The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." Cicero, - 55 BC
Read the Audubon of Florida News blog
Of Interest to all
Audubon Society offers lesson in 'Conservation Gardening' The Palm Beach County branch of the Audubon Society on May 3 will offer a lesson in creating a Florida-friendly garden, able to with withstand drought and avoid using polluting fertilizers.
The lesson in "Conservation Gardening" comes from Robert Hopper, a senior environmental analyst for the South Florida Water Management District.
Hopper is active with the Florida Native Plant Society and specializes in using native plants for landscaping.
Hopper will be speaking at 7:30 p.m. at the May 3 meeting of the Audubon Society of the Everglades. The group meets at the Pine Jog Environmental Education Center at 6301 W. Summit Boulevard in West Palm Beach.
The event is free and open to the public. After Hopper's speech, Audubon will have seeds of Florida native plants for sale.
For more information, call 561-742-7791.
Please join us for the Gumbo Limbo Golf Classic presented by Ameriprise Financial, The Advisory Practice of Swinehart, Shea & Associates on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at the newly renovated Boca Greens Country Club in Boca Raton, FL.
Course: Boca Greens Country Club
Format: Scramble/Captain's Choice
Price: Foursome Packages start at $500 and the Individual Player Package starts at $125... For more information, please contact Kevin Ludke with Professional Golf Events at 954-551-1956.
All proceeds will benefit the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, FL. Your contribution will increase awareness of coastal and marine ecosystems through research, education, preservation and conservation.
All info here
From Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz
Earth Day 2011: Reasons for Optimism and Pessimism Forty-one years ago, twenty million Americans participated in the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. While much has been done to improve the environment since the first Earth Day, 2011 brings reasons for significant pessimism and optimism on the environmental front.
Optimistically, the past year has brought into the mainstream what seemed like environmental dreams just a few years before. Both GM and Nissan introduced electric vehicles this model year, allowing people to pay less than a dollar a day to drive their daily commute, all without significant changes in routine. Rather than stopping to fill up the tank at nearly $4 a gallon, owners of the new electric vehicles simply plug their car into the outlet in their garage.
Likewise, alternative energy is rapidly becoming mainstream, with homebuilder Meritage Homes announcing a "net zero" solar home for less than $200,000. A net zero home means that the home produces as much electricity (normally through wind or solar) as is expected to be consumed.
Plant based packaging, is also rapidly becoming mainstream in the marketplace as well, as I realized recently in 7-Eleven where they are now selling "re:newal" bottled water that comes in bottles made from domestically grown corn and other plants rather than plastic made from imported oil. These bottles can biodegrade over time, or compost in a commercial composting facility in just 90 days. Pepsi also has a plant-based bottle they plan to roll out in 2012.
All of these are exciting new developments that have occurred just within the past few years and give credence to the President's call to "launch a clean energy economy that will create millions of jobs that can't be outsourced." But what is most exciting about all of these developments is that these are being introduced in the marketplace today, as corporations understand the benefits of providing environmentally friendly products that reduce costs for both them and the consumer.
Unfortunately, just as American businesses are recognizing the benefits of "going green," Republicans in Congress have been using their new majority in the House to attempt to slash funds for alternative energy research and environmental protection.
Despite the successes of the past 41 years Republicans have launched an all-out assault on the EPA's attempt to regulate and limit the amount of carbon dioxide that is polluting our air. Power plants pump 650 million tons of carbon dioxide into America's air every year, yet they came within one vote in April of eliminating the EPA's ability to regulate carbon dioxide pollution.
Possibly the most glaring example of their environmental short-sightedness can be seen if you come up and visit the cafeteria in the House of Representatives where I work. Where we used to have takeout containers made of biodegradable paper and plant-based beverage cups, one of the new majority's first acts was to have everything replaced with Styrofoam. Aside from being made from imported oil, Styrofoam is also virtually non-degradable and has been shown to leach styrene into food. This decision bucks what corporate America decided long-ago: Styrofoam is bad for the environment and bad for business -just think: when was the last time you saw Styrofoam at McDonalds or Starbucks?
We've come a long way in forty-one years and the progress we see in the marketplace and in the reduction in pollution has been significant. Now is not the time to rest on our laurels. We must be vigilant so we continue to move our country forward in both environmental protection and a green jobs economy. We cannot afford to allow our environmental progress to shift into reverse.
One Audubon An unprecedented 322 Audubon chapters answered our request to stand together as One Audubon and call on congressional leaders to protect key conservation programs from massive, unacceptable budget cuts. This is just the beginning; there is much more we can do together.
I'm truly overwhelmed and humbled by your response. Programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund and State Wildlife Grants are absolutely core to our mission, not only protecting birds and their habitats and but also providing a critical lifeline of funding for state wildlife agencies and Audubon's important conservation work across the country.
A strong EPA is needed to keep our air fit to breathe, to keep our water safe to drink, and to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, yet it faced a $3 billion budget cut and serious and imminent threats to its authority under the Clean Air Act.
As you know, Congress now has averted a government shut down and finalized a budget to carry it through the end of September. I'm very happy to report that the Land and Water Conservation Fund, North American Wetland Conservation Act, State Wildlife Grants and other critical conservation programs are funded at adequate levels to carry out their functions.
We are One Audubon only with our chapters and we value your help and support. I've attached the final letter below as a PDF, with our thanks. It was delivered to the hands of every Senator on Capitol Hill, and it clearly had an impact. I look forward to our next opportunity to show the power of a unified Audubon.
Sincerely
David Yarnold President and CEO Audubon
Wehle responds to 'nasty and personal' criticism, explains retirement from SFWMD In a meeting room packed with supporters just 20 hours after announcing her retirement, Carol Wehle, executive director of the South Florida Water Management District, denied wrongdoing in the hiring of her boyfriend, blasted anonymous online rumors and insisted that governor did not ask her to step down.
Wehle was calm as she addressed a recent Palm Beach Post article that questioned her boyfriend's selection as an auditor of her district.
"When you are in my position you accept you are a target and you accept the fact that perception is more important than reality," Wehle said at the district board's monthly meeting Thursday morning. Addressing her staff in the audience, she added: "I would never violate an ethical law or district policy, knowingly or unknowingly and bring disrespect to you. I would never do that and I did not do that."
She stopped to compose herself before chastising anonymous commenters on the newspaper's website who left barbs about her husband's suicide and her relationship with Bob Howard, an engineering auditor.
"How dare you assume and write such horrible things about someone you don't even know and assume things that went on in somebody's life, because you just don't know," Wehle said. "You just don't know."
Wehle said she had not been asked to resign by Gov. Rick Scott before she sent an email to the district's 1,900 employees on Wednesday afternoon announcing her plan to retire.
Wehle, who said she was considering retirement for several weeks, plans to step down April 29. She will receive a monthly pension check of $6,608.12, based on her 27-years of employment with state agencies.
Howard continues to work at the district and had not filed for retirement as of Thursday afternoon.
Tommy Strowd to be named interim executive director of SFWMD The ongoing turmoil at the South Florida Water Management District shifted from scandal to layoffs as proposed budget cuts released on Friday would eliminate 91 positions and make deep cuts to everything from office supplies to Everglades restoration programs.
Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is investigating the hiring of Bob Howard as an auditor for the district's Inspector General, after The Palm Beach Post reported that Howard and the district's executive director, Carol Wehle, did not disclosed they were in a relationship before he was hired.
Wehle, 57, announced April 14 she would resign on April 30. On Monday the board will appoint Tommy Strowd, the district's deputy executive director, as interim executive director. Strowd became the deputy in June 2010 and oversees operations and maintenance at the district.
South Fort. Meade Mine Extension - injunction overturned The Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS) announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has vacated a preliminary injunction previously granted by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida regarding Mosaic's South Fort Meade mine. The preliminary injunction had prevented reliance on a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' permit for the mining of wetlands in an extension of Mosaic's South Fort Meade, Florida, phosphate rock mine in Hardee County. The Eleventh Circuit also set aside the District Court's remand of the permit to the Corps of Engineers.
In vacating the preliminary injunction, the Court remanded the case to the District Court for a decision on the merits to determine, after a review of the full administrative record, whether the Corps came to a rational permit decision to be analyzed through the deferential lens mandated by the Administrative Procedure Act. The Court of Appeals also directed the District Court to stay the effectiveness of the permit for 90 days to permit the District Court to make a decision on the merits based on this deferential standard.
"We appreciate this timely ruling and are pleased with the outcome and directions provided by the Eleventh Circuit," said Richard Mack, Mosaic's Executive Vice President and General Counsel. "We look forward to presenting our case to the District Court as mandated by the Court of Appeals.
The Hardee County Extension permit was an exhaustive, multi-year effort that resulted in the most extensively reviewed and environmentally protective phosphate mining permit in Florida's history. We expect that our ongoing operations at South Fort Meade, together with other mitigation efforts, will be sufficient to support our finished phosphate production for the 90-day period set forth by the Court of Appeals."
Browner returns to Center for American Progress Carol Browner will join the Center for American Progress as a distinguished senior fellow, returning to the think tank where she worked before her stint as President Obama's chief climate and energy adviser.
Browner, a former U.S. EPA administrator under President Clinton, served for two years as one of Obama's advisers and helped broker such deals as the first nationwide regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. She announced her resignation in January, and her departure last month was soon followed by the consolidation of the Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy into the Domestic Policy Council.
In a press release today, CAP President John Podesta said Browner's work at the think tank will focus on domestic and international policy development. She will also serve on the group's executive committee.
CAP, Podesta said, will benefit from Browner's "vision and experience."
"She understands the intersections of how policy interacts with politics and how government helps shape strong markets for investment and innovation," he said. "Having that sense of integration is key to understanding how to improve the lives of the American people, which is central to the mission of CAP."
Browner was a founding board member of CAP until 2008, when she became one of Obama's "czars," a group of high-level advisers who do not go through Senate confirmation. Republicans have criticized Obama's use of such advisers, arguing that it is an example of an overreaching White House. The recent spending bill cut several of the positions, but Obama plans to ignore that provision.
As Obama's energy adviser, Browner became the face of the administration's response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill last year. But her main focus was the administration's response to climate change. That job remains unfinished as the White House defends U.S. EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
Birds
Fla. wildlife officials say virus is killing ducks Wildlife officials believe a duck virus may be killing ducks near downtown St. Petersburg.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission performed a necropsy Tuesday on one of the 25 dead ducks recently found along the shores of Crescent Lake. They found the duck died from duck virus enteritis, which is also known as duck plague.
Officials say the disease is highly contagious and causes internal bleeding and severe diarrhea. The duck virus affects geese, ducks and swans.
Biologist Dan Wolf says the virus mostly hits Muscovy ducks during the spring breeding season.
Lead bullets poisoning America's endangered condor Lead ammunition is a primary factor limiting the survival and recovery of the Californian condor, one of America's most endangered birds, according to a new study.
'This study is especially important because not only does it cite lead as a major factor, but it cites lead ammunition specifically. While many field studies had suggested that lead ammunition was the source of often fatal lead poisoning in these birds, the America's gun lobby has demanded highly specific data to identify the source(s) of lead poisoning.
'We now have that information in the form of sound science that connects the dots between condor deaths and lead ammunition,' said Dr Michael Fry, a leading avian toxicologist and Director of Conservation Advocacy for American Bird Conservancy.
California condors were decimated as a species; reduced to 22 wild individuals by 1982. There followed a captive breeding and release program that has seen the wild population rise to 190 birds but despite substantial management efforts to reduce lead exposure risk, California condors continue to be poisoned on a regular basis. For example, in 2009, almost half the condors monitored at one California release site received clinical treatment for lead poisoning.
About 90 per cent of wild condors have been exposed to lead-based ammunition
The recent study analyzed blood collected from 17 pre-release condors exposed to 'background' sources of lead and 70 free-flying condors in California. This blood analysis was compared with an analysis of a representative selection of 71 lead-based ammunitions. The results demonstrated that the lead 'signature' of free-flying condors is different from that of pre-release birds, and based on that signature, that about 90 per cent of free-flying condors had been exposed to lead-based ammunition.
The study also found that out of 760 condor blood samples collected between 2004-2009 in California, about 35 per cent of free-flying condors are chronically exposed to lead levels well-known to be toxic.
'Four highly respected science organizations have concluded that lead ammunition is poisoning our wildlife. The very sad part of this is that it doesn't have to happen, as there are numerous other non-lead, non-toxic bullets that perform as well or better than their lead counterparts,' Fry said.
Everglades wading-bird nesting increases amid drought Drought conditions straining South Florida water supplies actually could lead to a wading-bird baby boom in the Everglades.
Wood storks, spoonbills, white ibis and great egrets are taking advantage of lower water levels in the Everglades water conservation areas west of Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, with increased numbers of the birds nesting in areas normally too soggy for reproduction.
Last month, the South Florida Water Management District's nesting count found 1,050 nests for endangered wood storks, compared to none in March 2010.
There were 200 spoonbill nests, compared to 20 a year ago, while green egret nests went from 130 last year to 7,180 this year.
White ibis nesting totals soared even higher, from zero in March 2010 to 10,000 this March.
Water receding in some areas while still collected in others has allowed the wading birds to feed on concentrated amounts of small fish, according to the district.
Whether the flocks massing in the Everglades lead to a population boom depends on how long the drought lingers.
Bird event comes to Walpole Island The third annual International Migratory Bird Celebration: "Go Wild, Go Birding" is 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14 at the Heritage Center, Walpole Island First Nation. The event will include basic bird identification lessons; spring migration discussions; native crafts and food vendors; and demonstrations by local nature clubs. Aimee Johnson will give a presentation from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. about "Species at Risk." Myeengun Henry, an aboriginal traditional counselor and ceremony practitioner, will speak about "Native Traditional Medicines" from 11 a.m. to noon. Rachel Powless, president of the Native Territories Avian Research Project, will speak about "Birds in Native Culture" from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Carl Pascoe, research director and master bird bander, will present "Hummingbirds in Ontario" from 2 to 3 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Native Territories Avian Research Project and Walpole Island First Nation. Call (519) 627-1475 for more information.
[Walpole Island is a Canadian island in the St. Clair River across from Algonac, Michigan, my birthplace. Walpole Island is primarily a reservation for Ojibwa, Ottawa and Pottawattamie Indians; a trip would not only provide excellent birding opportunities, but would also offer a glimpse of the lifestyle of our American Natives.]
Read the Florida Ornithological Society Newsletter
North American Migration Bird Count Volunteers are needed for the May 14th Hendry and Glades County
North American Migration Count. There is some coverage at STA5, but more volunteers,
birders and photographers, are welcome. The other birding hotspots in Hendry and Glades County are available for individuals and teams who would like to help with the NAMC.
Margaret England Compiler Hendry and Glades Counties
863-517-0202
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSzjichegWs
Invasive species
Eradicating Florida's Invasive Plants, Mile by Mile There is a team of "pepper busters" at Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM NERR) and Park Services Specialist Gary Swenk is leading the effort. Volunteers and landowners are united in helping gain control over the invasive Brazilian pepper trees (Shinus terebinthifolieus) by tackling a large thicket of the trees growing about eight miles south of Marineland.
Its bright, red berries and shiny, green leaves made the Brazilian pepper tree desirable as an ornamental in the late 1800s when it was first imported from South America to South Florida. Now ecologists view the uncontrolled expansion of Brazilian pepper as one of the most serious ecological threats to the biological integrity of the state's natural systems; Gary Swenk explains why:
- Q: How much Brazilian pepper is in Florida?
- A: Brazilian pepper occupies more than 700,000 acres in South Florida alone and is presently moving northward, invading native plant territory in Flagler and St. Johns counties, as well.
- Q: Why is Brazilian pepper such a threat?
- A: It spreads rapidly and interferes with the functions of natural, native communities.
- Q: Besides intruding on Florida's native plant species, is it harmful to humans or wildlife?
- A: It is a relative of poison ivy and direct contact with the sap can cause skin irritation. Also, ingestion of the foliage and fruit by mammals and birds can cause internal complications and sometimes even death.
- Q: Is Brazilian pepper related to Florida's native Yaupon holly?
- A: It is not related.
- Q: What is the most effective way to eliminate or control Brazilian pepper if it's in our yards?
- A: The most effective treatment is to cut the tree down to its stump and immediately apply an herbicide to the cambium of the stump. If it is necessary to remove the tree after cutting, it is best not to treat it while it is in berry to avoid spreading the seeds to new areas.
GTM NERR has established an ambitious, labor intensive project to eliminate the pepper tree as part of a broader plan to gain control over all exotic plant species within the watershed. The watershed, including the more than 73,000 acres of the reserve, is a regional surface water catchment area ranging roughly from east at Palm Coast in Flagler County, west to I-95, north to J. Turner Butler Boulevard in Duval County and east to the Atlantic Ocean.
"Thanks to a cooperative effort between local home owners, GTM staff and volunteers, we have taken down more than 1,000 Brazilian pepper trees of all sizes," Swenk said. "When we finish this area we will have eradicated more than a mile of pepper trees along A1A, and will continue working with our partners and volunteers to control this invasive species in other areas.
When the "pepper busters" finish their work at Island Estates they will tackle denser thickets of pepper trees to the south at Beverly Beach in Flagler County. The team will then continue on the trail northward to remove less densely populated thickets at St. Augustine and Vilano Beach in St. Johns County.
GTM NERR is seeking additional volunteers to help work throughout the watershed. For more information on joining the team of volunteers or on having pepper trees taken down from private property, please call Gary Swenk at the GTM Research Reserve Education Center, (904) 823-4500.
Florida Panthers
Last stand for the Florida panther? Florida panthers are close to making their last stand in the swampy grasslands and forests of the Everglades. At least 23 panthers were killed last year and 11 have died in 2011. With only about 100 of the cats remaining in the wild, their survival may depend on the designation of critical habitat, a step the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has this refused to take.
But that may change. A coalition of environmental groups has filed an appeal in federal court, seeking to force the agency to protect what is left of the panther's rapidly dwindling habitat in the midst of sprawling development in South Florida. The animals only remain in about 5 percent of their historic range.
Reward offered for Florida panther killer A Florida panther has been found shot near Orlando, and a $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever did it.
The dead panther was found March 12 on Old Mims Road near the town of Geneva in Seminole County. Although this is far from the species' strongholds south and west of Lake Okeechobee, young male panthers have been known to range into Central Florida in search of territory not dominated by another male.
The reward fund has been put up by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Humane Society of the United States.
If convicted, the person who shot the panther would face up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
Ken Warren, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the agency announced the death because it needs help finding out who killed the panther.
"We're going public because we need as many leads as possible that could help us solve the case," he said.
Conservation Groups Appeal Ruling on Failure to Designate Critical Habitat for Endangered Florida Panther Conservation groups have appealed a federal judge's ruling in the hopes of finally protecting critical habitat for the Florida panther, which has been listed as endangered for more than 40 years. The appeal, filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, challenges a ruling earlier this month that upheld a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision not to identify and protect what is left of the panther's shrinking habitat among sprawling development in South Florida.
In February 2010, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and the Council of Civic Associations, filed a lawsuit challenging the Service's denial of their petitions to designate critical habitat for the panther. This designation would give the panther the greatest protection available under the federal Endangered Species Act and promote its recovery from the brink of extinction. At present, about 120 Florida Panthers survive in the wild – clinging to less than five percent of their historic range.
Andrew McElwaine, President of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, pointed out that "in effect, the Judge said the Service does not have to designate critical habitat for the panther because the panther has been endangered for too long. We trust the 11th Circuit will reverse."
Frank Jackalone, Florida Staff Director for the Sierra Club, said the ruling was especially disappointing in light of the heavy mortality to the panther population last year and so far in 2011. According to Jackalone, 23 panthers were killed last year, and 11 more have already died in 2011, mostly due to collisions with cars. The 2011 figures may be understated, as some recent panther deaths have not been publicly posted because they are still under official investigation.
"You can't protect endangered species without protecting the places they live and that's what needs to happen to give the Florida panther any shot at survival," said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. "We're confident that the appellate court will recognize that the Interior Department has the authority and the urgent responsibility to protect critical habitat for the panther, which is disappearing as gated subdivisions and strip malls replace forests and wetlands in South Florida."
"Unfortunately, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has an extinction strategy rather than a recovery strategy for the Florida panther," said PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, who also notes that the Service's science has been manipulated to mask the truly dire plight of the panther.
Endangered Species
Turtles nest ahead of season; Rare Kemp's ridley drops her eggs at Sanibel Turtle nesting season doesn't start until May 1, but nests already are being dug out and filled with eggs on Southwest Florida beaches.
Experts say they expected this season to start a bit early, but were surprised by the first mother turtles.
An extremely rare Kemp's ridley nested Friday on Sanibel, kicking off the 2011 season. A loggerhead also nested Friday at Cayo Costa.
"I guess it's a good omen that we are off to a good, early start," Bryant continued. "We're really excited. We usually have a nest the first or second week of nesting season, but it's pretty rare to have a nest prior to nesting season. I wasn't expecting that at all. It was a surprise."
Warmer water temperatures could be the reason for early nests. Last year's unusually cold weather caused later nesting. In 2010, Bonita didn't get its first nest until May 21, and Collier County didn't have its first nest until May 20. Turtles start nesting when water temperatures reach about 81 degrees.
"We are keeping a close eye on the water temperature because as soon as it hits 81, we have to hit the beach," said Maura Kraus, senior environmental specialist for Collier County Natural Resources. "I look at it every day. With our hot days, we're expecting to have to start earlier this year."
Kraus hopes that earlier nesting might mean more nests. Mother turtles can nest up to seven times each, so an early start could help.
"I'm expecting higher numbers. We always want higher numbers," Kraus said. "But the turtles are going to do what the turtles are going to do."
Read the article
Positive News for Florida Sea Turtles Surveys of sea turtle nesting beaches conducted last year in Florida by state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists add up to good news for leatherback and green turtles, both of which continued positive long-term trends in the number of nests on Sunshine State beaches. Researchers turned up 8,870 green sea turtle nests, a tenfold increase since counts began in 1989; leatherback nests tallied at 552, up from 45 in 1989. The surveys account for about 34 percent of Florida's known leatherback nests and 74 percent of statewide green nests.
"They're doing great," says Anne Meylan, a biologist with the conservation commission. Good news may be on the way for loggerheads, too. After reaching a peak of 59,918 nests in the 1998 survey, loggerhead nesting declined 25 percent during the past 12 years. Last year, however, researchers turned up nearly 48,000 nests, which is above the 10-year average. "This is a welcome piece of data and may be the beginning of a positive change in the trend, but more good nesting years like 2010 will be needed to confirm that," Meylan says.
Conservationists plan lawsuit over rare Florida butterfly The Center for Biological Diversity is planning to sue the U.S. government for failing to extend federal protection to a rare butterfly in the Florida Keys.
The center on Wednesday filed its intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to provide emergency Endangered Species Act protection to the Miami blue butterfly.
The inch-long butterfly is only found in South Florida. It has lost habitat to urban sprawl, pesticides, and changes in sea levels. Iguanas also are blamed for its habitat loss.
It was believed extinct after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. A small population was discovered in Bahia Honda State Park in 1999. Conservations say that population has disappeared and the species only survives now in the Key West National Wildlife Refuge.
South Africa sends in the army to stop rhino poaching in the Kruger The South African National Defense Force (SANDF) had been asked by South African National Parks (SANParks) to play a strategic role in the protection of South African National Parks, especially the Kruger National Park. The SANDF deployed to the Kruger where the park borders with Mozambique and Zimbabwe at the beginning of April 2011.
A total of 333 rhinos were illegally killed in South Africa in 2010, including ten critically endangered black rhinos, according to national park officials. The yearly total is the highest ever experienced in South Africa and nearly three times the 2009 figure when 122 rhinos were killed in the country. An additional five rhinos have been lost to poaching since the New Year.
Kruger National Park, the world famous safari destination, was hardest hit losing 146 rhinos to poaching in 2010, authorities said. The park is home to the largest populations of both white and black rhinos in the country. Rhino poaching across Africa has risen sharply in the past few years, threatening to reverse hard-won population increases achieved by conservation authorities during the 20th century.
The South African Minister of Defense, MS Lindiwe Sisulu, has congratulated SANDF for arresting four alleged poachers in the Kruger National Park. The Mozambican nationals were found in possession of hunting rifle, binoculars, axe and cell phones. They will appear at Skukuza Magistrate Court.
"We congratulate the SANDF members for arresting poachers. It has been 15 days since they deployed into the Park and we can see the results already. We will continue to work with the law enforcement agencies to secure our borders and to deal with rhino poaching", said Minister Sisulu.
"Our national parks are major assets, and we will protect them for the future and those who pose any threats to our animals will meet the full might of the law. We have declared war with poachers in all our parks," added Minister Sisulu.
The SANDF is currently deployed along the Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho borders. At the end of the financial year 2012/13 the SANDF will cover the entire over 4471 kilometers of land between South Africa and Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, and Lesotho.
Truckloads of illegal rosewood logs confiscated in Madagascar In a joint operation with police, local communities and Government officers, and forestry officials, Asity Madagascar (BirdLife in Madagascar) has struck a blow against illegal loggers in the Tsitongambarika forest IBA in the far south-east of the island. Several trucks loaded with rosewood logs have been seized.
Evidence of the extent of illegal logging was provided by the local communities around Tsitongambarika, who supplied photographs and video material. Asity Madagascar has been working with these communities to develop sustainable ways of using the forest, which was suffering encroachment from slash-and-burn agriculture. As part of the project, Asity Madagascar has trained local people to monitor the state of the forest, and provides incentives such as investment in developments chosen by the villagers (such as schools or improved water supplies) and goods such as fertilizers, when monitoring (independently verified) demonstrates successful forest conservation.
More than 800 rosewood planks and 100 logs were recovered by the operation. Asity Madagascar praised the prompt and effective action by the local authorities, which followed a series of workshops organized by Asity Madagascar to increase awareness of the social, economic and environmental damage caused by illegal logging.
Tsitongambarika is the largest remaining area of lowland rainforest in southern Madagascar, and home to many bird species endemic to Madagascar, several of which are globally threatened, as well as other biodiversity unique to this part of the island. After years of work by Asity Madagascar, Tsitongambarika has been granted temporary protected status, which is expected to be made permanent within the next two years.
"The success of this action demonstrates that, given appropriate support and incentives that enable them to see themselves as joint beneficiaries of protected areas, local communities can be highly effective in working with conservation organizations and Government authorities to police violations of environmental law", said Roger Safford, Senior Program Manager at BirdLife International.
Asity Madagascar is part of Voahary Gasy, an alliance of national conservation organizations set up to combat the plundering of Madagascar's natural resources after the overthrow of the previous government in 2009.
Rosewood and other timber is being stripped on a much larger scale from the protected areas in the north-east of Madagascar, and the loggers - some of them in possession of "official" permits for their activities - boast of being unafraid of any authority, including the state. Voahary Gasy is asking the government to ensure that existing laws covering protected areas and other aspects of environmental governance are strictly enforced.
"Asity Madagascar joins Voahary Gasy in calling for a decree prohibiting the exploitation and export of precious native trees to be published in Madagascar's Official Gazette", said Vony Raminoarisoa, national coordinator of Asity Madagascar.
Everglades and Water Quality Issues
A Stronger and Clearer Clean Water Act The Obama administration's new guidelines for the Clean Water Act are an important first step in restoring vital legal safeguards to wetlands and streams threatened by development and pollution.
The guidelines are opposed by the usual suspects — real estate interests, homebuilders, farmers, the oil companies. They were welcomed, rightly so, by conservationists and others who have watched in despair as enforcement actions dropped and water pollution levels went up.
For nearly three decades, the 1972 act was broadly interpreted by the courts and federal regulators as shielding virtually all the waters of the United States from pollution and unregulated development — seasonal streams and small, remote wetlands, as well as lakes and large navigable waters. The basic idea was that small waters have some hydrological connection to larger watersheds and should be protected against pollution that would inevitably find its way downstream.
Then came two Supreme Court decisions that left uncertain which waterways were protected by the law. A 2001 decision suggested that the law applied only to large navigable waterways, while a 2006 ruling suggested that only waters with a "significant nexus" to navigable waterways could be protected. Those decisions — plus subsequent guidance from the George W. Bush administration — confused regulators and exposed millions of acres of wetlands and thousands of miles of streams to development.
The new guidelines now restore protections to small streams and wetlands that have a "physical, chemical or biological connection" to larger bodies of water downstream. That is good news with the clear caveat that they are administrative guidance, with no force in law, and subject to fairly easy reversal by another administration.
Legislation reaffirming the original scope of the law would be the best solution. But since that is not in the cards in this Congress, we urge the Environmental Protection Agency to turn the guidance into a formal rule that would, at least, be harder to undo.
Florida Ruling a Victory for Everglades and Water Quality Trading A US federal judge in Florida has ruled in favor of the federal EPA's plan to impose limits on the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen running into the Everglades. It's not only a victory for the Everglades, but could open the door to innovative water-quality trading mechanisms down the road.
In a 76-page ruling issued Tuesday, US District Judge Alan Gold said that Florida state agencies "have not been true stewards of protecting the Everglades in recent years," and that the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had the right to impose its 2010 Final Rule, which sets quantitative nutrient limits on the entire state's lakes, rivers, streams, and springs.
Such quantitative limits could form the cornerstone of a water-quality trading regime that aims to reduce discharges in the most efficient way possible.
Currently, nutrient criteria are simply 'narrative,' requiring that "in no case shall nutrient concentrations of a body of water be altered so as to cause an imbalance in natural populations of aquatic flora or fauna." Numeric limits are only introduced on a site-specific basis.
The new statewide numeric ruling, which takes effect in 2012, is the product of a consent decree the EPA signed to settle a lawsuit filed by environmental groups in 2008.
Among the parties that sued to block the numeric standards: the State of Florida, the Florida Agricultural Commissioner, the Florida League of Cities, the Florida Stormwater Association, and numerous municipal and county groups, as well as members of the fertilizer and mining industries.
The complaints shared a similar argument – and one that echoed debates up in the Chesapeake Bay. The Final Rule, they said, was a "federal mandate" and an intrusion into state regulatory affairs, which had received EPA's approval until the environmental group lawsuit. Most also questioned the scientific basis of the EPA numbers and argued that implementing numeric nutrient limits for the entire state would inflict high costs on businesses, citizens, and the public sector.
Declining Lake Okeechobee water levels threaten South Florida environment, water supplies Just how low will Lake Okeechobee go during South Florida's lingering drought?
That is the question driving everything from South Florida lawn watering restrictions to the survival of the endangered Everglades snail kite.
Lake Okeechobee is South Florida's primary backup water supply as well as a vital wildlife habitat.
The lake on Thursday measured 11.25 feet above sea level, which was more than 2 feet below normal and more than 3 feet lower than this time last year.
Declining lake levels were a key factor in the South Florida Water Management District's decision in March to impose twice-a-week landscape watering limits from Orlando to the Keys. South Florida golf courses and agriculture were required to reduce water use by 15 percent.
The district's long-term forecasts this month project a greater than 50 percent chance that the lake will dip below 11 feet before the start of the summer rainy season.
If the lake drops below 10.5 feet, it would be too low for gravity to send lake water to the drainage canals south of the lake that sugar cane growers and other agricultural operations tap for irrigation. At that point, the district plans to install temporary pumps to keep the irrigation water flowing.
But those pumps raise concerns for environmentalists worried about the demands of irrigation worsening the drought's strain on the habitat of the already-suffering snail kite.
When the lake hits 10.5 feet, 80 percent of the marshes along the edge of the lake would be dried up, threatening the feeding and nesting area key to the snail kite's survival.
The snail kite is a medium-sized bird of prey that feeds primarily on apple snails that live in the lake's marshes and the Everglades.
During the last 10 years, the snail kite population plummeted from 3,000 to about 700. An extended drought could cut the remaining snail kite population in half, according to Audubon of Florida.
Audubon advocates additional watering cutbacks for South Florida homes and farms alike to reduce the strain on water supplies and lessen Lake Okeechobee water withdrawals.
District officials so far have resisted going beyond twice-a-week watering cutbacks. After South Florida's driest October-to-February span in 80 years, normal rainfall levels returned for the month of March and that slowed Lake Okeechobee's decline.
Of course, it's a history of manmade manipulations of Lake Okeechobee's water level that worsen the water supply strain during droughts.
Lake Okeechobee once naturally overflowed its southern rim, sending sheets of replenishing water slowly rolling to the Everglades.
Decades of draining South Florida and pumping water to make way for agriculture and development led to building the dike around Lake Okeechobee – turning it into South Florida's largest retention pond.
During Florida's rainy season, safety concerns about the lake's 70-year-old, earthen dike lead the Army Corps of Engineers to dump lake water out to sea to avoid flooding. The corps tries to keep the lake between 12.5 feet and 15.5 feet.
In 2010, the corps dumped more than 300 billion gallons of water out to sea because South Florida has too few storage options to save the water for times of need.
Fla. environmental agency appoints water czar to oversee state's 5 water districts In response to Gov. Rick Scott's insistence upon more control and consistency in Florida's water policies, the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection has named a water czar to oversee the budgets, rules, regulations, permitting, lobbying and land deals made by the state's five water management districts.
Melissa Meeker, a former board member of the South Florida Water Management District, will become the Deputy Secretary for Water Policy and Ecosystem Projects, according to an April 14 memo to the executive directors of the districts from DEP Secretary Herschel Vinyard.
Vinyard said consistent statewide water policies are needed to preserve water resources and "promote the regulatory certainty necessary to assure a vibrant economy."
"Melissa is your key resource and, in turn, I expect you to give her your full support," Vinyard wrote.
Vinyard's letter came two days after he received a letter from Scott, saying the governor "expected" the DEP to take a stronger role in supervising the districts, which not only control the flow of water but issue permits for water use and consumption.
The new position pleased two of the state's top environmental groups, Audubon of Florida and Earthjustice, a non-profit law firm that has filed many of the lawsuits against the districts and other agencies charged with environmental protection.
"I think it's a good thing if it means they will do a better job of prioritizing projects and spending more money on restoration and water quality and less on administrative costs and bureaucracy," said Kirk Fordham, CEO of the Everglades Foundation. "Melissa Meeker is very well regarded by the business and environmental communities."
Meeker did not return a phone call for comment.
Restoring Florida's Everglades has Impacts across the Nation Deep in the heart of Florida's Everglades, you may think nothing has changed in 100 years. Some 2 million acres of famous saw grass prairies and tree islands still exist. Wading and migratory birds still flock to shallow freshwater wetlands, but in vastly smaller numbers than many years ago. Alligators quietly glide through inland waters and panthers roam uplands, often in protected preserves.
But looks can be deceiving. America's most famous wetland has changed tremendously in the past century. Efforts to develop south Florida and protect early residents from deadly hurricanes and droughts have taken a huge toll on the natural environment. Half the Everglades' wetlands are gone forever, replaced by cities and farms. The remainder suffers from too much or too little fresh water, usually not clean.
In 2000, Congress passed an ambitious plan to restore the Everglades. The $10.5 billion Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan will "get the water right" in the remaining ecosystem. Over 30 years, projects will be built to store, clean, and ultimately deliver essential fresh water – the Everglades' lifeblood – to the ecosystem when and where needed. Native plants and animals will return in greater numbers. Non-native plants will diminish. Many other natural characteristics of the historic Everglades will return as the remaining ecosystem becomes stronger and more resilient.
But, if you never put foot in Florida, why would restoring a remote and often-inhospitable swamp be important?
First, the Everglades is a very large ecosystem. Scientists are learning more and more about the complexities and importance of large ecosystems. The Everglades covers 16 counties stretching from Orlando to the Florida Keys. But, across the United States there are many other large watersheds, too. The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes six states, for example. Lessons we learn today about collaborative relationships to restore the Everglades can be applied to other large ecosystem restorations around the country.
Second, we are all biologically connected. As we start losing species of animals and plants in the Everglades, repercussions can be felt hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away.
Third, the Everglades is an important resting place for migrating waterfowl and other birds. As we start losing these critical migratory stops, we affect bird populations across the nation and continents. Marjory Stoneman Douglas put it this way more than 50 years ago: "Restoring the Everglades is a test. If we pass, we may get to keep the Planet."
In south Florida today, scores of scientists, planners, engineers and others are working on many diverse and interesting projects to better capture, store and deliver fresh water to the Everglades. If you never visit the Everglades, their work and a restored ecosystem may have an impact on your life and community, too. To learn more, please visit http://www.evergladesplan.org/.
South Florida water officials call for exploring Broward-Palm water-sharing reservoir A proposed reservoir that would collect water in Palm Beach County and share it with utilities stretching all the way to Fort Lauderdale gained a new ally Thursday when state water managers agreed to help determine whether the pricey proposition would work.
For more than two years, a coalition of utilities and community leaders in Broward and Palm Beach counties has tried to win support for building the reservoir west of Royal Palm Beach.
The idea is to collect some of the stormwater that gets drained through the C-51 canal into the Lake Worth Lagoon for flood control, and instead use that wasted water to boost drinking-water supplies in Palm Beach and Broward counties.
Hurdles to construction include a project cost of more than $300 million, environmental concerns about where polluted canal water could end up and lingering controversy over another reservoir built west of Royal Palm Beach.
In addition, this reservoir proposal comes after the district still has a reservoir project left unfinished in southwestern Palm Beach County that already cost South Florida taxpayers nearly $280 million.
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Water pumped into Loxahatchee River to test restoration effort Water from 16 billion-gallon reservoirs, which were part of a political scandal, might help restore the Loxahatchee River.
Ongoing tests are pumping fresh water from the L-8 Reservoir northwest of Wellington to the Grassy Waters Preserve that supplies drinking water to West Palm Beach. A portion would then flow to the Northwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River.
Without more fresh water, Southeast Florida's only nationally designated "wild and scenic river" is in danger of losing cypress swamps, hardwood hammocks and the underwater nurseries for snook, tarpon and other Florida sport fish, said Albrey Arrington, executive director of the Loxahatchee River District.
"This is a balancing act. We don't want to push out so much saltwater that we lose sea grasses and oysters. But we need more fresh water to restore the balance," Arrington said.
The increase of saltwater upriver has "totally transformed" the river, said Bud Howard, director of water resources for the Loxahatchee River District.
Cape Coral's north spreader system gets dye job Cape Coral's North Spreader Canal system got a dye job Tuesday.
To determine how water flows through the system, scientists from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection poured nine gallons of yellow-green dye into the water at Gator Slough.
Observers then monitored where and how quickly the dye traveled.
Results of the test might help determine whether a controversial barrier will be rebuilt.
"We will use the results to assist us in development of our management plans," said Jon Iglehart, director of DEP's South District.
Wildlife and Habitat
Croc health holds warning signs for humans A visiting professor of gynecology and obstetrics says the effects of water-borne contaminants on the reproductive health of alligators and saltwater crocodiles carry warning signs for humans.
Professor Louis Guillette from the Medical University of South Carolina in the US is one of the keynote speakers at an environmental toxicology conference in Darwin this week.
He has been studying the effects of pesticides and other chemicals on the ovaries of alligators in the Florida Everglades for the last two decades.
He says alligators and crocodiles are good indicators of the health of a waterway.
''They are long-lived like we are and they're basically at the top of the food chain,'' he said.
''Their genetics and their control of reproduction, in many ways, is similar to our own species.''
Professor Guillette says the reproductive health of alligators can be affected by pesticides and other agricultural chemicals, and that should be a warning sign for other species, including humans.
''They are living, drinking, eating in this system and they stay in a relatively small area, so they're really good indicators,'' he said.
Professor Guillette says he will be discussing baseline studies of water contamination in Darwin Harbour with government representatives and crocodile researchers during his week-long visit.
Global Warming and Climate Change
Greenhouse effect Most climate scientists agree the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion of the "greenhouse effect" -- warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space.
Certain gases in the atmosphere behave like the glass on a greenhouse, allowing sunlight to enter, but blocking heat from escaping. Long-lived gases, remaining semi-permanently in the atmosphere, which do not respond physically or chemically to changes in temperature are described as "forcing" climate change whereas gases, such as water, which respond physically or chemically to changes in temperature are seen as "feedbacks."
Gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect include:
Water vapor: The most abundant greenhouse gas, but importantly, it acts as a feedback to the climate. Water vapor increases as the Earth's atmosphere warms, but so does the possibility of clouds and precipitation, making these some of the most important feedback mechanisms to the greenhouse effect.
Carbon dioxide (CO2): A minor but very important component of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is released through natural processes such as respiration and volcano eruptions and through human activities such as deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil fuels. Humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by a third since the Industrial Revolution began. This is the most important long-lived "forcing" of climate change.
Methane: A hydrocarbon gas produced both through natural sources and human activities, including the decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture, and especially rice cultivation, as well as ruminant digestion and manure management associated with domestic livestock. On a molecule-for-molecule basis, methane is a far more active greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but also one which is much less abundant in the atmosphere.
Nitrous oxide: A powerful greenhouse gas produced by soil cultivation practices, especially the use of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production, and biomass burning.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Synthetic compounds of entirely of industrial origin used in a number of applications, but now largely regulated in production and release to the atmosphere by international agreement for their ability to contribute to destruction of the ozone layer. They are also greenhouse gases.
Not enough greenhouse effect: The planet Mars has a very thin atmosphere, nearly all carbon dioxide. Because of the low atmospheric pressure, and with little to no methane or water vapor to reinforce the weak greenhouse effect, Mars has a largely frozen surface that shows no evidence of life.
Too much greenhouse effect: The atmosphere of Venus, like Mars, is nearly all carbon dioxide. But Venus has about 300 times as much carbon dioxide in its atmosphere as Earth and Mars do, producing a runaway greenhouse effect and a surface temperature hot enough to melt lead.
On Earth, human activities are changing the natural greenhouse. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). This happens because the coal or oil burning process combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO2. To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities have increased concentrations of greenhouse gases.
The consequences of changing the natural atmospheric greenhouse are difficult to predict, but certain effects seem likely:
On average, Earth will become warmer. Some regions may welcome warmer temperatures, but others may not.
Warmer conditions will probably lead to more evaporation and precipitation overall, but individual regions will vary, some becoming wetter and others dryer.
A stronger greenhouse effect will warm the oceans and partially melt glaciers and other ice, increasing sea level. Ocean water also will expand if it warms, contributing further to sea level rise.
Meanwhile, some crops and other plants may respond favorably to increased atmospheric CO2, growing more vigorously and using water more efficiently. At the same time, higher temperatures and shifting climate patterns may change the areas where crops grow best and affect the makeup of natural plant communities.
American Teens' Knowledge of Climate Change American Teens' Knowledge of Climate Change Today we are pleased to announce the release of a new report entitled "American Teens' Knowledge of Climate Change."
Dear Friends, Today we are pleased to announce the release of a new report entitled "American Teens' Knowledge of Climate Change" based on a national study of what teens aged 13-17 understand about how the climate system works, and the causes, impacts, and potential solutions to global warming. This research provides an assessment of how much American teens have learned about climate change in and out of school. For comparison, we also report how teens' knowledge compares with that of American adults. The report is available online: http://environment.yale.edu/climate/publications/american-teens-knowledge
Offshore and Ocean
Coral reefs in crisis - But they have vast potential In an unprecedented collaborative analysis, scientists from 49 nations demonstrated that the ability of reef fish systems to produce goods and services to humanity increases rapidly with the number of species.
However, growing human populations hamper the ability of reefs to function normally, with the most diverse reef fish systems suffer the greatest impairments from stressors triggered by human populations.
'Coral reefs provide a range of critical goods and services to humanity - everything from nutrient cycling to food production to coast protection to economic revenues through tourism,' says Camilo Mora at Dalhousie University in Canada and lead researcher of the study. 'Yet the complex nature and large-scale distribution of coral reefs is challenging scientists to understand if this natural ecosystem will continue working to deliver goods and services given the ongoing loss of biodiversity in coral reefs.
'Numerous experiments have shown that biodiversity has positive effects on several ecosystem processes, although the number of species required to ensure the functionality of a given process is fairly low, as many species often have similar ecological roles,' says Michel Loreau from Canada's McGill University, a co-author of the study. 'What remained largely unknown, however, was whether the results of experimental studies reflect what happens in real ecosystems.'
To fill this unknown, 55 researchers, in a two-year study, collected the necessary data to determine whether biodiversity influences the efficiency of reef fish systems to produce biomass, and if so, work out the role of humans in such a linkage.
The team collected demographic data on human populations as well as environmental and biological data on the identity of species, their abundances and body sizes in almost 2,000 coral reef locations worldwide. The data on abundance and body size were used to calculate the cumulative weight of all fishes on each reef (also called standing biomass), which is one of the main services reef fishes provide to humanity through food supply but also a very close proxy for how effectively ecosystems produce biomass.
Beachgoers can help biologists learn about spawning horseshoe crabs This spring, mating horseshoe crabs will gather at sandy beaches throughout the state. Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute need help from the public to identify horseshoe crab spawning areas.
The best time to find spawning horseshoe crabs is around high tide, just before, during or after a full or new moon. The new moon conditions around May 3 and the full moon conditions around May 17 will create good opportunities for viewing the spawning behavior of horseshoe crabs.
The FWC asks beachgoers to report the number of horseshoe crabs they see and whether the horseshoe crabs are mating. Mating crabs "pair up," with the smaller male on top of the larger female. Other male crabs may be present around the couple. Biologists also want to know the date, time, location, habitat type and environmental conditions, such as tides and moon phase. If possible, specify roughly how many are mating adults and how many are juveniles (4 inches wide or smaller).
FWC asks people to report sightings through one of several convenient options. Go to MyFWC.com/Contact and follow the link to fill out an online survey; email findings to horseshoe@MyFWC.com; or call the FWC at 866-252-9326.
Horseshoe crabs have been around for approximately 450 million years and are an important part of a marine ecosystem. Their eggs are a vital food source for animals and birds, such as the red knot.
Horseshoe crabs are important to humans as well. For instance, in the biomedical industry, horseshoe crab blood helps save human lives. Pharmaceutical companies use horseshoe crab blood to make sure that intravenous drugs and vaccine injections are bacteria-free. Also, research into horseshoe crab eyes has given scientists a greater knowledge of the functioning of human eyes.
Photos: Go to www.MyFWC.com/News and click on the headline for this story
Energy
Energy Bill Sputters in Senate; Renewable Power Stalls for another Year. In yet another year of high expectations and dashed hopes, SB 2078, along with various amendments, was temporarily postponed by the Budget Committee. That "TP" appears to be a death knell.
As with similar bills in previous sessions, SB 2078 would have granted incentives to the state's large investor-owned utilities to fund solar projects. But a coalition of consumer groups and smaller energy providers fought the bill, saying it gave preferential treatment to big utilities such as Florida Power & Light.
A late amendment by Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, to require that 20 percent of the total developed renewable energy come in the form of purchased power was heard Tuesday morning. But neither Altman's amendment nor the bill itself advanced.
"There is no winner this year," concluded Mike Anthiel, head of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy. "A win would have been if FPL decided that they didn't need every last penny for themselves and allowed a small portion of the market to be opened for competition."
Land Conservation
Road extension to destroy Palm Beach County wetlands A plan to extend Jog Road in West Palm Beach would destroy about 16 acres of wetlands, according to an application filed with the Army Corps of Engineers.
Palm Beach County proposes to extend Jog Road from Roebuck Road to 45th Street, a distance of 1.9 miles, hoping to alleviate traffic congestion in central Palm Beach County.
The project would destroy "a mosaic of high/moderate quality freshwater wetlands that consist of forested, herbaceous and open water habitat," according to a public notice released by the Corps, which holds the authority to approve projects that would fill wetlands.
The project may affect the endangered wood stork and endangered Everglade snail kite, according to an initial analysis by the Corps. The Corps plans to consult the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the potential threats to endangered species.
The county would compensate for the wetlands destruction by enhancing and preserving an undetermined number of acres of wetlands in West Palm Beach's Grassy Waters Preserve.
Permitting bill includes "sneak attack" on local rock mining regulations In a move described as a "sneak attack" by one environmental opponent, a House bill that supporters say would streamline the state permitting process was amended Thursday to prevent local governments from regulating rock mining.
HB 991 by Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, was amended by the House Economic Affairs Committee.
Business groups long have argued that the mines should be exempt from local regulations because the activity is regulated by the state and that aggregate is vital to industry. But cities, counties and environmental groups have argued that mining can disrupt neighborhoods and roads and that local regulation is needed to protect wetlands and water quality.
The House Economic Affairs Committee adopted a 71-page strike-all amendment requested by Patronis that included the new aggregate rock mining preemption. The bill has evolved through a series of weekly meetings with supporters and opponents.
Stephen James, legislative staff attorney for the Florida Association of Counties, thanked Patronis for being willing to make changes in the bill. But he said the mining preemption "was never discussed and never brought up."
"This is the first we are seeing of it this morning," he said.
Eric Draper of Audubon of Florida called the new part of the bill bad policy that represents "a sneak attack."
"It is so offensive to the people who live in the communities where these rock mines are located," Draper said. "Often time in rural areas these mines clearly destroy the communities they go into."
Patronis said local land use regulations still would apply to the mines. "I had some sympathy with what various folks are dealing with in the [local environmental] permitting process," he said.
Groups supporting the bill include the Florida Engineering Society, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida and the Wetlands Mitigation Banking Alliance.
"We've worked on this [rock mining] many years," said Keyna Cory, senior lobbyist for Associated Industries of Florida.
Groups that continued to raise concerns included the Florida League of Cities, the Florida Stormwater Association, the Florida Department of Transportation, Sierra Club Florida and Audubon of Florida.
The Florida Stormwater Association is concerned that the bill requires counties to go through the expensive process of seeking state approval for local environmental permitting programs.
Sierra Club and Audubon of Florida representatives said the bill unfairly shifts the burden of proof to challengers of permits rather than the permit applicant.
Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, said shifting the burden to challengers would have a chilling effect on citizen involvement. She offered an amendment to maintain the status quo but it was defeated on a voice vote.
Proposed land-use law would be huge mistake Florida is threatened by the growth-management bills our Legislature is about to approve. Their passage would be one the greatest mistakes in our history. The rhetoric supporting a drastic dismantling of the state's ability to manage its growth and the specifics of the proposals are tragically flawed.
The current glut of vacant homes and offices, and of approved, unbuilt development, happened under current law. Some say this development was approved in the wrong places, but the market, to which some now want to hand over the job of looking out for the interests of the state, sought those approvals. The Legislature should not make things worse for those who cannot sell their homes or rent their office space by making the approval of new development easier. Developers won't be building much anytime soon, but are taking this opportunity to position themselves well, at the state's expense, for their future.
Managing growth is smart economics in a state whose lifeblood is tourism and that has a unique environment and quality of life. We are in an era where smart heads of families and businesses are looking for those things and a good education system. Development is heavily subsidized by existing residents and taxpayers who pay for most of the roads, schools, fire stations and other things we must provide to new development. The ability to make sure that this development goes where it makes sense for the state must come with that subsidy. Florida is a low-tax state where almost everybody wants to live, work or vacation. We should not give Florida away for free.
The proposed dismantling of the state planning agency is ill-conceived. The size of the agency's budget, compared to the importance and impact of planning decisions on everything from economy, education, crime, the environment and other issues is small. The limitation of the state's role to matters of "statewide importance" is completely undefined and will create widespread confusion about what decisions are subject to state review, taking us back to the "every community for itself" situation that gave rise to this law in the first place.
The "local control" argument for repealing state oversight of most planning decisions ignores the reality that many local planning decisions affect more than one community. One of the main reasons the act was originally adopted was to stop the practice of one local government approving revenue-creating projects in locations that left neighboring communities holding the bag of traffic, pollution or neighborhood impacts.
Also important is the number of local officials now charged with or serving time for selling their development votes. That many local governments now have planning programs doesn't justify removing the state's role. It doesn't take many developments in the wrong place to create huge problems in an entire region. With the prevailing budget scenarios, smaller local governments with few planning resources will essentially be at the mercy of sophisticated developers with their teams of professional consultants.
The bills would encourage — or mandate — the approval of massive new towns in the middle of remote areas, but requirements for set-asides of natural or farm lands are nonexistent or completely vague. The public would be required to subsidize these new towns, at the expense of existing towns, and without the significant permanent preservation of important lands that the supporters of these projects claim as their benefit.
Large, rural projects could be approved without the need for a land use plan change, and disputes over them would be moved from administrative hearings (whose judges are well-versed in planning law) to the circuit-court system (where most trial judges are not). Weakening the act's urban sprawl provisions will devastate farms and forests, rivers and lakes. Weakening the requirement for developers to pay for their impact on schools, roads and parks will be felt by all existing taxpayers.
The bills put the responsibility to enforce what remains of planning law on local residents, but makes it unrealistic for citizens to enforce the law — placing upon them the burden of proving a lack of any "fair debate" as to whether a land use approval complies with this now impossibly vague law.
Once approved, development decisions can almost never be undone. We stand on the verge of allowing the special places in our state to be permanently lost.
RICHARD GROSSO grossor@nsu.law.nova.edu
Richard Grosso teaches land use and environmental law and directs the Environmental and Land Use Law Clinic at Nova Southeastern University.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/26/2186671/proposed-land-use-law-would-be.html
Mining Preemption Defeated Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann traveled to the Florida Capitol this week to do a little mining.
The goal of the former state legislator's trip — extract language from a massive environmental regulation bill that would have transferred regulatory oversight of aggregate mining in Estero from the county to the state.
Mission accomplished.
On Friday night, Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, the sponsor of House Bill 991 offered an amendment stripping the mining language before the bill's eventual passage.
"All the poison for Lee County has been removed, extracted," Mann said. "It was a last minute sneak attack designed to conceal it. Fortunately, because we've got some good people watching things for us in Tallahassee, we caught it."
The 70-page "monster bill." — so dubbed by environmental groups that adamantly oppose it — amends and revises more than 30 environmental laws.
Among its many provisions, it would require the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to streamline permitting processes for periodic maintenance projects, allow dredging in the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve, extend landfill permits, and extend fuel tank upgrade deadlines for some filling stations.
Supporters say it is designed to remove duplication in the permitting process to attract businesses to the state.
But it was section 21 — slipped into the bill barely a week ago — that irked Mann.
That section of the bill would have preempted to the state, regulation of the mining of aggregate, a base rock used in road construction that is plentiful in the Estero area. Over two years, Lee County held about a dozen public hearings, and spent nearly $2 million setting up special regulations for aggregate mining in what is known as the Density Reduction Groundwater Resource area.
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Air Quality
Toxic emissions fell in Florida as economy plunged Styrene causes nausea, is under investigation as a possible cause of cancer and is an ingredient in the fiberglass used to manufacture boats.
Because it smells peculiarly sweet, and because Central Florida is a hub for boat makers, styrene is also one of the few industrial pollutants that people might notice enough to wonder whether they are being exposed to something harmful.
But many other toxic chemicals are stealth invaders of the region's environment, known only to the managers whose factories or plants release them — and a largely unappreciated federal database available to the public.
According to that database, the region's residents have been exposed to less styrene and other industrial chemicals in recent years.
Legal discharges of such potentially harmful compounds into the environment declined from 2006 to 2009, according to the government's Toxic Release Inventory. The quarter-century-old database is a tool befitting the spirit of Earth Day, for it gives non-expert citizens the ability to find out what chemicals are tainting the air, water and soil in their communities.
Some of the recent decrease in toxic releases, both nationwide and local, is the result of improved industrial processes. But the single biggest reason for the improvement may have been recession.
"A lot of facilities have shut down, like those using styrene," said Jodi Dittell, air-section supervisor in Orange County's Environmental Protection Division. "The little guys that made the countertops for all of the new development, a lot of them are shut down. And a lot of the boat manufacturers still operating, their business is down."
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Miscellaneous
Repelling Bugs with the Essence of Grapefruit Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working on a new all-natural insect repellent. It not only keeps bugs away — it kills them in seconds.
That bugs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because biting insects are more than an itchy annoyance. Tick bites cause 30,000 Lyme disease infections every year. Mosquito-borne West Nile virus causes 600 potentially fatal brain infections a year.
People's lackadaisical attitude is due to two things, says Marc Dolan of the CDC's vector-borne infectious diseases laboratory in Fort Collins, Colo.
"It's hard for people to remember to use a repellent," Dolan says. "You know, they don't put a repellent on every time they leave the house."
Beyond that, most repellents area hard sell. That's because they contain a 60-year-old chemical called DEET.
"People really dislike a lot of the repellents available now," Dolan says. "They don't like the odor they have, they don't like the greasy feel they give. And a lot of people are just concerned about putting man-made chemicals on their skin."
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Bring Some Color to Your Life with Your Own Butterfly Garden People love to watch butterflies. Yet few people plan their gardens or yards with these creatures in mind. It's easy enough to do, and butterfly gardens often require less maintenance than traditional landscapes.
Learn how to attract butterflies
Corpse Flower in Basel Thousands of plant lovers have flocked to the northern Swiss city of Basel to see a giant, stinky flower bloom for the first time.
The Basel Botanical Gardens expects 10,000 people to see its amorphophallus titanum, or corpse flower, in full glory before the bloom wilts late Saturday or Sunday. The plant is 17 years old and has never bloomed before.
Visitors haven't been deterred by the strong stench of rotting flesh the flower emits to attract insects for pollination.
The 6.6-feet (2-meter) tall flower is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the last one to bloom in Switzerland was 75 years ago.
Worldwide, there have been only 134 recorded blooms from artificial cultivation.
Caloosahatchee Oxbow & River Tour, Mothers Day, Sunday May 8, 2011 Explore the historic meanders of the upriver Caloosahatchee on a 2 1/2 hour, professionally guided River tour with Rae Ann Wessel, river researcher, aquatic ecologist, historian and Natural Resource Policy Director for the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, SCCF. Trips depart from the WP Franklin Lock & Dam Park off SR 80 in Olga.
Departing at 1:00, Returning by 3:30 pm
Advance reservations & ticket purchase required $ 40.00 per person
Space is limited. To reserve your spot call 472.2329
In Memoriam
Don Merton, New Zealand environmentalist Don Merton, a senior member of the Department of Conservation's scientific staff prior to retirement in 2005, led the fight to save both the kakapo and the black robin.
Al Morrison, Director of DOC said Don Merton was a remarkable conservationist.
Carla Brooks Johnson Former Sanibel mayor Carla Brooks Johnston, an environmentalist who guided the rebuilding of the island city after Hurricane Charley, has died.
Her son Eric said Johnston, 71, died Thursday night at her Sanibel home with him and her daughter Elise at her side. He said his mother had learned only in January she had cancer.
Carla Johnston was first elected to Sanibel City Council in March 2005, less than eight months after Hurricane Charley ravaged the barrier island and inflicted millions of dollars of damage on Sanibel. She served as mayor until 2007.
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