be part of a performance-based experiment approved by Vinyard. The only problem: State law requires a "reasonable assurance" that wetland mitigation plans will actually work.
Highlands Ranch, under the previous governor's administration, had already unsuccessfully challenged its own permit in state administrative court. Later, the exact scheme Littlejohn was trumpeting - giving Highlands Ranch more mitigation credits for land that was dry - had been rejected by the 2011 Republican-led Legislature.
Under state law, a mitigation bank can receive wetland mitigation credits by creating or restoring wetlands property. It can then sell those credits to developers elsewhere who destroy wetlands to build a project. But what Bersok objected to was that Highlands Ranch was seeking credits for dry land that would do nothing for wetland preservation. Apparently, the company was counting on politics - not science - to cash in on credits that can go for as much as $100,000 in northeast Florida.
Among Highlands Ranch's owners is the highly successful Carlyle Group, a private equity firm that once counted former President George H.W. Bush among its team.
Scott's environmental credentials are in shreds. His first year in office, the governor pushed extraordinary tax cuts onto the state's five water management districts that are charged with protecting the state's long-term water supply. And Vinyard's leadership of DEP has been marked by significant retreat on long-standing policies, including challenging water management districts on buying land they deem necessary to protect watersheds. Now it appears DEP's leaders are willing to ignore state law to grant a well-connected landowner the ability to make money off wetlands that don't even exist. If not for Bersok, it might have even gone unnoticed until years after environmental damage was done.
Bersok should be rewarded for doing her job and following state law regarding wetlands. Instead, she was punished by an administration that has a habit of banishing anyone within its ranks who fails to follow the script. |
|
Collier tap water crowned Florida's tastiest
Miss America of H2O:
By JESSICA LIPSCOMB
In a state almost completely surrounded by water, a gallon-sized sample of Collier County's tap water was crowned this week the best tasting in Florida.
At the Florida Water Resources Conference in Orlando, judges advanced Collier's water to the second round of competition, including it with three other finalists from 12 regions. In the second round, three judges unanimously agreed that Collier County water was the most delicious in Florida.
"It's a pretty rigorous thing to get there," said Paul Mattaush, Collier County water department director. "We're the Miss America of waters, I guess."
To qualify for the competition, all participating water utilities from the 12 regions submitted a gallon of water taken from their distribution systems no more than 24 hours before judging. All water was kept room temperature to help judges more easily pick up on distinctive odors and tastes.
In Collier, the water is a half-and-half mix of fresh water and water produced with reverse osmosis, Mattaush said.
"It does make a very high-quality product," he said.
At Sea Salt restaurant on Third Street South in Naples, diners sometimes ask if they can taste the tap water before they upgrade to bottled water, manager Liset Celya said.
"We always offer our guests bottled water, but some of them have commented that the tap water tastes better," she said.
Daniel Lockie, a cook and server at Fred's Food, Fun & Spirits on Immokalee Road, said he prefers the taste of local tap water to those of other places he has lived.
"It tastes a lot different than in California and Maryland. Better," he said. "It's all about the ecosystem and the minerals."
Collier County's water sample will next advance to a national competition in Dallas as part of an annual conference hosted by the American Water Works Association in June.
|
 |
Energy transfer Little blue heron -- catfish Mark Renz photo art
|
|
|
Project Delivery Team meeting for Central Everglades Planning Project - 9:30 am start
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) Thursday, May 31 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the
Main Library, 3650 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach, FL 33406.
Web Meeting Address:
https://www.webmeeting.att.com
Meeting Number: 8882733658
Access Code: 6161951
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.
The agenda for the PDT meeting is available at:
http://evergladesplan.org/pm/public_meetings/MeetingItem.aspx?meetingId=467
|
|
http://farmbillprimer.org/
Collin Peterson talks about federal farm bill progress
By the August recess, the 2012 federal farm bill should be in place. That was the message Seventh Congressional District Congressman Collin Peterson shared with a group of farmers and ag business leaders this past Friday afternoon....
One of the areas in which cuts look to be made are in the conservation reserve program (CRP), which Peterson said is being reduced from its current $32 million cap to $25 million.
. |
|
The House Agriculture Committee Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities & Risk Management finished two days of Farm Bill hearings today with no mention of the outdated and costly U.S. sugar program......
The National Confectioners Association and its members are concerned that the House will follow the Senate Agriculture Committee and pass the bill out of committee leaving the current U.S. sugar program in place. The program greatly favors U.S. sugar growers while costing consumers $3.5 billion a year......
For more information about U.S. sugar policy and why reform is long overdue to protect the nation's consumers, food manufacturers, and small businesses, visit www.SugarReform.org.
|
|
|
|
|
Take action: Help protect funding for conservation of America's oceans.
U.S. coastal resources add up to a lot:
- $138 billion in annual economic activity.
- 2.3 million jobs.
- 180 million recreational trips to the shore.
On May 8, however, the House of Representatives is expected to consider an amendment that would block funding for the Obama administration's National Ocean Policy. Such an amendment would seriously hamper conservation and management of marine resources and wildlife. The National Ocean Policy is a comprehensive, common-sense way to handle the growing demands on our coasts. It stimulates job creation and economic growth while protecting the health of ecosystems. Additionally, it coordinates more than 140 federal laws and dozens of federal agencies to improve management of our fisheries, prevent water pollution, and protect and restore coastal habitat.
The National Ocean Policy is the country's framework for coping with the competing and growing demands on our oceans and coasts. Urge your representative to oppose any amendment that would block this sensible approach.
Sincerely,
Christopher Mann
Director, Campaign for Healthy Oceans
Pew Environment Group |
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oceans/policy
National Ocean Policy
President Obama recognizes that America's stewardship of the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes is intimately linked to national prosperity, environmental sustainability, human health and well-being, adaptation to climate and other environmental change, social justice, foreign policy, and national and homeland security. The Executive Order adopts a National Policy that includes a set of overarching guiding principles for management decisions and actions toward achieving the vision of "an America whose stewardship ensures that the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes are healthy and resilient, safe and productive, and understood and treasured so as to promote the well-being, prosperity, and security of present and future generations."
|
 | Heat wave
Mark Renz photo art
|
|
|
Izaak Walton: Inland Waterways Bill a Bad Deal for Taxpayers and the Environment
As the nation focuses on controlling federal spending and reducing our debt over the long term, the WAVE4 Act (HR 4342) would shift the burden for funding costly inland waterway infrastructure expenses onto taxpayers - possibly leaving taxpayers on the hook for more than $10 billion over the next 20 years. The WAVE4 Act will not fund necessary work to maintain existing locks and dams; instead, it will increase the backlog of needed infrastructure projects.
http://www.congressweb.com/cweb2/index.cfm/siteid/IWLA
|
|
Everglades Technical Oversight Committee - TOC
Overview
The Everglades Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) originated from the Settlement Agreement of July 11, 1991 as a mechanism for technical review and conflict resolution to support the Everglades Program begun by the Agreement and continued in the 1994 Everglades Forever Act (373.4592 F.S.). more »
The 1991 Settlement Agreement ended the Everglades lawsuit and was entered into by the federal government, the State of Florida and the South Florida Water Management District. The subsequent Consent Decree, as modified in 1995, specified that interim and long-term phosphorus concentration levels for the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) must be met by Feb. 1, 1999, and Dec. 31, 2006, respectively.
The Consent Decree also provides interim and long-term total phosphorus concentration limits for the Everglades National Park (Park) effective December 31, 2003 and December 31, 2006, respectively.
The Agreement calls for the construction of Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) to meet the long-term phosphorus limits and for establishment of a regulatory program, with agricultural Best Management Practices as a key component.
In accordance with the Joint Progress Report submitted to the U.S. District Court on October 30, 1995, the Technical Oversight Committee was organized for consensus building and dispute avoidance on technical issues related to Everglades monitoring, phosphorus management and applied research. The TOC meets quarterly to review and recommend applied research, monitoring and compliance conducted pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement and to consider technical advice and assistance from consultants and appropriate state and federal agencies regarding Everglades Program activities. Though the TOC does not bind any party or person as an independent authority, it does provide a public forum to evaluate technical information, particularly as it relates to water quality management and compliance tracking in the Everglades Protection Area. The TOC's overall charge is to serve the needs of the parties to the Settlement Agreement to deliberate and communicate on technical matters.
Related Periodic Reports
May meeting documents
|
|
This week's Caloosahatchee Condition Report
Scientific information about the condition of the Caloosahatchee and estuary.
Recommendation: Conditions remain extremely dry in Lee County while upstream basins are receiving a significant amount of rain. We request proactive water releases continue to provide flow that will help to 1) prevent further development of algal blooms and 2) allow time for the estuary to gradually acclimate and adapt to lower wet season salinities.
Rain inland augmented a 10 day pulse release that started on Saturday, May 26, 2010 and provided average flow of 915 cfs through S79 to the Caloosahatchee estuary this past week. The flow reduced chloride levels at the Olga Water Treatment Plant, lowered estuary salinity levels and may have helped decrease chlorophyll levels upstream of the Franklin Lock.
The estuary has exceeded its salinity MFL of 10 psu for 156 days and has exceeded the one day 20 psu threshold for a total of 16 days since April 10, 2012.
Surface salinity at Ft. Myers decreased over the past week from 17.0 to 16.0 psu. Salinity at Beautiful Island decreased from 11.5 to 10.5 psu and at the SR 31 Bridge salinities increased from 6.3 to 7.6 psu. Downstream of S79 salinity has decreased from 6.9 to 5.5 psu. SCCFs Shell Point RECON sensor recorded salinities of 28 - 36 psu which continue to exceed the preferred salinity range for oysters.
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
|
|
Watery Foundation has posted a new item |
In Blue Revolution, award-winning journalist Cynthia Barnett reports on the many ways one of the most water-rich nations on the planet has squandered its way to scarcity, and argues the best solution is also the simplest and least expensive: a water ethic for America. ... The first book to call for a national water ethic, Blue Revolution is also a powerful meditation on water and community in America. |
It's the phosphorous
Although 30,000 tons of the phosphorus that plagues Lake Okeechobee is located in sediments at the Lake's bottom, it may not be economically, practically, or ecologically feasible to remove these sediments by dredging. Not only would the cost of that effort be astronomical ($3 billion according to a 2003 study commissioned for the SFWMD), but the effort could take an impractically long time given the volume of sediments to be removed.
The SFWMD has estimated that 200 million cubic meters of sediment would need to be dredged to remove all internally loaded sediments from Lake Okeechobee. That is enough to fill 250,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and "ten times the amount of material removed from any lake in the world." If dredging techniques from another shallow Florida lake (Banana Lake) were used, such dredging this could take as long as 270 years!
In addition, the process could pose unacceptable risks for the Lake's fish and wildlife: dredging would stir up more sediments and expose Lake life to increased turbidity and nutrient levels. The feasibility of dredging was recently studied by SFWMD and its partners as a part of the Lake Okeechobee Sediment Management Feasibility Study. This study concluded that "the no-action" alternative, i.e. no in-lake dredging or chemical treatment, is the preferred alternative.
Instead, the study recommends concentrating control activities in the watershed versus the lake.
(For more information on this study, see Blasland, Bouck & Lee, Inc., Evaluation of Alternatives for the Lake Okeechobee Sediment Management Feasibility Study C-11650: A report prepared for the South Florida Water Management District, April, 2003, . ftp://ftp.sfwmd.gov/pub/slostal/EvaluationofAlternatives.pdf
|
 | Caloosahatchee undercover
Mark Renz photo art
|
|
Trouble reading this email? Click here.
2011 National Wildlife Federation
11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston VA 20190 |
|
http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/INTECOL/
Wetlands are sources, sinks, and transformers of materials and habitats for diverse life forms. They are a source of food, fiber, and clean water for humans, a carbon sink and source, may reduce flood damage, be a site for groundwater reservoirs, be a sink for pollutants, an agent of chemical transformation, a buffer for climate change, and a corridor for migrating animals. Wetlands are complex ecosystems because they are driven by many physical, chemical, and biological processes. This complexity means that understanding wetland ecosystems requires an interdisciplinary approach that engages many specializations, including biology, chemistry, biogeochemistry, ecology, hydrology, pedology, to mention a few.
While many management practices are compatible, not all are adequate to protect wetland resources and sustain wetland values and functions. Climate change, in particular, is one of the major threats to the sustainability and integrity of many ecosystems, including wetlands. Some questions of immediate concern are: (1) how will wetland ecosystem services be affected by changing climatic condition, and (2) are the current adaptive management practices used compatible or adequate to sustain, protect and preserve wetlands and its functions and values? |
 | Embrace change
Mark Renz photo art
|
|
|
Support Eco-Voice
We need your financial support to keep going. Please make a donation today. Checks can be sent to:
Post Office Box 50161
Fort Myers, FL 33994
Eco-Voice, Inc. has 501c3 status. |
|
 Promote Your Event You too can promote your organization's upcoming event - complete with a link to your web site - for seven days, by sponsoring the Daily Digest with a donation of $25. Send your message, dates you want it to run, and logo to sponsorship@Eco-Voice.org. |
|
|
|
|
|
Sincerely,
Eco-Voice Moderator
Eco-Voice, Inc.
|
|
Eco-voice, Inc. is an independent, volunteer-run organization and provides this website as a public service. The opinions of those posting on this site are not necessarily those of the site managers or their sponsors.
License to solicit: A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES By CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.'' REGISTRATION# CH31394. " |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Post Online |
To post to the website: Email suggestions for posts to ecovoicemoderator@msn.com . Add dates and specific locations to your messages if appropriate, and they will display on the site map and calendar. If posting media material please include link to the original publication.
| | at Eco-Voice.org |
|
|
