Bird the Everglades Agricultural Area

Saturday, August 25, 7am

We're back! (We know, weekends seemed a little dull these past few months).

Join Paul Bithorn and TAS Field Trip Director Brian Rapoza lead an all-day carpool trip to sod farms and flooded agricultural fields (be mindful of show choice!) in the Belle Glade area of Palm Beach County. No fee.

Meet at 7am at Sawgrass Recreation Park on US-27 about 2 miles north of I-75 in Broward County. Walkie-talkies are recommended. Bring sunscreen, insect repellent and plenty of water. There will be a restaurant lunch stop. No preregistration required.

About the EAA:

Everglades Agricultural Area consists of 700,000 acres of farm land, mostly dedicated to the cultivation of sugarcane, although vegetables are also grown there. This is the area where a reservoir crucial to Everglades Restoration will be located once the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) is approved by congress (any minute now!). Building this project will allow for water to be stored North of Lake O, will reduce toxic algae blooms and will eventually bring water south through Miami-Dade County and into Florida Bay where it is most desperately needed. YOU helped move this important project forward -- now come check out the birds who depend upon the EAA.

Click here to link to EAA site.

Email: Brian Rapoza

Make a dinner date at  Whisk Gourmet  (eat-in or take-out) and, in turn,  Whisk  will feather the proverbial TAS nest with 10 percent of its dinner revenues. 

 

Enjoy Chef Brendan's enduringly popular Fried Green Tomatoes, his famous Fried Chicken, his  sensational  Shrimp & Grits and his Burger-Bash-award-winning signature patty, along with a plethora of seasonal summer dishes that draw on his Southern heritage and local roots. (Read the menu at www.whiskgourmet.com ) 

 

The Dine Out at Whisk Gourmet program helps TAS protect all the places South Floridians cherish: Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay and The Everglades. Thanks to founders Kristin Connor and Chef Brendan Connor for so generously hosting the annual Dine Out Summer Series in 2018. Kudos to the siblings, too, for instituting a plastic straw-free policy.

 

August 14 is the third and final date in the annual summer trilogy, so it’s your last opportunity to Dine Out for the Birds in 2018!

 

This event takes place at  Whisk Gourmet 7382 SW 56 Avenue Miami Fl 33143

onsite free parking & valet service available

  @whiskgourmet

Take Action

No, it's not over yet!

URGE County Commissioners to H old the Line

Say  NO  to expanding 836 beyond the UDB

To date, TAS has worked Pro Bono on preserving the Urban Development Boundary.

Support Tropical Audubon Now

Please earmark your donation for Urban Development/Smart Growth issues.

Your contribution will go towards advocacy, materials and communications fees.

On Wednesday, June 20, the Miami-Dade County (MDC) Commission voted to transmit MDX's plan to expand State Road 836, aka Dolphin Expressway to the State of Florida (map shows two potential corridors). Only commissioners Suarez and Cava definitively voted "No." Those commissioners who voted to transmit the plan made it clear that they had only voted "Yes" to the transmittal in order to gather more expert opinions from state agencies, not "Yes" on the project itself.

These commissioners sought to better understand what building the extension beyond the Urban Development Boundary (UDB) line would mean for state-funded infrastructure projects, including flood protection, Everglades Restoration, induced demand and more.

Most state agencies have 30 days (a few have 45) from Wednesday, July 11, to provide and submit comments and recommendations on the plan. Once this analysis, impact determinations and recommendations are submitted and reviewed, commissioners will then vote on the proposed plan again.

TAS is working vigorously and closely with other organizations, attorneys, transit experts and urban planners to prevent a final "Yes" vote from occurring.

Thanks for everything you've done so far.

Please continue to email MDC commissioners and urge them to Hold the Line:

Everglades National Park

Find an ideal spot to observe birds by exploring recreational trails, city, state and national parks, wildlife refuges and forests, seashores and other sanctuaries. Check out the Florida Park Service’s 175 state parks, trails and historic sites encompassing nearly 800,000 acres and spanning 100 miles of sandy white beaches. Your presence and participation will also help protect these havens for people, birds and other wildlife. Join Florida Trail Association -- or attend a TAS Field Trip. There are all great ways to get outside in the Sunshine State.

Want to know something else? National Parks turn 102 on August 25 ! President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the parks on that day in 1916. Florida boasts three National Parks -- Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park and Dry Tortugas National Park. #FindYourPark -- and events happening at all three South Florida locations. Click Here

Click Here for an awesome August Fact Sheet and more about how to filter your search by “Birdwatching” (OMG!) and zip code or state at FindYourPark.com to find birding hotspots among the 400+ National Park sites.

About Year of the Bird:

Audubon, National Geographic, Cornell, BirdLife International and, most important, bird lovers everywhere are coming together for a year of action for birds! Twenty-eighteen marks the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Centennial. To honor our country's most important bird-protection law it's important to remain vigilant about protecting birds in our literal and figurative backyards. Year of the Bird is about celebrating the wonder of our feathered friends, examining how our changing environment is driving dramatic losses among bird species and learning what we can all do to reverse this trend.



Sign the pledge to build a better world for birds and each month, Audubon will send you one simple action you can take to make a difference for birds and for the planet.

Are peacocks (males) and peahens (females) roosting in your mango tree or ornamenting your roof? As the national bird of India makes itself increasingly at home among our subtropical flora, more and more Miamians are waking up to their shrill mating calls. Described variously as exhilarating, irritating, life-affirming or alarming, its chortle goes something like "Ahhhhh-whhaaaaahh-whahhh-whhhhaaaa.”

Cornell's Birds of North America website notes: “In some urban areas where this species has been introduced in North America, it has attained notoriety for its noisiness, for its habits of defecating in pools, on porches, and in gardens, and for its devouring the flowers of garden plants. This reputation has pitted Peafowl lovers, who adore the birds for their aesthetic appeal and confiding demeanor, against those who are annoyed by the birds' intrusive habits ... "

To keep their population in check, it is advisable NOT to feed them — be it birdseed or dog/cat kibble. Peafowl readily exist by foraging for seeds, berries, insects, lizards and frogs.

Feeding peafowl can also stoke the ire of neighbors and bolster the feral cat population. Bird-watch instead: Observe their behavior as they forage for grubs in your garden and flaunt their plumage on your lawn.

Whether you consider Indian peafowl an exotic addition to our landscape or a nuisance, here's what you need to know:

Photo Credit Tom E. Smith

Learn about indigenous plants and help us maintain our near-native landscape at the Steinberg Nature Center on the TAS campus. We need you! We're flexible -- show up between 8:30 and 11:30am -- you will meet conservationists, birders, plant lovers and gardeners just like you lending a hand.

Please bring sunscreen and your refillable water bottle; wear closed-toe shoes. We will provide water.

Steinberg Nature Center Eco-restoration days take place on the third Saturday of every month. Groups welcome!



Click Here to Send Us an Email!

Volunteer | @tropicalaudubon Tropical Audubon Society: 5530 Sunset Dr., Miami, FL, 33143

Federally Endangered Pine Rockland Resident: Bartram's Hairstreak Butterfly

Get the latest surrounding development plans to bulldoze and pave over imperiled habitat at the former University of Miami South Campus know as Richmond Pine Rockland.

Learn about plans to Save the Pine Rocklands, and how you can participate by helping ramp-up "Save it, Don't Pave it" efforts all the way to Washington D.C.

Click Here to Send Us an Email!

Volunteer | @tropicalaudubon Tropical Audubon Society: 5530 Sunset Dr., Miami, FL, 33143