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Wednesday, June 20th, 2012 #1342 |
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Daily Eco-Voice Emailed Digest of news, views and events.
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 | For Sale: Efficiency condo; lakeside view.
Mark Renz photo
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The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is a founding Eco-Voice sponsor
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| A few spots remain for the 2012 Conservancy summer Camps. As of today, a few spaces are availble the week of July 16 for Sharks Absolutely Aquatic and the week of July 30 for Barracudas and Sharks in Nature Explorers. Register today! |
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Walk to Protect People, Pets, Livestock, Bears and Panthers
Link to: http://www.defenders.org/about_us/where_we_work/florida_office.php
Take a Walk to Protect People, Pets, Livestock, Bears and Panthers
What: Volunteer to join us in walking a neighborhood in northern Golden Gate Estates to distr...ibute information to residents on living responsibly with Florida panthers, bears, and other southwest Florida wildlife.
Who's Involved: Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the FL Panther Refuge, Conservancy of SW Florida, Naples Zoo, National Park Service, Collier County Sheriff's Office and a host of others working to conserve the Florida panther and other native wildlife.
When: Saturday, June 23, 2012
At 8:00a.m.
Orientation with Cathy Connolly, Bear Management Specialist, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Where:
Golden Gate Estates Library
1266 Golden Gate Blvd., W.
Naples, FL 34120
Sign up by contacting Shannon Miller at Defenders of Wildlife smiller@defenders.org
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 | Cool Nulle
Purple Gallinule -- Mark Renz photo
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ACES (A Community on Ecosystem Services), Ecosystem Markets Conference, and ESP (Ecosystem Services Partnership) will join together this year to form one of the world's largest meetings on Ecosystem Services and we want you to be involved!
ACES and Ecosystem Markets 2012 will be held December 10-14, 2012 at the Marriott Harbor Beach in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We hope that you will make plans to attend this innovative conference which we anticipate will attract more than 600-700 participants and will feature presentations from every aspect of Ecosystem Services.
Submit your abstract today to become involved in this monumental event! www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/aces
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Call for Abstracts! - NOW OPEN !
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Deadline: July 15, 2012
Organized Session presenters are encouraged to submit their abstract by July 2nd!
Interested in participating in the ACES and Ecosystem Markets conference as an Oral or Poster Presenter? Submit your abstract today!
The ACES and EM Program Committee is seeking abstracts for both oral and poster presentations, and would like to specifically encourage the submission of natural science abstracts to provide balance to the program. All abstract topics related to ecosystem services are welcome and a good portion of the program will be filled by individually submitted abstracts.
If you are part of an organized session, workshop, or world cafe, then your session/workshop organizer has probably already informed you that you need to submit an abstract and the special instructions for doing so.
For more information on the abstract submission process, and for an editable sample that contains all required formatting, visit the Call for Abstracts page.
If you want to get feedback on your abstract or other research or just need a place to connect, visit the ACES Community Page in Ecosystem Commons! |
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| Graduate Student Fellowship Opportunity |
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Deadline: July 15, 2012
Are you a graduate student hoping to present at the ACES and Ecosystem Markets Conference? Apply today and submit your abstract (via the main online abstract submission) for consideration as an ACES Fellow!
Fellowships provide students with travel, lodging, and registration fee support. For more information and to apply, visit the |
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Who Should Attend?
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ACES and Ecosystem Markets 2012 will bring together scientists, practitioners, federal, state, and local agencies, business and financial experts, and resource managers who are interested in natural systems and their relationship with human well-being. Participants will include individuals with interests in resource management, restoration, institutions and policy, government, business, conservation, and urban and non-urban development and will have expertise in areas such as:
- Natural sciences
- Economics and other social sciences
- Urban and regional planning
- Resource and ecosystem management
- Corporate Sustainability and Practices
- Conservation
- Development
- Policy, Institutions, and Law
- Geography
- Finance and marketing
- Tool development
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Should you have any questions about the upcoming conference please do not hesitate to call on me. Please note that additional information on conference deadlines and announcements will be coming via this email listserv. Please be sure that you and your colleagues are subscribed to the ACES - A Community on Ecosystem Services listing.
Sincerely,
Jhanna Gilbert, CMP, CGMP | Conference Coordinator
University of Florida | IFAS
UF Leadership & Education Foundation, Inc.
Office of Conferences & Institutes
PO Box 110750 | Bldg. 639 Mowry Rd.
Gainesville, FL 32611-0750| USA
PH 352-392-5930 | FAX 352-392-9734
jhanna@ufl.edu | www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/aces
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Adam Putnam: We don't need the EPA
By Adam H. Putnam
Special to The Sun
Published: Sunday, June 17, 2012
A ruling from an independent Administrative Law Judge last week in support of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) proposed water quality standards is the latest in a long line of affirmations that Florida is best positioned and most capable of managing the health of its own rivers, streams and coastal waters.
The health of Florida's bodies of water is critical to the future of this state. Part of what makes Florida the ultimate tourist destination is its natural environment. Florida's lakes and rivers offer endless family-friendly recreational opportunities for Florida's residents.
Businesses -including energy production, real estate development and Florida's $100 billion agriculture industry - rely on a high-quality water supply to support their operations. For these and many other reasons, Florida is committed to protecting and restoring its lakes, springs, rivers and streams.
Florida's efforts to protect its bodies of water do not come without significant challenges, however. Nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, can impact the quality of Florida waters. Though nutrients can be harmful in excessive amounts, they are natural and necessary for healthy waters.
The situation is further complicated by the diversity of Florida's bodies of water, which vary greatly in size, shape and environmental surroundings. A one-size-fits-all approach is not an option.
Florida's proposed water quality standards not only take these unique characteristics into account, but also adopt a scientific approach proven to measurably benefit the health of Florida's water bodies. Florida's water standards are the culmination of two decades of data analysis and critical discussion by some of the finest scientists in Florida.
The methodology used by DEP to derive the standards was embraced by the National Academy of Sciences and resulted in the most comprehensive set of water quality standards ever proposed by any state in the nation. They represent a sophisticated rationale to analyze and rank Florida's water bodies so that time and resources will result in measurable benefit and environmental protection.
The standards were unanimously adopted by Florida's Environmental Regulatory Commission and approved by the state Legislature. Currently, the standards are awaiting the approval of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an alternative to EPA's own proposal, developed by judicial decree rather than through scientific approach.
In contrast to Florida's water standards, EPA's numeric nutrient criteria, proposed in 2010, were not based on sound science and would have cost Floridians billions of dollars to implement, without an equivalent benefit. In partnership with Attorney General Pam Bondi, I filed a complaint in federal court challenging the rule and, in February this year, the U.S. District Court found that EPA's rules were overly restrictive and unnecessary to protect Florida's streams.
Florida's commitment to restoring and protecting its water bodies is not only demonstrated by its proposed standards, but also by its strong track record. Florida has placed substantial emphasis on the monitoring and assessment of its waters and, as a result, has collected significantly more water quality data than any other state.
Florida leads the nation in the implementation of advanced wastewater treatment techniques and technology and in non-point source surface water resource protection and restoration programs for both urban and agricultural land use. Even the EPA has previously acknowledged that Florida has developed and implemented some of the most progressive nutrient management strategies in the nation.
Florida has also made significant progress in nutrient reduction, leading to notable successes in water resource restoration. Examples range from Tampa Bay, where sea grasses have returned to levels not seen since the 1950s and now cover 30,000 acres, to the Everglades Agricultural Area, where phosphorous levels have been reduced by 79 percent.
I urge EPA to consider the recent ruling by the Administrative Law Judge, as well as the U.S. District Court's opinion and EPA's own acknowledgement of Florida's strong capabilities to manage water resources, and approve Florida's water quality standards in their entirety. EPA's approval will allow Florida to assume its right to exercise the authority envisioned by the Clean Water Act to develop and implement its own water quality standards through an EPA-approved and predictable process governed by existing state law and accountable to the taxpayers.
An issue so critical to Florida's future must be addressed on the state level, where a proven track record, a scientific approach and measurable outcomes will protect Florida's water resources for generations to come.
Adam H. Putnam is Florida Commissioner of Agriculture.
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If I was a Florida regulator(or irregulator)
I would first consider your family
then my family
then all life forms
Ignoring party affiliation
in my every decision
short term or long
If we're truly in this together
it is the only ethical way to govern
But try getting elected on such a platform
-- Mark Renz
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House subpanel to mark up Interior-EPA bill
Phil Taylor, E&E reporter
The House on Wednesday will take its first step toward passing a bill funding the Interior Department and U.S. EPA for fiscal 2013, a subcommittee vote that will likely spark another rancorous debate over spending cuts and policy riders.
The House last summer ultimately abandoned floor consideration of its fiscal 2012 spending bill as lawmakers battled over GOP proposals to handcuff EPA air regulations, limit Clean Water Act enforcement and overturn mining restrictions at the Grand Canyon, among many others.
Funding cuts will continue to split parties this year, as the Republican in charge of EPA and Interior appropriations must keep his bill $1.2 billion below the levels that both parties agreed to in December's omnibus spending deal.
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) last month said the practical effect of the cut is closer to $2 billion, given the need to cover spending elsewhere, meaning several agency programs could be slimmed significantly (E&E Daily, May 11).
Simpson, who chairs the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, last month also said he did not believe the chamber has enough time to consider all 12 appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30. In such case, Simpson's bill would likely be negotiated directly with the Senate as part of a final fiscal 2013 spending package, but that may not happen until after the election.
While last year's House Interior-EPA bill contained dozens of policy riders, Simpson said he has asked colleagues to exercise restraint.
"We're trying to limit the amount" of proposed restrictions to Interior and EPA programs that are attached to the fiscal 2013 bill, he said, "but there will be some. There will be some that are controversial, to be sure."
One rider Simpson already has committed to revisiting would block EPA from implementing or enforcing its proposed guidance policy to expand federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction over seemingly isolated streams and wetlands.
Another rider that Republicans plan to fight for this summer would stop Interior's Office of Surface Mining from moving ahead with a stream protection rule aimed at limiting pollution from mountaintop-removal mining.
Wildlife species may also be targeted as Wyoming's delegation fights for language that would provide legal safeguards for a pending agreement with Interior to remove Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves.
Simpson may also clarify or extend a rider prohibiting agencies from reducing sheep herding on public lands after an Idaho court ruled the Forest Service had misinterpreted his fiscal 2012 rider (E&E Daily, June 14).
Lawmakers in timber-dependent states may also look to extend a provision in the fiscal 2012 bill that prohibited EPA from requiring permits for stormwater runoff from forest roads.
Schedule: The markup is Wednesday, June 20, at 1 p.m. in B-308 Rayburn.
http://www.eenews.net/
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 | The Godfather
Flipping the small creature onto it's belly I took several photos of its two lateral eyes. There are 8 more eyes elsewhere on the crab. I was amazed at how life-like the lateral eyes were, almost as if the creature was still alive and staring back at me. I dipped it in the water for more photos and as I did...I could have sworn I felt it move...Click Mark Renz image for rest of photo story...
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Eleventh Circuit Limits Attorney's Fees in Clean Water Act Citizen Suit Case
By
Russell Prugh
The Eleventh Circuit recently dealt a blow to environmental plaintiffs seeking attorney's fees in a citizen suit cases brought under the Clean Water Act ("CWA"), holding that winning a case in a trial court is not enough of a reason to award fees, if the case is subsequently reversed on appeal. Friends of the Everglades v. South Florida Management District ("Friends"). The decision also declined attorney's fees to a plaintiff whose lawsuit spurred EPA rulemaking, because the rule was contrary to the plaintiff's litigating position.
The Eleventh Circuit's Friends decision is the latest chapter in long-running litigation over CWA permitting for so-called "water transfers," or the movement of water from one water body to another through tunnels, channels, or other conveyances. In 2006, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida ("Tribe") and other environmental plaintiffs prevailed in a suit in federal district court to force the South Florida Water Management District ("Water District" or "District") to obtain a CWA permit for the District's water transfers.
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Rio-ality check: Can the Earth Summit be saved?
By Greg Hanscom
In the lead-up to the 2009 climate talks in Copenhagen, boosters branded the event "Hopenhagen." Along those lines, the Earth Summit this week in Rio de Janeiro might be called "Rio-ality Check." With just days to go, chaos and disagreement reign: It's a far cry from the master plan for a global green economy that world leaders promised to roll out. Nonetheless, on the fringes we're seeing some interesting signs that the gathering here won't be a complete waste of time.
Despite months of talks at the United Nations HQ in New York City and last-minute jockeying here in Rio, the delegates seem unable to agree on anything of any substance. Hell, they haven't even been able to provide a consistent wifi connection here at RioCentro, a sprawling, heavily guarded conference center on the far edge of the city where the high-level talks are taking place.
The United States, for its part, has blocked provisions in the sprawling, still-in-the-works "outcome document" about sharing green technology, ecologically friendly manufacturing and consumption, and creating a more powerful United Nations organization to oversee sustainable development, to name a few items. A couple of days ago, a coalition of developing countries calling themselves the Group of 77 objected to language about creating bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. There has been bickering over whether the definition of "green economy" should include the term "environmental protection." Forchrissake, you'd think this was the U.S. House of Representatives or something.
The situation is so bad that last week, Sha Zukang, the Chinese diplomat who chairs the summit, suggested locking the delegates in the conference room until they produced a final agreement. Delegates work late each evening trying to finish their work before world leaders (aka their bosses) arrive in town on Wednesday, but at last report, they had agreed to language in only 37 percent of the 100-plus-page document. That's much ado about nothing: Even if a few scraps of substance survive the negotiations, the document lacks any legal teeth whatsoever.
So what's to be done? Well, when the kids on the playground can't play nice, go play by yourself - or better yet find a few like-minded friends and make up your own game. This way, maybe the bullies and boneheads will catch on and join you. Here's Simon Zedek, an outside observer and blogger, in a recent post:
The most powerful force in today's global political economy are unilateral decisions taken by countries and regional groups in pursuit of their own economic interests ... Those attending the Rio+20 Summit should embrace this promising, if awkward, strategic opportunity.
Think of it as a kind of sustainability arms race - a race that has already started. In the last four days, we've seen some worthwhile developments from countries and organizations that abandoned the consensus model that drives the U.N. talks and decided instead to push ahead alone, or with a few friends. Among the announcements so far this week:
- Last Thursday, Australia announced it was creating the world's largest marine reserve, protecting 3.1 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles) of ocean from commercial fishing and fossil fuel exploration.
- On Saturday, the heads of 37 banks, investment funds, and insurance companies - mostly in the developing world - pledged to consider ecological impacts (or "natural capital") in their business decisions.
- And Sunday, just to prove that international cooperation was possible, American and Chinese youth delegations signed a joint statement calling on governments to invest in education, create alternative measures of economic health, and advance peace and nonviolence. Eat it, gray hairs.
You can expect dozens more announcements like these of varying significance in the coming week, including a few from the leaders of the world's cities, where some of the most inspiring sustainable development work is taking place. As for the official talks, it's no surprise to anyone that things seem to be unraveling. As Jacob Sherr of the Natural Resources Defense Council told me a few weeks ago: "The U.N. has one foot in the 21st century, and one foot in the 1960s. Rio will be the true test of whether it can remain relevant."
There is still a glimmer of possibility that world leaders could at least renew their commitment to meet existing promises. For bonus points, they might even set some loose guidelines for sustainable development going forward. Either way, the results will only be words on paper. The real work falls to individual countries and people on the ground.
In reality, a total diplomatic collapse could be better in the short run than any half-assed agreement. Failure could fuel both a sustainability arms race and a citizen's movement.
"We're all here in good faith, because we believe we should be able to work with our governments," said Severn Suzuki, who kicked some serious ass as a 12-year-old at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, during a panel today. "We will see in the next couple of days if that's true. If the system doesn't work, then after Rio, we need to raise some hell."
If I were a betting man, I'd be putting my money on hell-raising time. Then again, maybe the Earth Summit will inspire enough action around the edges to keep us all blissfully apathetic for a while longer.
The Earth Summit is dead. Long live the Earth Summit!
Webcasts from Rio+20
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 | A snake you can look up to
Black racer
Click Mark Renz photo for more "Slitherers"
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Big Sugar is a collective term for the major sugar farming contenders in the Everglades Agricultural Area including large operations such as US Sugar Corp, Flo Sun, and Florida Crystals. Notorious for their environmentally un-friendly procedures, Big Sugar has become the major polluter of the Everglades region. Sugar farming and refining produces chemical refuse that is dumped into water sources making water unsafe for drinking and affecting the plant and animal life. Their strong lobbying efforts allow them to do this without having to pay for all of cleaning and purification. In fact, they leave the majority of that to the tax payers.
Adding insult to injury, the Federal Sugar Price Support Program, authorized in 1981 under the U.S. Farm Bill, does very little to stop the Florida sugar industry from polluting the Everglades. It does, however, squander tax dollars and authorizes a price-fixing scheme that is destroying America's Everglades. The following facts about the Sugar Price Support Program are alarming and illustrate the "special treatment" that has been extended to Big Sugar.
- Allocates 70% of the federal subsidies to the Sugar Industry although it only makes up less than 1% of the total U.S. crops.
- Controls the price of sugar (currently three times the world price) through quotas.
- Guarantees profits for the Florida sugar industry.
- Costs consumers $2 Billion* a year in higher food prices.
(Source: U.S. Government Accounting Office Report) - Costs consumers and taxpayers $2,805,800,000* annually.
- Causes inefficiency and overproduction
- Costs taxpayers $459 Million* for loan default-buy back program (rich sugar corporations borrow federal money to grow sugar cane and then default on their loans, forcing the federal government to buy the over-produced sugar)
- Costs taxpayers $16.8 Million* for storage of overproduced sugar
- Costs taxpayers $388.1+ Million* to Florida sugar companies in annual benefits and subsidies from state and federal governments
- When the Sugar Program was instituted in 1981 there were 23 sugarcane refineries in the U.S. - today there are 8, and employment in sugar refineries since 1981 has dropped 57%.
- As many as 26,500 food and beverage manufacturing jobs (such as U.S. candy plants closing) have been moved overseas since 1997 due to our elected officials' protection of the Sugar Program.
- The Sugar Program made the Florida sugar barons some of the richest and largest corporate welfare receivers in the world allowing them to give millions of dollars in campaign contributions to politicians to ensure the Program's continuation.
- In 2002 under the Bush administration the Sugar Program was increased by as much as $5 Billion for the next five years.
- The Sugar Program is responsible for the destruction of as much as 9 acres of America's Everglades every day.
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Cradles Of The Ocean
2 p.m. Thursday, June 28
Estero Bay
700-1 Fisherman's Wharf
Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931 We will take a refreshing journey into the waters of the bay, wading into mudflats and seagrass beds at low tide to find many of the plants and animals that call this estuary home. Using dip nets and seine nets we will collect organisms such as fish, shrimp, crabs, snails and seagrasses and place them in buckets or magnifiers to take a closer look. The guide will explain how each living creature plays an important role in the ecosystem. You'll be amazed at what can be found just past the shoreline, what few take the time to see. Come and let the estuary surprise you! |
http://online.nwf.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=110942.0&dlv_id=113685
The 2012 National WildlifeŽ Photo Contest is now open for entries! Here's your chance to celebrate the beauty of nature by submitting your nature or wildlife photos today. You can enter to win in seven categories, including perennial favorites like "Baby Animals," "Birds," and "Backyard Habitat."
You can also share a link to your photographs with family and friends and encourage them to vote for your photos! This year, the top four vote-getters each week will be selected to qualify for the People's Choice Award!
Snap: Whether photography is new to you or you're already a pro, now's the time to get snapping. For a $20 donation, you can enter up to 10 photos in seven categories.
Share: Log-in through Facebook and celebrate nature with your network of family and friends! Encourage them to vote for your photos online.
Vote: View thousands of nature and wildlife photos from contestants around the world and vote for your favorites once every day!
Win: You could win one of many valuable prizes, including the $5,000 Grand Prize! Plus many of the winning photos will be published in our award-winning National WildlifeŽ magazine.
Photography is the perfect way to celebrate the wonders of our natural world.
Click here to enter the Photo Contest today.
Entries must be received by July16, 2012.
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 | Off-duty fisherman
Mark Renz photo
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Sincerely,
Eco-Voice Moderator
Eco-Voice, Inc.
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