Ralph Waldo Emerson
With the return of Eastern Standard Time on November 7th, comes a change in the irrigation restrictions.During the winter months when lawns and plants don't need much water, watering is only allowed one day a week.If your address ends in an odd number, you can water on Saturdays.If your address ends in an even number, you can water on Sundays.Nonresidential irrigation can occur on Tuesdays.Watering is only allowed before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.While you are permitted to water on a designated day of each week, it doesn't mean that you need to run your sprinklers at all on those days. When our lawns are dormant, they generally only need water every 7 to 14 days and can often get by on normal rainfall events. So, make sure that you adjust your irrigation timers, pay close attention to the rainfall patterns, and water only when necessary.
November 21st 2010 Run/Walk Wild for the Environment at Snyder Park
Kids Ecology Corps is hosting the 2010 Run/Walk Wild for the Environment at Snyder Park. Jack Johnson has committed to match dollar for dollar registration donations from now until October 15. To register and really make a difference in Broward County visit
www.runwildflorida.com
Thank you for all of your support! Kids Ecology Corps modest staff and volunteers have already visited with 11,000 young people this year learning about how to live sustainably and taking action in the community. We hope that you can support our efforts and enjoy a morning at Snyder Park with us this fall.
Visit our website www.kidsecologycorps.org
Finally...we are always looking for volunteers.
Collier Audubon/Corkscrew Sanctuary Annual Dinner at Naples Hilton with Randy Wayne White
February 10, 2011
For more Info, visit www.collieraudubon.org,or www.corkscrew.audubon.org,
or call 239-643-7822 or 239-348-9151 x:111
Please join us for a special webcast on Gulf Coast restoration and how we can hold BP accountable for the loss of habitat and wildlife.
This free webcast will air November 18, 2010, 1 PM EST. It will be archived as well for those who can't make this event.
Register here.
We will hear from Chris Canfield, Audubon's Vice President for Gulf of Mexico Conservation and Restoration, our wildlife scientists will be on hand for questions, and we'll have some Gulf video footage produced by Cornell Lab of Ornithology that is sure to be spectacular. We'll also focus on important legislation that can help birds, wildlife and the coast with some quick and easy actions everyone can take.
Please register for this free, interactive event and pass this along to anyone you think would be interested in learning more about the state of the Gulf, it's birds and wildlife, and how we can all ensure that BP is held accountable for the tragic impacts in the Gulf as a result of the spill.
Thank you!
Audubon's Gulf Restoration Team
Open letter to the membership of the South Florida Audubon Society: On November 2nd, Americans exercised their democratic right to vote kicking off a new dynamic that will take place in Congress in January.
So, what will this mean to the wild places you and I treasure and to the wildlife that calls these places home?
Caring for our public lands and wilderness is not a "republican" or a "democratic" value. It is an American value. Wilderness is an integral part of who we are as Americans. Our nation was born of the wilderness, our civilization and communities were carved out of it, and, fortunately, our ancestors had the sense to save some of it for future generations.
However, the current propensity to pave over every square inch of surface that does not have a building on it is contrary to the plans our ancestors had for our legacy and that of future generations.
Some politicians will try to intervene in our efforts to protect wilderness. Some will be new friends of the wilderness and will direct their efforts to saving what is left of our environment. It will continue to be a tough, uphill battle.
We will need to work hard to build relationships that move our issues forward. Our agenda must be deeply rooted in American tradition, moving America forward to address climate change, new wilderness protection, renewable energy, oil and gas reforms and the restoration of the Everglades for both wildlife and biological diversity - this is the work that we, with your help, will continue.
Our immediate agenda will be to push for Everglades restoration, to combat industry’s efforts to weaken the EPA’s ability to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act, and to continue our efforts to preserve and increase wildlife habitat.
Your support and efforts have helped to make this work possible in the past and we are counting on you now to help us continue our successes.
Grant Campbell Director of Wildlife Policy
Conservation Chair
South Florida Audubon Society
Statement by National Audubon Society President & CEO David Yarnold, on the results of the 2010 Congressional Elections.
"Americans may have voted for change in Congress, but no one voted to increase pollution.
"Senators should use their lame duck session to dedicate Clean Water Act fines paid by BP to the immediate restoration of America's Gulf Coast.
After reporting a 1.8 billion dollar profit for the last quarter, BP cannot be allowed to stick taxpayers with the bill for its disaster. Senators can also ensure that the Land and Water Conservation Fund receive full funding. These vital steps will demonstrate bipartisan cooperation at a time when it is needed more than ever.
"The new Congress can also realistically defend America from the risk of diminished air quality by opposing efforts to block EPA enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
"Passage of a nationwide renewable energy standard can still fuel new cooperation after the new Congress convenes in January. Other climate legislation may face a tough road ahead, but a nationwide renewable energy standard that puts us on a clean energy path can still make a dent in our energy use and climate-altering emissions.
"Audubon stands ready to respond by focusing conservation and environmental protection efforts at the state, community and individual level. The election of 2010 brought a sea change to Congress, but our grassroots supporters are committed to ensuring it doesn’t swamp the chances for progress toward a healthy planet for birds, wildlife and people everywhere."
David Yarnold President
Audubon Society
Statement from the Natural Resources Defense Council
American voters made plain their anger on Tuesday and the resulting tsunami swept away legions of incumbents on Capitol Hill. Some of the victims were long-time friends of the environment and they will be sorely missed. But members of the new House majority would be making a huge mistake -- a potentially fatal mistake -- if they think this cresting wave of economic ire gives them a mandate to roll back America’s environmental safeguards, as some have been threatening. For proof, look no further than Election Day results.
Most representatives who supported the House clean energy bill won their races. In California, voters soundly thrashed Proposition 23, an industry-backed measure that would have derailed the state’s visionary global warming law.
Across the country, polls reveal an America more committed than ever to a clean energy path. Nearly 90 percent of us want more renewable energy from our utilities. Nearly 80 percent of us want measures that will give us better gas mileage in our cars and more energy savings in our homes and offices. Politicians ignore these numbers at their peril. That’s why, come January, NRDC will be working hard to build a new bipartisan coalition in Congress that can hammer out an agreement on renewables and other key aspects of a clean energy future.
But, make no mistake, if the new House majority is foolish enough to thwart those efforts and launch direct attacks on environmental laws and agencies -- as some of them are promising -- then we will give them the fight of their lives. There seems to be something about the headiness of victory and newfound power that makes anti-environmentalists overreach. We’ve seen this movie before. In 1994, Newt Gingrich swept to power in the House, brandishing a “Contract with America” that never mentioned the word environment. But once installed, the new majority claimed a mandate for undoing 25 years of environmental protections.
NRDC and our allies fought back hard by mobilizing an enraged public; more than one million Americans wrote or phoned Congress in protest. In the end, the House leadership gambled everything -- their budget, their power, their agenda -- on a radical assault on nature.
They lost, and discovered the hard way that protecting the environment is a bedrock American value.I can’t tell you if the new House leadership will launch as broad and coordinated an assault as Newt Gingrich did. But I do know that more than one battle will soon be joined.
Powerful members of the new majority have signaled their intent to unshackle polluters from the Clean Air Act ... strip wolves of their endangered species protection ... industrialize the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge . . . slash budgets for clean energy programs ... and hold hearings questioning the science behind global warming.
I promise you that NRDC will be fully prepared.We will bring everything to bear -- the grassroots power of 1.3 million Members and online activists like you, the advocacy clout of our legal and scientific teams, and the unmatched effectiveness of our rapid response operation -- to stave off any and all legislative attacks on our natural heritage and environmental laws. But playing defense is simply not enough.
If we are to avoid the most catastrophic outcomes of an overheating planet, we’ve got to start cutting global warming pollution soon. That’s why NRDC will also be advocating in federal agencies, fighting in the courts, partnering with the states and innovating through the marketplace to drive America’s long overdue transition to a clean energy economy.
That is our planet’s last best hope for a sustainable future -- and we are going to get there with Congress or without Congress.I’m counting on you to stay the course with NRDC. We need your idealism. We need your activism. We need your support. If we have all of those, we are going to prevail.
Sincerely,
Frances Beinecke
President Natural Resources Defense Council
Message from Earthjustice
There is no reason to beat around the bush: Tuesday's election results are a setback in our progress towards a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable planet.
At a time when the world desperately needs leadership from the United States, voters have installed in the House of Representatives those who have vowed to do all they can to obstruct progress in cleaning up dirty coal-burning power plants, reducing health-destroying and climate-disrupting pollution, and protecting wild places and wildlife.
Yet, while the news is bad, we can take heart that the election was not a referendum on the environment. Voters still want clean water, healthy air, protected public lands, and action on transitioning from dirty power plants to a clean energy economy.
Californians resoundingly affirmed their commitment to progress on climate change by defeating an oil industry initiative to dismantle the state’s innovative climate law. This underscores our belief that, despite campaign rhetoric from the new House leadership, the public will not tolerate a roll back of fundamental environmental protections.
Moreover, when overzealous legislators prevent environmental agencies from doing their jobs, Earthjustice kicks into action. We've been there before—during the entire Bush administration, our litigation preserved roadless areas of the national forests, essential clean air standards and endangered species protections.
We anticipated an increase in hostile attacks after the elections and have expanded our staffing across the organization to take on these fights.
Over the next two years, Earthjustice will continue to work in the courts, make use of strong partnerships with client groups, and apply savvy lobbying and communications skills, to:
Defend EPA's early actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change.
Push EPA forward and defend its actions in finalizing new rules that will clean up or retire hundreds of dirty coal-fired power plants across the country.
Prevent oil development in the Alaskan Arctic Ocean.
Force public disclosure about and seek better health-based controls on toxic chemicals we are exposed to every day.
Protect national forest roadless areas and our other public lands.
Keep basic endangered species protections in place so long as needed for wolves, grizzly bears and many other treasured species.
Restore fish and other marine species to sustainable levels.
Prevent overfishing of our oceans.
These and many other issues are the heart of our work—just as supporters like you are the heart of Earthjustice. Your support has made possible our many accomplishments and assures that we can continue to deliver results no matter what shifts occur in the political arena.
Thank you for all the loyalty you have shown.
Sincerely,
Trip Van Noppen
President, Earthjustice
Birds
Bird conservation works, but we need a lot more of it
Scientists are reporting in the journal Science that a fifth of vertebrate species are classified as threatened, and that this figure is increasing. On average, 52 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians move one category closer to extinction each year. Birder’s World Associate Editor Matt Mendenhall has studied the Science paper, he participated in an international teleconference last week, and he has described what the paper means for birds on our blog: 230 have moved closer to extinction, and 35 have improved due to conservation efforts.
Read Matt's digest of this important breaking story.
Migratory birds in jeopardy
As fall migration continues, millions of birds are flying into the Gulf's beaches and wetlands. Following hundreds and even thousands of miles of travel, they are in need of abundant healthy food and clean places to stay the winter or rest along the Gulf Coast before moving further south. But sadly this year, the BP oil disaster, which contaminated huge swaths of some of the Gulf's most important bird habitat, may have long lasting impacts for countless migratory birds.
In fact, this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services reported that more than 8,000 birds, of which more than 6,000 were dead, have been collected in the aftermath of the BP spill.
Dozens of migratory species have been found dead, including many common loons, brown pelicans, laughing gulls, northern gannets, least terns and royal terns. These and other species that frequently land and float on water experience deadly hypothermia when oil destroys the insulating quality of their feathers.As an additional problem, the complexity of the Gulf's coastline, with bays, estuaries, inlets, marshes and creeks provides a particular challenge for oil spill cleanup efforts, which can further damage habitats for years to come.
In June, the American Bird Conservancy released a list naming ten important migratory bird areas in the immediate vicinity of the Gulf oil spill disaster. Unfortunately, as it stands right now, the fines owed by BP for their Clean Water Act violations will only be available for addressing future oil spills, rather than invested in restoration of important migratory bird areas in the Gulf damaged by the oil spill.
[At this writing, the Everglades Coalition, with it’s 50+ member organizations, is drafting a letter to Congress asking to make the funds available for Gulf Coast reatoration.]
Birder’s World upcoming birding events
Learn about events near you, or add your own event to our calendar.
Lodi Sandhill Crane FestivalNovember 5-7, Lodi, CA
14th Annual Wings Over Water Wildlife FestivalNovember 9-14, Manteo, NC
Rio Grande Valley Birding FestivalNovember 10-14, Harlingen, TX
Waterfowl FestivalNovember 12-14, Easton, MD
Festival of the CranesNovember 16-21, Socorro, NM
Fraser Valley Bald Eagle FestivalNovember 20-21, Mission, BC
Family Owl Prowl November 26, Houston, TX
Read our complete list of fun events.
Audubon Leaders Rally to Protect Snail Kites Hundreds of people responded last week to Audubon’s efforts to support managing the important Snail Kite habitat on Lake Tohopekaliga (Lake Toho) by downloading our Factsheet and by testifying at a public hearing before management agencies on Friday, November 6. Thank you all for rallying to protect Snail Kites.
Nine Audubon volunteer leaders from Kissimmee Valley and Ocklawaha Audubon chapters joined Audubon of Florida staff scientist Paul Gray, PhD to support aquatic plant management actions that will protect enough exotic hydrilla and exotic apple snails that currently sustain the Snail Kite breeding efforts. The hearing was run jointly by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
A local issue has taken on national importance because federally endangered Snail Kite numbers have dropped from more than 3,000 birds ten years ago to less than 700 today. If trends continue, the species could be extinct in a few decades.
The Snail Kite is plagued by two problems. In the Kissimmee Valley region, its habitat has been invaded by exotic aquatic plant and snail species that when controlled, leave the Kites with virtually no habitat.
In Okeechobee and the southern Everglades, development-driven water management and extreme weather have degraded the natural habitats and availability of food so dramatically that Kite nesting has failed in this area.
More than half the nesting Snail Kites now depend on the exotic apple snails that hydrilla supports in Lake Toho. Normally, the exotics would be removed, but due to the urgent need to foster successful Kite breeding, Audubon supports the agencies’ position that the exotics should be temporarily protected.
Concerns were raised at the meeting of losing boating access if the hydrilla gets too thick and the agencies agreed to maintain boating lanes and fishing holes to sustain the economic importance of the lake, while protecting as much potential habitat for Kites as possible.
Endangered woodpeckers released in area
A dozen endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers are building nests in a wildlife management area in Martin and Palm Beach counties.
Thanks to an effort to help save the rare birds, named for a tiny red patch or "cockade" males have behind the eye, the woodpeckers are getting the support of several area experts at the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, which straddles Martin and Palm Beach counties.
Biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is based in Tallahassee, moved the woodpeckers from Citrus and Hernando counties, in the northern part of the state, as part of an effort to relocate the birds throughout the state.
Fifteen clusters of red-cockaded woodpeckers already live in the at the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, with 12 potential breeding groups, biologists said.
"The ultimate goal is to get this woodpecker off the endangered species list," said Gabriella Ferraro, south region spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
About 100 years ago, the medium-size woodpeckers heavily populated the southeastern United States. The birds, with their distinctive white cheek patches and black-and-white barred backs, lived as far north as New Jersey, biologists said. But by the last half of the century, their numbers dropped so drastically that the birds gained federal protection as an endangered species, said biologist Nancy Dwyer.
About 25 percent of the country's surviving birds live in Florida. Biologists estimate about 1,100 family groups reside in the state, each consisting of about one breeding pair.
Read more
Hollywood students help in the release of an owl
Dozens of fifth-graders at Hollywood Hills Elementary waited patiently outside the school for a special treat.
A young burrowing owl was ready to be set free on its home turf, which in this case wasn't the wild but their school's ball field. During the summer, someone rescued the bird, which apparently was injured by a hawk. Veterinary staff at a Fort Lauderdale wildlife facility tended to two puncture wounds.
With the wounds healed, the bird's release prompted a welcome-back project at Hollywood Hills Elementary School. The ball field provides an open stretch of land where several owl families like to raise their babies.
About 20 fifth-graders pitched in with members of Project Perch to offer the birds a wider selection of safe homes beneath the ground. Project Perch, which is linked to the South Florida Audubon Society, seeks to assist the burrowing owl population by installing ready-to-go starter burrows using PVC pipes.
Rehabilitated birds and other wildlife generally are released in the same areas where they're rescued because they're familiar with the territory and available food and shelter, said Greg Adler, release coordinator for the Wildlife Care Center.
The pipes give the owls an immediate and stable shelter within the dirt. The pipes are situated so the birds can customize their dwellings by digging further to expand their tunnels.
Students who helped install the burrows a week before the injured owl's release said the work was worth the effort. ``It really feels good to help them out,'' fifth-grader Brianna Thorpe said.
The release drew plenty of fanfare. Adler set the crate on the field and opened the door.
For a while, the bird huddled inside. The students kept quiet, as they were instructed.
Eventually the owl emerged, soaring overhead, probably into a nearby tree. Students applauded.
Seeing the bird fly free was a valuable lesson about conserving a wildlife habitat, Adler said. ``I think the benefit of witnessing [the release] solidifies it a bit.''
American Robins Head to St. Petersburg
The Robins are on their way to St. Petersburg! In what has become the largest winter roost in North America, St. Petersburg is eagerly awaiting their American Robin winter visitors. Audubon of Florida friend and supporter Lorraine Margeson has been featured in an article by the St. Petersburg Times that highlights this special area of the world:
“There were 10 robins the next day, then 100, then 500,” said Margeson, 52, who owns a computer networking company with her husband. “By the end of the week, we were seeing 100,000 or more every day.”
They would fly out in the morning, just before dawn, heading south. In the evening they would come back, heading north. Eventually, it took more than two hours for the entire flock to pass overhead. “The whole sky just blanketed with red bellies, a wave rolling across the rooftops.”
By the end of February, when the National Audubon Society co-sponsors its annual Great Backyard Bird Count, Margeson and other Tampa Bay birders had recorded 1.45 million robins over a four-day weekend — the largest winter roost in all of North America. In the rest of the U.S., only 400,321 robins were tallied.
So if you live nearby, keep the look-out for these red-bellied visitors and take advantage of this unique opportunity to enjoy these wonderful birds.
Sea eagle numbers reach new levels in Scotland
2010 has proved a record-breaking year for the UK's largest bird of the prey, the white-tailed sea eagle. Not only has the Scottish population passed the 50 breeding pairs milestone, the species has also produced more young per pair than in any other year since their reintroduction 35 years ago.
Recent figures show there are now 52 territorial pairs in the country, an increase of 6 since 2009. The last 12 months also saw 46 young successfully fledge, a good 10 more than the previous year, resulting in a landmark year for productivity.
This iconic species was completely wiped out in Britain, ultimately due to human killing and the activities of egg and skin collectors. After an absence of over half a century, a reintroduction program started on the island of Rum in 1975, aimed at returning these majestic raptors to Scotland's skies.
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Read the article
Bird camp in Sardinia to prevent thousands of birds being caught In the area south of Cagliari, mild temperatures and the wide variety of Mediterranean scrub species that produce berries in large quantities (Strawberry tree, Myrtle, Juniper, Pistacia lentiscus and Phillirea latifolia) attract millions of migratory and wintering birds.
The autumn migration of Song thrushes usually starts passing through in early October, but when the birds reach southern Sardinia, they are greeted by hundreds of thousands traps laid by poachers. Bird trapping, catching birds with forbidden devices, is very widespread in the Sulcis region of south-western Sardinia and it has become a growing economic force over the years.
Every day in winter, hundreds of people trek long distances along mountain paths carrying traps and nets to catch animals illegally, to sell them into the illegal food market.
In fact, the traditional kebabs (known as Pillonis de taccula and made of seven Song thrushes and one blackbird and served on a spit) are still being served on the tables of nearby Cagliari, especially at Christmas time, both at home and in some restaurants. The traps are set on the ground or on the branches of a tree. They trap birds with a loop knot, originally made of horsehair, but now more usually made from nylon. The traps on the ground lure birds with bait that is usually a strawberry tree berry.
Aerial traps take advantage of the roosting habits of birds. By cutting away every nearby roost, poachers invite birds to roost on those remaining ones which have been set with traps. The aerial traps are less selective than the ground traps; they can catch any kind of bird and are a big threat to biodiversity.
We have recently seen Finches, Blackcaps, Sardinian warblers, Common redstart, Firecrest, Kestrels, Sparrowhawks, Eurasian Jay, Tawny and Little owls, as well as mice and dormouses all trapped in this way.
But it's the Robin (A specially protected species in Italy) that is one of the species that suffers most in Sardinia.
There also thousands of snares set for larger mammals such as Wild boar and the Sardinian deer. These traps are also used for trapping predator animals, like the wild cat and Pine marten that will otherwise remove the birds that have been trapped by poachers.
There are also some huge nets that are widespread and completely indiscriminate.
The survival of illegal bird catching in 2010 on such a big scale has been made possible by some tolerance of Sardinia Region authorities which are responsible for the protection of wild fauna and to this end the Region has got its own specialized police body.
The facts are clear: From September 2008 through to November 2009, 15 months in total, the Sardinian Forest Authority (C.F.V.A.) identified and pressed charges against just 10 bird poachers. No outlet that sells birds illegally has ever been fined.
The Italian League for Bird Protection (LIPU) has been working in southern Sardinia since 2005, carrying out direct actions to protect the birds and have already produced very important changes. This activity has been made possible thanks to the decisive contribution from LIPU UK that arranges important fund-raising every year.
Dozens of volunteers from all over Italy and other European countries are currently spending six weeks searching for and removing the traps, and will continue until the end of January 2011, as well as providing support to those Police Forces that are actually making an effort to stop these illegal practices.
Read more
Invasive species
Argentine lizard could invade wildlife refuge
Another exotic animal species has experts sounding alarms in South Florida and the Keys.
The latest threat is a reptile, the Argentine black and white tegu, a reptile closely related to monitor lizards. Scientists say the tegus are already established around Florida City and nothing will stop them from reaching Key Largo.
Scientists have sent out alerts and are asking the public for help by reporting tegu sightings.
In an e-mail sent recently to wildlife officials, science communications coordinator Larry Perez of Everglades National Park said that tegu "are something we really need to be careful about keeping off Key Largo (if they're not there already)."
Argentine black and white tegu are large, carnivorous lizards native to South America. They grow up to 4 feet long, can climb trees and cross wetlands. When approached they will be "scurrying quickly along the ground," according to a fact sheet made by local experts.
The biggest problem is that tegus could wipe out rare native species, starting with the Key Largo cotton mouse and Key Largo wood rat. Less than 500 individuals of the wood rat, a small rodent that produces only one or two pups a year, live in Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge on Key Largo. They are a federally protected endangered species that are never found in developed areas.
The refuge "seems to be in the line of fire if this species disperses farther south," Perez told colleagues.
Steve Klett, manager of the Crocodile Lake refuge, said on Wednesday that tegus have not been caught —yet — in the refuge, which includes 6,600 acres on the west side of County Road 905 around Card Sound Road.
But, Klett said, "When you have active populations on the mainland, it's just a matter of time before they get down here."
"Probably what makes [tegus] even more detrimental to native species is that they are climbers as well, and they eat virtually anything," Klett said.
A collection of federal and state agencies sent out a "Pest Alert" on tegus in August. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park
Service, and the South Florida Water Management District and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission combine efforts to fight invasive species. The alert notice says the tegu, whose scientific name is Tupinambis marianae, is a species "with potential to invade the south Florida ecosystem."
Since 2008, tegus have become established in the Florida City area, and they have been seen in culverts along the stretch of U.S. 1 between the mainland and Key Largo.
Experts ask people who see a tegu to call the Miami-Dade Venom Response Unit at (786) 336-6600 and give details — size, location, time of day, habitat and the behavior of the animal.
Like almost every nonnative species that has become a problem — or at least a common sight in South Florida — tegus have been sold as exotic pets. They became established in the wild when irresponsible owners dumped them or they escaped during shipment.
"Every tegu, dead or alive, is important! Please do not discard dead tegus" and report them to the authorities," the tegu alert advises.
The Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) hearing at the Novotel Hotel in Rotorua to consider the application by Crown Research Institute Scion to field trial thousands of genetically engineered (GE) trees is a farce according to the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand.
Government has put $10.8 million science funding into the project and with pro-GE forestry interests actively lobby's Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and international forums such as the Convention of Biological Diversity and the World Trade Organization along with the USA, for acceptance of GE forestry.
Read the article
Public to meet on Toho hydrilla
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will hold a public meeting to discuss the changes for hydrilla management on Lake Toho for the winter of 2010-2011.
The meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Osceola County Commission Chambers in the Administrative Building at 1 Courthouse Square in Kissimmee.
Staff members from both the state and federal governments will present information on the upcoming hydrilla treatment plan to manage the non-native plant. A preview of the evening's meeting will be offered in the same location from 3-4 p.m. for government officials interested in the topic.
"Lake Toho contains large amounts of hydrilla, which can cause navigation problems and limit access to boaters," Bill Caton, the commission's Invasive Plant Section leader, said in a news release. "This plant also provides an abundant food source and habitat used by a nonnative species of apple snail that lives in the lake."
The snail is eaten by the (Everglades) snail kite, one of the most endangered birds in Florida, making Lake Toho one of the few areas in the state where kites can still find plenty of food. As a result, officials will change how, when and where hydrilla is controlled on the lake so that enough snails will be available when kites start nesting in the early spring.
This coming winter, the agencies will take an extra-cautious approach when controlling hydrilla, to help the kites recover from a severe winter last year. They are attempting to balance the needs of the endangered species with the needs of the people who use this lake. The meeting will provide information on how this plan is expected to affect hydrilla growth through the summer of 2011.
For more information on the meeting, please contact Zach Welch at (352) 266-6139.
Florida Panthers
Wildlife officials will try to capture panther that’s killing calves at Collier Ranch
Florida wildlife officials say they will try to capture an endangered Florida panther that has been preying on calves at a ranch and neighboring pasture in eastern Collier County.
A capture team working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will make the attempt as early as this weekend, officials said Friday.
The aim is to check the panther’s health to see whether it is taking the calves because it is too sickly to chase wild prey, like deer or hogs, Conservation Commission imperiled species management section leader Kipp Frohlich said.
If the panther is healthy, the plan is to put a tracking collar on the panther and move it away from the ranch to an undetermined location.
Endangered Species
Make way for manatees heading for warmer water
November is Manatee Awareness Month, and for good reason. Florida manatees are on the move, seeking warm-water sites to spend the winter. That means boaters must be cautious and watch for Florida’s official marine mammal and for changing speed zones on waterways.
Manatees generally start traveling to warm water when the air temperature drops below 50 degrees or when the water temperature dips to 68 degrees. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) changes seasonal speed zone signs in mid-November on many waterways to accommodate manatee migration.
Boaters should scan the water near or in front of the boat, looking for swirls resembling a large footprint, a repetitive line of half-moon swirls, a mud trail, or a snout or fluke (tail) breaking the water’s surface. Kipp Frohlich, leader of the FWC’s Imperiled Species Management Section, said boaters can help manatees have a safe migration by staying in marked channels, wearing polarized sunglasses to improve vision, obeying posted boat speed zones, using poles, paddles or trolling motors when close to manatees, and having someone help scan the water when under way.
“If you think you see a manatee, give it plenty of room because it may not be alone,” Frohlich said. “It may have a calf or be traveling with other manatees.”
Besides slowing down and following the FWC’s recommendations, residents can help manatees survive by purchasing the manatee specialty license plate. The funds collected for these plates go directly into manatee research and conservation.
For more information about manatees, visit MyFWC.com/Manatee. To report a dead or distressed manatee, call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
Winter (manatee-related) boat speed zone changes by county:
Brevard County: Nov. 15 - March 31
No-entry and motorboats-prohibited zones – North Indian River area around discharge canals of the Reliant Corp. Power Plant and Florida Power & Light’s Frontenac Power Plant.
Idle speed zone – West of Intracoastal Waterway in general vicinity of power plants.
Broward County: Nov. 15 - March 31
Idle speed – Port Everglades Power Plant area, including part of the discharge canal. Portions of the South New River Canal and Dania Cut-off Canal near the Lauderdale Power Plant.
Slow speed – Intracoastal Waterway from the Palm Beach County line through Hillsboro Inlet south to Burnham Point. (Note: Some portions are weekend-only slow speed.)
Citrus County:
Lower (western) portions of the Withlacoochee River and Bennetts Creek – Sept. 1 - Feb. 28 – 25 mph.
Lower (western) portions of the Chassahowitzka River – Sept. 1 - March 31 – 25 mph.
Portions of Kings Bay – Sept. 1 - April 30 – Idle speed or slow speed.
Portions of the Homosassa River between the Salt River and Trade Winds Marina and southern portion of Halls River – Oct. 1 - April 30 – Slow speed.
All waters in the vicinity of the Florida Power Corp.’s effluent canal – Nov. 15 - April 30 – Slow speed.
Within the Blue Waters area of the upper Homosassa River near Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park – Nov. 15 - March 31 – No entry.
Dade County: Nov. 15 - April 30
No entry – Portions of the Biscayne Canal, Little River and Coral Gables Canal.
Slow speed – Within portions of Meloy (or East) Channel and portions of the Intracoastal Waterway in Dumfoundling Bay and Biscayne Bay between Broad Causeway and Venetian Causeway.
New rules will tighten manatee regulations in Kings Bay
For 40 years tourists have flocked to Crystal River to swim with the manatees in Kings Bay, the only place in the country where you can legally pet one.
But now federal officials, citing "an imminent danger" to manatees, have taken emergency steps to restrict that access between Nov. 15 and March 15.
A notice to be published next week in the Federal Register declares all of Kings Bay to be a manatee refuge. That would give the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service power to curtail or even ban boats and swimmers anywhere in the bay where they deem it necessary.
This is not a blanket ban on all boats in Kings Bay, Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Chuck Underwood said Friday.
But right now the sanctuaries within the bay, where manatees are supposed to be able to flee from intrusive tourists, often cannot contain all the manatees trying to crowd into them, he said. That leaves the ones caught outside vulnerable to being harassed by the tourists.
By declaring the whole bay a refuge, agency employees who notice a problem can quickly move in and post new "no-entry" areas where needed, he said. They can expand the boundaries up to 400 feet outside the current sanctuaries under the new rule.
The emergency rule is designed to give federal officials some flexibility in providing greater protection for the manatees while at the same time still allowing Crystal River's famous tour boats to continue operating, Underwood said.
The rule also lists specific behavior that will be prohibited from now on, including chasing, cornering, riding, poking or standing on manatees. Violators will face a citation and fine.
Helen Spivey, who co-chairs the Save the Manatee Club board of directors, has been pushing for the agency to take this step for two years. She acknowledged the rule would make things more complicated for tour boat operators and limit their ability to show off manatees to paying customers.
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Preliminary review of Florida’s threatened wildlife under way
The preliminary findings of biological status reviews on listed species reveal success stories for some of Florida’s most vulnerable species. Although work is still under way, in early November, experts appointed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) began to review the information and data received on 61 state-listed species against Florida’s listing criteria. The groups found that several species may no longer be at risk of extinction and may not need to be listed.
“We hope these preliminary findings will result in the discovery that our conservation measures in the past decade have had measurable, beneficial impacts on wildlife in Florida,” said Dr. Elsa Haubold, who heads up the FWC’s threatened-species listing process team.
Ten currently listed mammals have undergone the preliminary status reviews, and initial results indicate that five species do not meet listing criteria. These species include the Florida black bear, chipmunk, Florida mouse, Homosassa shrew and Sherman’s fox squirrel. Four of 21 currently state-listed birds also do not meet the criteria: limpkin, brown pelican, snowy egret and white ibis.
The biological status review groups found that the following bird and mammal species met at least one of the listing criteria: American oystercatcher, least tern, little blue heron, reddish egret, roseate spoonbill, tricolored heron, osprey, southeastern American kestrel, white-crowned pigeon, Florida sandhill crane, Marian’s marsh wren, Scott’s seaside sparrow, Wakulla seaside sparrow, Worthington’s marsh wren, black skimmer, snowy plover, burrowing owl, Everglades mink, Florida bonneted bat, Sanibel Island rice rat, Sherman’s short-tailed shrew and Big Cypress fox squirrel.
Haubold cautions this is only the first step in the careful process of studying the status of these species.
FWC will tighten manatee restrictions in Broward
The FWC will vote in December on a series of speed zone changes that will affect the ride in Broward’s waterways and bring better protection for the endangered Florida manatee.
In his article ion the Sun Sentinel, David Fleshler notes that the new speed laws would add approximately 20 minutes to a trip down the ICWW through Broward. In what is normally a four hour trip, 20 minutes is a small price to pay for the added protection the laws will add to the manatee.
The FFWCC will meet at 8:30 AM, December 2nd at the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center, located at 250 Racquet Club Road, Weston. Public comments will be accepted at the meeting.
Elusive Anastasia Island Beach Mouse
The tiny Anastasia Island beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus phasma) population has suffered significant reduction throughout the past decades. Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM NERR) volunteer Don Palmer, a retired wildlife biologist who worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services for 30 years, along with other volunteers is monitoring the rare mouse in hopes of eventually extending their range and thereby helping to establish a new population within the Guana Lake area of the reserve.
The mouse, now on both the Federal and State endangered species lists, is an important link in the ecological food chain, both as a predator which dines on small insects and as food itself for species such as bobcats, owls, and great blue herons.
It is believed that the beach mouse once ranged from the St. Johns River in Duval County south throughout all of Anastasia Island in St. Johns County until coastal development resulted in the loss of sparse vegetation, dunes for burrowing, marsh grass to hide in, and sea oats on which they dined. Their current range is now primarily limited to Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine and south to the Matanzas Inlet, but even those sightings are scarce.
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World's rarest snake back from the brink of extinction
November 2010. Conservationists working in the West Indies have made great strides towards saving the world's rarest snake, the Antiguan racer (Alsophis antiguae). The population has dramatically climbed from just 50 individuals in the mid-nineties to more than 500 today.
Rat eradication brought about by the successful partnership of six local and international organizations that make up the Antiguan Racer Conservation Project has led to a 3000% increase in birds on the 8-hectare Great Bird Island.
The initiative has carried out nation-wide environmental education, the removal of alien rats that attacked the snakes and a pioneering reintroduction program. Remarkably, the snake conservation efforts have also benefited other native wildlife that share its habitat, with the number of birds having increased by 30-fold in 15 years.
[When a species is added to or subtracted from an ecosystem, the entire ecosystem is affected. Addition of the mongoose and the Eurasian Black Rat not only decimated the Antiguan Racer population, it also caused a serious decline in area birds along with an increase in the population of insects and faunal life the birds previously kept under control. Kudos to the people who administered the reintroduction program.]
Read the article
See other international wildlife news here
Special care for some of Wales’ rarest butterflies and moths
A moth and a butterfly, both on the brink of extinction in Wales, will be the focus of intensive conservation care this spring. Pearl bordered fritillary butterflies and belted beauty moths that have been reared in captivity will be released into habitats that meet their needs, giving them a chance for survival in Wales.
Fewer than ten populations of pearl bordered fritillary butterflies remain in Wales, the majority of which are in Montgomeryshire.
This spring, larvae and adult butterflies, which have been reared in captivity, will be released at Llanymynech Rocks - a Site of Special Scientific Interest and nature reserve owned and managed by the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, with support and funding from the Countryside Council for Wales.
The butterfly was last recorded here in 2002 but recent scrub clearance and the introduction of grazing by sheep has improved the grassland habitat sufficiently to be able to support a population again.
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One-third of world's sharks, skates and rays face extinction
Commercial fishing blamed for much of decline
They call it the "Jaws" effect. Inspired by the 1975 movie about a great white shark that terrorized a tourist town; legions of fishermen piled into boats and killed thousands of the ocean predators in shark-fishing tournaments.
Although most of the tournaments have shut down or gone to catch-and-release, a commercial shark fishing industry arose in their place to serve the Chinese demand for shark-fin soup, a luxury dish comparable to caviar.
Today, about that 345 of 1,044 species of the world's sharks, skates and rays are threatened with extinction, according to an article published in the most recent issue of the journal Science. It also raises the possibility that in a few generations the oceans will lose layers of predators that keep marine ecosystems in balance.
"They're an important part of the web of life," said Jack Musick, emeritus professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, who supervised the study. "The larger animals that are apex predators are the force of natural selection. And we owe it to our kids and our grandchildren to leave them the same level of biodiversity that we enjoyed.
Everglades and Water Quality Issues
Everglades Show Improvement in Water Quality In a study that tested water quality trends for nitrogen and phosphorus, researchers at the University of Florida Research and Education Centers and scientists at the South Florida Water Management District published a report on the trends in the quality of water feeding into Everglades National Park. The report can be found in the September/October 2010 Journal of Environmental Quality, published by the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America.
The goal of the study was to provide insight regarding the variations in the quality of water from the water conservation areas and the system of storm water treatment areas. These regions are used to supply water to Everglades National Park, control flooding and repair water quality.
The report suggests that the overall levels of both nitrogen and phosphorus have declined since the 1970s. This indicates that the water quality is improving as a result of the restoration methods completed in the areas surrounding the park.
Using data from 1977 through 2005, the researchers assessed the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from seven inflows to the national park.
According to the report’s author, Ed Hanlon, historical changes in the landscape have degraded the condition, distribution and flow of the surface water coming into the park. Expansions in agriculture and urbanization around the Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee increased the runoff of waste. Canal and levee construction disrupted natural flow patterns.
While environmental concerns were raised as early as the 1960s, the effects on the ecosystem of the park were overshadowed by the benefits to Florida’s economy. The canals and levees provided drainage of areas too wet for agriculture and urban development. Additionally, the damage to property and the loss of human life from flooding caused by hurricanes and heavy rains was greatly reduced.
However, best management practices and other interventions were implemented regionally in the 1990s in the Everglades Agricultural Area and various urban areas. Designed to regulate and diminish the impact of human presence and activity on the region, best management practices, the water conservation areas, and the storm water treatment areas were implemented within the same decade.
After 2005, data was analyzed from five sites on the northern boundary of Everglades National Park and two on the eastern border. Despite the fact that the five northern sampling sites were statistically similar to each other, they differed in terms of water quality from the eastern sampling sites. Therefore, new strategies in water monitoring and recuperation programs could be developed to minimize the number of stations used without sacrificing the variability of the samples taken.
The variations in the levels of phosphorus and nitrogen from the samples can be attributed to the amount of precipitation in a given year. In fact, the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus exceeded water quality standards at several sites during the study period given the complex hydrology of the area.
WEDNESDAY’S CUP: Water district objects to $2 billion price tag
Calling it “an undue and unreasonable financial burden,” the South Florida Water Management District has objected to a proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to achieve water quality targets for the Everglades that would cost South Florida taxpayers $2 billion.
In a Nov. 4 letter to EPA’s Atlanta regional office, water management district Executive Director Carol Ann Wehle argues that the district has spent nearly $1.5 billion during the past decade for water storage and water quality projects beneficial to the “River of Grass,” and continues with additional work and land purchases.
Wehle writes, “Rather than encourage the District to proceed with these existing efforts, build and operate treatment facilities and realize additional water quality improvements on a realistic schedule, EPA opted to mandate construction of a $2 billion suite of projects over the next nine years. Regrettably, these projects and schedules are not achievable within our existing revenue streams and leave no funds available for other critical efforts like the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and restoration of Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.”
The EPA’s plan came about as a result of orders from U.S. District Court Judge Alan Gold
Federal, State Agencies Break Ground on Third Restoration Project
State and Federal officials paid honor to a former retired secretary, grandmother and native New Yorker last Friday for her many quality of life accomplishments. In the 1980s, the late Fran Reich led local Florida residents to fight – and win – against building a landfill adjacent to one of Florida’s natural wonders, the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Palm Beach County.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District and its partners hosted Fran’s family during a groundbreaking celebration at that exact location. The Corps is constructing the Site 1 Impoundment Project on lands now designated as the Fran Reich Preserve to provide water storage considered essential to restoring the Everglades’ historic health and viability.
“Make no mistake! People matter! It’s absolutely amazing what Fran Reich spurred for the future of this unique ecosystem and restoration in general in Florida,” said Jacksonville District Commander Al Pantano. “This project will increase much needed water storage capacity and water management flexibility in the area. The work itself will benefit many people, and improve the quality of life for Palm Beach County residents, businesses and area visitors,” he added.
More than 100 people attended the special event, including U.S. Representative Ted Deutch, U.S. Representative Ron Klein, Ronna Reich Schwartz from Westport, Conn. and Sheara Reich from Washington, D.C., granddaughters of Fran Reich, Mimi Drew, Secretary, Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Jo Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works; Tom Strickland, Department of the Interior's Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks; Eric Buermann, Chairman, Board of Directors, South Florida Water Management District and Burt Aaronson, Commissioner, District 5, among others.
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Industrial agriculture, developers, and lax sewer plant operators continue to falsely claim that clean water costs too much
For over a year opposition to the EPA rule (numeric nutrient criteria) to limit nitrogen and phosphorous pollution in Florida’s freshwater and coastal water bodies has come from the state’s major polluters. Their ridiculous cleanup cost claims since last November – two months even before the first EPA proposals were released – have been based on the cost of converting every wastewater treatment facility in the state to reverse osmosis (the method normally used to convert salt water to fresh water). .
Nowhere in the country, and certainly not in all of Florida, is that level of wastewater treatment required to meet cleanup requirements.To date, polluter attempts to thwart the development and implementation process of the rule have been unsuccessful; however, in recent months they have accelerated the pace of their lobbying efforts.
On October 20, forty-seven Florida businesses and other groups wrote Congress urging action to delay the water-quality standards; the list includes our state’s worst polluters and those agencies responsible for pollution clean-up. Many of them are the usual suspects: Associated Industries of Florida, Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association, PCS Phosphate – White Springs, Florida Pulp and Paper Association, Florida Cattlemen's Association, Florida Pest Management Association, Florida Poultry Federation and Florida Crystals Corporation
Construction starts near Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District and its partners celebrated the groundbreaking of the Site 1 Impoundment Project on Oct. 29. The project is located in southern Palm Beach County and is a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).
State and Federal officials paid honor to the late Fran Reich, who led the local Florida effort in the 1980s against building a landfill adjacent to one of Florida's natural wonders, the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Her granddaughters were among more than 100 people attending the special event.
The Corps of Engineers is constructing the Site 1 Impoundment Project on lands now designated as the Fran Reich Preserve to provide water storage considered essential to restoring the Everglades' historic health and vitality.
The Corps of Engineers awarded a $44 million contract in August for phase one construction of the project, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Corps anticipates the completion of the first phase in the fall 2012, and awarding phase two in the fall 2012. The Corps' local sponsor, the South Florida Water Management District, acquired the lands.
For information on the groundbreaking ceremony and to view the video news release on the project and interviews with stakeholders and Fran Reich's family members, visit http://tinyurl.com/27vp9xb.
For more information on the Site 1 Impoundment Project, visit www.evergladesplan.org and click on the link to Projects and Studies.
Wildlife and Habitat
They Got the Lead Out Talk about staying power! Twenty-seven years after Sierra Club activists Angel and Tom Kruzen started fighting the expansion of lead mining into the Scenic River watersheds of the Missouri Ozarks, the EPA has announced that Doe Run, the country's largest lead producer, will pay $65 million to correct environmental violations at ten of its mining, milling, and smelting facilities.
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Global Warming and Climate Change
Climate scientists push back against skeptics
Hundreds of climate scientists are joining a broad campaign to push back against congressional conservatives who have threatened prominent researchers with investigations and who have vowed to kill regulations designed to regulate man-made greenhouse gas emissions.
Columnist Neela Banerjee with the Tribune Washington Bureau stated that still evolving efforts reveal a shift among climate scientists, many of whom have traditionally stayed out of politics and avoided the news media, have said they are willing to go toe-to-toe with their critics, some of whom have gained new power after the Republicans won control of the House in this month’s election.
The American Geophysical Union, the country’s largest association of climate scientists, plans to announce that 700 scientists have agreed to speak out as experts on questions about global warming and the role of man-made air pollution.
Invasive Species and Climate Change form a ‘deadly duo’, warn top scientists
Two of the greatest threats to the natural world - invasive species and climate change - when combined, not only have devastating impacts on the environment but can also cost countries ten per cent of their Gross Domestic Product. In fact, invasive species costs reach $1.4 trillion per year. In a report released in Japan, scientists are urging countries to take immediate action against the ‘deadly duo'.
A study by the Global Invasive Species Program (GISP) supported by its partners, CABI, IUCN and TNC, and funded by the World Bank, identifies how invasive species and climate change are linked and looks at what needs to be done to lessen their impact. The report, Invasive Species, Climate Change and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: Addressing Multiple Drivers of Global Change urges governments to integrate the prevention and management of invasive species into how they respond to climate changes. From a policy perspective, invasive species and climate change have largely been kept separate.
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Offshore & Ocean
Coral “graveyard” found near BP well.
NOAA scientists say that there is a strong indication that damage to deep sea coral and other marine life several miles from the BP well site is the result of the spill.
Further testing will be required to verify that the coral died from the oil that spewed from the Gulf site after the Deepwater Horizon exploded, but the chief scientist who led the government expedition said he was convinced that the damage is spill related.
Charles Fisher, a Penn State biologist leading the team on board the NOAA research vessel said, “There is an abundance of circumstantial data that suggests that what happened is related to the recent oil spill”
Broward wants to keep dumping partially treated sewage in ocean
Broward County wants to escape a state mandate to shut down a pipe that discharges treated sewage into the ocean off Pompano Beach, saying the cost would be huge and the environmental payoff negligible.
The pipe is one of six in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties ordered closed by a 2008 state law, after a campaign by environmentalists who argued the pipes were polluting coral reefs and wasting fresh water.
The law, which set a deadline of 2025, requires wastewater authorities to improve treatment systems so the water can be used for purposes such as irrigating golf courses, watering lawns and recharging underground water supplies.
[I do not mean to turn this report into my personal forum, but I will do everything in my power to see that this legislation is complied with. Broward County thinks little of spending money on unnecessary airport and seaport expansion while cutting back on necessary services such as public transportation, education and protective services, and suddenly they are worried about higher bills for residents. I will gladly pay higher water bills when it means that the water we are currently throwing away every hour will satisfy the projected future requirement for additional water. The billions earmarked for expansions could be much better spent on elimination of ocean outfalls.]
Energy
FPL plans to harness wind power
It's Juno Beach-based NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, formerly known as FPL Group. The company has 76 wind farms in 17 states and Canada. Its roughly 9,000 wind turbines are capable of producing enough emissions-free energy to power about 1.9 million homes.Florida, where wind resources are considered minimal, has no wind farms, and Florida Power & Light Co., NextEra Energy's utility subsidiary, wants to change that.
It's pursuing testing for a possible project on citrus land in western St. Lucie County while keeping its option open for a Hutchinson Island wind farm.In June 2007, two days after regulators rejected its proposal to build a coal plant, FPL announced its plans to build the first wind farm in Florida on Hutchinson Island, 8 miles south of Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County.
The idea, in line with Gov. Charlie Crist's push for greener energy, met resistance from nearby residents.The company envisioned a $45 million project with six wind turbines as tall as 40-story buildings, at about 400 feet, taller than the Statue of Liberty.
The site was FPL land surrounding its nuclear plant."We didn't want them to ruin our beaches in a place where there is no wind," said Julie Zahniser, founder of the Save St. Lucie Alliance.The coalition includes 500 members as well as the St. Lucie County Audubon Society, 1000 Friends of Florida, the Indian River Keeper, the Conservation Alliance and other groups.
Tampa considers sludge-to energy Every day, more than 80 tons of sludge are produced by the city's wastewater treatment plant on Hooker's Point, about half of which will end up in area landfills.
But Tampa officials are exploring what could become a high-tech solution to reduce the city's seemingly never-ending stream of human waste: convert it to renewable energy.
The city is negotiating with MaxWest Environmental Systems Inc., a Texas-based alternative energy company, to build a new sludge-to-energy facility on a piece of city-owned land adjacent to the Howard F. Curren Advanced Water Treatment plant.
Details are still being worked out, but under a proposed agreement, the city would lease the property to MaxWest, which would construct and operate the processing facility.In exchange, the city would pay the company a tipping fee for processing the sludge.
"Right now, we're just running some tests to determine how it will work and whether it's a good deal or not," said Ralph Metcalf, director of the city's wastewater department.
Land Conservation
Tiger Lake Ranch Wins Permanent Protection
Ranchland near Tiger Lake in eastern Polk County will be protected from development forever under a perpetual conservation easement Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet approved last week.
The easement involves the 1,763-acre Tiger Lake Ranch located between Tiger Lake and State Road 60 on both sides of Sam Keen Road east of Lake Wales.
The deal involves the payment of $3.9 million to the Lightsey family, a longtime local ranching family, under the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
Lakeland real estate broker Dean Saunders, who represented the Lightseys in negotiating the deal, said conservation easements are a method he has long championed since his days in the Florida Legislature.
"It's recognition of their stewardship," he said. "They want their land protected so it's not plowed under for houses.''
Conservation easements keep land on the tax roll and allow low-intensity operations such as cattle ranching to continue.
Under the agreement, development, mining, cypress logging and the location of commercial water wells will be prohibited. The cattle operation on the property will be allowed to continue and the Lightseys will be able to use the property for ecotourism activities.
Tiger Lake Ranch is adjacent to other conservation or proposed conservation lands.
To the south is the 4,031-acre Sumica preserve managed by the Polk County Environmental Lands Program. To the east is a section of Lake Wales Ridge State Forest as well as land acquired along the shore of Lake Kissimmee by the South Florida Water Management District.
In addition, the easement is adjacent to a planned conservation acquisition project called the Bombing Range Flatwoods, which stretches from the Avon Park Air Force Range to Lake Kissimmee State Park.
This is the second state conservation easement granted to the Lightseys in the area around Lake Kissimmee.
In 2004, state officials approved a $3 million conservation easement for Brahma Island, a 1,063-acre island in Lake Kissimmee that the family has owned for generations.
The Lightseys also have negotiated conservation easements on ranchland they own in Highlands County.
Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535. Read more views on the environment at http://environment.blogs.theledger.com
Miscellaneous
Broward County Parks Introduces Nature Poster Series
You can now take a little bit of Broward County nature home with you – thanks to a new series of nature posters produced and sold by Broward County Parks. The six posters, all photographed in the County’s parks, nature centers, and natural areas, feature American white water lilies, burrowing owls, a gray fox, live oak trees, a prairie iris, and a queen butterfly.
Posters can be purchased at the Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park in Hollywood, Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek, Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center in Davie, Markham Park in Sunrise, Plantation Heritage Park in Plantation, Tree Tops Park in Davie, and T.Y. Park in Hollywood.
To reserve your poster, e-mail ParksMarketing@broward.org.
Septic shock: Residents concerned over cost of new regulations
Systems would be evaluated based on three questions: Is the tank watertight? Is there evidence of visible failure? And, does the drain field meet the required minimum separation between the bottom of the drain field and the top surface layer of groundwater?
If repairs are required, property owners will be notified they must apply for a repair permit within 60 days. Permits have a 90-day deadline for repairs to be completed. If repairs are needed, the costs to repair or replace septic tanks and drain fields would vary widely depending on conditions, but could soar into the thousands of dollars, according to local septic contractors.
The state law also includes a provision that part of the inspection fee be used to start a grant program to cover the inspection costs for low-income residents.
The grant program isn't expected to begin until 2012, but people who might qualify for the grant would be allowed to request a one-year delay from the inspection notice.
State health officials are putting the finishing touches on a new rule that will require septic tank owners to spend anywhere from $150 to $400 every five years to help protect Florida's water quality.
The new changes come courtesy of the Florida Legislature, which passed a bill in the waning days of its spring session to beef up protections for groundwater quality statewide.
State officials say they are concerned about meeting more strict federal clean water regulations expected to become law in Florida later this year. And, they say, improved septic performance statewide would help protect the state's drinking water supply.
But homeowners who have become aware of the new rule say it's too costly and several legislators who approved the bill are having second thoughts.
However, the principal force behind the new legislation, Sen. Lee Constantine, as well as officials with the state health department, said the rule's detractors are basing their protests on inaccuracies and misinformation. The program will require property owners with septic tanks to get them inspected to make sure they aren't leaking and meet requirements for a minimum distance between the septic drain field and the groundwater, said Gerald Briggs, chief of onsite sewage programs for the Florida Department of Health.
The rule, expected to take effect in late January, will not require property owners to replace properly functioning older septic tanks, Briggs said. Drain fields will have to be replaced only if they're not working properly.
New Biofuel
Biofuels market researchers at Biomass Advisors projected that one billion gallons of Camelina biofuel would be produced for the aviation and biodiesel sectors by 2025, creating 25,000 new jobs - producing over $5.5 billion in new revenues and $3.5 billion in new agricultural income for U.S. and Canadian farmers.
The projections are contained in "Camelina Aviation Biofuels Market Opportunity and Renewable Energy Strategy Report," released today by the research group.
The report follows recent announcements by Sustainable Oils and Alt-Air, among others, to provide 100 million gallons of Camelina-based jet fuel to a consortium of 15 airlines starting in 2014. Camelina Aviation Biofuels provides an objective, in-depth assessment of Camelina and the market drivers behind aviation industry activity.Camelina sativa is a non-food, low-input energy crop that can be grown as a rotation crop in place of summer fallow to generate new farm income.
Camelina meal by-product also holds promise as a high-protein animal feed to boost Omega-3 content in meats, dairy, poultry, eggs and pork products. The FDA recently approved Camelina meal as a component of livestock feed rations, and tests have shown measurable increases in Omega-3 meat and dairy content.
Plantation students get environmental education at state park in Dania Beach
A group of 75 students from South Plantation High School recently celebrated Mangrove Day at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park in Dania Beach.
They were led on a tour of the mangrove forest by Fabien Cousteau, grandson of famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, after they spent the morning gathering more than 800 mangrove seeds.
"This is wonderful," said Carmelo J. Duesler, a park services specialist. "We have exceeded our [goal]."
The teenagers, who are enrolled in their school's Environmental Science and Everglades Restoration Magnet Program, will use the seeds as part of a mangrove restoration project.
"We started seven years ago with five mangroves, and last year we planted about 500," said marine science teacher Elisabeth Jacobi.
Mangroves are tropical plants that are considered vital to Florida's ecosystem. They serve a large network of birds, plants, fish and other wildlife that depend on them for their existence.
Americans Send Mandate to Congress - for Conservation
Just as the election shook up party dynamics in Congress, it also demonstrated the bi-partisan nature of conservation, an American value that citizens of all political persuasions stood up for Nov. 2.
Throughout the nation, Americans choose to defeat measures that would have harmed wildlands, such as California’s Prop 23 that would have suspended that state’s climate change legislation, Colorado’s Prop 101 and Amendments 60 and 61 that would have interfered with environmental programs, and Arizona’s Prop 301 and 109, which would have respectively robbed the state’s land conservation fund and wrest wildlife protection decisions from wildlife managers.
Not only did citizens across the nation say no to measures that would harm our wild lands, they also to voted to voluntarily tax themselves in support of land conservation and open space for local communities. .
Read more.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park: A Rich Cultural Legacy In a remote canyon of northwestern New Mexico, a hidden gem laid undisturbed for six centuries. Indigenous peoples thrived here from 850 to 1250 AD, well before the first Europeans arrived, and celebrated a culture rich in art, architecture, agriculture, engineering, and astronomy.
Working with stone tools, the people of Chaco constructed multi-storied stone "great houses" with rooms that numbered in the hundreds. Chacoans quarried sandstone blocks and hauled timber from as far as 60 miles away, constructing 15 major complexes that remained the largest buildings in North America until the 19th century.
Eventually, a 50-year drought forced the Chacoan people to migrate--but they didn't disappear. Their descendants are the modern American Indians of the Southwest, who consider Chaco an important stop along their tribes' sacred migration paths. Chaco Canyon was designated a national monument in 1907 under the Antiquities Act after mounting concerns about unregulated archeological activity at the site.
In 1980, Congress expanded the park boundaries and changed the park's designation to Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The park was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1987 (one of only 20 sites in the U.S.), recognizing the uniqueness of the civilization at Chaco Canyon.
View the slideshow > >
Indian Creek Park Becomes a Living Shoreline
Recently, partners and volunteers from Apalachicola Riverkeeper, Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve’s Coastal Training Program staff and Apalachicola Bay Aquatic Preserve staff, Franklin County middle and high school students and teachers, garden club members and other community members planted more than 3,600 plants to help restore Indian Creek Park as a Living Shoreline. Located on the East Bay portion of Apalachicola Bay, the former RV Park was acquired by Franklin County with grant funding from Florida Communities Trust.
About 1,600 salt marsh grasses were planted to create the marsh area and more than 2,000 salt tolerant plants helped to create a 50-foot buffer above the marsh. The plants not only create a more scenic park but also provide additional habitat for wildlife, improve water quality by filtering the water, and protect against erosion. The Reserve’s Coastal Training Program and Research Coordinator and Apalachicola’s Aquatic Preserve Manager also worked with Franklin County high school students to conduct on-site monitoring and water sampling. The majority of the project has been completed and Indian Creek Park is now open for the public to enjoy.
The shoreline restoration project was made possible through a partnership that included Apalachicola Riverkeeper, the Apalachicola Reserve and Franklin County and grants to the Riverkeeper organization from the Seaworld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Living shorelines are growing in popularity. Using natural shoreline features such as salt marshes, seagrasses and other plants native to the region, living shorelines help to restore coastal habitats and resolve shoreline erosion problems. The degree of their success depends on many factors, such as wave action, depth, soils, slope and salinity.
Throughout the state, training programs, research and publications are helping people decide when, where and how to create living shorelines. In Northwest Florida, local, county, state and federal environmental organizations have provided workshops and are developing a Living Shoreline guidance manual.
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DEP Celebrates Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail Construction Milestone
The Department's Office of Greenways and Trails joined the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and Putnam County on Tuesday to celebrate the opening of the first four paved miles of the Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail in Putnam County.
"We appreciate the support of the many partners involved in developing this state trail and are pleased to join them in celebrating the progress of the trail into Putnam County," said Jena Brooks, Director of DEP’s Office of Greenways and Trails.”
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Help protect America’s National Parks
From camping to canoeing to cookouts -- summer draws millions of Americans to national parks each year. However, as global warming progresses, visitors may also notice the numerous adverse effects on the parks leaving many people asking: what can be done?
This year, park-loving Americans can “Do Your Part for Climate Friendly Parks.” The web site, http://www.doyourpartparks.org, launched by the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), is dedicated to helping protect America’s national parks from the effects of global warming. The web site educates visitors about climate change and gives them a tool to calculate how to lower their own contributions to global warming pollution. Visitors pledge their emissions reductions to their park of choice and periodically check on their progress.
A household carbon emissions calculator designed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will assist with determining how much progress has been made. Reductions help the park meet its carbon emissions goal, which has been set for both visitors and park employees. “Do Your Part for Climate Friendly Parks Web site helps national park visitors understand why we need to address climate change to protect the places they love most, and more importantly gives them the tools to make a difference,” says Mark Wenzler, NPCA director of clean air and climate programs. “With nearly 300 million visitors each year, our national parks can lead the fight against global warming in ways that few other institutions can.”
The Web site complements the Climate Friendly Parks program, a joint partnership between the EPA and the National Park Service, which provides national parks with management tools and resources needed to combat climate change. At this time, 40 parks participate in the program. Each park has either met, or is working to meet, required milestones to be officially recognized as a "Climate Friendly Park
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