"Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty." John Ruskin
Announcements

South Florida Audubon Society is changing the format of our monthly membership meetings. There will be door prizes and raffles at the meetings and we have a great selection of presenters lined up for the 2011-2012 season.
At each meeting:

• You will be greeted by the board upon entering.
• There will be opportunities to win door prizes, raffles and other drawings.
• You can get free raffle tickets for bringing a friend.
• There will be an interesting guest speakers, as well as short presentations from board members, fellow SFAS members and birding experts.
• There will be more opportunities to meet and greet your fellow members and board members, and there will be chances for you to share photos or birding stories with the group.

During our Christmas and final meeting of the year we will have Chinese Auctions, with great prizes.
ARTHUR R. MARSHALL LOXAHATCHEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE EVENTS CALENDAR - JUNE 2011
A.R.M. Loxahatchee NWR 10216 Lee Road June 3, 2011 Boynton Beach, FL 33437-4796 Phone: 561/732-3684 Release #:11/6-3 561.436.4518 Fax: 561/369-7190 Contact: Serena J. Rinker 561.735.6029 http://www.fws.gov/Loxahatcheecell
The following programs are being offered at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge during the month of June 2011. Please come and join us!
Roving Bird Naturalist Every Friday 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
A refuge volunteer birder will be walking the Marsh Trail with a spotting scope ready to answer any bird question visitors might have.
Roving Naturalist in Cypress Swamp Every Tuesday 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
A refuge volunteer naturalist will be walking the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk with a plant guide ready to answer any question visitors might have.
Roving Bird Naturalist Wednesday June 29 ONLY 7:30 -- 9:30AM
A refuge volunteer birder will be walking the Marsh Trail with a spotting scope ready to answer any bird question visitors might have.
Dragonfly Talk Every Sunday 12 noon
Come join a refuge volunteer naturalist in the air-conditioned theater of the visitor center to hear a presentation on our amazing summer residents, the dragonflies.
The refuge is located off U.S. 441/SR 7, two miles south of SR 804 (Boynton Beach Blvd.) and three miles north of SR 806 (Delray Beach's Atlantic Avenue). The refuge is currently open from 6 am to 8:30 pm, seven days a week. Refuge hours change seasonally and are posted at each entrance.
The Visitor Center hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., seven days a week. An entrance fee of $5.00 per vehicle or $1.00 per pedestrian is charged. A variety of annual passes, including a $12.00 refuge specific annual pass, are available.
For additional information, please visit the refuge website at http://www.fws.gov/Loxahatchee
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
The Service manages the 150-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of over 553 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management offices, and 78 ecological services field stations.
The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts.
It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov/

Hands across the Sand - 2011

Saturday, June 25, 2011, 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

As part of the third global Hands across the Sand event on June 25, 2011, we will join hands to oppose new offshore drilling and promote clean energy.
Our goal is to make it bigger and better than last year, where hundreds of Floridians came together in solidarity to protect our coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife and fisheries.
We will meet from 11:00a.m. to 12:15p.m.in the sand at Las Olas and A1A. You can find more information about the movement at www.handsacrossthesand.com and view a brief video of the 2010 Fort Lauderdale event by clicking here.
For more information about the Fort Lauderdale event, contact either: Matt Schwartz at southfloridawild@yahoo.com or Ana Campos at cecsfl@gmail.com

 America's Songbirds Need Your Voice Do you look forward to seeing certain birds return each spring? Loss of forests and wetlands, overfishing, manmade structures, and other hazards make migration a difficult journey for many species.
More than half of America's breeding birds are known as "Neotropical migrants"-those that breed in North America and spend the winter months in Latin America and the Caribbean. But unless we act now, it may be too late for many of these bird species, as their numbers drastically decline. For example, there are 50% fewer Wood Thrushes than 45 years ago and 80% fewer Red Knots* than just 25 years ago. Send a letter to your members of Congress and urge them to help America's most cherished birds.
A highly-effective conservation program-the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act-has helped improve and conserve more than three million acres of vital bird habitat throughout the Americas and benefited many millions of migratory birds.
With a long history of bipartisan support, the Act has provided resources for conservation efforts including scientific monitoring, habitat restoration and protection, and community projects that replace the practice of clear-cutting forests with sustainable ecotourism. But, many essential conservation projects remain unfunded. Unless Congress hears from you, this small but mighty program will not get the resources it needs.
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act is helping birds like the Wood Thrush to survive. Ask your members of Congress to help America's birds.
Please e-mail your U.S. Representative and Senators today. Tell them how important it is to help America's birds, and ask for their support of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act.

 IT'S BABY SEASON - Volunteers Needed! This is the time of year that the Sawgrass Nature Center & Wildlife Hospital is inundated with baby birds, squirrels and mammals. Every year hundreds of young wild animals are found by people. Many of these wild animals do not need to be rescued. The SNC has posted on their website information as to when an animal needs help. They encourage the public to review this information at www.sawgrassnaturecenter.org. Injured or orphaned native wildlife in need of care can be brought to them at 3000 Sportsplex Drive in Coral Springs.
The next 8 months will be incredibly busy for the caring staff and volunteers at the SNC. There are extra cages to clean, laundry to do, mouths to feed (at all hours), shopping for and preparing food, and … paperwork. If you ever wanted to be a volunteer, there is no time like the present! No experience is necessary – only a heartfelt desire to be of service. Adult volunteers wishing to work with the animals must commit to 4 hours per week for continuity of care. Volunteers on the administrative side need only commit to 4 hours per month.
Donations of the following items are needed to help care for the babies at the Sawgrass Nature Center & Wildlife Hospital…

• EXACT BIRD HANDFEEDING FORMULA (available in Pet Stores)
• HEATING PADS WITHOUT AUTO SHUT OFF (available in Walgreens)
• BABY BLANKETS
• SOFT BABY HATS
• VERY SMALL STUFFED ANIMALS
• BLEACH WIPES
• COSMETIC PADS
• NUTRICAL (from Pet Stores)
• SMALL BITE DOG/CAT CHOW
• GNC BREWERS YEAST – 500 PILLS
• PUBLIX CALCIUM PILLS – 200 – 600 MG WITHOUT D3 OR MAGNESIUM
• DISTILLED WATER
• HAND SANITIZER
• ASSORTED UNSALTED NUTS IN SHELLS
  • GIFT CARDS FOR A GROCERY STORE OR DRUG STORE OR A CASH DONATION (for medication)

The Center is a private, non-profit organization which provides care for injured, sick and orphaned native wildlife. The Center does not receive any state, county or city funding and must rely on donations to fulfill their mission. All donations are tax deductible and greatly appreciated. All gifts can be dropped off at the Center in Sportsplex Park, at 3000 Sportsplex Drive, Coral Springs. For more information about the Center, its educational programs, Camp Wild, volunteer opportunities, or membership, please call 954-752-WILD (9453) or visit their website at http://www.sawgrassnaturecenter.org/.

 

Volunteers needed to help with the Sawgrass Nature Center

& Wildlife Hospital's "14^th" Annual Gala

Plans are underway for the 14^th annual gala "BORN TO BE WILD" fundraiser for the Sawgrass
Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital located at Sportsplex Park in Coral Springs.

The event will be held on Saturday, November 5, 2011 at the Country Club of Coral Springs. This "Hippie
Themed" event will feature Dinner, Drinks, Dessert, Special "Groovy" Entertainment, Raffles, and its most popular Live & Silent auction.
Adult Volunteers (18 and over) are needed to help with planning, decorating and collecting items to be auctioned off at the Gala. The Center is also looking for donations for the raffle and auction, and ads for the Souvenir Journal. Sponsorships and underwriting opportunities are also available.
The Sawgrass Nature Center & Wildlife Hospital is a 501 C3 Non-Profit organization. The center cares for injured, sick and orphaned wild birds, mammals and reptiles and provides environmental education for children and adults.
If you want to have some fun, love animals and want to support a good cause please call the Center at (954) 752-9453 or send an e-mail to sncvolunteers@gmail.com




Of Interest to All

Audubon Set to Testify on Behalf of Endangered Everglade Snail Kite

June 9, 2011 in http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=37220 . To submit comments, select "Open for Comment."Everglade Snail Kite, Lake Okeechobee Less than a week ago, Audubon of Florida sent out an email call to action for Floridians to add their name to our petition urging an immediate halt to the South Florida Water Management District's (SFWMD) decision to install and operate forward pumps in Lake Okeechobee, further decreasing water levels. These pumps are currently draining water out of the lake – a delicate and important ecosystem that needs water in the lake to remain healthy.
Audubon broke the bad news that six of the remaining nine endangered Everglade Snail Kite nests on Lake Okeechobee had failed, apparently from lack of food and parental abandonment related to low water levels. As the water drops, the harm is not over. The deteriorating habitat conditions threaten the survival of newly fledged young and adults. Read our own Dr. Paul Gray's recent report on the drought here.
Today, Audubon of Florida's Jane Graham will be testifying at the SFWMD Governing Board meeting, urging them to cease operation of these forward pumps. Only around 700 individual Everglade Snail Kites remain in the wild – any further abnormal lowering of Lake Okeechobee's water could devastate the region's kite population for years to come.

Thanks to your inspiring support, we will be able to hand deliver over 1,100 names to the Governing Board members urging them to stop these pumps from harming the delicate lake ecosystem the Endangered Everglade Snail Kite relies on to survive.
No matter the result, Audubon supporters have made a difference for this imperiled bird. Thanks to you, thousands more people now understand the implications of irrational draining of Lake Okeechobee. And we will need your help again soon. Please keep encouraging your friends and family to sign our petition and be sure to bookmark this website to learn what the next step is in our campaign to save this iconic Florida bird, the incredible Everglade Snail Kite!
Dear Friends of Everglades National Park: The National Park Service (NPS), in compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, is initiating an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to evaluate options and potential impacts for acquiring
lands owned by the Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) within the East
Everglades Expansion Area (Expansion Area) of Everglades National Park.
This will include the potential exchange of lands authorized in the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 and other reasonable alternatives. The NPS decision to be made at the conclusion of this process is whether to exchange NPS lands for FPL's lands within the Park boundary or to acquire FPL's lands by purchase, eminent domain, or by other means identified in the EIS.
The Everglades National Park Protection and Expansion Act of 1989 expanded the boundaries of the Park to include approximately 109,600 acres. That act and additional legislation authorized the NPS and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to acquire lands within the Expansion Area. Acquisition of FPL's lands in their undeveloped condition is needed to help facilitate the hydrologic and ecological restoration of the Everglades ecosystem.
FPL has owned about 320 acres within the Expansion Area since the early 1970s. Because the FPL property is currently undeveloped and is needed for ecosystem restoration and enhancement, the NPS is seeking to acquire the FPL property, manage it as part of the Park, and maintain it in its undeveloped condition.
The NPS began an Environmental Assessment (EA) process for the FPL land acquisition in June 2009. After careful consideration of public comment and the issues and analyses developed during the EA process, the NPS determined that there was the potential for significant impacts to the human environment from this decision. The NPS therefore intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
There are several ways to participate in this process and make your voice heard.
Public Meeting: The public is invited to attend a public scoping meeting on June 22, 2011:
Location: Florida International University Stadium Club, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida 33199. Time: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
The first hour of the meeting will be an open house and NPS staff will be available to discuss the project and answer questions. At 6:30 p.m. there will be a brief presentation on the project, followed by a public comment session.
You may review detailed project information, including a Scoping Newsletter and directions to the meeting, and submit your comments electronically at the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment project website
A paper copy of the newsletter may be requested by calling the park at 305-242-7700. If prompted by voice mail, press "2" at 1st prompt and "1" at 2nd prompt to leave mailing information. Please state that you are requesting the newsletter for the Acquisition of FPL Lands EIS and provide your name and mailing address.
Written comments may also be submitted to:
National Park Service Denver Service Center - Planning Division Attn: FPL Project Planning Team P.O. Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225-0287
Public comments submitted during scoping for the EA in 2009 will be carried forward to this project and considered as part of scoping for this EIS.
Anyone who commented on the EA is welcome to provide new, additional comments during the current public comment period. The public comment period ends July 10, 2011.
Your opinions matter a great deal to us, and we look forward to hearing from you.
For more information or questions about the project, contact Brien Culhane, Chief, Planning and Compliance, at 305-242-7717 or by e-mail at brien_culhane@nps.gov; or Fred Herling, Park Planner, at 305-242-7704 or by e-mail at fred_herling@nps.gov .
Thank you for your interest in this project.
Abby Porter Environmental Protection Specialist Everglades & Dry Tortugas National Parks 40001 S.R. 9336, Homestead, FL 33034 Office (305) 242-7768 Fax (305) 242-7711 Abby_Porter@nps.gov

 Hurricane Season is here – Do You Have a Plan? June first marks the beginning of the 2011 hurricane season which extends through November 30. With the 21 potential storm names starting with Arlene and ending with Whitney, top meteorologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have predicted that this year will be a serious and above-average active season.
Last year Florida was spared any serious storms, however, Floridians should not become complacent. We must remember 2004 when Floridians expected the usual heavy rains and minor inconveniences associated with hurricane season, but instead experienced storms that ravaged the state from coast to coast. The first storm to hit Florida that season, Hurricane Charley, was the 19th most intense Atlantic hurricane ever and the fourth costliest, with $15 billion in damage.
Less than a month later, Frances struck Florida's east coast as a Category 2 hurricane traveling west across Central Florida, and was the seventh costliest storm with nearly $9 billion in damage. Nine days later, Ivan struck the U.S. as a Category 3 hurricane producing 117 tornadoes and killing 25 people and was the fifth costliest hurricane. And later that month, Jeanne struck Florida's east coast as a Category 3 with an eye that extended 57 miles across - the ninth costliest hurricane with $7 billion in damage in the U.S.
Again in 2005, Floridians had to endure the impacts of another record-breaking hurricane season with four major storms, including hurricanes Dennis, Emily, Rita, Wilma, and of course, Katrina whose rampage across Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama was unprecedented.
As bad as those times were, they are the ones we need to not forget about this hurricane season. We've learned that although we can't control the weather, we do have a certain amount of control over how much damage is done and how many lives are spared. Unlike those who experienced the country's recent tornado devastation, Floridians usually have fair warning on approaching storms. The right tools, evacuation plans and adequate food and water supplies can help ensure your family's safety and security during a hurricane.
"The tornadoes that devastated the South and the large amount of flooding we've seen this spring should serve as a reminder that disasters can happen anytime and anywhere," said Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate who was serving as Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management during the 2004/2005 hurricane seasons.
Do you have a plan? Go to http://www.floridadisaster.org/ to create or update your family plan and stay safe this hurricane season.

 Audubon Helps the Families of Joplin, Missouri Many of you have been deeply concerned about the tragic tornado strike in Joplin, Missouri, home of our Audubon state office and the Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center, and you've asked how you can help.
Staff and the Center are in good condition. Unfortunately, some Audubon Chapter members and volunteers have lost homes, cars, and friends, and major parts of the city are still without power. Local areas nearby were leveled, with fatalities rising now to at least 134. Hundreds of buildings and thousands of trees have been destroyed. Many staff and volunteers continue helping with chapter member outreach and overall community recovery efforts—the need is absolutely overwhelming.
As the community takes its first difficult steps toward recovery, our very own Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center is gearing up to offer special programs for families and children. Volunteers will play a vital role in this new programming. Ozark Gateway Audubon (Joplin) and adjacent Chapters Greater Ozarks Audubon (Springfield) and Sperry-Gallager (Pittsburg, KS) have all been incredibly helpful and important, and they continue to provide much-needed support to overall activities.
Support from throughout the Chapter network is also important to this effort which will help address an urgent need—60% of Joplin's schools have been destroyed or damaged, and hundreds of homes and other places children go have been decimated. The Center's goal is to enable parents and families to focus on the immense task of recovery and clean-up, without worrying about finding safe places for their children.
All who would like to contribute to this vital work are invited to donate to the Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center.
Thank you for your concern and support.
Sincerely,
Nancy Severance Director, Marketing & Communications Audubon

 FWC provides hurricane-season tips for boat owners The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is preparing for Florida's hurricane season and encourages Florida boaters to do the same. Hurricane season began June 1, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a stronger than usual hurricane season.
"In Florida, we are very concerned about the potential impacts on our waterways following a natural disaster, both environmental and related to navigation," said Phil Horning, FWC Derelict Vessel Program Administrator. "Now is the time for vessel owners to get prepared for the worst."
NOAA forecasters predict 12 to 18 named storms in the Atlantic basin, including three to six major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or higher). Since boat owners are responsible for their vessels before and after a storm, they should secure their boats properly if a storm is heading their way.
"Planning ahead and preparing for storms is the key to minimizing damage, loss and legal liability," said Capt. Richard Moore, of the FWC's Boating and Waterways Section.
Repairing vessel damage and securing a vessel properly can help prevent further problems during a storm.
"Improperly secured vessels can be dangerous in severe weather," Horning said.
The FWC encourages boat owners to discuss their options with local marinas and city- and county-operated mooring fields. Marine equipment vendors can also provide suggestions on proper equipment that can withstand wind and waves during a storm.
The FWC maintains a statewide derelict vessel database that is used by FWC officers and other law enforcement partners to document locations and information about derelict vessels throughout the state.
"Part of our mission is to document the state's pre-hurricane derelict vessel condition," Horning said. "That way, state, county and local law enforcement agencies can be reimbursed by federal funding for post-hurricane derelict vessel damage and cleanup costs."
The FWC is also working to implement a post-disaster assessment team that would go into areas hit by a storm to quickly document storm-related vessel damage.
More hurricane safety tips are available at www.MyFWC.com/Boating.

 FWC Commissioners elect new leaders At its meeting Wednesday in St. Augustine, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission elected Commissioner Kathy Barco, of Jacksonville, to serve as Chairwoman, effective immediately.
"Kathy's dedication to conservation efforts in Florida, coupled with her experience serving on the Commission since 2004, will lead this commission to continued success," said Commissioner Richard Corbett. "My fellow Commissioners and I look forward to working with and supporting her in this capacity."
"I am honored to be elected to serve in this role and grateful to my predecessor for his example to us all," said Barco.
The term of Chairman is one year. Outgoing Chairman Rodney Barreto served as Chairman for six one-year terms: in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Barco was appointed to the Commission in 2004 by then-Gov. Jeb Bush and reappointed in 2007 by then-Gov. Charlie Crist. Her term on the Commission will expire in August 2012.
Commissioner Kenneth Wright, of Winter Park, was elected Vice Chairman of the Commission. Wright has served on the Commission since August 2007. His term runs through August 2012.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and to support Chairwoman Barco and our Commissioners as we move forward," said Wright. "Our thanks to Chairman Barreto for his steadfast leadership and best wishes as he leaves the Commission."
How well do you know our national parks? What was the first national park? How many national parks are in the United States?

 Think you're already a national parks scholar? Take NPCA's online quiz and find out! Click here to take the quiz now.
From the Delaware coast to Oregon's high desert, here are five federal facilities that experts say are good destinations for any nature photographer—plus tips to get the most out of a visit
It's been called one of the nation's best-kept secrets, but the National Wildlife Refuge System has long revealed its charms to professional nature photographers. "No other country offers such a wide range of diverse, protected habitats where you can get close to so many different kinds of native plants and wild animals," says National Wildlife Photo Director John Nuhn. "And no matter where you live in the lower 48 states, chances are there's a wildlife refuge within a day's drive or less."
Since 1903, when federal authorities designated Florida's Pelican Island as the first U.S. National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), the system has grown to 553 facilities and more than 150 million acres of protected lands. In 1997, Congress passed the National Wildlife Refuge Improvement act, requiring refuge managers to open up their lands to certain forms of recreation—including photography—as long as those activities don't interfere with the primary goal of conservation. "We're not talking about throwing Frisbees or hosting weddings on the beach," says Matt Poole, a ranger at Parker River NWR in Massachusetts, who also teaches photo workshops. "But conservation and recreation aren't mutually exclusive."
So what makes a particular refuge a photographer's paradise? According to Washington professional photographers Tom and Pat Leeson, who visited nearly 100 of the federal reserves while working on the book America's Wildlife Refuges: Lands of Promise, the best sites not only have a great abundance of animals but also wildlife that is relatively tolerant of people. And they have structures such as viewing platforms or blinds that help photographers focus closer on their subjects. Following are five—recommended by the Leesons and refuge staff—that combine photogenic species with accessibility:
Read more

 Panel opposes nuclear shipment SARNIA, Ontario, Canada -- The Lambton County council has joined the list of communities and groups opposing Bruce Power's plan to ship radioactive waste through the Great Lakes.
Council members endorsed a town of Amherstburg motion last week opposing the shipment of 16 used steam generators from the Bruce nuclear plant -- on Lake Huron about 155 miles northwest of Toronto -- to Sweden for recycling. The shipments would travel on Lake Huron and the St. Clair River.
Bruce Power recently withdrew a request for permission from U.S. regulators for the shipments and said it was suspending the plan while it consults with Indians and other groups.
The company was granted permission to ship the generators by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on Feb. 4.
"They have not canceled it," Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said. "I think it's important for us to keep the pressure up on this issue."
Despite the opposition, the Canadian Nuclear Association said recycling the generators is "the right thing to do."
Denise Carpenter, president of the association representing Canada's nuclear industry, called Bruce Power's plan "a positive step forward."
Carpenter said radioactive material has been shipped through communities for decades and its transport is "strictly regulated and has an impressive safety record spanning over several decades."
The steam generators contain low-level radioactive waste well within the regulatory limits to be shipped, she said.
"The extra dose given in an hour to a bystander will be less than what an extra day of background radiation gives all of us every leap year," she said. "This is the same dose that could be received by eating 50 bananas."

 Great Lakes Water levels report draws mixed views Water levels in the upper Great Lakes could be raised by placing gates, dikes or inflatable barriers in the St. Clair River at a cost of more than $200 million, a new report says.
The 187-page exploratory analysis released Friday by the International Upper Great Lakes Study, an independent arm of the International Joint Commission (IJC), said adding structures could restore almost 16 inches to Lakes Huron and Michigan.
"This is a high-level look, saying it is technically possible to restore these water levels," said John Nevin of the IJC. "But it's very expensive and there are serious negative impacts, especially in the St. Clair River ... but there are positive impacts in Georgian Bay where they are impacted by low water levels."
The study said the engineering options would cost up to $225 million and take decades to implement because of government approvals, environmental assessments and design work.
The report, which doesn't recommend for or against river structures, said water levels in the upper Great Lakes are low because of historic dredging done between 1900 and 1962.
The report details four structures and two engineering options:

• Submerged/underwater weirs or sills.
• Fixed rock-filled dike structures in an east channel at Stag Island.
• Inflatable flap gates in the eastern channel at Stag and Fawn Islands.
• Training walls and weirs at the entrance to the St. Clair River.
• Inflatable rubber weirs.
• In-stream turbines.

The report said such changes on the St. Clair River, Detroit River and Lake Erie would have a negative effect. They also could place at risk five endangered species, including the massive lake sturgeons that use the Upper St. Clair River at Sarnia as a key spawning ground.
We're seeing progress on America's Most Endangered Rivers for 2011. Yesterday was a major victory for the Chicago River, one of rivers listed last month on our America's Most Endangered Rivers ™ report.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago acted on the recommendations in our report and voted to disinfect sewage wastewater. This is a big step toward cleaning up the river for the millions of people who fish, boat, and live nearby.
For 26 years, American Rivers has issued this report to shine a spotlight on threats to the rivers you care about most - and mobilize community efforts to protect and restore them.
Together, we can save each of this year's most endangered rivers – and hundreds more around the country.
Andrew Fahlund Senior Vice President, Conservation American Rivers

 Birds

 Snail kites abandon chicks as water level drops at Lake Okeechobee Everglade snail kites abandoned their chicks to die at six nests on Lake Okeechobee over the past week, as the pumping of water for farm use dried up the endangered birds' foraging areas.
The snail kites build nests in vegetation over the water to protect their young from raccoons, snakes and other predators. Scientists found nestlings that had apparently starved to death after the adults left, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The South Florida Water Management District began pumping water last week for drought-stricken farms, which have had to sharply cut the use of water. The dropping lake levels eliminated vegetation in which the birds forage for apple snails, their most important food.
Least Tern Colony Lands on Cape Romano Sand Bar Each spring, migratory least terns (Sternula antillarum) scout local coastal areas and select a location that best meets the nesting needs of the colonial birds returning from Central and South America's wintering grounds. For the past few years, tides and currents have been suitable for the reformation of an emergent sand bar within the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Referred to as the "Second Chance" sand bar, it now serves as habitat for the largest beach-nesting colony in south Florida.
About 400 breeding pairs used the sand bar the last time it was this large – nearly a decade ago. And according to Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist Ricardo Zambrano, there are at least 300 nests with eggs and about 100 more pairs with chicks that are currently using the sand bar.
The sand bar is monitored weekly by reserve staff and volunteers and is posted with signs and flagging. A few acres in size, the bar is located about one-quarter mile southeast of Cape Romano, at the western edge of the Ten Thousand Islands. Thus far, the grounds have maintained enough height to prevent any over-wash, have low vegetation to provide some shade for chicks and are free of ground predators. Most importantly, it is far enough from the mainland that it receives minimal human disturbance. Until the close of nesting season, around mid-August, boaters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts are urged to avoid approaching this important habitat.

 Check out North America's largest woodpecker at Corkscrew Swamp No walk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is complete without hearing or seeing the largest woodpecker in North America.
The pileated woodpecker (dryocopus pileatus) is a large, black bird about the size of a crow with some distinguishable markings. This bird sports a red crest, white neck stripes and white wing linings. Males also have a red stripe along their cheek.
As you stroll through the understory of the cypress swamp you may see this large woodpecker's flashes of white from its wing linings flying from tree to tree or hear a loud rising and falling call that sounds similar to a flickers. You may also hear a loud drumming that they use to mark their territory and discourage rivals.
They are monogamous and begin nesting in the spring. The birds fledge after 24-30 days during which time they are fed through regurgitation. They remain with their parents for a few months until they have learned to find their own food. These birds, along with other woodpeckers, play an important ecological role. They are primary cavity nesters, meaning that they excavate the cavities in which they nest. Other species, such as a screech owl, take advantage of their abandoned cavities and use them for their own.
It uses a long sticky barbed tongue to extract ants and other insects from rotten logs and dead trees called snags. They will also pry bark from pine trees to find their food. Their diet consists mostly of carpenter ants, and beetle larvae and a variety of insects but they will also supplement their diet with fruit from the greenbrier and other plants.
Read more

 Devil's Garden is a bird-lovers paradise. Within the 7,000 acres of this Florida wild birds nature park, there are several uniquely different settings.
Devil's Garden is a large working ranch with vast open prairie, countless tree hammocks, and vast wetlands covered in birds. The normally rare snail kite thrives here due to an abundance of snails readily available for their picking. The property is literally littered with the shells of snails which have been feasted on by our wild birds. In addition to snail kites, a vast number of other species such as sandhill cranes, ibis, limpkins, roseate spoonbills, hawks and even occasional eagles and osprey can be seen on our tours.
We've created elevated viewing areas from which you can see hundreds of Florida's wild birds. Miles of trails through oak heads and prairies allow you to see Florida the way it used to be.
Some birding locations are accessible only by guided ATVs. You'll find ours comfortable and quiet, and your guide will take you to these more remote areas for viewing and photography opportunities.
Be sure to bring your binoculars and/or camera. You will also want a hat, some sunscreen, sturdy walking shoes which can get wet (although we'll try to keep your shoes dry), and sunglasses (preferably polarized). We recommend thin cotton pants if you have them, shorts if you don't.
There are restrooms throughout the property, and we'll have plenty of cold water on hand.
Reservations are required. Call us today to plan your visit. 800-551-4375
Officials tracking falcons With her eye to a spotting scope, Christine Becher exclaimed when she saw two fluffy peregrine falcon chicks Tuesday morning in the Blue Water Bridge's nesting box.
"There's the second one!" she said.
Becher, who tracks peregrine falcons for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and two volunteers, had spent nearly 10 minutes peering through telescopes from the bridge's eastbound span to count the chicks.
While bridge workers had reported seeing two chicks, only one was visible before its sibling popped up its head.
"We always hope for more," Becher said.
Judging by the appearance of their feathers, Becher said the chicks looked to be nearly a month old.
The group also determined the chicks were the brood of Tonga -- a female peregrine falcon that has called the Blue Water Bridge home for several years -- after she appeared to chase off a turkey vulture flying over the bridge. After defending her territory, Tonga and her unnamed male mate perched on a rail on top of the bridge.
Peregrine falcons are roughly the size of a crow. They prey almost exclusively on other birds and prefer to nest on cliff faces or tall structures such as bridges and buildings.
Becher said the chicks will be banded Thursday morning. At that time, the department will determine the sex of the birds, name them and check their health.
The bands help identify the birds, allowing biologists to monitor them.
Becher said the effort is important since peregrine falcons are an endangered species in Michigan.
Tim Payne, the DNR's southeast Michigan wildlife supervisor, has said the peregrine falcon nesting box under the bridge's westbound span was one of a "small handful of nests throughout the state."
Bridge workers also look forward to seeing how many peregrine falcon chicks hatch each year, said David McElwee, the bridge's acting maintenance supervisor.
"You get attached to them," he said.

 [Update]

 Tonga fends off banding Tonga's two chicks will be without names and identifying bands this year.
Christine Becher, who tracks peregrine falcons for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said Tonga the falcon continually dived at DNR personnel Thursday as they attempted to get near her nesting box on the Blue Water Bridge's western span.
"She's never been so protective before," Becher said. "She just didn't want us to be there."
Tim Payne, the DNR's southeast Michigan wildlife supervisor, ultimately decided to call off the banding for this year as the conditions weren't safe for the birds, Becher said.
"When the birds are flying that close to the bridge ... it's an unsafe condition for the birds," Becher said. "The birds could actually injure themselves doing that."
She said she was uncertain how missing this year's banding would affect their data.
Still, she said Tonga's desire to protect her young was part of her "job."
The DNR will attempt to band any chicks that hatch next spring, Becher said.

 White chick the star of New Zealand's bumper kiwi brood The most successful kiwi breeding season in the history of New Zealand's national wildlife center has ended on an extraordinary note with the surprise hatching of a white kiwi chick.
Hatching at the beginning of last month, the chick was the 13th of 14 kiwis successfully hatched at Pukaha Mount Bruce this breeding season, by far the most successful since 2003 when kiwi were reintroduced into the wild there.
After reaching its required weight and all the expected milestones, including eating on its own, the chick was moved to a predator-proof enclosure in the Pukaha native reserve where 12 other chicks have been raised this season. The 14th chick remains will remain in the kiwi house nursery for another week.
Thought to be the first white kiwi chick hatched in captivity, Manukura will remain in the outdoor enclosure for the next 4-6 months subject to its behavior and welfare. Two of this season's chicks have already been released into the 940-hectare native forest and the remaining chicks - including Manukura - will be released over the next few months as they reach the required weight.
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 Invasive species

 Hungry beetles to be set loose on invasive Everglades plants Some of the busiest workers restoring the Everglades are ugly little weevils that gobble up the leaves of invasive plants that choke much of Florida's marshland.
For more than two decades after they were released into the wild, weevils known as the Australian snout beetle have been munching the leaves of melaleuca trees to stop them from spreading seeds and turning sawgrass meadows into dense, water-sucking forests.
Now federal scientists are preparing to escalate the bug attack by rearing tens of thousands of the snout beetles over the next few years and mass-producing other useful insects after testing them at a new Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in Davie.
The lab's scientists say bugs play a vital role in restoring the damaged ecosystem by ridding the Everglades of invasive plants that alter the soil and water, limit sunlight penetration and crowd out native species.
The enemy comes in several varieties, but the main villain is melaleuca, a native of Australia that was once planted as an ornamental tree but has taken over much of South and Central Florida.
"Within 10 years, melaleuca will be a non-issue," predicted Ted Center, research leader at the lab.
Other helpers include a tiny sap feeder called a psyllid, which looks like an aphid, and a fly known as a midge. All must be carefully tested and constantly monitored to make certain they cripple invasive species without damaging native plants and animals.
Center said other invaders -- Brazilian pepper, Australian pine and Old World climbing fern -- may require more time and a different set of bugs.
"We go to an area of the world, often where the invasive plants came from, and look for insects that might be useful for controlling them here," Center said. "The insects that look promising are brought over and studied under quarantine at our lab. If everything's OK, we release them.
"That's where the bottleneck has been. We haven't had the capacity to readily build big populations in the field."
To provide more space and resources, an annex will be added to the lab, and four scientists and eight technicians will be hired. Construction is expected to begin by August and be completed in September 2012.
The $16.7 million cost of the expanded lab and mass production of bugs will be split between the federal government and the state. The Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Agricultural Research Service, the University of Florida and the South Florida Water Management District all have a hand in the project.
The annex will house brightly lit chambers that keep the air constantly warm and humid -- ideal for "mass rearing" of the snout beetle. Tens of thousands will be raised and released in about two years. Each female produces more than 300 eggs, so scientists expect the larger population to produce millions more.
"We've seen native plants increase dramatically as the melaleuca declines," said Paul Pratt, a federal scientist at the lab who has been releasing bugs into the greater Everglades area for a dozen years. "We're seeing more Florida panthers, but also more native plants that host the prey that the panthers eat."
Once established, the bugs naturally spread to more of the plants they love to consume. Scientists foresee a more vibrant Everglades -- and predict the beetles eventually will eat themselves out of a food supply.
"They'll fly off to find more food, but they won't attack native plants," Pratt said. "And when their host plant decreases to a point when it no longer sustains them, they will die."

 Florida Panthers

 Orphaned Florida panther will graduate from White Oak Plantation to prowling wild Panther kitten K 304 arrived at White Oak Plantation in Yulee as a 16-pound weakling. As it learned to hunt, it was monitored by cameras, such as the one that snapped this image in February. 
The kitten was a pitiful thing, scrawny and dehydrated. It hadn't eaten in days.
Its mother had been killed. Its sibling was gone too.
When it arrived at the White Oak Plantation in Yulee, "he was just about on death's door," said Steve Shurter, the plantation's conservation director.
That 5-month-old Florida panther kitten, once a 16-pound weakling, is getting a second chance. Rescued from the Big Cypress National Preserve in the fall, the cat known as K 304 has been growing steadily and could be released back into the wild by the end of the summer.
With a steady diet of meat, K 304 quickly recovered from being so skinny, said Shurter. But the tougher challenge lay in teaching that little kitten how to be a big panther.
"He just needed to be grown up," Shurter explained.
Panthers are Florida's state animal, an icon of license plates, school mascots and even a pro hockey team. In the 1990s their population had dwindled to no more than 30.
Then Florida's wildlife commission brought in eight female Texas cougars to breed with the panthers in the wild, refreshing the gene pool. Now there are more than 100 prowling South Florida's wilderness.
Because there was no similar effort to protect panther habitat, there are more panthers than ever squeezed into a smaller territory. As a result, male panthers — which once fought only with other males — have begun killing females, even females with kittens.
On Oct. 25, 2010, biologists monitoring radio collar signals from Florida panthers in the Big Cypress National Preserve near Naples noticed the collar on FP 102, a 12-year-old female, was beeping fast. The signal meant the cat hadn't moved for two hours — a sign it might be dead.
Sure enough, biologists found the remains of FP 102 lying in the moist soil of a small cypress strand. In the trampled underbrush, they found signs of a struggle. A veterinarian determined that a male panther had done the deed, biting so hard its teeth punctured the female's skull.
The biologists knew FP 102 had given birth to two male kittens five months earlier. The pair were still too young to strike out on their own, so where were they?
"I thought I saw something brown, just a flash," said Deborah Jansen, a National Park Service biologist who once tried to save a dying panther with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
She examined the ground near the fight and found a fresh kitten track. The biologists set up cameras and baited the area with meat. The cameras caught a bear, some opossums, raccoons and a male panther, but no sign of any kittens.
So on Oct. 30, the biologists called in Cougar McBride, the third generation in the McBride family to work as a panther tracker. He turned his dogs loose where FP 102 had been found. A male kitten, K 304, immediately zoomed up a nearby tree.
"He was waiting there for his mom," Jansen said. They never found the other one.
Shot with a tranquilizer, K 304 lay quietly on a blanket. The kitten had no obvious injuries but "he was very, very thin," said Jansen.
Ralph Arwood, an Everglades City photographer who has documented the panthers of Big Cypress, snapped a photo of the sedated K 304 lying on its side, its spindly legs splayed.
They gave the dehydrated kitten an intravenous drip, then put it aboard a swamp buggy and drove it out of the wilderness and eventually to Dr. John Lanier, a Naples veterinarian.
Arwood, who has a Beechcraft Baron, volunteered to fly the patient to White Oak, a onetime paper plantation now owned by a New York-based foundation. The 7,000-acre research facility in northeast Florida frequently provides a safe haven for rehabilitating injured adult panthers. K 304 was released into a half-acre pen.
White Oak staff members knew they had to feed the kitten, but in a way that it would learn to hunt. They began slipping ground meat into the enclosure at different times of the day — venison if they could get it, beef if they couldn't. They would put it in different places. The kitten would find it and gobble it down.
Soon they moved the growing cat into a 10-acre enclosure with more places to take cover.
"He quickly found places to be comfy in there, good hiding spots," Shurter said.
They set trap cameras all over the place, so they could keep tabs on the cat without exposing it to humans. And they started supplementing the ground beef with live rabbits so the young panther could catch something that was moving.
"We're putting out quite a bit of food now — 3 pounds of meat and five rabbits a week," Shurter said last week. Soon they'll turn some deer loose and see if the young male is ready for bigger game.
At one point, a storm swept through Yulee and knocked a bay tree onto the fence. The growing cat grabbed this chance to escape. But the radio collar around its neck showed it hadn't gone far — no more than 150 yards.
"We were able to recapture him quite easily," Shurter said.
The cat is nearing 85 pounds — adult size. Biologists are discussing when and where to release it back into the wild. Jansen said she's recommending it be turned loose where its mother was killed.
"He would recognize that area," she said.
After that, no one knows what might happen. Since 1998, biologists have captured four other orphaned kittens. All were raised in captivity until they were old enough to be released.
Three females did all right, Darrell Land of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told the St. Petersburg Times. However, he said, the other one "was a male and he only lasted (I think) about six weeks before he met an adult male and was killed."

 Into the Lion's Den It's summer, the time of year when people leave their towns, their cities, and head for the hills. But with more hikers, backpackers, and other nature lovers outdoors, the chance that one of them will cross paths with a Mountain Lion increases. And while these cats, the most widely distributed in the Americas, rarely attack humans, they nevertheless can be provoked.
The first rule to remember is that it's always wise to hike with a partner or, even better, with several people. This is especially true in the West and in the Florida Everglades, the two regions in North America where Mountain Lions still thrive. Likewise, children should not be allowed to wander off unattended. Of the relatively few humans hurt by Mountain Lions in recent years, the majority have been children.
Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid appearing like prey. A person bent over or crouched down will look more like a deer or Coyote or raccoon than someone standing upright. And a person who runs from a Mountain Lion once it's spotted will be responding like prey. For this reason, experts advise people to stand still and make eye contact with a Mountain Lion, even raise their arms and call out to the animal in a loud voice.
Still, there are those exceptional cases. Despite the best efforts of hikers and the natural tendency of Mountain Lions — that is, to avoid humans — attacks sometimes occur. In such instances, the best defense is a good offense. While individual Mountain Lions can weigh more than 200 pounds and leap more than 20 feet in a single bound, rocks, sticks, and jackets all have been used successfully to fend them off.

 Environmental group offers to pay ranchers for livestock killed by Florida panthers An environmental group announced Tuesday that it will repay the losses of ranchers whose calves are eaten by Florida panthers. The price: $500 per cow.
But ranchers are dubious about the value of the compensation program.
"It's kind of a warm and fuzzy thing, but it's really not going to make any difference," said Liesa Priddy, who, with her husband, Russell, runs the Sunniland Ranch.
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is offering the payments because so many ranchers have complained about losing cattle to the state animal — although no one knows for sure how many the panthers have eaten.
"Depending on who you talk to, it's either 1,000 or five," said Andrew McElwaine, president of the Conservancy.
That's why the environmental group is restricting payments to those losses that have occurred since October 2010 and have been verified by panther experts from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"We just want to make sure I don't have to mortgage the nature center to pay for this," McElwaine joked.
However, Priddy said that the restrictions the Conservancy has put on its payment program means that few ranchers will qualify.
"If they really wanted to be helpful," she said, "they would've gotten a list of those people from the wildlife commission and just written those people a check."
Normally, panthers eat deer and hogs, with the occasional raccoon or opossum. But as people have crowded into what was once panther habitat and the panther population grew from about 30 to 100 or more, biologists have discovered panthers eating domestic cats and goats.
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 Endangered Species

 Cerabino: Growth may be more than they can bear Apparently, things are looking up for Florida's black bears.
So much so, that on Wednesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will consider taking steps to remove the bear from the state's threatened species list.
"Applying the globally accepted scientific method of determining threatened status, it was determined the bear no longer was at a high risk of extinction in Florida because the species is widely distributed throughout the state, and the population numbers are sustainable for an animal with a large territory," wrote Elsa Haubold, a threatened species manager with the state agency. "The bear population has been increasing over the past 24 years, and this trend is projected to continue."
But the habitat is endangered
Projected to continue? Laurie Macdonald, the Florida program director for Defenders of Wildlife, isn't so sure.
"There will be a lot of changes as a result of the last legislative session," Macdonald said. "They don't bode well for the wide-ranging bear, which needs a sizeable and connected area of habitat."
The changes Macdonald is talking about are the sudden scrapping of the state's 26-year-old growth management law, and the subordination of environmental impact studies to new development.
The black bears, which have been protected in Florida since 1974, occupy about 18 percent of their original habitat, living these days in isolated colonies on public land. Each year about 4.8 percent of the state's bear population is killed by automobiles, according to a fish and wildlife commission report.
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 Double Trouble for Sea Turtles Last year's devastating Deepwater Horizon disaster was a serious blow for sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. But the catastrophe for the sea turtles hasn't ended yet.
Already this year, more than 340 dead sea turtles have washed ashore on the Gulf Coast -- more than three times the annual average -- and the death toll is likely to be much higher. Signs point to shrimp fishing as a likely cause for the spike in deaths -- perhaps combined with the lingering effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Yet the government has not taken action to save these animals struggling to survive. Defenders and our conservation partners have launched a lifesaving lawsuit to protect sea turtles, but federal officials need to hear from you.

Take action now: Urge the National Marine Fisheries Service to enforce lifesaving protections for threatened and endangered sea turtles in the Gulf.

 Listing status recommendations for threatened species approved The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved the listing recommendations for 61 species on Wednesday, June 8, in St. Augustine. When Dr. Elsa Haubold, the FWC's leader of the Threatened Species Management System, presented the recommendations, it marked the culmination of a journey that began back in 2007 when the Commission directed staff to revise the former imperiled species system.
The Commission approved the new Threatened Species Management System in September 2010. Staff immediately went to work and conducted biological status reviews for 61 species grandfathered on Florida's threatened and species of special concern lists that had not undergone a review in the past decade. Once the biological status reviews (BSRs) were completed, staff wrote recommendations on which of these species should remain listed, and included these recommendations in the final BSR reports.
"This is a time for celebration," said Commissioner Rodney Barreto. "We all did a great job, from volunteers to staff and we're going to be able to take several species off the list."
The science-based status reviews were conducted by biological review groups composed of experts from around Florida and the country and led by an FWC staff expert. The groups evaluated the species against Florida's measureable, objective listing criteria. Their findings and a staff listing recommendation were peer-reviewed by experts from around the world. Based on the biological review group findings, peer reviewers' comments and other considerations, staff made the recommendations about whether each species should continue to be listed.
"The whole process represents the most comprehensive assessment ever of Florida's threatened wildlife," Haubold said. "The reviews provide us – and the public – with information necessary to help us draft management plans to conserve and prevent extinction of Florida's wildlife."
Haubold said staff carefully examined the findings and peer review from the external experts and then decided to recommend that 40 of the 61 species be listed as threatened. Five species are being recommended to temporarily remain as species of special concern because there wasn't enough information to adequately review their status.
Sixteen species are being recommended for delisting, which means that the scientific process used did not indicate the species were at high risk of extinction.
"A change in status of the species will not occur until we bring back each of the management plans for approval," Haubold told the Commission. "Specifically, species will not be removed from the list, or in some cases, moved from species of special concern to threatened, until management plans are created with stakeholder and public input. Then you will be asked to approve the plans and approve the change in listing status."
The FWC is already at work on plans for these species, based on threats and needs identified in the biological status reports, peer reviews and input received from the public. The management-planning process will include significant participation from stakeholders and the public. It could take several years to complete this process.
"We are relying on the biologists who are experts on the species," said Commissioner Brian Yablonski. "These management plans will have the force of law. We celebrated when we removed the bald eagle from the list several years ago and now the bald eagle's management plan provides strong conservation measures."

 Florida black bear to come off the protected species list For $15, you can adopt a Florida black bear from Defenders of Wildlife and receive a personalized certificate and photo of a real bear in the wild.
Teachers can download a Florida black bear curriculum from the state wildlife commission that demonstrates how habitat is being depleted, endangering the bears' way of life. And if you're an outdoorsy sort of Floridian who wants to pay $25 extra for the words "Conserve Wildlife" on your license plate, you'll drive around with a Florida black bear on your bumper.
In Florida, the native black bear has long been a poster mammal for wildlife conservation. But on Wednesday, the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 6-0 to remove the state's native bear from its list of protected species.
It was one of 16 animals removed from the list and the decision could eventually open the door to black-bear hunting.
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Nesting turtles give clues on oil spill's impact PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE, Texas (AP) — Nearly hidden by brownish sand, the Kemps ridley sea turtle digging furiously with her back flippers as she carved out a flask-shaped hole to lay her eggs wasn't aware of the excitement she was generating among the scientists, volunteers and beach-goers watching from a distance.They included Donna Shaver, who has been working for more than two decades to save the endangered reptiles. Each spring, she counts their nests and collects the eggs for safe incubation before releasing the turtles' tiny offspring into the sea. Shaver knows this year that each nest she spots has added significance: the turtle that created it survived the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
While scientists in several states are studying the effects of the oil spill on loggerhead and other sea turtles, the Kemps ridley have been of particular concern. The Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20, 2010 happened when they typically would have been in the area. Most of the 456 visibly oiled turtles rescued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year were Kemps ridleys.
At the peak of nesting season, their numbers looked good. As of May 24, 155 Kemps ridley nests had been spotted on Texas shores — more than in all of last year and more than had been counted by that day in 2009 and 2008. The same is true for some other sea turtle species, although they have just started to nest so it might be too early to have confidence in those numbers.
And because sea turtles don't reach reproductive age for at least a decade, the full effects of the oil spill might not be known for years.
"There is fear that some of the turtles that took the year off from nesting or after the turtles were done nesting during the 2010 year, that they entered the waters where the oil had been present," said Shaver, explaining that the reptiles often forage off the hard-hit Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi coasts before or after nesting along the Texas Gulf Coast.
"There is concern that perhaps those turtles have been impacted from the oil and could then have problems with their reproduction," she added.
The nesting season has long been used to estimate the size of sea turtle populations, and recovery plans for species are based on numbers tallied when females come ashore to lay their eggs. The goal for the Kemps ridleys is to have 10,000 nesters a season by 2020. At that point, the smallest and most endangered sea turtle could be upgraded to threatened.
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 Maps and links to new Manatee Speed Zones
http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/manatee/Documents/MPARules/index-federal-mpa-maps.htm


Everglades and Water Quality Issues

 Audubon Director: Cuts Hurt Water Projects The executive director of Audubon of Florida says the state will no longer be able to protect its natural resources under Gov. Rick Scott's plan to cut the water management budget by 30 percent.
Audubon's Eric Draper said Friday at a public forum on water in Orlando that the state's water management districts will have a tough job performing their jobs with the $218 million in cuts.
But the new executive director of the South Florida Water Management District says she isn't concerned since the districts will still be able to fund critical projects. Melissa Meeker says the cuts will come from shaving the salaries of top managers, eliminating inefficiencies and reducing employee benefits.
The forum was sponsored by Associated Industries of Florida and the American Water Works Association.

 South Florida Drought is now "Worst on Record" After being in an "extreme drought" for weeks, National Weather Service officials announced Thursday that the area from West Palm Beach south through Broward County is now in an "exceptional drought" - the highest level of drought never before seen in South Florida.
"It's been dry for so long, exceptionally dry," said Robert Molleda, warning coordination meteorologist. "These conditions just continued to get worse."
From Oct. 1 through the end of May, West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale recorded record low rainfall; West Palm Beach with 10.45 inches and Fort Lauderdale with 9.27 inches - only one-third the amount that usually falls during that period.
While almost everywhere else in South Florida had a rain deficit, eastern Palm Beach and Broward counties are suffering the most, Molleda said.
The drought is so prolonged that most of the shallower wells along Palm Beach county's east coast are in the lowest tenth percentile of their ideal depth, making them especially vulnerable to saltwater intrusion. Although salinity levels have not spiked, monitoring continues throughout the region.
But South Florida Water Management District officials meeting Thursday decided to wait until next week's governing board meeting to decide if current twice-a-week watering restrictions should be increased.
"For right now we don't have that situation but we have that bullet in our holster," Peter J. Kwiatkowski, the director of resource evaluation, said about additional water restrictions. "If by August we are still in the same shortage there will have to be some unprecedented actions taken by this agency."
Read the article

 Florida hopes to block new federal water-pollution rules by rewriting its own The uproar over a federal effort to force Florida to clean up its rivers and lakes kicks up a notch this week as state officials air their strategy to avoid the controversial pollution regulations by writing a new set of their own.
In a groundbreaking dispute between federal and state officials, Florida officials want the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to abandon its pollution-prevention rules and give the state back legal responsibility for cleaning up its waters, even though the state hasn't rewritten its rules yet.
The EPA, which has antagonized many in Florida by not being accessible for discussion and debate, said in a written statement Monday that Florida's latest gambit may succeed — but only if the state actually writes its new rules and they pass muster. If that happens, the federal agency "will promptly initiate rulemaking to repeal" its pollution limits, set to take effect early next year, wrote Nancy Stoner, the EPA's acting assistant administrator.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has scheduled public meetings in Tallahassee today and in the Leesburg Community Center at 9 a.m. Thursday. Public comment at the gatherings will be used to revise the state's pollution-prevention rules in an effort to appease the EPA and persuade it to drop its planned enforcement program.
The federal agency's rules were the result of a lawsuit settlement involving five environmental groups that had sued to make the EPA enforce existing pollution-prevention laws in Florida after the five groups had concluded the state's rules weren't up to the task.
But even before the new federal rules were established late last year, industrial, agricultural and wastewater-treatment representatives, backed by many state and federal lawmakers, had begun an aggressive campaign to counter the EPA's intervention, saying the agency's rules were imprecise and would be too costly for Florida to uphold.
As part of a formal announcement of Florida's intentions, DEP Secretary Herschel Vinyard petitioned the EPA in April, asking the federal agency to acknowledge that Florida already has some of the nation's most progressive water protections.
But David Guest, whose Tallahassee law firm Earthjustice sued the EPA on behalf of the five environmental groups, said he suspects Florida officials will write new rules that, in the end, prove to be cumbersome and difficult to enforce.
"DEP has its work cut out for it," Guest said. "Getting polluters to accept enforceable limits on these contaminants is like trying to dress the cat."
EPA officials have previously lauded and adopted many aspects of Florida's scientific research involving the vulnerabilities of, and threats to, the state's waters. But the EPA's biggest concern about Florida's longstanding approach is that it often required years of expensive studies to protect a single body of water in a state with hundreds of streams, rivers and lakes.
The rules imposed by the EPA set general categories for pollution limits based on types and locations of streams, rivers and lakes, rather than custom-designed limits for each water body, as the state had done.
Linda Young, director of the Clean Water Network of Florida, which was not part of the lawsuit forcing the EPA to act, said the federal rules are riddled with loopholes, while any new state version will be even less likely to reverse Florida's ongoing problem with water pollution.
"This is a very, very huge step backwards, and it is not going to result in any of our waters getting better," Young said of the state's move to short-circuit the EPA rules. "In fact, it's probably going to make things worse."

 Putnam: Florida has to 'get out of the litigation business' when it comes to environmental policy Calling it the "base of a Floridian identity," Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said that Florida's water was a "limited precious resource" that citizens are "burning through at too big a rate" during Friday's 2011 Water Forum, held in Orlando. But touting the state's "forward-thinking water policy" didn't stop Putnam — like state Rep. Trudi Williams, R-Ft. Myers, who also spoke at the event— from knocking a set of water pollution standards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
"There's not enough money in the state of Florida to comply with both Moreno and Gold," Putnam said, referring to two Florida judges. "We're playing four-dimensional chess on this. [The criteria need to be] science-based, peer reviewed, driven by what's good for Florida … not by something that comes from the back of a judge's chambers."
Putnam said that his main concern with implementing the numeric nutrient criteria is that other important projects might fall by the wayside as a result. Consistently starting new projects before others haven't yet been brought to fruition, he said, could lead to an abandonment of innovative programs. "Don't eliminate the innovative programs," he said.
"That leads to … less creative, more regulatory, less innovative programs. … Some of the innovative issues are having to be walked away from in lieu of other things."
Putnam argued that Florida still needs to work on strengthening water policy efforts — but should use approaches other than simply implementing the stringent nutrient standards: "We expose ourselves to greater federal intervention if there is a greater withdrawal on water policy issues on the state level."
Another concern for Putnam is the seemingly overwhelming number of lawsuits piling up in Florida — many directed at water policy: "We have to get out of the litigation business in Florida's water policy. It's not good for the environment, it's not good for economic supply."
Referencing the overwhelming opposition to the criteria on the part of state lawmakers and the agricultural industry, Putnam said the effort to overthrow the criteria in the state was "mom and apple pie-caliber stuff."
"Make no mistake … it's not a question of 'Will there or won't there be numeric nutrient criteria?'" Putnam said. "That conversation is over. The conversation is: 'Will Florida make the right decisions for Florida or will the decision come from the back of a judge's chamber … while the rest of the 49 states are off scot-free?'"
Florida orders cleanup of canals Florida officials say waterways in three counties have excessive levels of fecal coliform bacteria, indicating the presence of human or animal waste.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has told officials in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties the sources must be identified and plans for cleaning up the canals must be implemented.

 More pumping planned from Lake Okeechobee despite Audubon report of failing kite nests Water managers intend to install more pumps on the southern edge of Lake Okeechobee to move more water from the shallow lake to thirsty sugar and vegetable farms.
Four pumps have already begun pumping water from the perilously low lake and six more could begin pumping by late next week. Each pump can deliver as much as 45,000 gallons of water per minute.
When the lake drops to a level of 10.5 feet above sea level, there is too little water for gravity to pull the water south for irrigation or drinking. Pumps are then needed to move water to farms throughout the region.
As of Wednesday, the lake was at 10.09 feet. The lake's lowest level was 8.82 feet in 2007.
Although the rainy season officially began last week, eastern Palm Beach County's rainfall for the year is 18 inches below normal. Water restrictions have been in place since April, limiting yard watering to twice a week.
The decision to add more pumps has angered environmentalists, who claim that draining any more water from the lake could cause catastrophic damage to the endangered Everglades snail kite. Snail kite numbers have dropped from more than 3,000 in the mid 1990s to less than 700 now. The bird is a performance indicator of the Everglades and its health predicts the health of the Everglades.
Audubon of Florida reported on Wednesday that six of the remaining nine snail kite nests on Lake Okeechobee have failed, apparently due to parental abandonment related to low water, according to the report. The loss includes nine nestlings and four eggs. Of the three remaining nests, one has young that are starting to fly. Two others have younger nestlings and "due to the shallow water around them, have an ominous future," Audubon reported.
"We're angry," said Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon of Florida. "You've got sugar tall and green and getting the water it needs and an endangered species driven from the lake."
More Bad News for the Everglades Research funded by the Everglades Foundation and published in the Journal Science of the Total Environment has linked increasing levels of methyl mercury in the Everglades to sulfate-containing pesticide runoff from agricultural areas near the Everglades. An effective strategy for reducing methyl-mercury formation would be to limit the amount of sulfates coming into the wetlands. According to this research, major sources of sulfate are natural processes of soil oxidation, water from Lake Okeechobee, and pesticide runoff.
Unfortunately, a rise in the pH and buffer capacity of the soil suggests that more, not less, sulfate-containing fertilizer will be applied over time. To prevent an even greater buildup of mercury in the Everglades, the researchers recommended that sulfate levels in Everglades water by limited to no greater than 1 mg of sulfur per liter of water. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21439608

Wildlife and Habitat Airline passenger arrested with a 'virtual zoo' in his luggage A man carrying a 'virtual zoo' in his suitcases - including leopards, panthers, an Asiatic bear and two macaque monkeys - has been arrested at Bangkok airport as he was about to board a plane to Dubai.
The Thai Police arrested the 36-year-old, a UAE national, as he was preparing to fly first-class from Bangkok to Dubai, smuggling out the various rare and endangered animals in his luggage. Undercover officers from the Thai Nature Crime Police had been monitoring the suspect from his illegal purchase to the moment he stepped into Bangkok's Suvarnabuhmi Airport.
All of the animals - many of them young cubs - were still alive. The passenger was observed receiving several suitcases packed with live animals from another suspect when he reached the airport.
'The trafficker was stunned - it was a perfect undercover operation by the Thai Police Task Force,' said Steven Galster, director of FREELAND Foundation whose staff was present for the bust. Various divisions within the police collaborated, including Immigration Police.
Authorities believe the man was part of a trafficking network and are now searching for suspected accomplices.
'This is the first time we've seen anything like this - it was an extremely sophisticated operation,' said Galster. 'The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases.
'It looked as if the smugglers had sedated the animals. They were packed into flat cages so they couldn't move around,' he added. Some of the animals were placed inside canisters with air holes. They are now receiving veterinary care.
Although the final planned destination of the animals is not known, it is thought it was probably to service the UAE's burgeoning exotic pet trade.
The police officers involved in the sting are featured with FREELAND's investigation support team in a new National Geographic TV series that has been airing across Asia. The four-part series, Crimes against Nature, follows the undercover exploits of the task force as they go after organized crime rings trafficking in rare and endangered animals.

 Rainforest destruction up by 540 per cent…and now Brazil relaxes protection laws An alarming increase in deforestation in Brazil just as its government has agreed to relax laws protecting the country's forests.
In the Mato Grosso area, 405.6 square kilometers of forest were destroyed in April 2011, more than in the whole of the previous year and a staggering 540 per cent increase in deforestation month on month increase, according to the National Institute for Space Studies (INPE). Worse still, under the new bill, there would be an amnesty for those who illegally cleared forest before July 2008.
Supporters of the new law say Brazil needs land to boost agricultural production, while environmentalists say destruction of the Amazon rainforest will increase. It is not gaining full support, with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff indicated she would veto any bill that contained an amnesty.
Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira expressed concern over the latest figures, saying: 'This is a very serious fact, atypical and contradictory. In a single month there has been more deforestation in Mato Grosso than occurred in the whole of last year.
The proposed amendment to the law by the 'ruralistas' would make profound alterations to the law, easing restrictions on farmers and requirements about how much they should replant. The changes were proposed by Aldo Rebelo from Brazil's Communist Party (PCdoB), who argued that the existing rules prevented small farmers from making best use of their land to lift themselves out of poverty and supported by groups representing farmers' interests.
Brazil's Forest Law (also known as the Forest Code) was first enacted in 1934 and determines how much a landowner can deforest and how much must be kept as a 'legal reserve'. Before this month's decision, Brazil's Forest Law requires landowners in the Amazon to allow 80 per cent of a property to remain forested but in the tropical savannah region this falls to just 20 per cent. The final terms of the amended bill are still being debated.
The increase in deforestation is happening in regions where Mato Grosso's agribusiness is expanding, and is thought to be directly linked to the expectation that the amendment to the Forest Law will be approved.
Rainforest is being replaced by lucrative soya fields according to WWF-Brazil's Conservation Director Carlos Alberto de Mattos Scaramuzza: 'The numbers reflect confidence in the promise made by the "ruralista" faction (representing agribusiness interests) in parliament that there will be a general amnesty for all illegal deforestation brought about by agribusiness.'
Much of the deforestation has been in the soya-growing region of Sinop, driven by spiraling market prices. On average, the profitability of soya is somewhere between 300 and 500 reais (£115 and £190) a hectare. But at the moment that has escalated to 1,000 reais (£380) a hectare, making it extraordinarily lucrative.
'That assurance of extremely high profits associated with the expectation of generalized impunity as a consequence of the Forest Law amendment, has contributed immensely to stimulating the criminal deforestation we are witnessing in Mato Grosso today,' Scaramuzza said.
Mato Grosso - which translates to 'Thick Wood' - is home to some of the most bio diverse swathes of rainforest in the country.

 Global Warming and Climate Change

 No Time to Be Timid Ending our dependence on oil is one of America's biggest challenges -- for our economy, our environment, and our national security. We consume a breathtaking 19 million barrels a day, and 70 percent of it is used for transportation.

Adding urgency, the latest report from the International Energy Agency says that global CO2 emissions last year were the highest they've ever been -- and much worse than expected. If we don't want to see a catastrophic disruption of global climate, we need to start acting with urgency right now.

This is no time to be timid. Of the many options the U.S. has for taking action, enacting strong fuel-economy and greenhouse-gas emission standards is one of the simplest and most effective. And it will benefit Americans immediately.

Most obviously, a strong fuel-economy standard saves people money because they don't have to buy as much gas. By 2030, a strong standard (at least 60 mpg by 2025) will have saved Americans $370 billion at the pump more than the weakest standard that the Obama administration is considering (and that's at $3.50/gallon -- does anyone really believe we'll be paying $3.50 per gallon two decades from now?). Already, today's consumers are showing that they value fuel economy. The recovery of American automakers is based on their newfound ability to build great cars and trucks with smart technology that get superior gas mileage. (There's nothing like a near-death experience to encourage rethinking your priorities.)

The technology to actually exceed 60 mpg already exists today. Setting a strong standard will increase the rate of adoption and drive further innovation. That innovation can happen right here in the U.S., whether it's designing more-efficient engines, battery technologies, or creating new infrastructure to support electric vehicles. That means more jobs.

Breaking our dependence on oil is principled and patriotic, and it will bring greater prosperity to American consumers and workers. Not only will consumers save money over the life of a vehicle but also the auto industry will gain jobs. The Department of Energy forecasts that the number of auto industry jobs would increase
by 21 percent with a standard of 62 mpg by 2025.

Let's hope American automakers don't get amnesia and attempt to put the brakes on a clean-energy transition. Rather than cling to a destructive dependence on Big Oil, the American auto industry can continue its revival and harness the ingenuity and engineering talent that is one of our nation's greatest strengths. By doing so, they can go from being a big part of the problem to a key part of the solution.
If you'd like to see our cars and trucks get the best mileage possible, then let the Obama administration know.
What do you think? Will the Obama administration and Detroit step up to the plate? You can comment here.
Michael Brune
is the Sierra Club's executive director.

 Offshore and Ocean

 Old phosphate plant gushes contaminants into Tampa Bay The millions of gallons of water gushing into Tampa Bay from the abandoned Piney Point phosphate plant contains high levels of a pollutant called cadmium, as well as enough nitrogen and phosphorus to potentially cause a harmful algae bloom and a fish kill, state Department of Environmental Protection officials announced Wednesday.
So far, no one knows the source of the cadmium or what damage it might cause, "but we will continue monitoring the discharge to determine if the cadmium continues to be present and what the source may be," said DEP spokeswoman Dee Ann Miller. Their big concern now is stopping the leak.
Cadmium, a heavy metal, is used in metal plating and coating and is also found in rocks mined for phosphate fertilizer. Drinking water tainted with too much cadmium can lead to kidney problems and cancer.
The old Piney Point plant, built in 1966, sits across from Port Manatee about a mile from Bishop Harbor at the southeastern edge of the bay, near the Hillsborough-Manatee county line.
Read more

 Nearly 5,000 gallons of diesel leak into Port of Tampa Crews were working Thursday morning to clean up a 5,000-gallon diesel spill from Tuesday night in the Port of Tampa.
The fuel discharged from a crane barge at Hooker's Point, near Berth 219. The crane barge belongs to Kinder Morgan, a transportation and energy storage company.
The Coast Guard said the fuel tank was capable of holding 6,000 gallons of fuel. Coast Guard officials said 4,900 gallons spilled into the water.
About 500 gallons had been removed mechanically Wednesday afternoon and an unknown amount had dispersed or evaporated.
The Coast Guard, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Kinder Morgan were all working on the cleanup. All containment equipment and booms will stay until the fuel is gone, according to the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard said a pollution investigation will be conducted at the same time as the cleanup to determine what caused the spill.

 Miami-Dade County Coral Reefs Get Revivified Volunteers and staff from DEP's Coastal and Aquatic Managed Area's (CAMA) Coral Reef Conservation Program participated in the first annual Southeast Florida Marine Debris Clean-Up last month. Over the course of two dives, the 17 participating divers removed 110 pounds of debris along an estimated 3.24 linear miles of coral reef. The event was part of the Southeast Florida Marine Debris Reporting and Removal Program – a partnership between DEP, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Palm Beach County Reef Rescue – which encourages divers to remove small debris and report larger debris.
The removed debris was categorized into five main groups with the following results: fishing debris, i.e. monofilament line and leader – 31.67 percent; trash – 30 percent; household debris – 6.67 percent; boating debris – a 15 percent; and SCUBA/snorkel debris – 6.67 percent. Perhaps the most damaging piece of debris collected was an illegal fish trap.
Marine debris can cause tissue abrasion to sponges, hard and soft corals, and entrap fishes and echinoderms, often resulting in partial injury or fatality of the organism. The following are guidelines that will help decrease the amount of marine debris in Florida's waterways:

• When boating – have a designated location for trash on the boat;
• When diving – assist in keeping the reefs clean by picking up any small debris you encounter;
• When fishing – collect fishing line remnants and other trash that you find in or near the water and dispose of properly;
• At the beach – discard any trash in provided receptacles, or take home for proper disposal.

Learn more about marine debris

21 Fin whales spotted in Irish Sea One of the largest ever known gatherings of Fin whales in British waters has recently been observed in the Celtic Deep, 50-70 nautical miles off the coasts of north Cornwall and south west Pembrokeshire. On the afternoon of the 21st May, some 21 Fin whales were observed in the Celtic Deep, with the gathering of whales extending over at least ten miles of ocean.
The whales were spotted by scientists Becky Scott, Cheryl Yarnham and Steve Hughes from the marine conservation charity MARINElife.
Team leader for MARINElife Becky Scott explained: "We saw five groups of Fin whales in little over half an hour, in group sizes of up to seven. The whales were blowing frequently and some were lunge-feeding near the surface, it was absolutely fantastic. Luckily, many of the other scientists onboard were able to share this amazing spectacle with us."
Read more

 Energy

 Florida wind farm kicking up dust A proposal for a sprawling wind farm just north of the Everglades is facing blowback from environmental groups that worry it could become an avian Cuisinart for the wading birds, raptors and waterfowl that teem in the sprawling marshes nearby.
At least one statewide conservation organization has come out against the project by the St. Louis-based Wind Capital Group, which would feature as many as 100 turbines as tall as the Statue of Liberty stretched across a 20,000-acre swath of sugar cane and vegetable farms in western Palm Beach County.
The National Audubon Society's Florida affiliate is also taking a hard look at the wind proposal, although it has yet to take a position.
"We think alternative energy is absolutely necessary," said Jane Graham, Audubon's Everglades policy associate. "You see what's happening with coal plants and climate change. … But as far as the location of this wind farm, that has raised serious concerns."
That location would place the turbines near the northernmost remnants of the Everglades, as well as the South's largest lake and a series of man-made cleanup marshes that have become magnets for egrets, herons and ducks. The region is also the epicenter of a $15 billion Everglades restoration effort that federal agencies hope will revive the throngs of wading birds that once crowded the skies over South Florida.
"There are literally tens if not hundreds of thousands of ducks in a 100-mile radius or less of this location," said Newton Cook, executive director of United Waterfowlers-Florida, a roughly 1,000-member group whose board voted in April to oppose the project. "These whirling blades could, in our opinion, be devastating."
The WCG said it is committed to addressing the environmental concerns, and it has drawn praise from activists for reaching out to the green groups well before applying for permits. It has also started a yearlong study of bird and bat populations and behavior on both the project location and in the surrounding area, WCG Senior Vice President Sarah Webster told POLITICO.
"We respect this environmentally unique area," Webster said, adding that the company expects to have "supportive relationships" with most of the environmental groups.
"When proposing any large-scale project, you're never going to bring everyone along with you, but we're working hard to engage with the many environmental groups in the area to understand and address their concerns with strong research and science," she said.
The WCG has yet to apply for state and federal permits but hopes the roughly $250 million project will be up and running by the end of 2012

 Foreign Affairs chairman seeks to block Cuban oil development House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) introduced legislation this week aimed at making it more difficult for Cuba to develop its petroleum industry. It would do so by imposing new sanctions against entities that invest in Cuba's oil sector.
Ros-Lehtinen's bill comes in the midst of a debate within the U.S. about whether and how the U.S. should develop its own petroleum resources — one that has seen Republicans call for increased drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf.
Her bill, H.R. 2047, is called the Caribbean Coral Reef Protection Act, and Ros-Lehtinen pointed out that Cuban offshore oil exploration could occur in waters that are "dangerously close to the Florida Keys." But Ros-Lehtinen made it clear this week that the primary purpose of the bill is to ensure that the Castro regime cannot turn its offshore oil resources into a financial resource via outside investors.
"Desperate for new channels of funding, the Cuban tyranny will say and do anything to persuade others to invest in its oil sector in order to stay afloat," she said. "We cannot allow the Castro regime to become the oil tycoons of the Caribbean. I will continue to work with my congressional colleagues to prevent oil drilling by the Cuban regime, which poses a national security and environmental threat to the United States."
The bill would deny U.S. entry visas to any foreign officer, principal or controlling shareholder of a company that invests $1 million in Cuba's petroleum industry. This sanction would apply for any investments made on or after Jan. 10, 2005.
It would also direct the president to impose sanctions on people who invest in Cuba's petroleum sector, and make it illegal for any U.S. national to help Cuba develop its offshore oil resources.

 A guide to Florida's proposed nuclear expansions Construction of Florida's newest nuclear reactors could start in 2013.
Progress Energy Florida could win all federal and state approvals for its two nuclear reactors in time to start construction then. Florida Power & Light could begin construction of two reactors at Turkey Point a year later.
Customers of these utilities would then begin paying financing costs for the new reactors, which are projected to cost up to $41 billion combined. They would start paying for the construction about eight years later, when the plants are running.
FPL also wants to expand energy production at its four existing nuclear generators in the next couple of years at a cost of up to $2.5 billion.
Supporters of nuclear power say the plants, once built, would be cheap, reliable, clean sources of energy that would help diversify the state's power supply.
Until then, customers of these two power companies are paying to plan and win approvals of the new reactors and expansions of four existing generators. In Florida, companies can charge customers for nuclear planning as costs are incurred. Economists have said it's a no-brainer for companies to move forward with plans because they don't have to pay for them.
FPL began seeking approval for its projects in 2007; Progress in 2008. Here is what's on the table for both companies.
FPL, the state's largest electrical utility, wants to build two reactors at its Turkey Point plant near Miami, expand by 15 percent two existing generators at Turkey Point and expand by 12 percent two generators in St. Lucie County. FPL operates two reactors at Turkey Point and two in St. Lucie County.
Progress, the state's second largest utility, plans two reactors in Levy County. It has completed part of an expansion at its plant near Crystal River. That reactor has been shut down since late 2009, when expansion work triggered a crack in the concrete and steel building around the reactor. Progress fixed the damage but is investigating other possible smaller cracks.
Read the article

 Nuclear power still part of Florida's future energy mix The 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that caused partial meltdowns at several nuclear power plants in Japan spurred a worldwide reassessment of reactor safety.
Last week, the German government said it will phase out nuclear power, which supplies 14 percent of the nation's electricity, by 2022. Switzerland, which gets 40 percent of its power from reactors, plans to phase out its nuclear plants by 2034.
Locally, the focus is on the proposed nuclear plant in Levy County.
The St. Petersburg Times spoke with Progress Energy, the state Public Service Commission and the Florida Consumer Action Network about where we stand with such issues as the cost recovery fees paid for the proposed nuclear plant, construction delays and the timetable for reopening the existing nuclear facility in Citrus County. Here is what we found out.
What is the status of the proposed Levy County nuclear plant?
Progress Energy continues to move forward with construction plans for the plant on a 5,000-acre site 4 miles north of Inglis. The utility is awaiting approval of an operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is expected in late 2012 or early 2013.
The original planned completion date was 2016, but regulatory delays forced Progress to move the completion date until at least March 2018.
Progress Energy will review cost and regulatory requirements before starting construction and has stated that at this point it is considering all options when it comes to moving forward or discontinuing the project.
Read the article

 ConocoPhillips Withdraws from Controversial Oil Block 39 in Peru ConocoPhillips CEO James Mulva announced today at its Annual General Meeting of shareholders that the company has withdrawn from its controversial co-venture with Repsol-YPF in Oil Block 39 of the remote northern Peruvian Amazon. Oil drilling in Block 39 and neighboring Block 67 has come under fire from human rights groups due to the presence of indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation in this region, and the risk of forced displacement and deadly epidemics.
"Oil operations in regions inhabited by isolated indigenous peoples presents an unavoidable and unacceptable risk to their continued survival," said Mitch Anderson, Corporate Campaigns Director at Amazon Watch. "It is crucial now that remaining operators in the region, Perenco and Repsol, follow ConocoPhillips' lead and withdraw from these controversial oil blocks."
This affected region of the northern Peruvian Amazon is one of the most biodiverse in the world and is home to at least two uncontacted indigenous tribes. The extreme vulnerability of peoples living in voluntary isolation due to their lack of immunity to outside diseases has been well documented and they face the very real threat of extinction if they are contacted.
The Peruvian government has disregarded the extensive anthropological evidence supporting the existence of uncontacted tribes in this region and lead operator of Block 39, Repsol-YPF, continues seismic exploration while Anglo-French company Perenco pushes ahead with production in Block 67.
"There are certain areas of the world where the risks to human life and the environment posed by oil drilling and exploration is too great," said Gregor MacLennan, Amazon Watch's Peru Program Coordinator. "Oil operations in these areas risk destroying some of the world's most vulnerable people and irreparably damaging some of the most biodiverse places left on this planet. Governments and the oil industry have the responsibility to establish no-go zones and measures to prevent infringements on the rights of indigenous peoples."
ConocoPhillips held a 45% interest in Block 39 in a co-venture with Repsol-YPF, the block operator and majority owner. ConocoPhillips did not reveal the buyer of their stake in Block 39 at the shareholder meeting. Block 67 sits within Block 39 and is owned and operated by Perenco. Both oil blocks are on the Peru-Ecuador border between the Napo and Tigre rivers and border a reserve for isolated indigenous peoples across the border in Ecuador.
The Peruvian government has already earmarked over 75% of the Peruvian Amazon for oil and gas activities and plans to auction an additional 22 oil blocks in the coming months.

 Land Conservation

 Starkey's land deal with Swiftmud doomed by Gov. Rick Scott An attempt to preserve almost a third of the Starkey Ranch near Trinity was scuttled last week by the state Department of Environmental Protection, putting the future of the 2,500-acre ranch in doubt and underscoring how Gov. Rick Scott's administration is putting the brakes on state land-buying programs.
The Starkey family first began negotiating a sale with the Southwest Florida Water Management District in January 2010, and the deal for an 800-acre parcel was slated for approval at the May meeting of the district's governing board.
State officials had already blessed the purchase in a May 19 letter. But the deal was pulled from the May 24 meeting, and the department reversed itself in a letter sent Wednesday.
Officials "determined the parcel is not critical to the (water) district's core mission, therefore I am unable to authorize this acquisition," wrote Mike Long, head of the DEP's state lands program.
A spokeswoman said in a statement that the department took a second look at the deal because it is just getting used to a new level of oversight for water districts' land buys.
"Staff realized the primary core of the Starkey Wilderness Preserve had already been acquired and determined this acquisition is not a critical acquisition needing to be purchased at this time," department spokeswoman Jennifer Diaz said.
The 20,000-acre preserve began in 1975 when the late Jay B. Starkey Sr. sold thousands of acres at a sharply reduced price to create what is considered the jewel of Pasco's park system. Over the years, he sold or donated more than half his holdings. His family added more land, and now more than 80 percent of the old ranch is part of the park. State officials added the 6,500-acre Serenova tract in 1996 to compensate for wetland destruction in building the Suncoast Parkway.
Trey Starkey, grandson of the late rancher, said he was disappointed the deal was torpedoed. As a taxpayer, he understands why the governor wants to curtail land buying, but he said exceptions should be made for environmentally sensitive land at good prices. One of the problems with the deal, he said, might have been that Scott didn't give officials clear direction.
"But maybe there is clarity in the policy, it's don't buy any more land," he said.
Read more

 Obama Wilderness Protection Plan Abandoned Under pressure from Congress, the Obama administration is backing away from a plan to make millions of acres of undeveloped land in the West eligible for federal wilderness protection.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a memo Wednesday that his agency will not designate any of those public lands as "wild lands." Instead Salazar said officials will work with members of Congress to develop recommendations for managing millions of acres of undeveloped land in the West. A copy of the memo was obtained by The Associated Press.
Salazar's decision reverses an order issued in December to restore eligibility for wilderness protection to millions of acres of public lands. That policy overturned a Bush-era approach that opened some Western lands to commercial development.
A budget deal approved by Congress prevented the Interior Department from spending money to implement the wilderness policy. GOP lawmakers complained that the plan would circumvent Congress' authority and could be used to declare a vast swath of public land off-limits to oil-and-gas drilling.
Republican governors in Utah, Alaska and Wyoming, filed suit to block the plan, saying it would hurt their state's economies by taking federal lands off the table for mineral production and other uses.
Read the article

 Miscellaneous

 Toxic Piney Point reservoir leaking near Port Manatee The protective lining for one of the abandoned phosphogypsum stacks at the old Piney Point facility has torn, allowing potentially contaminated seawater to gush from the site and creating an "imminent threat," officials acknowledged Tuesday.
While officials say it's too early to tell what caused the tear, it has occurred as material is being dumped into Piney Point's stacks from Port Manatee's Berth 12 dredging.
Immense water pressure from the stack's leak is pushing into an underground drain and then into a lined stormwater ditch, causing a bulge and cracking along the south wall of the south stack along Buckeye Road. That has created "an imminent threat" of a "catastrophic release of large amounts of seawater and embankment material," the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has found.
The agency issued an emergency order over the holiday weekend for HRK Holdings LLC, the company that took over the former Piney Point facility in 2006, to dump some of the seawater creating the pressure into Bishop Harbor in an effort "to protect human health and safety and to protect the environment from a potential catastrophic failure of the containment facility."
Employees from DEP, the port, Great Lakes Dredging Co. and HRK Holdings worked through Tuesday to monitor the discharge. Water is flowing from the site at about 2,700 gallons a minute, officials told the Herald.

 DEP Helps Design the Award-winning Florida-Friendly Landscaping Guide The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design recently received the National Association of County Agricultural Agents national award for the Bound Book category. DEP's Nonpoint Source Management's Dr. Mike Thomas and Environmental Scientist Mike Scheinkman provided technical expertise and review in conjunction with faculty advisors from the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
The principles of sustainable landscaping focus on incorporating the right plant into the design at the right time, helping Floridians save water and reduce nutrients into waterways that contribute to nonpoint source pollution. The guide focuses on nine Florida-Friendly landscaping principles and includes: design scenarios, a step-by-step approach to the conversion process, an overview of ecological considerations, a landscape planning worksheet, common gardening mistakes and a plant list consisting of 500 species that are well adapted to Florida's growing conditions, along with a color photo and detailed summary for each plant.
Preserving Our Endangered Parks While it's wonderful so many people visit and enjoy our national parks on an annual basis, tourism places a lot of stress on the natural environment. In some cases, the strain has almost been too much. Here are the top 10 endangered parks in America:
1. Alaska's National Parks – Private interest groups are currently looking to open the parks to commercial development and recreational snow-mobiling, both of which will destroy the park's fragile ecosystem.
2. Big Bend National Park – The oldest and largest national park in Texas, its lack of water and fresh air is endangering the park's resources.
3. Fire Island National Seashore – A beach "re-sanding" project threatens the wildlife and integrity of the national seashore.
4. Frederick Douglass National Historic Site – Dry rot, mold and water damage threaten the integrity of this historic site.
5. Glacier National Park – The hotels of this park, located in Montana, have begun to deteriorate. Plus, the commercial development and the coalmines threaten its international borders.
6. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Air pollution envelops the park, limiting its views while at the same time harming wildlife and plant life.
7. Petrified Forest National Park – A park dedicated to preserving fossils and Indian ruins, its archeological sites located just outside the boundary of the park cannot be protected. As a result, new developments in the area threaten to destroy the sites.
8. Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve – All three protect the South Florida Everglades and are threatened by lower water levels and pollution.
9. Stones River National Battlefield – This historic Civil War battlefield and cemetery in Tennessee faces destruction with a planned interstate highway interchange and commercial development.
10. Yellowstone National Park – Believe it or not, the Montana government threatens the wildlife inhabiting the park.

 Internet bragging leads to felony poaching arrest A convicted felon who posted pictures about his poaching exploits on Facebook got the attention of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Internet Crimes Unit. As a result, the Polk County man faces seven felony charges and six misdemeanor charges related to his illegal activities.
An FWC investigation into Facebook posts by 43-year-old Darin Lee Waldo, of 619 West North Blvd., Davenport, found that he and friends were poaching game on Lake Marion Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Polk County during closed season. Waldo is a convicted felon who cannot legally possess firearms.
Waldo was arrested early Saturday morning by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. His third-degree felony charges include four counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and three counts of armed trespass. His second-degree misdemeanor charges include two counts of attempting to take wild turkey during closed season and one count each of attempting to take deer during closed season, unlawful hunting on Lake Marion Creek WMA, unlawful possession of a firearm on Lake Marion Creek WMA and unlawful entry into Lake Marion Creek WMA.
Additional charges are pending on co-conspirators. Each third-degree felony charge is punishable by up to a $5,000 fine and/or five years in prison. Second-degree misdemeanors are punishable by up to a $500 fine and/or 60 days in jail.
Waldo and the other suspects hid small boats and guns in wooded areas and accessed the WMA by waterway to avoid apprehension.
"Our investigators were able to gain Waldo's confidence over the Internet," said Lt. George Wilson, supervisor of the FWC's Internet Crimes Unit.
Via the Internet, Waldo exchanged photographs of illegally killed game with FWC investigators, participated in chat rooms describing his actions and invited undercover agents to participate in two illegal hunts.
"Waldo was also trespassing and poaching on private ranches before hunting season, stealing Florida's wildlife from landowners who were maintaining conservation programs," Wilson said.
In a technologically advanced society, Internet websites provide opportunities for collecting evidence of wildlife-poaching. The FWC created its Internet Crimes Unit to monitor and collect evidence when wildlife is exploited.
In the unit's first year of operation, investigators initiated 168 investigations, resulting in 177 arrests and 92 warnings.
"FWC investigators use the Internet to aggressively target criminals who are abusing Florida's natural resources," Wilson said.

 In Memoriam

 Dr. Nina Leopold Bradley carried on the conservation legacy of her father, the legendary Aldo Leopold. She used her voice to champion ecological values and the conservation of natural resources. Through her work, she helped us understand that as we work to protect the environment, we are also protecting ourselves.
"She truly carried on her father's mission and has been a personal inspiration to me throughout my career," says Jamie Rappaport Clark, Executive Vice President of Defenders of Wildlife. "Thanks to her vast research and rich legacy, her own 'green fire' will continue to burn."
Dr. Bradley died peacefully at her home in Wisconsin at the age of 93.