Honoring the Victims of the Attack in Nice, France
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As a mark of respect for the victims of the attack perpetrated on July 14, 2016, in Nice, France, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions
until sunset, July 19, 2016. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand thisfifteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-first.
BARACK OBAMA
Public meeting scheduled for Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project July 26 ***
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District will be hosting a public meeting to discuss and seek input on the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project. Interested individuals, groups and agencies are encouraged to attend the meeting to provide comments and ask questions.
The meeting will be held in the Okeechobee Auditorium, 3800 NW 16th Boulevard, Suite A, Okeechobee, FL 34972, on Tuesday, July 26 with an open house beginning at 6 p.m., followed by an official presentation at 7 p.m.
The Lake Okeechobee Watershed (LOW) project is a new planning effort aimed at improving the quantity, quality, timing and distribution of water entering Lake Okeechobee, reducing high-volume discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries downstream of the lake, and improving system-wide operational flexibility.
Comments are currently being accepted on the project through July 28, 2016, and can be sent electronically to Gretchen.S.Ehlinger@usace.army.mil or mailed to:
Gretchen Ehlinger
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District
P.O. Box 4970
Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019
This public meeting is being held in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), with the sole purpose of soliciting input on the project as it enters into its preliminary planning stage. Input received during this meeting will be used in the development of the project's NEPA report. This report will be included as part of the Project Implementation Report that, once completed and approved, will be submitted to Congress for authorization and appropriations.
Additional information on the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project available online at: http://bit.ly/LakeOWatershed
SFWMD Approves Construction to Store More Water at Ten Mile Creek Reservoir in St. Lucie County
The project also cleans water for the St. Lucie River and Estuary
West Palm Beach, FL - The Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District this week approved a construction contract to repair the Ten Mile Creek Water Preserve Area and increase its capacity to provide water storage and treatment for the St. Lucie River and Estuary.
"Fixing the Ten Mile Creek Water Preserve Area is what we mean when we say existing projects must get done," said SFWMD Governing Board Vice Chairman Kevin Powers. "It is the only way to ensure years of planning become the necessary water storage and treatment to benefit our community."
SFWMD made initial repairs and began using the problem-plagued, long-idle federal facility during the 2015 wet season to provide some storage, holding one foot of water at the site. This year, SFWMD took full control of the project in May. Construction repairs to reduce seepage and boost the security of the reservoir embankment will increase the project's capacity to store water from one to four feet.
Once repairs are complete, the project will provide significant benefits, including:
Improving the timing and quality of freshwater flowing into the North Fork of the St. Lucie River
Providing timely water supply
Assist in reducing flooding during high rainfall events
With an investment of $5.8 million, which was significantly under budget, the project is scheduled for completion in June 2017 at the beginning of the wet season. Once complete, the 526-acre reservoir will be able to hold 2,500 acre-feet of water.
Background:
The Ten Mile Creek Water Preserve Area is located at the outlet of the 30,682-acre Ten Mile Creek Drainage Basin in St. Lucie County, situated immediately south of State Road 70 and west of the I-95-Florida's Turnpike intersection. The project was designed and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2006 to improve the timing and volume of water deliveries to the North Fork of the St. Lucie River by capturing, storing and treating stormwater runoff from the Ten Mile Creek Basin. The project was a failure, subject to litigation and placed into SFWMD control by Congress in 2015.
Secondary benefits of the project included reduction of fine sediment and nutrients flowing to the St. Lucie River, increased freshwater recharge into the aquifer and capability to make releases back to Ten Mile Creek for water supply when needed.
Timeline:
1996: Project was authorized by Congress as a joint effort between SFWMD and the Corps budgeted to cost up to $50 million.
2006: Construction was completed by the Corps.
During operational testing, design and construction deficiencies were identified that rendered the project unsafe for operation.
The project remained non-operational for several years while court proceedings took place. Eventually, the Corps settled the case and received money from the contractor who built the project.
August 2014: SFWMD asked to take control of the facility and make repairs so that the project could start providing benefits to the community.
June 2015: SFWMD was authorized by the Corps to make improvements to store one foot of water at the site to provide benefits while the request to take over the project was pending in Congress.
December 2015: Following Congressional action, the president signed into law a bill that allowed the SFWMD to take control of the project. The District already owned the land.
May 2016: SFWMD Governing Board formally took over the project and is moving forward with work to make it operational.
The South Florida Water Management District Governing Board unanimously approved a resolution encouraging the Florida Legislature to adopt Gov. Scott's proposed Indian River Lagoon and Caloosahatchee Cleanup Initiative. This voluntary 50/50 matching grant program will encourage Floridians with septic tanks to either replace faulty units or connect with sewer systems in order to curb pollution that is currently fueling algae blooms.
The South Florida Water Management District Governing Board unanimously approved a resolution advising the U.S. Congress to appropriate emergency funding necessary to complete repair and rehabilitation of the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee as soon as possible. With emergency funding to accelerate the last half of long-needed dike repairs, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be able to store more water in the lake and reduce harmful discharges into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries that have contributed to massive algae blooms.
The Florida red tide organism,
Karenia brevis, was detected in very low concentrations in one sample collected from Palm Beach County (East Coast). Additional samples collected throughout Florida this week did not contain
K. brevis.
Forecasts for Southwest Florida by the
USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides show net southern movement of surface waters and southern inshore movement of bottom waters between Pinellas and Lee counties over the next 3 days.
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Columbia University scholar Richard Hofstader once described a type of polarizing rhetoric that emerges from time to time in the public life of our society. He characterized the phenomenon as the "paranoid style in American politics."
This mode of expression relies upon heated exaggeration and draws images of conspiratorial fantasy to push the public into accepting extreme interpretations of events or circumstances.
Such a style has unfortunately appeared in recent discourse over massive blooms of algae in south Florida. Anyone who lives near the St. Lucie or Caloosahatchee estuaries or visits the areas these days recognizes that the algae have created an environmental emergency. But the cause of the blooms is another matter.
In the midst of widespread concern, reliable scientific evidence available has been overlooked. That evidence points toward a discomforting conclusion: the water problem in south Florida has been created by a combination of conditions that are difficult to manage, not by a single source or a particular group of people.
Professor Brian Lapointe of Florida Atlantic University has studied nitrogen concentrations in the Indian River Lagoon for several years. His meticulous sampling and measurement of the lagoon have generated definitive results. According to Lapointe, "In the case of the urbanized Indian River Lagoon, our results indicate that wastewater, and OSTDS (on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems) in particular, is the major nitrogen source."
In other words, septic tank units in the local community contaminate the surrounding environment with excess nitrogen. Lapointe's studies show that human waste, not water from agricultural properties, constitutes the prime source of nutrients sustaining algae blooms.
Reinforcing his finding is the fact that blooms have also occurred at times when water from Lake Okeechobee did not flow into east Florida's coast region. In 2014, for example, the Army Corps of Engineers released no lake water, yet the area experienced algae outbreaks.
What makes this problem all the more vexing is that no one can fix it quickly. State officials advise that any form of treatment for the algae is potentially dangerous. They also admit that no large scale treatment exists to clean up the blooms.
So, out of frustration, some people look for scapegoats. They point to farm families in the interior of the peninsula as the responsible parties involved. What this reaction offers is the paranoid style Hofstader lamented.
All reliable evidence indicates that most farmers and ranchers have been excellent water stewards. Agricultural water use per farm is substantially declining, while urban consumption is steadily increasing. State officials who measure water use at farm sites report that outstanding conservation practices on these properties conserve more than 11 billion gallons of freshwater each year.
Agricultural producers are also implementing techniques that improve water quality. The South Florida Water Management District recently reported that farms in the Everglades Agricultural Area slashed phosphorus content in water leaving their acreage by 70 percent in one year.
The very operation of farms and ranches maintains freshwater recharge areas, wildlife habitat and greenspace. Water storage on these lands will likely become critical for ecosystem management as well as urban water supply in the future. As Charles Lee of Audubon Florida has said, "We think the farmers are the potential salvation of these systems simply because their land areas are so large and the capacity they have to hold water on their land is so great."
Farms are our sources of food and renewal. The overwhelming majority of families that own them are doing their part every day to conserve natural resources. They are the best hope we have for the future sustainability of Florida's natural abundance.
A comprehensive solution to algae blooms will only be possible by working together. Unfounded accusations will not help us tackle a complex public issue.
Brant Schirard, who wrote this column for the Florida Farm Bureau, is a St. Lucie County citrus grower. He can be contacted at bschirard@schirardcitrus.com.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced it would reduce the
damaging freshwater releases from the lake into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.
The 44 percent reduction in water flowing to the St. Lucie still means a release of an average of 420 million gallons per day. The Caloosahatchee, which goes west into the Gulf, will be reduced to 1.8 billion gallons per day from 1.9 billion.
Emergency measures, such as pausing discharges to allow salinity levels in the estuary to increase with natural tidal fluxes, have reduced the blue-green algae that inundated the St. Lucie Estuary last month, district staff members said.
It's hoped that the reduction in Lake Okeechobee flows will further disrupt algae with
"Although the lake is still high for this time of year, current conditions are providing us with the opportunity to further reduce discharges and bring some degree of relief to the estuaries experiencing above normal seasonal algal blooms," said Col. Jason Kirk, the corps' Jacksonville district commander.
Kirk said drier conditions and continued water releases have brought the lake down to 14.73 feet from last week's 14.93 feet.
The corps would prefer lower levels during rainy season. When too much water is in Lake Okeechobee, it can weaken the aging portions of the Herbert Hoover Dike, which protects Glades' communities from flooding.
Airplanes vs. Bullet Trains
Fifty years ago, Southwest Airlines revolutionized regional air travel. Now another Texas-based business is launching a counterrevolution on the ground-and the carbon savings could be huge.
July 13, 2016
Jeff Turrentine
Two guys walk into a bar...and go on to create Southwest Airlines. According to this durable snippet of
too-good-to-fact-check corporate lore, the company's founders drew a triangle on the back of a square cocktail napkin, with points representing San Antonio (where they were wetting their whistles on that particular day half a century ago), Dallas, and Houston. Their winning and ultimately profitable idea: Offer customers fast, no-frills, low-fare flights between a handful of Texas boomtowns with tightly interconnected business cultures but spaced just far enough apart to make driving between them a drag.
For decades it made sense for travelers to opt for an hour-long Southwest flight between Dallas and Houston rather than a four-hour drive (a trip that's predicted to take more than six hours by the year 2035). But these days, the advantages of flying aren't as clear-cut. First, the logistics involved with modern-day air travel-getting to and from the airport, going through TSA lines, dealing with delays, waiting at baggage carousels, etc.-have practically neutralized the original time savings; add it all up and that hour-long flight actually ends up taking you at least three hours, usually more. Second, with gasoline as cheap as it is today, you can't really make the cost-savings argument for flying over driving anymore, either.
Now, nearly 50 years after its founding, Southwest may soon face unexpected competition for its always-booked Dallas-to-Houston service. And in a telling bit of irony, this new rival has come in the form of a railway company, of all things.
After several years spent getting its legal, financial, and procedural ducks in a row, the company known as
Texas Central is moving ever closer to realizing its goal of linking two of Texas's biggest cities via high-speed bullet train. Though a few right-of-way issues still need to be cleared up, Texas Central seems on track (I know, I know; I'm sorry) to break ground on its 240-mile-long rail system in early 2017, with service scheduled to begin within the next five years. Then the nearly 50,000 Texans whom the company has identified as Dallas-to-Houston "supercommuters"-i.e., those who drive or fly between the two cities more than once a week-will have a highly attractive third option: climbing aboard sleek, swift, tricked-out trains that depart every half-hour and reach their center-city destinations in under 90 minutes.
If Texas Central is successful, this politically red, oil-loving state could become the first in the nation to implement the kind of high-speed rail that has already slashed commuter travel times in Europe, China, and Japan-while reducing carbon emissions in the bargain. One Harvard University economist has
estimated that for every trip between Dallas and Houston taken on a bullet train rather than in a car, 113 pounds of carbon dioxide would be kept out of the atmosphere. And the
Japanese bullet trains on which Texas Central is basing its own fleet have been found to emit, per passenger seat, one-twelfth the per-passenger CO
2 of a Boeing B777-200 jet.
I've been
following the Texas Central story for several years, and not just because I was born and raised in Dallas. As someone who believes strongly that sustainability issues transcend everyday politics, my fascination has more to do with the curious overlapping of constituencies at work here-and what it might augur for the future of high-speed rail projects across the country.
For one thing, unlike bullet-train projects currently underway in other U.S. locations, Texas Central's plans aren't the fruit of some billion-dollar bond measure or contentious voter referendum. Instead, the venture is being privately funded by a consortium of profit-seeking investors and is being vigorously backed by leaders drawn from the state's conservative business and civic cultures. These folks have taken a long, careful look at the region's growth forecasts and demographics and have concluded that this mode of transportation, which just so happens to promise massive carbon savings, is also a too-good-to-pass-up business opportunity. ..more...
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FWF Supports Voting YES on Amendment 4 This August
A YES vote on Amendment 4 this August would lower the cost of energy in Florida by removing burdensome taxes that make it more expensive to go solar. Removing taxes lowers the cost of solar energy, leading to more solar development and laying the groundwork for cleaner air and a more sustainable future for all Floridians!
Here's everything you need to know to vote #Yes4Solar this summer:
Register to vote by mail...it's easy!
Vote early August 20-27.
Head to the polls August 30!
With your help, Florida voters can score a major win for sunny solar policy this summer!
Trouble in South Florida in the Indian River Lagoon, and the estuary and coastline fed by the St. Lucie River, have many rightfully up in arms. The United States Army Corp of Engineers recently released
billions of gallons of water from Lake Okeechobee to protect the integrity of the Herbert Hoover Dike around the lake. While the dike and the inhabitants to the south are safe from flooding, the lagoon, estuary, and coastline are paying the price by being lined with blue-green algae blooms.
For decades, one of Florida's top environmental challenges has been the restoration of the Everglades. Recent events such as voter approval of Amendment 1, the Lake Okeechobee water releases and the
expansion of algae blooms have brought the issue to a highpoint. Flaming arrows of blame are recklessly fired from many directions and in many directions. Some fault the
agriculture industry. Others say it's all due to
septic tanks or lawns being
over fertilized. Many others recognize the impact of so much
fresh water flowing into brackish and salt water. Environmental activists shouting "
Buy the Land" are also using their bullhorn.
There are a lot of factors at play here, but one thing is for sure, anyone who thinks that there's a one-piece-of-land-fixes-all solution to this has disregarded the facts. That's a costly bandwagon to jump on both for Floridians and for the environment. It also disregards the hydrology of the system, where the vast majority of flow occurs to the north of the lake.
Florida's population and the need for development have grown quickly in recent years. The report highlights the major aspects of change the Everglades has experienced over the past 100 years. Preserving what is left is worth our time, attention and resources. People are looking for immediate relief, and that's understandable. These are trying times for Florida. That's why it has never been more critical to ensure available funds are used wisely and in a way that will have a long-term and significant impact.
To bring some objectivity and historical reference to this heated debate, The James Madison Institute published a backgrounder titled, "
Solving the Everglades Riddle: Addressing Water Quality and Quantity to Restore a Florida Legacy." Meant to provide policymakers and concerned Floridians with a comprehensive overview of the Everglades restoration process, the report describes the enormity and complexity of the Everglades by looking at its various regions and ecological challenges. Also described are various methods currently being used or considered to control vast amounts of water and improve its quality.
In what should be an encouragement to readers, the JMI report points out
four factors contributing to successes in restoring the Everglades including contributions from best management practices and stormwater treatment areas. Measurable, positive results have already been achieved, and new funding sources will help Florida maintain a steady course toward continued Everglades ecosystem improvement.
In the heat of the moment, it is often important to step back and look at the big picture. In light of the enormity of Everglades restoration and the matrix of multiple projects at various stages of completion, it is easy to get lost in the weeds of detail and miss the overall goal. Through this report, JMI gives
guidance to policymakers and concerned Floridiansto help them cut through the web of complexity, remain on track and help keep the focus where it should be to effectively preserve and protect Florida's precious resources.
Continued progress will only happen if all stakeholders can find common ground on facts and not get caught up in frenzied rhetoric. As the report states, bringing decision making to the most local of levels is important. Also, using scientific data will help objectify evaluations and planned financial allocations to restoration projects. If scientists, legislators, policymakers, and private sector stakeholders use funds available through Amendment 1 and continue to unite around the plans already in place, it just might be said years from now, "They solved the riddle of Everglades restoration."
___
Daniel Peterson is the Director of the Center for Property Rights at The James Madison Institute.
Green Politics
Commentary: Opinion
The opinions posted on this site are not necessarily those of the site managers or all of our sponsors. Eco-voice can not verify the accuracy of facts asserted in commentaries but does not knowingly post articles which have serious errors.
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In a letter to Gov.
Rick Scott, U.S. Rep.
Tom Rooney explained that one of the problems in securing money for the repair of the Hebert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee is the U.S. House's ban on earmarking money in the federal budget.
The issue is simply this: Congress can authorize funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but without earmarks, lawmakers cannot direct the money to specific projects, like the lake's crumbling dike.
Rooney, an Okeechobee Republican, was responding to a July 12 letter from Scott who asserted the Obama administration was ignoring his request for help with the project.
"The governor is exactly right - the Herbert Hoover Dike is drastically underfunded and the federal government is to blame. Period," Rooney said. "Congress used to be able to directly influence Corps' funding for specific projects like the dike and Everglades restoration and give the Corps more money for projects that were underfunded by the president - but now that is considered an earmark.
"Since 2010, the earmark ban has left the fate of Corps projects squarely in the hands of the executive branch."
To resolve the issue, Rooney is trying to advance House Resolution 813, which would exclude water resources development projects of the Corps from the definition of a congressional earmark.
"Trying to compel the Corps to prioritize projects in my district without earmarks is maddening, and admittedly self-inflicted," Rooney said. "At the time, we had good intentions of reforming the system and reining in spending, but we can achieve that without ceding our power to the executive branch. House Resolution 813 will take it back."
The White House said Friday the federal budget deficit is expected to be $600 billion in 2016, an increase of $162 billion from last year. The announcement in a mid-session review of the federal budget, noted the new estimate is $16 billion lower than projected in February.
WASHINGTON - Brandishing bottles of algae-tainted water, activists from both Florida coasts demanded Thursday that Congress and the Obama administration speed up efforts to save their beaches and businesses by redirecting Lake Okeechobee overflows south.
They want the federal government to work with Florida to identify and buy land in the Everglades to absorb and treat the runoff.
They want millions of dollars to finish Everglades restoration projects designed to stop runoff that taints the Caloosahatchee River flowing to Southwest Florida and causes devastating algae blooms in the St. Lucie River.
And they want the Obama administration to declare the situation a federal emergency.
"The current situation, ya'll, is unsustainable," Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Bonita Springs, told a small rally under a sweltering sun next to the U.S. Capitol. "We need help. We need to pump up the volume. We need to get as many people involved to put pressure on our leaders in Congress and our leaders in the White House to meet us halfway."
Clawson, who represents Southwest Florida, and Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, who represents Florida's Treasure Coast, have teamed up on a bill that would make it easier to buy Everglades land designed to improve the estuary and stem the east-west water flows from Lake Okeechobee.
We exist to create the political will for climate solutions by enabling individual breakthroughs
By Peter Fairley Political hurdles and low prices have made carbon pricing a low-impact affair. But there's still hope it can help limit climate change.
July 12, 2016 - Earth's atmosphere has long served as a free dump for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases generated by humans. That is changing as policy-makers embrace economists' advice that the best way to cut greenhouse gas emissions is to charge an atmospheric disposal fee. As a result, governments are increasingly tacking on a price for carbon when fossil fuels are sold and/or consumed, allowing their economies to internalize some of the social and economic costs associated with burning coal, oil and natural gas.
In theory, billing polluters for every ton of carbon they unleash should drive emissions reductions with great economic efficiency, since each player is free to choose its optimal response to the carbon price. Those who can cut affordably do so. Those who can't, pay the price.
"Carbon pricing is the most effective policy for reducing emissions," says Christine Lagarde, managing director of the Washington, D.C.-based International Monetary Fund, which is a global cheerleader for carbon pricing.
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Eco-Voice
1850's 2050 if no sea level rise
graphics by USGS
The Exploring Florida Maps collection contains approximately 6,000 historic and contemporary Florida maps that support all subject areas in the K-12 classroom
The Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is beginning preparation of a National Environmental Policy Act assessment for the
Lake Okeechobee Watershed (LOW) Project. The objectives of the LOW Project are to improve the quality, quantity, timing and distribution of water entering Lake Okeechobee, provide for better management of lake water levels, reduce damaging releases to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries downstream of the lake and improve system wide operational flexibility.
The Everglades ecosystem, including Lake Okeechobee, encompasses a system of diverse wetland landscapes that are hydrologically and ecologically connected across more than 200 miles from north to south and across 18,000 square miles of southern Florida. In 2000, the U.S. Congress authorized the Federal government, in partnership with the State of Florida, to embark upon a multi-decade, multi-billion dollar Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) to further protect and restore the remaining Everglades ecosystem while providing for other water-related needs of the region. CERP involves modification of the existing network of drainage canals and levees that make up the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project.
Since 2000, much progress has been made. Construction has begun on the first generation of CERP project modifications already authorized by Congress. These include the Picayune Strand Restoration, the Indian River Lagoon South and Site 1 lmpoundment projects. Congressional authorization has been received for the second generation of CERP projects, including Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands-Phase 1, the Caloosahatchee River (C-43) West Basin Storage Reservoir, and the C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project which are already under construction or are operational, and the Broward County Water Preserve Areas which is currently being designed. The Central Everglades Planning Project is currently awaiting congressional authorization. All of these CERP projects contribute significant ecological benefits to the system and the specific regional habitats in which they are located.
. . . .
One of the next steps for implementation is to identify opportunities to restore the quantity, quality, and timing and distribution of flows into Lake Okeechobee. The LOW Project preliminary project area, where placement of features will be considered, covers a large portion of the Lake Okeechobee Watershed north of the lake
Water inflows into Lake Okeechobee greatly exceed outflow capacity, thus many times there is too much water within Lake Okeechobee that needs to be released in order to ensure integrity of the Herbert Hoover Dike. At other times, there may be too little water within Lake Okeechobee. Lake levels that are too high or too low, and inappropriate recession and ascension rates, can adversely affect native vegetation, and fish and wildlife species that depend upon the Jake for foraging and reproduction. The volume and frequency of undesirable freshwater releases to the east and west lowers salinity in the estuaries, severely impacting oysters, sea grasses, and fish. Additionally, high nutrient levels adversely affect in-lake water quality, estuary habitat, and habitat throughout the Greater Everglades.
The Corps and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) will hold a public workshop at the Okeechobee Auditorium, 3800 NW 16th Boulevard, Suite A, Okeechobee, FL 34972 on
July 26th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. During the workshop, Corps and SFWMD staff will describe the project and seek public comments and suggestions. The formal portion of the workshop will begin at 7:00 p.m. The LOW Project team will be available prior to and after the formal presentation to provide information and answer questions about the projects and development of a proposed plan. This is the first of a number of public workshops that will be held throughout the development and implementation of this project.
We invite the participation of Federal and State agencies, Native American Tribes, local agencies, interested parties and individuals in providing comments and identifying any issues or concerns. Please share this notice with any interested party. Send any comments you may have to the attention of Gretchen Ehlinger, Ph.D. (904-232-1862) at the letter head address or email Gretchen.S.Ehlinger@usace.aFmy. mil no later than 30 days from the date of this letter. All individuals who respond with comments will be included in future mailings. Others may be added to the mailing list by making a written request (postcard) to the same address or by email.
This is a "must attend" program for Florida water professionals.
"For state-of-the-art information, updates on Florida projects and networking among professionals and end-users, this annual AMERICAN GROUND WATER TRUST groundwater program gives the best return on investment for any water conference in Florida."
Save the date for "Ding" Darling Days
Mark your calendars for this year's "Ding" Darling Days birding and eco-festival at J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida, the week of Oct. 16-22, 2016.
Family Fun Day kicks off the week with free activities on Sunday, Oct. 16. It features all-free refuge tours, live wildlife presentations, archery clinics, hot dogs, a touch tank and butterfly house, and kids' nature crafts.
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