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The greening of Florida In keeping with the green tradition of St. Patrick's Day, the South Florida Audubon Society meeting of March 17 at Fern Forest will concern "green". In this case, the "greening of Florida".
However, the green we will be discussing is not the beneficial greening we would like to see; it is about the greening of Florida's waterways and the ill effects of pollution in our waterway system.
The slide show will run about 1 hour, and refreshments will be served.
Meeting starts at 7:30 PM. Fern Forest is located on the east side of Lyons Road just south of Atlantic Boulevard, in Coconut Creek. You don't have to be a member to come and enjoy the show.
Art Exhibit to Explore the Exquisite Beauty of Endangered Plants in South Florida's National Parks Ultra-rare native orchids and endangered, threatened, or endemic plants and butterflies are some of the subjects of a month-long art exhibit at the Coe Visitor Center, Everglades National Park, in Homestead, FL. The exhibit, entitled "Endangered and Endemic: Beautiful but Threatened Plants and the Animals That Depend on Them," is a collaboration between local photographers and botanical artists. It can be viewed every day from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., March 1 – 31, 2011.
Local wildflower expert and author, Roger Hammer, will be showing his photographs, as will Keith Bradley, Assistant Director of the Institute for Regional Conservation and a premier plant photographer. Kathleen Konicek-Moran, a long-time volunteer for the Everglades National Park and creator of trail guides and signs throughout the Park, is contributing watercolors and works in pencil to the show. In addition, seven members of the Tropical Botanic Artists (Margie Bauer, Silvia Bota, Marge Brown, Marie Chaney, Susan Cumins, Pauline Goldsmith, and Leo Hernandez), an organization based out of the Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Coral Gables, are showing works. A special guest contributor is O.M. Braida, internationally known botanic artist and teacher at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota.
There will be a talk by Jimi Sadle, Everglades National Park Botanist, on Sunday, March 20 at 7:00 pm about the issues surrounding endangered plants and animals in South Florida and the Everglades. This will be followed by a gallery tour and a meet-the-artist reception. Refreshments will be served.
Directions to the Park are on the website http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm or call the Park at (305) 242-7700.
Kathleen Konicek-Moran Botanical Illustrator (413) 695-4793
Everglades Coalition Meeting – APRIL 8, 2011 – 10 TO 4 The Everglades Coalition Annual Meeting has been scheduled for Friday, April 8th, 2011 from 10AM to 4pm at the Riverside Retreat (http://www.riversideretreatumchurchcamp.com/) in LaBelle, Florida, just east of Fort Myers on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River 7305 County Road 78, LaBelle, FL 33935. Phone: 863-675-0334 - Fax: 863-675-1411 Anyone interested in camping that weekend is referred to the website to see what is available: http://www.riversideretreatumchurchcamp.com/page.asp?pkvalue=186 Note: Reservations for camp sites must be made in advance by calling: 863.675.0334. More Annual Meeting details including driving directions (Google does not work to get to this site) and a call for agenda items will be forthcoming. Robin Rogger, Everglades Coalition, Administrative Coordinator Email: rrogger@aol.com
Birds
Brown Pelican Blown off Course to Strip Club in Canada Is Coming Home It wasn't Ralph's fault that he ended up at the strip club. The storm made him do it. Last September Hurricane Earl swept a young brown pelican to Nova Scotia, where he landed at Ralph's Club, a strip joint that he was subsequently named for. Now, after months of Canadian hospitality, Ralph is heading home.
Ralph has spent half a year at the Hope for Wildlife Society rehabilitation center, where Hope Swinemar has been caring for him. He hasn't been sent home sooner because of red tape.
He can't be flown across the border on a commercial plane unless he's been cleared in advance for entry into the U.S., staff member Allison Dube told The Chronicle Herald. "There is no local U.S. Fish and Wildlife office in Halifax to do that."
Instead the group was hoping someone might offer the pelican a spot on a private plane. But Halifax businessman Garry Soweby had a different idea: Drive the bird in an eco-friendly van.
"That's a lot of money for anybody and that's a big carbon footprint to get a little bird down south," he told The Chronicle Herald. "I thought, 'Gee, if we could do it with an ethanol-powered vehicle, it would be almost the same as him flying down there himself, in terms of the carbon footprint.' "
The distance of the 1,200-mile drive to a North Carolina wildlife sanctuary doesn't ruffle Soweby, who has driven around the world and holds several long-distance driving records, according to CBCNews Canada. But having a pelican passenger might make for a rather stinky adventure, he says. "It'll be a bit of a smelly drive, but I think I can deal with that. He's eating fish all day and he's gotta let it out somewhere."
Swinemar, who runs the Hope for Wildlife Society, will also come along. They plan to leave March 7. Ralph will ride in a cage, stocked with plenty of food and water. Once they drop him off, he'll spend the winter with two other brown pelicans at the rehabilitation center before being released in the spring, CBCNews Canada reports.
While it's shaping up to be a happy ending for Ralph, his feathered brethren still face numerous threats—increasingly frequent and intense storms as the globe warms being just one of them. Brown pelicans—which just came off the Endangered Species List in November 2009—were the avian species hit hardest by the disastrous BP oil spill, second only to laughing gulls.
Though the oil spill has largely faded from the news, there is still much recovery work to be done. You can help by contacting your senators and asking them to designate Clean Water Act penalties—paid for by BP—for Gulf recovery and restoration that will help birds, wildlife, and habitat in the region.
Dr. Paul Gray: Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park Sparrow Drive About 30 volunteers joined Paul Miller, biologist for the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, for a "sparrow drive" on the Preserve on January 29, 2011. It was a beautiful winter morning with highs in the 70s and the group included park visitors from Ohio, New York, Wisconsin, and various places around Florida. Participants also included biologists from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Archbold Biological Station, Florida Institute of Technology, and me, Paul Gray from Audubon (what do biologists do with their time off?).
At more than 50,000 acres, the Preserve holds the largest remaining tract of Florida's endemic Dry Prairie ecosystem, and also the largest remaining population of one of our most imperiled birds, the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. The estimates are maddeningly uncertain, but we think there are only a few hundred sparrows remaining, in three distinct populations (the Preserve, Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, and Avon Park Air Force Range).
Part of my Audubon work concerns another endangered bird, the Snail Kite. Unlike Snail Kites, who have many fans and a fairly steady stream of funding and attention, these attractive little sparrows seem quietly lost in remote native grasslands, almost unknown to citizens and policy makers alike. The managers of the "sparrow properties" work very closely together, but troubling gaps remain in our understanding of sparrow biology and what kinds of management actions help these birds the most.
Name Change If you subscribe to Birder's World Magazine, get ready for a change. It is now to be called Birdwatching Magazine and will be partnering with the American Bird Conservancy.
Water Conservation Areas Key to Snail Kite Survival The Snail Kite population is declining rapidly. In just over 10 years, the total number of birds has dropped from more than 3000, to less than 700 today. If this trend continues, this iconic bird of the Everglades could face extinction in the next 30 years. The reasons for the sharp decline are many and spread across their entire range, but the single largest factor in this decline are problems in their most important nesting area: Water Conservation Area 3 (WCA3), located directly north of Everglades National Park.
WCA3 is the largest connected and suitable habitat available for Snail Kites, and has traditionally had the highest nest success and production than any other location. The young birds also tend to remain there to breed as adults. The major disruptor to favorable conditions for Kites in WCA3 appears to be hydrology, alternating between conditions that are too dry or too wet. Audubon is working to remedy these problems by advocating for more water storage and treatment facilities upstream of WCA3 to facilitate better control of inflows, supporting bridging of Tamiami Trail to allow for greater outflows, and by amending short-term water management plans in WCA3 to better nurture Kites and other endangered species utilizing this key Everglades habitat. Stay tuned to Audubon of Florida News for future developments on the plight of the Snail Kites and the health of WCA3.
Whooping cranes come back to Louisiana after 60 years Whooping cranes are to be reintroduced to Louisiana more than half a century after the endangered birds were last seen in the state.
Now a new regulation designating a potential Louisiana's population as a non-essential, experimental population under the Endangered Species Act, the way is clear to reintroduce the cranes later this month.
'The whooping crane is an iconic species that should be returned and restored to health along the Gulf Coast,' the Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, said. 'We believe we are ready to bring whoopers back. The reintroduction of these remarkable birds will be a milestone moment for the Gulf Coast and in our continuing commitment to the protection and restoration of America's great outdoors.'
The last record of a whooping crane in Louisiana dates back to 1950, when the last surviving whooping crane was removed from Vermilion Parish property that is now part of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries' White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area.
The reintroduction of the whooping crane was the model of the kind of partnership in conservation called for by President Obama when he unveiled his America's Great Outdoors Initiative, said Salazar.
'Working with states and local communities to achieve our conservation goals is at the heart of the America's Great Outdoors Initiative,' Salazar said.
Louisiana's reintroduction is part of a larger ongoing recovery effort led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners for this highly imperiled species, which was on the verge of extinction in the 1940s and even today has only about 400 individuals in the wild.
'The return of whooping cranes to their home in Louisiana, after an absence of more than a half-century, salutes the values of a state that shelters some of the largest and most important wetlands on the continent,' said George Archibald, co-founder of the International Crane Foundation (ICF).
The only self-sustaining wild population of whooping cranes migrates Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Like those in the eastern migratory population, it remains vulnerable to extinction from continued loss of habitat or natural or man-made catastrophes. Multiple efforts are underway to reduce this risk and bring this magnificent bird further along its path to recovery. This includes increasing populations in the wild, ongoing efforts to establish a migratory population in the eastern United States, and establishing a resident population in Louisiana.
Sociable lapwing flock spotted in Oman Birder Daniel Lopez Velasco was on a birding trip to Oman with friends when they encountered the birds.
"Having spent a couple of days searching for the BIG flock of Sociable Lapwings in south-eastern Turkey two Novembers ago without luck, I was very pleased to see this one!" reports Daniel. "We spent a couple of days birding at Jarziz Farms, where the lapwings were located on the grassy, green, circular fields to the north west of the farm. They appeared fairly settled and were mainly feeding or roosting. During both our visits no one disturbed the birds, which was good news!"
Oman is one of the best watched countries on the Arabian Peninsula and there have been 105 previous records of single birds or small flocks of Sociable Lapwings occurring there between 1974 and 2010. Nearly all of these have been from three farms with large, irrigated fields. This latest flock of more than 90 individuals is the largest ever recorded in Oman - 48 were found present at Sahnout Farm, Salalah on 9th January 2010 and 29 at Jarziz Farm on 22nd January 2010. There is also a record of 24 at Jarziz Farm on 30th November 2008.
Although it is not possible to separate the apparent increase in records from greater observer effort and coverage, there does seem to be an increase in numbers since 2001. This corresponds with the encouraging population recovery now being experienced in Kazakhstan and is mirrored in the increasing number of winter records from India too.
Historical records show that Oman has always been a wintering area for small numbers of Sociable Lapwings. The possibility of it just being a stopover site for birds then moving on to north-east Africa via Yemen is possible though unlikely (only three Yemen records) and it is probable birds stay there until the end of February at least.
The increase in numbers in recent years suggests that the region is becoming increasingly important as a regular wintering area alongside East Sudan and India.
Mystery behind decline in UK's waders No single cause can explain the recent decreases in the UK's wader population, according to a new RSPB study, which instead suggests that different factors associated with varying land use may be influencing changes in certain species.
In the first country-wide assessment of its kind, the study looked at five wading bird species - lapwing, curlew, golden plover, dunlin and snipe - and explored changes in their populations across various upland habitats.
It found that where declines had occurred, they were linked with factors such as habitat cover, forest edge exposure, grouse, moor management intensity and crow abundance.
Wading birds are often found on areas of damp, wet moorlands and rough grasslands, feeding on the worms and insects found in the ground. They were once a common sight on farmland and uplands, regularly cited in literature and complimented for their evocative calls and charismatic behavior. However, in recent decades these birds have suffered dramatic population declines.
The Repeat Upland Bird Survey carried out by the RSPB suggested declines of more than 50 per cent of lapwing, dunlin and curlew over the past 25 years in many parts of the British uplands.
Join the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), the Hendry-Glades Audubon Society and thousands of avian enthusiasts across the nation for the 14th annual Great Backyard Bird Count. Each year, "citizen scientists" submit checklists to help researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, N.Y., and the National Audubon Society study and protect birds.
Florida has ranked first among participating states and provinces in reporting the most birds. Clewiston, just south of Lake Okeechobee, was among the top 10 localities in reporting the greatest number of individual birds in 2008, 2009 and 2010. During the 2010 count, participants turned in more than 97,300 checklists online, observed 603 species and 11.2 million individual bids in the overall count.
While anyone can join the count from their own backyard or park, the SFWMD and Hendry-Glades Audubon will take birders on three separate days to an Everglades Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) in Hendry County that has become nationally known as a bird watching spot. STAs are the water-cleaning workhorses of Everglades restoration. They have also become renowned havens for wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
The gate at STA-5 is located on Blumberg Road in Hendry County, 12 miles south of the intersection of Blumberg and County Road 835. Blumberg Road ends at the gate after 10 miles of asphalt and 2 miles of dirt.
Contact Margaret England of Hendry-Glades Audubon. (863) 517-02021 email: sta5birding@embarqmail.com
Invasive species
National Invasive Species Awareness Week is February 28 through March 4. Invasive, non-native species threaten Florida's native plants and animals. Some of the troublesome invasive plants include Old World climbing fern which grow quickly smothering the plants beneath it, Australian pines that crowd out the native hardwoods, and hydrilla which robs Florida's waterways of oxygen, killing fish. Some problem invasive animals include feral hogs that plow up the landscape looking for food, and lionfish which eat juvenile fish along the coral reefs. Some are ugly, some are cute, but they all wreak havoc on Florida's native plants and animals.
An Unwelcome Visitor of the Colossal Variety With its sub-tropical climate, it's no surprise that south Florida is a magnet for those who prefer temperatures a bit on the warmer side. And that doesn't only apply to beings of the human nature; many plant, animal and reptile species have found that survival in this tropical paradise is easy living. However, that can become problematic when the species is non-native and their existence threatens the natural environment.
Enter the Burmese python. With thousands of acres of forests, grasslands and swamps, south Florida provides the perfect environment for these and other exotic species. Many of the region's earliest pythons were spotted in Everglades National Park, then last year the first adult Burmese python fatality was officially documented in Collier County near Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). A few days later, a Burmese hatchling was found expired in the same area becoming apparent that the python population outside of the Everglades was growing.
If you come upon a python, do not attempt to catch the snake unless you are a skilled snake handler and have additional assistance. Take photos and call the FWC at 888.404.FWCC, or the python hotline, 305.815.2080 with the exact location and time/day of sighting, colors and pattern, and estimated size of snake
Florida Panthers
Call to reintroduce Florida panther to Georgia; conservationists push for release of endangered panthers in Georgia and North Florida Conservation groups have called for the reintroduction of the critically endangered Florida panther into southern Georgia and northern Florida as a crucial step in the species' recovery. In a petition to the Interior Department, they request authorization to release panthers in and around the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, which used to be part of the animals' range.
'For the Florida panther to have any chance at long-term survival it needs more than one population in South Florida,' said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity, the primary author of the petition. 'Reintroduction of Florida panthers will aid their recovery and help restore the natural balance in some of the ecosystems in which panthers lived for thousands of years.'
Florida panthers used to live throughout the South East, but currently the only breeding population consists of 100 to 120 animals in South Florida that are distributed across less than five per cent of the species' historic range.
The recovery plan calls for protecting remaining occupied habitat and establishing two new populations of at least 240 animals each through reintroduction.
Scientists have identified the Greater Okefenokee Ecosystem in South Georgia and North Florida as the best habitat for a reintroduction of Florida panthers, with an abundance of deer and feral hogs for prey. Panthers would aid regeneration of the region's much-diminished longleaf pine forests through preying on feral hogs that eat the longleaf pine saplings and seed cones.
'The panther was once shepherd to the vast reaches of the vanishing longleaf pine ecosystem,' said Christopher Spatz, president of the Cougar Rewilding Foundation. 'May this day mark the beginning of the recovery of the forest by restoring its ancient guardian.'
The president of The Florida Panther Society, Stephen Williams, said: 'Science, both biological and social, clearly indicates that recovery can be achieved. The long-sought resolution to the future of the Florida panther is in its reintroduction and the recovery that will follow.
'We applaud all efforts by interested parties who care about the panther and the southeastern U.S. The American people have been unwavering in support of recovery of Puma concolor coryi for more than 43 years. We ask the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and all state and federal authorities to move resolutely forward to fulfill their obligation.'
Florida Panther 148: Surviving on the Edge of Civilization The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) handled FP148's den on January 17th. FP148 was initially captured by the FWC in March of 2006. She was one of the first panthers to be captured and collared in the South Belle Meade area of the Picayune Strand State Forest (PSSF, see map). Belle Meade is somewhat unique panther habitat. Panthers using this area encounter different challenges from those located in the middle of large tracts of public land like Big Cypress National Preserve or the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. Southern Belle Meade is bounded to the north by the stretch of Alligator Alley that does not have any fencing or wildlife underpasses, so this poses a hazard for panthers attempting to move between habitat to the north and south of the Alley. To the west, CR951 creates a dangerous barrier to panthers that may inadvertently risk venturing into the few remnant plots of woods in East Naples. There is also development along this western edge of Belle Meade, including rock mines, apartment complexes, golf courses, and single family homes. Imagine the experiences and ordeals FP148 might undergo as she utilizes the "civilized" portions of her home range to survive.
Map of FP148's home range. Note how the western edge of her home range abuts East Naples and a variety of other types of development. In addition, the barrier posed by Alligator Alley is evident by her lack of movements into North Belle Meade.
During her first stint as a GPS collared panther for FWC, FP148 roamed throughout all of Southern Belle Meade. She eventually paired up with male FP146 and in January of 2007, produced a litter of three kittens. Not too long afterward, her GPS collar released (as programmed for data collection) and we lost touch with FP148 for almost three years. None of her kittens from the 2007 litter were encountered again; their fate unknown (a common scenario with panther kittens).
In January of 2010, the FWC capture team treed an uncollared female in Belle Meade, just three miles northeast of their new office on Sabal Palm Road. Upon darting the female and scanning her for a transponder tag, the mystery female turned out to be none other than FP148. Since her recapture, FP148 seems to still be using the same general home range.
FP148's movement patterns noted during routine telemetry flights in early January 2011 indicated she may be denning. This panther mom had selected a den site in the midst of a large patch of cypress with a relatively dense understory of dead ferns that were five feet high. This same area is very wet during most of the year and would not be a good choice for a den site. But, during the dry season, it proved to be very suitable denning habitat in the eyes of FP148. Her den housed two male kittens, approximately twelve days old. FP148 continues to demonstrate to us through her movements and den site selections that panthers must be adaptable to survive, mate, and reproduce on the edge of developed lands.
2010/2011 Panther Capture Season is Underway Winter in Florida is the best time for researchers to capture and collar panthers mainly for safety reasons. Most importantly, the cooler temperatures help keep the panther from overheating during the process.
The FWC capture season started on November 1, 2010 and runs through the end of February.
Kittens and Mortalities: The month of January brought three kitten litters and five panther deaths. See FWC's Panther Pulse for details: www.floridapanthernet.org/index.php/pulse/ and watch for a story in the March Panther Update on FP175's kittens which were handled on January 27 by BCNP.
Endangered Species
FWC resolution highlights gopher tortoise conservation The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) signed a resolution Thursday in Apalachicola urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to recognize Florida's strong conservation measures and actions to protect the gopher tortoise. The resolution asked the Service to not list the gopher tortoise in Florida as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Because the Service was petitioned to list the gopher tortoise as threatened in the eastern part of its range, including Florida, Georgia and Alabama, it is conducting a review to determine if the animal should be federally listed. The results of that review, which is required by law, are expected this year.
The FWC already lists the gopher tortoise as a state threatened species. The FWC and numerous stakeholders began implementing the Gopher Tortoise Management Plan in 2007 to ensure the species' future. Florida's Gopher Tortoise Conservation Program also includes Gopher Tortoise Permitting Guidelines and a rule that protects gopher tortoises and their burrows (homes).
"We have a great conservation blueprint in place in Florida. Having the species listed at the federal level would not add more conservation or protection than we already have in place. In fact, it could result in unnecessary regulatory burdens for the residents of Florida," said Rodney Barreto, FWC chairman. "Our plan was developed over several years with many partners who are helping implement the plan."
Dr. Elsa Haubold leads the FWC's Species Conservation Planning Section, which manages the gopher tortoise. Haubold said the Service is one of the FWC's most important partners in conserving threatened fish and wildlife. The FWC provided significant information to the Service, which included specific scientific and commercial data. The data provided to the Service demonstrates that Florida has provided significant conservation of the gopher tortoise, specifically as it relates to the five factors that are the basis for making a listing determination under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, Haubold noted.
"Florida's relatively new gopher tortoise program is already successfully conserving gopher tortoises," Haubold said. "Continuing to follow Florida's conservation blueprint will ensure that gopher tortoises are restored with secure, viable populations throughout their range in Florida."
For more information about gopher tortoises in Florida, go to www.MyFWC.com/GopherTortoise
Year of the Tiger; looking back, moving forward At the advent of the Chinese Year of the Tiger on February 14, 2010, WWF reported that tigers were in crisis around the world. With as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild, it was clear that this would be the vital tipping point for tigers—the year the world either turned the tide on extinction or our backs on this magnificent Asian big cat.
In the past twelve months, WWF used its global network to help combat poaching, protect and connect key tiger landscapes, and build political will.
Hosted by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the tiger summit delivered what WWF hoped for — a turning point in global efforts to save one of the world's best-loved species by committing high-level support and funding to the goal of doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022. WWF has worked closely with the Russian government and other tiger range countries, the World Bank, GEF and key partners to make reality an idea that was first floated four years ago by Eric Dinerstein and other tiger champions.
Commitments from the summit include:
- Approximately $127 million in new funding from governments to support tiger conservation
- Endorsement by the 13 countries where tigers live of the Global Tiger Recovery Program over the next five years
Tigers were the main attraction, but stars gathered to lend their support too, including actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio. The new WWF-US board member premiered a sneak peek of a video from his expedition to Nepal and gave a gift of $1 million to WWF's Save Tigers Now campaign.
Climate Change Harming Polar Bear Cubs Polar bear litters are decreasing in size due to sea ice decline resulting from climate change, according to a study published in Nature on February 8, 2011. If this trend continues as predicted, the polar bear population could be in serious jeopardy.
"Species everywhere are feeling the heat, but none more extreme than polar bears and other Arctic species," said Geoff York, WWF's polar bear expert.
Polar bears use their sea ice habitat to hunt their main prey, seals. As the sea ice melts at a faster pace, polar bears have less chance to build up the necessary body weight for when they come to land and hibernate – this is especially true for pregnant females. The survival of cubs during pregnancy and infancy is closely linked to the amount of energy pregnant females have stored up before denning during the winter months.
The study, which WWF supported, found that if spring sea ice break-up occurs one month earlier than usual, 40-73 percent of pregnant females could fail to bring cubs to term. Their projection climbs to 55-100 percent if the sea ice break-up occurs two months earlier than usual.
Arctic sea ice has been melting at alarming rates in recent decades and projections show no sign of it slowing. The National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that, in January 2010, Arctic sea ice was at its lowest January level since satellite records began in 1979, while the air temperatures over much of the region were 4 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal.
Scientists attribute these rising temperatures to the buildup of carbon pollution in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels. "Unless we take action to curb climate change and transition to low-carbon energy sources like renewable energy, we will consign our planet to a very perilous path," said York.
Polar bears were listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act during the Bush administration in 2008. The listing is a clear indication that climate change impacts are already threatening the survivability of animals and habitats, and illustrates the urgency of preparing for and adapting to a rapidly changing climate.
Everglades and Water Quality Issues
Groundbreaking marks start of $79 million Everglades Restoration project Interior Secretary Ken Salazar rallied Everglades restoration workers Friday at a groundbreaking ceremony for a piece of the massive effort in rural Collier County.
The ceremony deep in the Picayune Strand State Forest between U.S. 41 and Interstate 75 marked the start of work on a $79 million pump station along the Faka Union Canal.
The pump is the largest of three that are part of a plan to return natural water flows to 55,000 acres of the forest where developers once planned a huge subdivision. The restoration also will tear out 260 miles of roads and plug 48 miles of canals.
Speaking to a crowd of about 150, mostly scientists, planners and engineers at state and federal agencies guiding Everglades restoration, Salazar said there is no greater ecosystem restoration project in the world. He called it "the great example."
"We cannot afford to fail," he said. "This is one where we will succeed."
Salazar cited more than $200 million President Obama included in his budget proposal this week for Everglades restoration.
Miami-Dade County reevaluating future water plans Miami-Dade County, faced with lean times and slower growth, is rethinking plans to build a large water-treatment plant in the south area of the county in hopes of finding a cheaper alternative to satisfy state regulators.
Earlier this week, the Miami-Dade County Commission, at the behest of County Manager George Burgess, abruptly withdrew plans to consider awarding a $49.7 million construction contract to John J. Kirlin LLC, the Fort Lauderdale firm that won a competitive bid to erect a 20-million-gallon-a-day water-treatment plant at 11800 SW 208th St.
The move comes just three months after Miami-Dade got approval from the South Florida Water Management District to defer or cancel several other projects the county had committed to build in order to meet its water-use permit requirements.
The county's reassessment comes as Gov. Rick Scott's new administration is signaling possible major changes in environmental regulation in the state. The state's water management districts, including the South Florida Water Management District, which oversees water use, for instance, are facing drastic budget cuts under the governor's proposal.
Meanwhile, bills proposed in the Florida Legislature would delay for five years the implementation of stricter rules related to pumping wastewater into the ocean.
Environmentalists say the combination of potentially weaker environmental regulation and financial hard times threaten to gut longstanding commitments made to protect water resources. "This is the worst climate for environmental protection since the rules were enacted," said Alan Farago, a Miami activist who is conservation chairman for Friends of the Everglades. "We're going back to the Dark Ages."
Picayune Strand restoration project commences Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joined federal and state officials to break ground on the Picayune Strand habitat restoration project/Faka Union Canal pump station, a major component of the overall Picayune Strand project that will boost Florida's economy while restoring historic water flows in the southwest Everglades. Secretary Salazar participated in the event as part of President Obama's America's Great Outdoors initiative which seeks to empower community-led conservation efforts.
"The work here to restore water flows and wetlands in the Picayune Strand is really a model for conservation efforts across the nation," Secretary Salazar said. "Along with the other restoration projects like bridging the Tamiami Trail and the Site-1 Impoundment project, this collaborative effort is making dramatic strides in bringing the Everglades back to life while providing jobs and economic benefits to the citizens of South Florida."
When completed in 2015, the $448 million project will feature three major pump stations, removal of 260 miles of roads and filling in of 42 miles of canals. It will restore and enhance more 55,000 acres of wetlands in the Picayune Strand and adjacent public lands, including Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Big Cypress National Preserve, and Fakahatchee State Forest, by reducing over-drainage and restoring ground water levels and more natural overland flow.
The restoration will provide direct benefits to the many plant and animal species inhabiting the area by re-creating the historical natural conditions of the area and connecting broad expanses of other protected areas.
The Picayune Strand is the site of a housing development known as Southern Golden Gates Estates begun in the 1960s and early 1970s. Before the development failed in the mid-1980s, 279 miles of roads and 48 miles of canals had been built that over-drained the area, resulting in the reduction of aquifer recharge, greatly increased freshwater point source discharges to the receiving estuaries to the south, invasion by upland vegetation, loss of ecological connectivity and associated habitat, and increased frequency of forest fires.
After the development failed, the State of Florida began buying up the many parcels with the intent of restoring the area. Acquisition was completed by the State in 2005 at a cost of more than $125 million. The Department of the Interior contributed $38 million to this effort.
Ultimately, the Picayune Strand Restoration Project will restore natural water flows over an 85-square-mile area. The project will improve the area's hydrology, allow for the return of more balanced plant communities, increase aquifer recharge, and send fresh water in a more natural manner to the coastal estuaries.
The project is critical to the survival of the endangered Florida panther. There are an estimated 100 to 160 adults left in the wild, with the only breeding population living in southwest Florida. The project will restore valuable panther habitat. It will also connect many public parks, refuges and preserves, to allow an uninterrupted wilderness corridor for the panther – essential as the panther requires a large territory.
The Army Corps of Engineers awarded its first contract in November 2009 for the construction of the Merritt Pump Station, plugging 14 miles of canals, and removing 95 miles of roadwork at a cost of $53 million, which included over $40 million in stimulus funding. Construction is well underway.
House Vote Kicks Americans While They're Down; 235-189 Vote Approves Handouts to Polluters, Guts Air and Water Protections The House of Representatives passed a funding bill, or Continuing Resolution, that rolls back bedrock government programs that protect Americans' health and environment while doling out giveaways to corporate polluters. The bill, H.R. 1, which passed by a vote of 235-189, will go to the Senate for approval.
In response, Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club released the following statement:
"Today's House passage of the Continuing Resolution (H.R. 1) kicks American families and workers while they're down – this bill puts the health of millions of Americans at risk while doing nothing to create jobs or grow the economy. Adding insult to injury, the House voted to continue government handouts to wealthy corporate polluters, a move that would cost American taxpayers billions of dollars.
The bill also made drastic cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency's budget, severely limiting the agency's ability to protect the health and safety of Americans. For example, H.R. 1 blocks EPA from protecting communities from mercury, lead, arsenic and other toxic air pollution from cement plants, leaving thousands of children exposed and at risk of slowed brain development and asthma. The EPA's blocked safeguard would have reduced mercury pollution by more than 90 percent, and would have saved 2,500 people each year.
We urge the Senate to reject the House's short-sighted Continuing Resolution, which jeopardizes our health, our clean air and water, and our nation's economic growth."
Environmentalists push economic benefits of Everglades restoration Another big Everglades project broke ground on Friday, a $79 million job in Southwest Florida to plug a drainage canal, install a massive pump to pulse freshwater back into thirsty wetlands and salty estuaries and rip out 100 miles of overgrown roadbed, remnants of a long-dead real estate fiasco.
It's the second phase of work on the Picayune Strand, a landscape of pine forests, cypress stands and soggy prairie that form a critical puzzle piece connecting surrounding parks, preserves and refuges. It's the latest of a half dozen Everglades construction projects now under way and - at 55,000 acres - it's also the single largest Glades project on the books.
And there's another much smaller number that has become increasingly important for environmentalists and state and federal agencies fighting to keep restoration momentum alive: 150 new jobs on the site and a ripple effect that will support hundreds more.
"In this environment, when you have the governor talking about creating private sector jobs and you have the Obama administration talking about creating jobs, there's no doubt that the economic impacts are important part of the equation,'' said Kirk Fordham, chief executive officer of the Everglades Foundation.
Environmentalists hope to sell Gov. Rick Scott - whose "Let's Get to Work" motto was the cornerstone of his campaign - on the idea that restoration projects represent an economic engine that Florida needs to keep running. That's always been part of the pitch but now it will get equal billing with environmental benefits.
"We are reaching out to the administration and saying please remember that Florida's economy depends on a quality environment,'' said Manley Fuller, president of the Florida Wildlife Federation. "We've got a whole lot of jobs related to a quality environment.''
Activists hope to get a better sense of where Scott and his new environmental and growth management secretaries stand with meetings in coming weeks. So far, the message from the new boss in Tallahassee has been mixed.
Lake Trafford Restoration Last year, FWC scientists stocked the lake with 240,000 largemouth bass ranging in size from 1-4 inches. Another 300,000 bass will be released in March.
As smooth and slick as polished marble in the early morning light, Lake Trafford gave no indication it has been the subject of a major environmental restoration effort.
From November 2005 to November 2010, dredges removed millions of cubic yards of muck from the 1,600-acre Collier County lake to improve water quality and boost fish populations.
Scientist finds Gulf bottom still oily, dead A University of Georgia scientist has gone public with video and slides showing how oil from the BP spill remains stuck on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. The images demonstrate that the oil isn't degrading as hoped and has decimated life on parts of the sea floor.
At a science conference in Washington, Samantha Joye aired early results of her December submarine dives around the BP spill site. She went to places she had visited in the summer and expected the oil and residue from oil-munching microbes would be gone by then. It wasn't.
She also showed pictures of oil-choked bottom-dwelling critters.
At the same meeting Saturday, federal officials announced the start of the gulf restoration planning process that BP will pay for.
Obama budget includes $271.5 million for Everglades President Barack Obama proposed to boost Everglades restoration spending, a sign that the massive public works project is part of his plan to create jobs and invest in the future.
The president requested $271.5 million for the Everglades next year, the great bulk of it for construction projects designed to restore a natural water flow, save endangered wildlife and preserve water supplies. About $5 million would pay for park maintenance and operations.
That's a small but significant increase over this year's Everglades budget of $254 million and spending last year of $248 million. The Everglades also got a $112 million infusion of economic stimulus spending in 2009.
"This is a big deal for us," said Don Jodrey, a senior attorney and adviser in the Interior Department. "Given that the overall federal budget numbers are declining, the fact that we put extra money into this project is significant."
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a frequent visitor to the Everglades, plans to attend a ground-breaking ceremony in Collier County on Friday to open a new phase of restoration at Picayune Strand. A $79 million contract was awarded last year to build a pump station.
Some of the proposed Everglades spending would also help pay for restoration of the Indian River Lagoon along the Treasure Coast, a bridge over Tamiami Trail in Miami-Dade County and water storage and treatment areas along the Broward-Palm Beach county line.
Backers say the 'Glades may escape the budget ax because restoration construction projects create jobs while protecting the environment.
"The issue on the table is still jobs, jobs, jobs. We are lucky enough to be an ecological restoration project that is in a construction phase," said Julie Hill-Gabriel of Audubon of Florida. "This is one of the best ways to put funding into the environment and have it go toward job creation at the same time."
Everglades spending, along with the rest of the president's budget, faces tough scrutiny in Congress, where the new House Republican majority wants to cut deeply into federal spending.
"The president's budget proposes we head down the same unsustainable path we have been on for the past two years, resulting in record high unemployment and unprecedented debt and deficit," said U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Diaz-Balart, a point man in past years for Everglades projects, did not comment on the specifics of the president's proposal.
He and other Florida Republicans have indicated that Everglades projects deserve federal spending partly because Congress already has approved a comprehensive restoration plan and agreed to split the cost with Florida and its local communities.
At the least, the president's proposal gives the Everglades some momentum as Congress begins the arduous process of trying to agree on a budget.
Kirk Fordham, CEO of the Everglades Foundation in Miami, said the proposed spending would "ensure that construction projects already underway continue and do not result in layoffs or project delays."
Tamiami Trail Bridges Ok'd, plan heads to Congress The National Park Service (NPS) on February 14, Valentine's Day, gave the final go ahead on a plan to build 5 1/2 miles of bridges over Tamiami Trail to restore fresh water flow into Everglades National Park and Florida Bay. The larger project expands on the one-mile bridge now under construction providing "more than five times the connectivity between marshes" and "unconstrained flow patterns." Moreover, 10 of the historical sloughs that once flowed unobstructed would be reconnected.
Miami Businessman Frank Jaudon built his road across the Everglades in 1928, in large part to drain land and provide access for development. The Depression, the following year, scuttled his plans; however the road continues to cut off water flow to the great wetland. Sierra Club, which has long advocated for the bridging of Tamiami Trail, applauded the Park's bridge plan and looked forward to starting construction.
The Record of Decision (ROD), signed by NPS's Southeast Regional Director David Vela, means that Congress can now review the plan for authorization and funding. The ROD caps an approximately 18-month review process requested by Congress in 2009. The project is strongly backed by the Everglades Skyway Coalition whose members include municipalities, business and civic groups and environmental organizations. Bridge construction will generate more than 7,100 jobs.
Earlier this year, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced his commitment to the 5.5 mile bridge plan saying: "It will be one of my highest priorities as Secretary, and I intend to work with the new Congress until it is done."
Dispersed Water Management Project Moves Forward After many months of advocacy efforts and science recommendations by Audubon, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board unanimously approved the Nicodemus Slough Dispersed Water Management Project February 10th. To be constructed on private land owned by the Lykes Brothers Corporation near Fish Eating Creek on the western shoreline of Lake Okeechobee, the project is ideally situated to moderate flows from Lake Okeechobee toward the Caloosahatchee estuary. This project will improve water quality through its ability to hold 33,860 acre-feet of water at shallow depths and remove phosphorus and other damaging nutrients. The restoration of 16,000 acres of drained marshland will also offer significant bird and wildlife benefits.
The Nicodemus Slough project is as large as the footprint of the massive $280 million A-1 Reservoir in the Everglades Agricultural Area, and over eight times larger than the $76 million Lakeside Ranch Stormwater Treatment Area currently under construction by the SFWMD. Yet its overall cost at $4.9 million in construction costs and $2.5 million in annual land rent payments is much less, bringing more Everglades restoration benefits per dollar spent. This reduces taxpayer expenses while helping to support the retention of lands in compatible agricultural activities. As the SFWMD board made its decision to approve the project, several board members publicly credited Audubon for its effective efforts in supporting this project. Audubon will continue to work with private landowners to propose innovative projects to store, manage, and clean water for the benefit of the Everglades, one of Florida's Special Places.
Act Now to Protect the Everglades Headwaters and Panther Heartland Last month, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced its intention to protect and restore the River of Grass headwaters. The proposed creation of a new Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area will utilize full-fee acquisition as well as innovative conservation easements with the owners of Central Florida ranchlands to protect vast tracts of critical habitat essential to the ecology and hydrology of the Northern Everglades. Additionally, the Service identified the expansion of Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Florida as a priority within this larger effort.
Detractors of this plan have stridently criticized the initiative. Audubon recently submitted comments supporting this historic proposal, which provides the opportunity to protect habitat for wildlife and improve the quality of water flowing to Lake Okeechobee and the downstream Everglades. We urge you to act now and use our easy email form to submit your comments or use U.S. Mail: Everglades Headwaters Proposal, PO Box 2683, Titusville, FL 32781-2683 before the public comment period closes March 31.
Rep. Rooney introduces amendment to bar EPA from enforcing Florida water-quality standard In a piece of legislation filed Tuesday, U. S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, aims to severely limit funding to the EPA to enforce the water-quality criteria it has set for Florida. The amendment, which will be tacked onto the end of a must-pass appropriations bill, reads:
Amendment No. 13—Rep. Rooney (R-FL): The amendment would prohibit funds made available by this Act from being used to implement, administer, or enforce the rule entitled "Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Lakes and Flowing Waters" published in the Federal Register by the Environmental Protection Agency (75 Fed. Reg. 75762 et seq.)
If passed, the Amendment would prohibit the EPA from implementing its water quality standards in the state of Florida. The standards were put into place as the result of a lawsuit filed on behalf of several leading environmental organizations, including the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, The St. Johns Riverkeeper and the Sierra Club, who argued that current standards in the state weren't enough, as waterways are continually inundated with toxic algal blooms and fish kills.
The Conservancy recently released a study on Florida waterways, which found that at least 97 percent of Florida's bays and estuaries were "impaired."
The Conservancy's president, Andrew McElwaine, expressed concern with the amendment in a press release earlier today: "We are stunned that he would file legislation to prevent cleanup of his own District's rivers and streams. Fundamentally, his message to the waterways is 'Drop Dead.'"
The EPA has been on the defensive since it began drafting the standards, which are currently the basis for several lawsuits, including one filed by Adam Putnam, Pam Bondi, Charles Bronson and Bill McCollum. Rooney announced his endorsement of that lawsuit in early December.
The environmental groups involved continue to defend Florida waterways and say they will not go down without a fight.
"Congressman Rooney is running the football into his own team's end zone," said McElwaine. "We need to tackle his amendment and soon."
Rooney received at least $37,050 in individual and PAC group campaign donations from Florida Power & Light and $15,600 in individual contributions from those associated with Florida Crystals, both of which are industries likely to be negatively affected by the EPA's criteria.
Poll shows Floridians don't want to pay for new water quality standards With Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard possibly meeting this week with federal environmental officials, a new poll released Wednesday shows Floridians may not have an appetite for paying the cost of new federal water quality standards.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in November adopted specific limits for nitrogen and phosphorus in Florida waterways over the objections of industry, agriculture, utilities and cities who say they will be too expensive for the state to meet. The EPA and some environmentalists say the limits are needed to prevent algal blooms and toxic red tides along the coast that threaten Florida's tourism.
The poll, commissioned by the Foundation for Associated Industries of Florida, determined that 68 percent of Floridians are against the water regulations if they were to result in a $700 increase in their annual water bills. The poll, by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc., has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent. Pollsters interviewed 625 registered voters.
Studies done for AIF and other opposition groups have pegged the cost of the news standards at $700 per household for wastewater treatment. Associated Industries of Florida President Barney Bishop says the new regulations will threaten jobs.
"Congress can take a positive step to promote Florida's economic health by defunding the EPA's enforcement of the mandates and delegate authority back to Florida and let us control our own destiny when it comes to water regulation," Bishop said.
The EPA estimates the cost to address additional waters listed as impaired will be $135 to $206 million a year -- just 11 to 20 cents a day per household for cleaner water, according to an article by EPA Regional Administrator Gwen Keyes Fleming in Atlanta.
Conservancy of Southwest Florida President Andrew McElwaine said the Mason-Dixon survey was based on flawed assumptions about the cost of meeting the federal standards. Likewise, an AIF spokesman disputed the EPA estimates, saying they are far too low given the federal agency's own math.
Meanwhile, Vinyard said last week that he plans to visit with the regional administrator on Friday. He told the Senate Budget Subcommittee on General Government Appropriations that he wants to tout Florida's "Total Maximum Daily Loads" (TMDL) program. Under that program, DEP works with stakeholders to create plans for reducing pollution through voluntary and regulatory actions.
"I will tell you that I am very impressed with the science that has gone into Florida's TMDL -- our solution to the nutrients," he said. "I wish we had a better opportunity to show the country, to show EPA, that TMDL will be a successful way to clean up our waterways."
It's unclear whether Florida will carry out the federal water quality guidelines.
Vinyard, who took over as head of DEP on Jan. 19, said last week that he would not be available for an interview until "when I get my feet wet" on the job. DEP's press office did not confirm on Wednesday whether the meeting still is planned.
Bills by Rep. Trudi Williams, R-Fort Myers, and Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, would prohibit DEP and the water management districts from implementing the federal standards. Williams is chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee and Dean is chairman of the Senate Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation.
Williams said Wednesday Vinyard should tell EPA the state should be allowed to develop its own numeric nutrient criteria rather than having to follow the federal standards.
"We don't have a problem with numeric standards," Williams said. "We have a problem with the numbers they [EPA officials] are giving us because they are not based on science."
Wildlife and Habitat
Deep, crippling cuts in conservation and environmental programs looming Some House Republicans are pushing deep, even crippling, cuts in conservation and environmental programs, cuts that threaten public health, wildlife and wilderness, and economic growth.
The proposed cuts are some of the worst ever seen. They would eliminate funds entirely for a host of programs that Americans count as important.
The following acts are below the axe:
- The Antiquities Act, used by every president since Theodore Roosevelt to protect special places
- Funds for research into global warming
- EPA regulation of greenhouse gases
- New policy to protect western wilderness areas
- The Land and Water Conservation Fund
- Forest planning that keeps off road vehicles under control
These deep cuts and elimination of programs is simply unacceptable. Please tell your members of Congress that right now.
There's no doubt that these programs -- some of them in place and successful for decades -- are being targeted by anti-environmental ideologues. They are also taking aim at the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which provides for public input into lands decisions and is arguably the most important conservation tool we have to fight polluters on our lands.
Even America's beloved national parks and wildlife refuges would experience cuts so severe that closures would be required.
A vote in the House will take place this week.
Global Warming and Climate Change
A Budget Blow to Our Climate The House of Representatives passed a bill over the weekend that would fund government operations through September 30, 2011. This bill does several things. Not only would it make deep cuts in programs that promote clean energy and reduce air pollution — but it would actively prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from taking action to address climate change.
Specifically, the House funding proposal prohibits the EPA from spending any money on limiting greenhouse gas pollution from sources like power plants, factories and refineries. This means the EPA's first ever-attempt to reduce heat-trapping emissions from these sources, which took effect in January, would be suspended — and the EPA would have to forego the additional regulations for these sources that are planned for the future.
The cost of administering these greenhouse gas rules would be tiny compared to the EPA's overall budget, so this would not yield significant cost savings. Yet by cutting off funding, Congress would block our federal efforts to reduce the pollution that is changing our climate.
As you probably know, the President and Congress are trying to reduce the amount of money the government spends in order to reduce the national debt. However, the House's cuts are a shortsighted way of looking at the future. They would hurt our ability to reduce pollution and inhibit investments in a clean energy economy that could create millions of new jobs.
If enacted, the budget proposal passed by the House also will:
- Prohibit the EPA from collecting information about the sources and amounts of global warming pollution and making this information available to the public.
- Prohibit the EPA from setting limits on global warming pollution from power plants, factories and refineries, among the most significant sources of greenhouse gas pollution in the United States.
- Prevent the United States from contributing to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the international body tasked with reviewing the most recent scientific and technical information on climate change.
- Eliminate funding for the development of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Service — a program to efficiently supply scientific data and information about climate change and its impacts.
- Reduce or eliminate funding for dozens of clean energy and climate change-related programs across government agencies.
- Eliminate or reduce sources of international climate finance funding, inhibiting the U.S.'s ability to honor its international climate commitments.
All told, the EPA's budget would be decreased by about $3 billion, which is about 29% below 2010 levels. In fact, EPA seems to be one of the agencies hardest hit by the House proposal. This flies in the face of public opinion: The Pew Research Center for People and the Press recently released a poll finding that 72% of Americans think federal spending on environmental protections should be either kept the same or increased.
Next, this will go to the Senate, where a counterpart bill must be passed and signed by the President by March 4. Needless to say, if the House-proposed budget cuts are passed into law, America's efforts to reduce pollution and develop clean energy will be dealt a significant blow.
Offshore and Ocean
Spike in Baby Dolphin Deaths in Gulf of Mexico Since the first days of the Gulf oil disaster, the National Wildlife Federation has been warning that it takes years to assess the full impacts of a catastrophic oil spill. Today we're hearing horrific details from scientists on dolphin deaths in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon gusher:
Baby dolphins, some barely three feet in length, are washing up along the Mississippi and Alabama coastlines at 10 times the normal rate of stillborn and infant deaths, researchers are finding.
The [Biloxi, MS] Sun Herald has learned that 17 young dolphins, either aborted before they reached maturity or dead soon after birth, have been collected along the shorelines. [...]
Moby Solangi, director of the institute, called the high number of deaths an anomaly and told the Sun Herald that it is significant, especially in light of the BP oil spill throughout the spring and summer last year when millions of barrels of crude oil containing toxins and carcinogens spewed into the Gulf of Mexico.
How does that relate to the usual number of baby dolphin deaths?
"For some reason, they've started aborting or they were dead before they were born," Solangi said. "The average is one or two a month. This year we have 17 and February isn't even over yet."
Deaths in the adult dolphin population rose in the year of the oil spill from a norm of about 30 to 89, Solangi said.
Scientists at the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies performed necropsies on two of the dead dolphins on Monday. The Sun Herald has a video report on the dolphins, but a warning that it's extremely hard to watch.
With the news this weekend that oil continues to devastate life at the Gulf's bottom, it's clear this disaster continues to unfold.
Scientists investigating dolphin deaths in gulf say BP oil spill is possible cause Usually, a few dead dolphins wash ashore along gulf beaches in the first few months of the year. Some are killed by Red Tide or other toxic algae blooms, some by diseases, some by cold.
But this year something different is happening. Since Jan. 1, there have been 48 bottlenose dolphins washed up on the beaches of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida's Panhandle.
Most of them — 29, including two of the three found in Florida — were newborn, miscarried or stillborn calves. There were reports of five more washing ashore Thursday, but scientists had not yet verified them or added them to the official count.
The suspicion is that somehow the oil or chemical dispersants from summer's Deepwater Horizon disaster killed them. Activists from the National Wildlife Federation and other groups blogging about the deaths and posting items on Twitter have linked the spike in deaths to the oil spill. ABC and CNN have jumped on the story.
However, the culprit could turn out to be something else, scientists say.
"We shouldn't jump to conclusions," cautioned Randy Wells, a Mote Marine Laboratory scientist who has spent nearly 40 years studying dolphins.
Tests of the carcasses to pinpoint the cause will likely take months, said Blair Mase of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is overseeing the investigation.
Still, everyone acknowledges that the wave of dead dolphins signals something out of the ordinary.
"What's unusual is that there are so many, and so many of them are so young," said Mase, who is in charge of the NOAA's marine mammal stranding network for the southeastern states.
Japan suspends whaling hunt after activists harass Japan has temporarily suspended its annual Antarctic whaling after repeated harassment by a conservationist group, a government official said Wednesday.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ships have been chasing the Japanese whaling fleet for weeks in the icy seas off Antarctica, trying to block Japan's annual whale hunt, planned for up to 945 whales.
Japan has halted the hunt since Feb. 10 after persistent "violent" disruptions by the anti-whaling protesters, said fisheries agency official Tatsuya Nakaoku.
So far, the attacks have not caused any injuries or major damage to the vessels, he said, but the protesters are throwing rancid butter in bottles and once the protesters got a rope entangled in the propeller on a harpoon vessel, causing it to slow down.
"We have temporarily suspended our research whaling to ensure safety," he said. The fleet plans to resume hunting when conditions are deemed safe, he added, but declined to say how long the suspension is planned for.
The whale hunts, which Japan says are for scientific purposes, are allowed by the International Whaling Commission as an exception to the 1986 ban, but opponents say they are a cover for commercial whaling because whale meat not used for study is sold for consumption in Japan.
The Sea Shepherd group has been shadowing Japan's whaling fleet for several years, and its campaign has drawn high-profile donor support in the United States and elsewhere and spawned the popular Animal Planet series "Whale Wars."
Japan's fisheries agency has called Sea Shepherd a terrorist group for its militant actions.
Grant Pereira, an advisory board member for the group, welcomed the halt, saying Japan "should have suspended (the hunts) 10, 15 years ago," he said. "It's morally and legally wrong to kill whales."
While whale meat isn't widely eaten in Japan, many people here believe it is hypocritical for Westerners to condemn whaling while they kill cows, pigs, fish and lambs for food. It's a cultural difference, they argue.
Last year, one of the Sea Shepherd's boats sank after colliding with a Japanese vessel. The boat's captain, New Zealander Peter Bethune, was later arrested when he boarded a whaling ship from a Jet Ski, and brought back to Japan for trial. He was convicted of assault, vandalism and three other charges and given a suspended prison term. Bethune has since returned to New Zealand.
Nakaoku said the anti-whaling ships have been chasing the Japanese fleet right behind the lead whaling ship, Nisshin Maru.
"It's extremely regrettable that our research activity has been obstructed by the acts of sabotage, which could lead to serious injuries or damage," he said. "We hope to return to normal operation as soon as possible."
The Japanese fleet left Japan late last year, and its ongoing expedition is planned for several more weeks.
Japan has failed to fulfill its catch quota in recent years due to escalating protests by the anti-whaling campaigners. Last year, Japanese whalers ended up catching only about half of their target.
Energy
Cuba's plans to drill for oil south of Florida Keys have lawmakers scrambling Florida was on edge last summer as oil spewed from the blown out Deepwater Horizon well in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
This summer, Florida could be turning a wary eye in a different direction: south toward Cuba.
That's when Spanish oil giant Repsol could begin drilling an exploratory oil well off the northern coast of Cuba, some 20 miles north of Havana and 60 miles south of a point between Key West and the Marquesas Keys, said oil industry expert Jorge Piñon, a visiting research fellow at the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University in Miami.
That's closer than oil rigs can get to Florida under U.S. law, which prohibits rigs in U.S. waters within 125 miles of the Panhandle and keeps them as far as 250 miles away from the rest of the state's shoreline.
Cuba's plans risk leaving the United States hamstrung to respond to another oil calamity, this time on South Florida's door step, Piñon said.
"I think it's totally ridiculous that Cuba is about to drill for oil and we don't have a plan for what to do in case of an emergency," Piñon said. "To me, that's totally asinine."
During a stop in Southwest Florida last week, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he is concerned about how drilling in Cuban waters could affect Florida.
Salazar said Repsol is briefing the Interior Department about what he called "potential drilling off Cuba."
"We are monitoring what's happening in Cuban waters carefully," Salazar said.
So is Congress, where Florida lawmakers are scrambling to respond to Cuba's plans.
HELP FLORIDA BE THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES RENEWABLE ENERGY LEADER It is now time for you to act if we are to have renewable energy policy in Florida that create jobs. The effort is the Florida Green Energy Initiative, Inc. www.floridaenergyinitiative.org
Florida can be the leader in the Southeastern United States in the production of renewable energy. We can join the other 30 states (including the District of Columbia) and others who have adopted a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, a policy that has upon adoption, increased renewable energy production, spurred clean tech innovation and helped other states lead in their efforts to prepare their workforces for the 21st century.
Chevron ordered to pay $9 Billion for contamination in Ecuador. An unprecedented and incredibly important blow has been struck for environmental protection, human rights and corporate accountability. In an historic decision, after a 17 year legal battle, an Ecuadorian court has found Chevron guilty of massive environmental contamination and ordered the company to pay $9 billion to clean up their mess, provide potable water, and fund critical health care.
The decision from the Lago Agrio judge vindicates what indigenous peoples and local farmers have been saying, and suffering, for decades – that Chevron drilled, dumped, and never looked back. Now, a court of Chevron's choosing, using mostly the company's own evidence, has found that the company is liable in one of the largest judgments against a US company for crimes abroad.
Pipeline work begins Workers from Michels Directional Crossings bored into the ground Thursday for the new Enbridge pipeline that will cross under the St. Clair River from Canada. The work is to replace a dented pipeline. A new oil pipeline is being prepared under the St. Clair River to replace a dented one owned by Enbridge Inc.
The company, based in Calgary, Alberta, began work Feb. 12 and crews hope to complete the horizontal directional drilling work sometime in the spring.
Drilling of the pilot hole on the U.S. side has been completed and drilling on the Canadian side began Thursday, said Joe Martucci, company spokesman. The drill rig is on Enbridge easement property in Marysville Municipal Park.
The next process, called reaming, is expected to take about 10 days to complete before the one-day swabbing process begins, Martucci said. A barrel is pulled through the tunnel during the swabbing process.
The pipe will be welded together on the Canadian side and then pulled through the tunnel. That process is expected to take at least 18 hours, Martucci said.
Once the pipeline is pulled through the tunnel, new valves will be installed on both sides and the existing pipeline will be decommissioned.
The 30-inch pipeline was built in 1969 and runs from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario.
In 2009, the company discovered a dent in the pipeline beneath the St. Clair River and reduced pressure in the pipeline.
Enbridge announced plans for the replacement project shortly after another portion of the pipeline sprang a leak in July 2010, spilling 800,000 gallons of crude oil near Marshall, Michigan.
Plans submitted to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in October show 3,600 feet of the pipeline will be replaced during the project.
PB County considers 30-story wind turbines for Glades sugar fields An energy company from St. Louis hopes to build Florida's first wind farm, on thousands of acres of sugar land east of Belle Glade.
Wind Capital Group is looking to convert the breezes blowing off Lake Okeechobee into energy that could power homes and businesses across South Florida.
The company met with Palm Beach County planners last week to begin work on changes to the county's development rules that would be needed before its turbines could be built.
The $250 million project could be a boon for the area, creating 250 to 300 construction jobs, the company estimates, in a depressed region where unemployment rates in November ranged as high as 44.9 percent in South Bay and 30.4 percent in Pahokee - well above the countywide average.
"That is tremendous," Brenda Bunting, Executive Director of the Belle Glade Chamber of Commerce, said of the project. "We would be excited to see something like that come. We are always looking for things that benefit this community."
The company wants to build between 84 and 100 wind turbines, on land near the intersection of State Road 880 and Browns Farm Road in the county's Everglades Agricultural Area. The turbines would be placed 1/4- to 1/2- miles apart from each other and would stretch across 11,000 to 15,000 acres, said Robin Saiz, Wind Capital's director of project development.
Wind Capital would lease land around the base of the turbines from area farmers and sugar growers, who would continue to farm the remaining property.
Each turbine would stand between 262 feet and 328 feet tall, roughly the height of a 30-story building or the Statue of Liberty, which stands 305 feet from ground to flame.
Saiz said the turbines, which produce little noise, would likely be visible to westbound travelers on State Road 80 from several miles away as they approach 20-Mile Bend.
The 150-megawatt farm would generate the energy equivalent of more than 500,000 barrels of oil each year, according to the company's web site.
Environmentalists say they are concerned spinning turbines could harm birds and bats.
"There are a lot of questions that remain to be answered, before we jump on the wind energy bus," said Joanne Davis, a community planner with 1000 Friends of Florida.
One fear: that migratory birds flying through the region could be struck by the fast-moving blades. The endangered snail kite, for one, could be devastated if even a few were killed, environmentalists say.
They point a wind farm located just east of San Francisco where thousands of birds have been hit by the spinning blades - a project Wind Capital officials said uses outdated technology.
"When you talk about birds like the snail kite, we can't afford to have any mortality," said Drew Martin, conservation chairman for the Sierra Club's Loxahatchee Group.
Wind Capital sat with environmental groups before this last week's meeting with county planners, to discuss the groups' concerns. The company is working with a consulting firm to study bird flight patterns near Lake Okeechobee. Company officials also have met with various government agencies and elected officials to discuss the project.
"We are trying to be as transparent as we can," Saiz said.
Christian Newman, Senior Scientist and President of Pandion Systems, a Gainesville consulting firm, says his company has been tapped to monitor the proposed turbine site five days a last week over the course of a year. They are studying many patterns, including the birds' flight heights and directions.
Turbines can be located in spots that fewer birds pass over, Newman said. Turbines can also be turned off during hours when birds are most likely to fly through the area.
The turbines' height can also be adjusted to accommodate birds, Newman said.
Although wind resources are considered minimal in Florida, Wind Capital says it has spent about a year studying wind flow near in South Florida. The breeze between Lake Okeechobee and the coast is ideal, company officials said.
Wind Capital isn't the first to attempt a wind farm in the state.
In June 2007, Florida Power & Light Co. announced plans to build the first wind farm in Florida, on Hutchinson Island, 8 miles south of Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County. The plan met resistance from nearby residents and has been put on hold.
Wind Capital hopes to have its turbines running by the end of next year, Saiz said. The company plans to have a long-term agreement to sell energy generated by the farm.
Construction would take between 8 to 10 months, the company estimated.
Wind Capital has developed wind farms across the central part of the country, including projects in Missouri and Minnesota.
The company's current projects have the potential of producing enough wind energy to power more than 300,000 homes, according to its website.
Land Conservation
State's growth agency flips its position on 5,000 acre development after secretary is replaced The Florida Department of Community Affairs is working to reverse a determination in December by then-DCA Secretary Tom Pelham that a proposed land use change for a development on more than 5,000 acres in Volusia County is illegal.
An attorney representing a development opponent says DCA is improperly reversing its position under a new department chief and Gov. Rick Scott, who has proposed eliminating the agency. But an attorney representing the developer says DCA is moving back to its original position, which she says was reversed by Pelham in December.
On Tuesday, the governor and Cabinet will consider the proposed "Restoration" development on 5,187 acres in Edgewater in southern Volusia County. A new land-use category created for the property would allow up to 8,500 housing units and up to 3.3 million square feet of commercial and office space, while more than 50 percent of the development is left in conservation.
Critics, including the Edgewater Citizens Alliance for Responsible Development, say the development represents urban sprawl and that it would be located far from existing urban services. But a representative of Audubon of Florida said the proposal calls for restoring forests and wetlands while restricting development to a quarter of the property.
DCA had recommended that the development be found in compliance with state growth management laws and rules after initially objecting. In July, Administrative Law Judge Bram Canter agreed and recommended approval.
On Dec. 22, Pelham issued a final order reversing Canter's recommended order. Pelham agreed with petitioner Richard A. Burgess on technical issues not directly related to the proposed development.
But last week, a DCA attorney filed a draft final order for the Cabinet that would uphold the administrative law judge's ruling and find the land use change in compliance.
"It shows under the new governor there are no more rules or laws -- only politics," said Barbara Herrin, president of Edgewater Citizens Alliance for Responsible Development.
Attorney Ross Stafford Burnaman, representing opponent Burgess, said he doesn't understand how an agency can work against its own final order.
"I've been doing this for a while -- I have never seen anything like it," Burnaman said.
A department spokesman said new DCA Secretary Billy Buzzett agrees with Pelham on his order, except for the issue he used to reverse the judge's recommended order. "Secretary Buzzett simply has a different view, and there's nothing in the law that says he can't have one," DCA spokesman James Miller said.
DCA now is returning to its previous position in support of the development, said Linda Loomis Shelley, who represents the Harbor Creek Green LLC development firm. She said DCA testified on behalf of the development before Pelham issued his order in December.
"With no new facts, Tom [Pelham] reversed himself when he issued his determination of not in compliance," said Shelley, a former DCA Secretary. "Everybody was astonished."
Wildlife 2060; what's at stake for Florida Florida's natural lands and waters are at the core of our state's prosperity, bringing billions of dollars in economic benefits to our state every year.
Our forests, rivers and creeks, and coastal waters are invaluable to fish and wildlife, and to our own quality of life.
But recent predictions indicate that our state's human population may double to 36 million in the next 50 years. If that happens, as a study published by 1000 Friends of Florida suggests, about 7 million acres of land could be converted from rural and natural to urban uses (see maps). If we develop as we have in the past, roads, shopping malls and subdivisions will replace the rich diversity our landscape currently offers. Development also will impact our coastal waters and coral reefs.
Now's the time to buy more parkland BY ERIC DRAPER It is great news to hear Gov. Rick Scott say he won't support a drastic budget proposal that would shut down 53 state parks.
"We've got great parks, and we've got to make sure we preserve them and take care of them," the governor told reporters on Feb. 11.
The governor is right. We are so lucky that our leaders have been wise enough to fund state conservation land-buying over the years, so that people keep coming to Florida, visit our natural areas, spend money and provide us with badly-needed jobs.
Sadly, Gov. Scott's budget proposal includes no funding at all for the program responsible for these great public lands – the Florida Forever conservation land-buying initiative. It is now up to the Legislature to fund Florida Forever in this year's state budget, and it is up to every Floridian to let lawmakers know how much we support this successful program. It is supposed to be Florida Forever, after all -- – not Florida Sometimes.
Nobody in Florida ever looks around and says: "I wish we didn't have this park here." We're always happy that wise leaders saved places so that our grandchildren – and our great grandchildren – can enjoy them.
It is especially unwise to cut Florida Forever in the current economic climate. The real-estate slump means that some rare bargains are available right now to benefit the taxpayers. It's a wise investment that will make our tax dollars go farther.
Dramatic landscapes and unspoiled beauty of Grand Teton National Park are now better protected! Last fall the State of Wyoming threatened to sell school trust lands located within the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park. This would have opened the door for private developers. The loss of this acreage to subdivision would have dramatically altered the park, and threatened not only the scenic beauty and pristine nature of this area, but also harmed native wildlife.
But earlier this week this land came a step closer toward preservation. Thanks to the Wyoming State Legislature, a land purchase agreement between Wyoming and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) can now move forward. This vote paves the way for the DOI to purchase the land and transfer ownership from the state to the federal government, ultimately preserving these lands that are an integral part of Grand Teton.
Despite this week's victory, there is still work to be done to permanently protect this land. The DOI will now need to secure Land and Water Conservation Fund appropriations from Congress to complete the $107 million dollar agreement to purchase the land from the state. Stay tuned as we look to the Wyoming Congressional delegation to seek congressional appropriations to seal the deal, and achieve what the National Park Service has said is one of its top national priorities for park land protection.
Rock mining company wants excluded from Corps review in North Belle A rock mining company has asked federal wetlands regulators to drop plans for a more detailed study of mining in part of rural Collier County.
Florida Rock Industries' proposed East Naples mine is one of two mines the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined needs a more in-depth review, called an Environmental Impact Statement, in North Belle Meade on the edge of Golden Gate Estates.
The Florida Wildlife Federation and the Collier County Audubon Society helped negotiate the overlay rules with landowners, including the Florida Rock mine, in response to an order by then-Gov. Jeb Bush and the Cabinet that Collier County do a better job of protecting the environment.
Air Quality
EPA Issues Final Standard to Protect Americans from Boilers' Toxic Air Pollution Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a final health standard that will limit emissions of mercury, lead, arsenic, acid gases and other toxic pollutants from industrial boilers. This commonsense air toxics safeguard, often called the "Boiler MACT (Maximum Available Control Technology)," will save thousands of lives, and prevent thousands of cases of asthma attacks, heart attacks and hospital visits.
Industrial boilers are on-site power plants at places like universities and industrial facilities like chemical plants, refineries and paper mills. By controlling these plants' pollution, EPA's air toxics safeguard will protect Americans from breathing some of the most dangerous and toxic pollutants known to us – arsenic, lead, acid gases and mercury. Even in small amounts, these life-threatening air pollutants are linked to cancer, birth defects, brain damage and even early death. Without this critical protection, millions of tons of air toxics will continue to be released into our air each year.
"Corporate polluters are literally making us sick, and these long overdue protections from EPA will save lives and improve the health of millions of Americans," said Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club.
"Though the announcement today is modest by comparison to the proposals put forth by the EPA last June, we urge Administrator Lisa Jackson to forge ahead to protect our children and families' health."
Not content with having weakened important protections like the air toxics safeguard, polluting industries continue to push their agenda to roll back and even block public health protections and clean air standards.
"If the corporate lobbyists succeed in killing these health protections, Americans will pay the price with the lives and health of their family members," said James Pew, staff attorney at Earthjustice. "Controlling the toxic pollution from industrial boilers will save lives, prevent billions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs, and put thousands of Americans to work."
Miscellaneous
South Florida could see heavy wildfire season South Florida heads into peak wildfire season with the ground parched from lack of rain, raising the danger of brush fires that could threaten houses, generate air pollution and cause car crashes.
A state index of soil conditions lists Broward as the driest county in Florida, followed by Palm Beach, Martin and Collier counties. And the National Weather Service, looking at broader trends of rainfall, underground water levels and other factors calls the drought in Palm Beach County "extreme," with the rest of South Florida experiencing drought levels that are "severe."
Peak wildfire season lasts from March through May, as hot, dry weather generates the greatest chance for fires caused by lightning, cigarettes, camp fires and hot cars or swamp buggies parked on dry grass.
"Even if it's green, it will still burn in South Florida," said Kathi Francis, fire safety specialist for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. "Palmetto leaves have a very waxy, oily substance, and if it heats up it will explode. Melaleuca is just like liquid gasoline. It burns hot and black and very fast."
Wildfires, ignited by Florida's frequent thunderstorms, have swept across the state for millennia, creating ecosystems of plants and animals that have evolved to handle -- and even require -- periodic, fiery cleansings of the landscape. But for the human beings who have crowded into the state in the past century, wildfires can cause serious problems, particularly along what firefighters call the wildland urban interface, or WUI (pronounced "woo-ee"), running along the western neighborhoods of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
In addition to the threat to houses, wildfires generate air pollution and can reduce road visibility to lethal levels. In 2006, a series of wildfires in western Palm Beach and Broward counties caused at least five crashes in a day, with two deaths, as drivers attempted to navigate the smoke-shrouded roads near the Everglades.
"What concerns us about wildfires in Weston and places like that is the smoke," said Scott Peterich, South Florida spokesman for the Florida Division of Forestry. "When it settles on roads, it can be very dangerous because of traffic accidents."
It can also be bad for your health. The smoke is a complex mixture of carbon dioxide, water vapor, carbon monoxide, fine particles, hydrocarbons and other organic chemicals, nitrogen oxides and trace minerals, said Daniela Banu, Broward County's air quality director, in an e-mail.
The biggest threat to people comes from microscopic soot particles that can lodge in the respiratory system, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Healthy adults will usually suffer no harm from short-term exposure. But children and the elderly are more vulnerable, with the smoke capable of causing burning eyes, a runny nose and illnesses such as bronchitis. The smoke can also aggravate conditions such as heart disease and respiratory diseases such as asthma, according to the EPA.
"The smoke tends to be localized near the source, but can be widespread if the fires are large and persistent," James Stormer, environmental administrator for the Palm Beach County Health Department, said in an e-mail. "…Our advice always is to avoid exposure if possible, especially to smoke-sensitive individuals."
Fighting fires in South Florida calls for unusual pieces of equipment. For swampy areas of Broward and Miami-Dade counties, the Florida Division of Forestry deploys tracked vehicles with water tanks. For Palm Beach County, where undeveloped areas tend to be drier zones of slash pines and palmettos, the division uses converted snow plows to scrape vegetation down to bare soil, creating breaks that can stop fires from spreading.
To protect western neighborhoods, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue operates 428 fire wells in Southwest Ranches and along U.S. 27, allowing firefighters to hook up hoses and draw 500 to 1,000 gallons per minute from each well. The agency also uses portable tanks resembling above-ground swimming pools to draw water from canals.
This winter takes place in a year of La Niña, the periodic cooling in the eastern Pacific Ocean that causes storms to track northward, sharply reducing winter rainfall in South Florida. This has dried out the ground, creating favorable conditions for fire, according to the Florida Division of Forestry.
The warm weather that typically accompanies La Niña, drying out leaves and grass, has not yet arrived, and in fact this has been an unusually cold winter. But climatologists at Florida State University issued a statement Tuesday that the weather should soon warm up sharply, because a weather phenomenon that had interfered with La Niña has cleared.
Warm weather causes moisture in leaves and grass to evaporate, making it more likely they will burn, said Sean Luchs, the Forestry Division's meteorologist.
But experts say it's not yet certain that South Florida will see a season of fire, smoke, closed roads and bad air.
"The elements are there for a potentially bad wildfire season," said Robert Molleda, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "But this could change. Back in 2009 at this time we were facing a bad wildfire season. However, we ended up with some decent rain in March and April, which really saved us from what looked like a bad wildfire season."
Area farmers recognized for stewardship Twenty farmers and ranchers who maintain operations in the Indian River region and the Northern Everglades Agricultural Area have been recognized for their superior natural resource stewardship.
There will be a County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship dinner and awards ceremony at the KOA Campground near Okeechobee on Feb. 24 at 6 p.m.
These agricultural producers have implemented verifiable state-of-the-art management strategies known as Best Management Practices on their properties.
The dinner will be hosted by the Okeechobee Area Agri-Council. A map with directions to the campground is available at http://koa.com/campgrounds/okeechobee/
More than 400 farmers and ranchers throughout Florida have earned the CARES designation for their outstanding stewardship. Their accomplishments are designated by a CARES sign at their properties.
"Farm owners do more than provide us with food and fiber," Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick said. "They maintain greenspace, preserve wildlife habitat and help sustain fresh water recharge areas."
CARES award recipients this year include:
- Martin County: Fat Cat Ranch, Indiantown Turf, RW Ranch
- Indian River County: Leroy Smith Inc., Vero Producers, Kennedy Groves
- St. Lucie County: Scott Groves, Inc.
- Okeechobee County: Pete Clemons, Elwyn Bass, Glenn Bass, Elda Mae Bass, Rio Ranch, Providence Property, J.C. Bass, Rothert Farms, Peat Marsh Ranch – Jim Fraser, B&E Double Diamond, Haynes Williams, Bass Ranch
Artists Can Win $15,000 in Everglades Nation Logo Contest The Everglades Foundation is launching a publicity campaign entitled Everglades Nation, the purpose of which is to raise awareness of environmental preservation in general and the need to preserve the Everglades in particular. The Foundation is holding a contest for the best logo.
Entries must be submitted by February 28th on the official entry form. The logo must contain the words "Everglades Nation" and no other text. The ideal logo will focus on Everglades conservation in a way that appeals to a wide cross-section of South Florida residents including students, corporate decision makers, and outdoor enthusiasts.
The first prize is $15,000. Other prizes include a Mackbook and ipad.
If you are an artist and love the Everglades, please enter this contest. Over 6 million Floridians rely on a healthy Everglades for their drinking water and many South Florida residents depend on Everglades tourism for their living. Without a healthy Everglades, South Florida as we know it would not exist. Do your part to preserve this unique ecosystem by helping to publicize Everglades Nation.
White-nose Syndrome spreads to North Carolina White-nose Syndrome (WNS) has spread to North Carolina, the state Wildlife Resources Commission and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have announced. A total of six bats tested positive for WNS disease, five from an abandoned mine in Avery County and one from a cave at Grandfather Mountain State Park.
"The arrival of White-nose Syndrome in North Carolina - the second state in the past two weeks to discover the disease - underscores how destructive this winter is likely to be for bats," said Nina Fascione, Executive Director of Bat Conservation International.
North Carolina is the 16th state to document the presence of White-nose Syndrome or the fungus that is associated with it. On Monday, Indiana confirmed the WNS disease, not just the fungus, was in that state as well. White-nose Syndrome has killed more than a million bats of six species in five years. Mortality rates approaching 100 percent are reported at some sites. WNS so far has killed only hibernating bats, which include 25 of the 46 U.S. bat species.
"Indiana and North Carolina are only the beginning," said Fascione. "Since its discovery in New York five years ago, the fungus has travelled more than halfway across the United States, and biologists worry it will spread even farther westward as the winter progresses. The results of this winter will shed light on many questions surrounding this fatal disease."
White-nose syndrome first showed up in upstate New York in 2006 and has since spread throughout the eastern half of the United States. It has also been found in Ontario and Quebec. Two years ago, scientists estimated that more than a million bats had died. Since then bat mortality, spread among six different species, has continued to mount, wiping out some Northeast bat colonies completely. Last spring, the white-nose pathogen was found on a bat in western Oklahoma.
'This dangerous, bat-killing disease is moving west. Federal land managers have a chance to limit the damage by closing caves, but that has yet to happen on a scale that will provide any meaningful protection for bats in the West,' said Matteson.
House panel passes three controversial bills Three of the most controversial environmental and agricultural bills to emerge prior to the 2011 legislative session were approved on Tuesday by a House committee.
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee approved bills dealing with septic tanks, local fertilizer regulations and agricultural exemptions from water management district permits.
HB 13 by Rep. Marti Coley, R-Marianna, would repeal the SB 550 requirement in 2010 that septic tanks be inspected every five years. The Legislature voted in November to delay implementation from Jan. 1 to July 1 in response to complaints from affected homeowners.
Representatives of the Small County Coalition of Florida and Hillsborough County said they supported the bill. But a Sierra Club Florida representative said the group can't support the bill as written. The Florida Department of Health estimates 10 percent of the state's estimated 2.7 million septic tanks are failing, according to a bill analysis.
"We think it's important inspections for septic tanks," said David Cullen, a Sierra Club lobbyist. "However we would agree it make sense to target this legislation" toward areas where inspections are most needed, such as near waterways.
The Florida Onsite Wastewater Association and industry groups are working on alternative bill language to establish criteria for allowing local governments to have their own inspection programs. HB 13 was approved 12-1.
HB 457 would prohibit local governments from regulating fertilizer use unless they use a state model ordinance. A similar bill was filed last year in response to Pinellas County banning the sale of lawn fertilizer during the summer rainy season.
Rep. Clay Ingram, R-Pensacola and sponsor of HB 457, said allowing local governments to adopt their own regulations would create a "patchwork" that is difficult for businesses. The Florida Retail Federation, the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association and Associated Industries of Florida supported the bill.
But the bill faces opposition from the Florida Association of Counties, the Florida League of Cities, the Florida Stormwater Association, Audubon of Florida and Sierra Club Florida. Sixteen local governments out of more than 400 in Florida have adopted stricter regulations than the state model fertilizer ordinance, said Stephen James, representing the Florida Association of Counties.
"It's not like local governments are chomping at the bit to adopt these more stringent ordinances," James said. "The bill seems like it's trying to kill a fly with a sledgehammer." The committee voted 10-3 to approve the bill.
Regarding HB 421, state law since 1984 exempted agriculture from permitting by water management districts for "normal and necessary" agriculture and forestry operations, according to a bill analysis.
In 2009, a court ruled in favor of the St. Johns River Water Management District in a case involving A. Duda and Sons Inc., one of the state's largest farming operations. The court said law changes had virtually eliminated the agricultural exemption as it relates to altering wetlands.
Rep. Leonard Bembry, D-Greenville, introduced HB 421, which would specify the exemption in state law dating back to 1984 for activities that divert water flow or affect wetlands.
Supporters include the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. A St. Johns Water River Water Management District representative said the agency is working with Bembry on its concerns about the bill.
Audubon of Florida Executive Director Eric Draper warned the committee that the bill would remove the districts' important environmental permitting responsibilities for draining agricultural land.
"Slow this one down for a minute and take another look at it and make sure you heard the water management districts," Draper told the committee. The committee voted 12-1 to approve the bill.
Legislators pushing ahead with major rewrite of growth management laws The Florida House and Senate both are taking up major rewrites of the state's growth management laws, according to the key committee chairmen in each chamber.
Gov. Rick Scott has proposed eliminating the Florida Department of Community Affairs and laying off most employees while moving its planning functions to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Meanwhile, a coalition of groups, including the Associated Industries of Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, is drafting proposed law revisions.
Last week, Sen. Mike Bennett, chairman of the Senate Committee on Community Affairs, told the Florida Tribune, "You will expect a major growth management bill to be coming out of the House and the Senate."
On Wednesday, the House Community & Military Affairs Subcommittee held a three-hour workshop on growth management, covering three major areas of growth management law: State review, schools and transportation.
Rep. Ritch Workman, subcommittee chairman, said after the meeting that his committee is committed to a "complete overhaul" of the state's growth management laws.
"When I'm done, I want a growth management platform in the state that sets overall goals and expectations in the state, allows cities and counties to manage their own growth and is immune to any kind of legal challenge," said Workman, R-Melbourne.
DCA Secretary Billy Buzzett has proposed reducing the state's review of local growth management to focusing on state and regional resources. He also wants to increase the state role in planning for large private landholdings.
At the House Community & Military Affairs Subcommittee meeting, a panel that included Buzzett, former DCA Secretary Linda Loomis Shelley and representatives of the Florida Association of Counties and the Florida League of Cities struggled to define those state resources.
"That is the question," said Lester Abberger of the 1000 Friends of Florida environmental group. "We have struggled with it for years."
Other speakers said interstate highways, military bases and significant natural areas such as the Everglades are some of the resources that the state must protect.
"It's hard to come up with a list that everyone is eventually going to agree on," said Eric Poole of the Florida Association of Counties
Shelley, chairman of the Associated Industries of Florida council on growth management, also said developers were being forced by cities and counties to pay for backlogs on road-building and up to $20,000 per home for new classrooms in schools regardless of whether the homes are built or there are students in those homes.
"When I build a house, I don't build a kid," Shelley said.
Rep. Scott Randolph, D-Orlando, said growth management critics want the state to get out of the way to provide flexibility for cities and counties, then they complain to the Legislature about "crazy local governments" that need to be controlled.
"That's the policy choice we are going to make this year: Are we going to bring it [growth planning] up to the state and standardize it or are we going to hand it over to local governments and let them do it," Randolph said. "I'm comfortable either way. Let's just do it."
Workman responded that school districts are hiding behind state law and committing "extortion" to get developers to pay for "shiny new schools" that aren't needed. He said growth decisions and responsibility to voters for them should remain local.
"If you want to do school concurrency -- no problem it's their [local officials'] job," Workman said. "That way their school officials can be unelected if they are standing in the way of development and growth -- if the people want development and growth. Not everybody wants it."
Former Audubon President & Outspoken Delaware Governor Dies at 94 "The world has lost a champion for the environment," David Yarnold said yesterday at Audubon headquarters in New York. "Russ Peterson distinguished himself as president of the National Audubon Society from 1979-1985. Throughout the country Audubon staffers join me in recalling his visionary contributions, and the extraordinary example he set."
Yarnold, now a successor to Russell W. Peterson as the society's president, reflected a sentiment common among environmentalists and politicians. Those familiar with Peterson's record remember him as one of the most outspoken and influential defenders of the planet's natural resources during the last third of the twentieth century. As an industry executive and a Republican governor of Delaware, he often battled against powerful leaders in his own camp to protect land, water, and wildlife.
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