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Friday, August 3rd, 2012 #1385 |
A Founding Sponsor of Eco-Voice
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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.
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Care to dance?
Click Mark Renz photo for a Youtube musical
of the snowy egret dancing at mealtime
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The latest proposals by WMD staff. See WRAC presentation.
Combined/optimized features of (EWS) and (WSA)
WSA: water supply augmentation (WSA) up to 1800 cfs when LOK stage falls within 0.5' above WST, 3600 cfs when stage falls below Water Shortage Trigger (WST). No WSA when Water Conservation Area (WCA)-3A stage is below floor or if seasonal Lake inflow forecast is above average.
EWS: environmental water supply (EWS) up to 300 cfs in Beneficial Use and Water Shortage bands w/no cutbacks. No Tributary Hydrologic Condition (THC) constraint, and no Lake stage low-chance constraints; LORS-08 baseflow=450cfs.
EWSA8
EWSA6
Descriptions of Alternatives
Drought conditions that have plagued South and Southwest Florida over the last five years underscore the need for timely restoration of the Caloosahatchee Estuary. Perhaps now more than ever, consensus has formed among west coast residents and businesses, the agricultural community and environmental organizations that the status quo is not acceptable-the estuary needs help now.
Same assumptions as EWSA6, but with WSA further restricted based on WCA stage limits (3AN < 11', 2A-17 < 11.1', and 3A-28 < 7.5'), and 300 cfs EWS in Lake Okeechobee Water Shortage Management subject to phase 1-4 cutbacks .
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Frac-Sand Mining Destroys Communities and Fertile Farm Lands
DeSmogBlog
Until recently, one of the most underlooked facets of the industry was the "cradle" portion of the shale gas lifecycle: frac sand mining in the hills of northwestern Wisconsin and bordering eastern Minnesota, areas now serving as the epicenter of the frac-sand mining world...
There are extensive sand deposits in south Florida. |
Everglades effort helps economy
Orlando Sentinel
July 31, 2012
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Central Florida earlier this month to announce that his department would spend $80 million to protect the Everglades ecosystem by conserving and rehabilitating ranch land between Orlando and Lake Okeechobee. Vilsack told the Sentinel editorial board that the investment would bring the total committed to Everglades restoration under the Obama administration to more than $1.5 billion. The former Iowa governor said the project was a good fit with the president's broader goal of revitalizing the nation's rural economy.
Q: Why did the administration make this latest investment in the Everglades?
A: ... One, we obviously want to preserve the Everglades. We want to improve the quality of water; we want to make sure that the flow and quantity of water is what it needs to be to service the various needs of agriculture and communities. Two, we want to preserve wildlife and enhance tourism opportunities. And three, we want to be able to have farmers and ranchers ... be able to preserve their livelihood. This project ... gives farmers the capacity to avoid the lure of high-price development options ...
Q: So how much progress has been made toward the goal of restoring the Everglades?
A: ...Land in Florida is pretty high priced.... It takes a lot of money to do a lot of good work in Florida. I don't think we're anywhere near saying that we've completed this effort, but I think the message that we're sending is that this is a priority, and it's consistent with the president's overall approach toward water issues.
Q: What do you tell critics worried about spending scarce dollars on the Everglades?
A: At least one study estimates that every dollar that's invested can generate $4 in return. ... This is actually a net winner for the economy. We're going to generate business and jobs. ... We're going to create new tourism opportunities, which is a dollar which rolls around in the economy fairly quickly.
It's part of this overall revitalization and rebuilding of the rural economy, which is working. We have had record farm income, record exports, record acres enrolled in conservation, record investments in local and regional food systems, record investment in the bio-based economy, all of which has translated into higher incomes and better jobs. ... One way you deal with the deficit is by growing the economy at a faster rate than it's grown....
Q: Why should Congress pass another farm bill that pays billions in subsidies to a sector earning record income?
A: ...We have a drought in this country right now. It's impacted 60 percent of the crop land ... The worse it gets, the more likely people will suffer, and unfortunately, the disaster programs that were in the 2008 farm bill expired on Sept. 30, 2011.
The safety net that's being created [in the new farm bill] is different than the one created in the 2008 farm bill. No longer are you going to have checks sent to farmers just because they're growing something ... What will replace it will be a greater reliance on crop insurance, in which the farmer will essentially purchase, with some government help, protection against the risks of Mother Nature. ...
There's also the circumstance where crop prices will drop, or livestock prices will drop ... and so this legislation will provide some kind of revenue protection, also a partnership with the farmer and the government ...
Q: What other industries get government help or insulation from falling prices?
A: The amount of assistance that we're giving to our farm families pales [next] to what we've given to the auto industry and the banking industry and the airline industry.... I think farmers give back a tremendous amount. They give you food security. They give you affordability.
Q: Does the administration support keeping the federal sugar program in the farm bill?
A: That's going to stay. Congress has spoken fairly clearly. There were efforts to remove it and they were defeated soundly. ... We're focusing on the fights that we think we can win.=
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College is outrageously expensive. Four years at an elite, private school such as the University of Chicago or Stanford costs more than a quarter of a million dollars. A degree from a more-affordable state school, like the College of William & Mary or the University of California, Berkeley, still costs around $100,000, even for in-state students, who pay less in tuition.
Is it worth it? For many students, the answer is probably not -- unless they are accomplished enough to be accepted by one of the schools ranked near the top of Forbes' annual list of America's 650 Top Colleges.
The rankings, which are compiled exclusively for Forbes by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for College Affordability and Productivity, focus on the things that matter the most to students: quality of teaching, great career prospects, high graduation rates and low levels of debt. They do not attempt to assess a school's reputation, nor are they a measure of academic selectivity, and we pointedly ignore any metrics that would encourage schools to engage in wasteful spending.
The rankings are based on five general categories: postgraduate success (32.5%), which evaluates alumni pay and prominence; student satisfaction (27.5%), which includes professor evaluations and freshman- to sophomore-year retention rates; debt (17.5%), which penalizes schools for high student debt loads and default rates; four-year graduation rate (11.25%); and competitive awards (11.25%), which rewards schools whose students win prestigious scholarships and fellowships like the Rhodes, Marshall and Fulbright or go on to earn Ph.D's.
Click ahead to discover this year's 10 top colleges and universities.
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This is the human spirit that has lived and learned and repaired old barns and weathered storms and treasured friends and has come to understand the joys of simple living Mark Renz photo and words
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DEP Florida Green Lodging Program and Audubon International Launch Partnership
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Green Lodging Program today re-designated Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa in partnership with Audubon International's Green Lodging Program, in Marco Island.
During the ceremony, Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa was presented with a designation certificate. Speakers for the ceremony included the Department's South District Director Jon Iglehart, the Department's Sustainable Initiatives Director Brad Stombock, Audubon International Executive Director Ryan Aylesworth and David Robinson, Senior Director of Golf, Grounds, & Operations for Marriott Golf.
"Through this partnership with Audubon International, the Florida Green Lodging Program will be able to better recognize members of Florida's lodging sector for their proven dedication in protecting Florida's environment and natural resources," said Sustainable Initiatives Director Brad Stombock. "Further, the partnership will allow us to provide a greater level of technical assistance opportunities across the state, focusing on conserving our valuable natural resources and assisting in the development of operational efficiencies."
The Florida Green Lodging Program is similar to Audubon International's Green Lodging Program, recognizing lodging facilities that have met environmental best practice standards and have demonstrated a strong commitment to water quality, water conservation, waste minimization, resource conservation and energy efficiency...... |
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Join 1000 Friends of Florida for a Free Webinar
Understanding the Local Planning Process in Florida
Thursday, September 6 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m.
1.5 AICP CM credits have been applied for
Register Now! |
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NOAA Florida Freshwater Resource Project |
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve was awarded $815,000 in early 2012 for a three-year project to address freshwater allocation and management, focused on the Henderson Creek watershed. Learn more here . |
Primary Goal of This Project
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The primary goal of this project is to adaptively manage the freshwater in the Henderson Creek watershed to provide adequate water for two user groups: the Rookery Bay estuary and the people that depend on the Henderson Creek watershed for their water supply. Additional anticipated outcomes of this project include increased knowledge of the parameters necessary for estuarine health in Rookery Bay which will help the Reserve and others to better manage the environmental systems that support the local economy. Water managers will gain understanding of the knowledge level of water users to target future educational efforts. The community will have assisted in the establishment of a pilot effort to create an inclusive and effective decision-making tool related to water use and allocation. Together, these outcomes will assist the community in preparing for future freshwater challenges that are already being faced by many coastal communities in the nation. |
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IWLA Convention Delegates Adopt National Conservation Policies
Over 90 years, League members have developed conservation policies on a wide range of natural resource, fish and wildlife, and conservation issues by adopting resolutions at the League's national convention. Policies proposed and adopted by our members guide the League's conservation and advocacy work at the state, regional, and national levels.
At this year's convention, members adopted resolutions concerning mining for silica sand, linking conservation compliance and crop insurance in the Farm Bill, reporting wetland and grassland acres converted to crop production, and on-shore oil and natural gas drilling. For the full text of each resolution, visit the League Web site. These new policies will be incorporated into the League's "Conservation Policies Handbook," which will be available online this fall.
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WATER RESOURCES ADVISORY COMMISSION
Thursday, August 2, 2012, meeting on policy options for flow to the Caloosahatchee
Augmentation/Supplemental Environmental Flows
- Cal Neidrauer, Chief Engineer, Water Control Operations Bureau, and Susan Gray, Chief Environmental Scientist, Applied Science Bureau, Water Resources
Division.
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The Palm Beach Post
April 28, 2001 - Backpumping History
More harm is suing than in back-pumping
By Malcolm Wade
In an ideal world, there always would be plenty of water for everyone. and only pure water would touch Lake Okeechobee. There never would be a drought and South Florida development never would affect the lake.
It's not news that the ideal world doesn't exist. South Florida is in the
midst of its worst drought in decades, and Lake Okeechobee has paid the
price for 50 years of growth. Since much earlier in this century. the lake
has been a principal reservoir for farming, growing coastal populations andthe Everglades. In recent years, other environmental factors have affected lake management. The change has led to controversy over the lake's use for water supply and its value as habitat for wildlife and vegetation.
The South Florida Water Management District decided recently to conserve what little rainfall we've received this year by capturing some of that water and pumping it into the lake. Back-pumping occurs more frequentlyduring flood conditions. Back-pumping for water supply merely sends theexcess to the lake for storage.
The decision makes sense: If and when it rains, take the water from the vast farming area and store this cleaner water in the lake for future use by
cities, farms and the ecosystem. The most recent three-day back-pumping
netted more than 3.1 billion gallons of water, equal to a week's supply for
Broward and Palm Beach counties.
This action delayed the costly Phase III restrictions on urban east coast
for the time being. In contrast, the farms in the Glades have been operating under Phase III restrictions since November. In trying to manage our crops with less than 50 percent of the normal water supply, we are more thansharing the adversity of the drought.
Water -supply back-pumping is not unusual. The pumping facilities on the
southern edge of the lake were designed to move water into the water when necessary. Unfortunately, some environmentalists are threatening to sue the water management district over the issue. What a waste of time and resources. Their argument is that sending rainwater from canals into Lake Okeechobee (water that otherwise would be lost) is going to drastically increase its phosphorus content. They complain that the most recent event added 1.5 tons of phosphorus to the lake -- ignoring the fact that during normal wet conditions, far more would have flowed into the lake from areas north and west without back-pumping.
Though the facts prove their argument to be groundless, these critics
continue to undermine one of the few options we have to increase available water supply during this drought. Moreover, the agricultureal area will contribute the lowest concentrations of phosphorus when compared with other tributaries north and west of the lake. This has been the case not only recently but since 1995 -- after the Everglades Agricultural Area farmers implemented advanced "Best Management Practices" to minimize the phosphorus in runoff.
District test results on the initial back-pumping of March 30 - April 1, 2001 show phosphorus levels ranging well under the goal of 180 ppb. Tests showed levels below 60 parts per billion pumped from sugar-cane farms near South Bay and 117-175 ppb pumped from city and farms near Belle Glade. Once again the data show the water entering the lake from the farming area contains less phosphorus than water that normally enters the lake from other areas.
Lake Okeechobee is almost a foot below its record low for this date, and
there are still six dry weeks ahead. Since the lake is the backup water
supply for Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, every effort must be made to store water in it. Already, lakeside utilities are taking emergency measures to modify their water intakes to ensure that they can continue to supply water.
"Harvesting the region's rainfall," as the district describes this emergency
effort, is one of the few ways to actively improve the water-supply outlook for the southeast coast -- while at the same time providing some of the cleanest water [that] Lake Okeechobee could receive even in wet conditions. Without it, homes, nurseries, golf courses, car washes, and other water-based businesses face restrictive and economically devastating water rationing. Ultimately, the water supply that is vital to South Florida's
public health, safety and welfare is at stake.
Back-pumping helps without harming. In the real world, that's a good
decision.
Malcolm Wade is senior vice-president of U.S. Sugar. |
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We are fast becoming larger than life
Mark Renz photo
(Marble found on ground at historic Captain Hendry House LaBelle)
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July 27, 2012
South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has two important meetings coming up in August to consider a proposal to backpump water laced with phosphorous and nitrogen from the Everglades into Lake Okeechobee.
The district is considering the proposal as a possible solution for water releases into the Caloosahatchee River. It has drawn the attention of a number of water quality organizations, including the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, which object to the proposal and are marshaling support from government officials and the public ahead of the SFWMD workshop meeting on Aug. 2 and governing board meeting on Aug. 9.
"We want the public to write, fax or call SFWMD members to voice their concerns or attend one or both of the meetings," said Rae Ann Wessel, Natural Resource Policy director at SCCF. "The concern is all about water quality."
Backpumping was outlawed in 2007 by the governing board after a massive push and several lawsuits against it.
"That was backpumping where the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) folks when they have too much water just pump it back into the lake where it would stay until they needed it," said Wessel. "Then they would pump it for their irrigation demand. Part of the problem was they were really using the lake like a reservoir, even though they would be able to set one up on their own properties."
SFWMD staff spent eight months of looking for solutions to the lack of water flow for the Caloosahatchee to come up with this newest proposal. The proposal sets a "limited amount of backpumping" significantly less than that which was overturned in 2007. ( the latest WMD proposals)
"This is a subset of that," said Wessel. "It's a mini variation of that. They think they can add water to the lake and give that water to the Caloosahatchee. It's their preferred alternative in doing their evaluation even though we have found an alternative that does not require backpumping and really use the no-cost alternative."
The backpumping proposal undermines all of the water quality work the state of Florida just promised a federal judge by spending $880 million in cleaning up Everglades water quality.
"We're having to do that for the very reasons that sources of pollution have been allowed to discharge into public water bodies where they have festered and created this water quality problem," said Wessel.
"This same district is now proposing to backpump water into Lake Okeechobee in this mini variation of the previous proposal that is going to deliver 10 metric tons of phosphorous and 359 metric tons of nitrogen into the lake," Wessel adds. "In a limited nitrogen system like the lake, it causes toxic algae blooms that leads to deterioration of the water quality. You add 359 metric tons a year and you're going to have an ecological upheaval on your hands."
Wessel asked the Sanibel City Council for its support to stop the proposal at the council's monthly meeting last week.
"There has been a lot of effort to clean up Lake Okeechobee, tremendous focus on reducing nitrogen and phosphorous levels in this polluted body of water," said Sanibel vice mayor Mick Denham. "It is very difficult for me to fathom how the SFWMD would support backpumping into the lake. This would increase the levels of pollution and undo all the good work that has been done over the past few years. The quality of water in Lake Okeechobee benefits both the citizens of Moore Haven and the citizens of Sanibel."
Mayor Kevin Ruane was one of several island officials and business owners who lobbied SFWMD to release water into the Caloosahatchee during the dry spring.
"We know that we need to find interim solutions to provide dry-season freshwater flows to the Caloosahatchee while we wait for the C-43 reservoir to be constructed, but we want to be sure that any interim solution that we support does not further impact the water quality in Lake Okeechobee or Everglades restoration," said Ruane. "All issues impacting water quality remain at the top of our priorities."
"Our focus is on the Caloosahatchee because it has been like a stepchild, the one that's always been forgotten or cut off or whatever the consequence was," said Wessel. "The Caloosahatchee was being cut off when all other interests were not restricted. We got cut off this past spring for a month and a half when there were no other restrictions. Not only were there no restrictions, there was no threat of a water shortage."
SFWMD considers Lake O backpumping proposal |
Chief of Engineers Report for C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project
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.
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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SAVE THE DATE! Everglades Coalition's 28th ANNUAL CONFERENCE Hosted by the Everglades Foundation January 10-13, 2013 Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, Florida www.evergladescoalition.org |
Yes, it will be the 10th Annual River, Roots & Ruts Trail Run! And we intend to make it even special-er than all the other special RRR's. Mark Sunday, January 6, 2013 on your calendar, same Hog Time, same Hog Place. (8:00 am at the Caloosahatchee Regional Park)
Registration is now open. Once again the half marathon/relay will be limited to 350 runners with no limit on the Fun Run.
Only seven months to get in shape!
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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.
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Darwin finally found someone he couldn't charm
Mark Renz photo (Cat's name is Lima)
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Sincerely,
Eco-Voice Moderator
Eco-Voice, Inc.
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