Eco-Voice Digest - News and Views for Aug. 7
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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. Please call errors to our attention.
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Eco-Voice Spotlight - Friends of the Everglades
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Preserve, Protect & Restore The Everglades
At Friends of the Everglades we compel government agencies to comply with existing environmental laws, and resist any efforts to weaken such laws. Encourage politicians to recognize the long consequences of their actions. Spread awareness of the importance of the Everglades to the South Florida ecosystem.
“There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth; remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them…”
— Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Here are some of our key takeaways after reviewing a draft of the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM):
•LOSOM will reduce, but not stop harmful discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.
•It will increase flows south to the Everglades, but not enough to make a substantial improvement in the ecology of Everglades National Park.
•Flow percentages are based on scientific models that don't consider what future climate predictions are.
•Lake Okeechobee’s ecology will suffer under the new lake plan, due to higher lake levels for more months of the year.
•A Lake Okeechobee "recovery mode" would draw lake levels down to let submerged aquatic vegetation recover, but that is likely to require damaging, high-volume releases to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.
•The billionaire-backed sugarcane farms south of Lake Okeechobee will continue to have their water supply protected under LOSOM.
In addition to feedback-seeking livestreams hosted by the Army Corps of Engineers, on Aug. 18, Friends of the Everglades will host Col. James Booth and Tim Gysan of the Army Corps for a livestream discussion about the new Lake O plan. Stay tuned for registration details.
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Our Mission
The mission of Friends of the Everglades is to preserve, protect, and restore the only Everglades in the world.
Our Goals:
- Compel government agencies to comply with existing environmental laws, and resist any efforts to weaken such laws.
- Encourage politicians to recognize the long consequences of their actions.
- Spread awareness of the importance of the Everglades to the South Florida ecosystem.
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Summer is a time of movement in Florida. Wading birds scan the shallows to find food for their chicks; sea and shorebirds form loud, ever-shifting colonies on our sand beaches; Chimney Swifts and Barn Swallows twist and turn through the air like miniature acrobats.
At Audubon, we are always on the move too. A brand-new telemetry station at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary will tell us more about migrating birds, and new outreach and member programs will bring more visitors to our famous boardwalk (pg 14). Bands placed on the legs of Bald Eagles released by staff at the Center for Birds of Prey tell us critical information about their nesting efforts (pg 9), while research stations in the Everglades show changes from both sea level rise and restoration progress (pg 8). New Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission maps and guidelines — improved through comments made by Audubon staff and members — will better protect vulnerable beach birds (pg 4), while chapters continue to make new homes for an iconic Florida species: Purple Martins (pg 10).
Through it all, our staff, members, and volunteers move with us, innovating and protecting birds and the places they need. Cheers to a summer of movement!
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How the Reconciliation Bill Pays Dividends for Fish and Wildlife
There is a lot that would benefit the hunting and fishing community in the reconciliation bill—known as the Inflation Reduction Act—introduced in the Senate last week. These conservation funding increases are a direct result of thousands of sportsmen and sportswomen contacting their lawmakers in support of investments that will sustain fish and wildlife habitat for decades to come. Here's what you need to know about this legislation.
Keep Pushing
Water Resources Legislation Nears the Finish Line
Last week, the Senate approved its 2022 Water Resources Development Act with important water management and habitat restoration projects. Now is the time to speak up and make sure conservation doesn’t get left behind as negotiations between the House and Senate continue.Take Action →
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Noah Brode - Tuesday
Americans’ belief in Bigfoot is on the rise.
U.S. Belief in Sasquatch Has Risen Since 2020
In a CivicScience survey in mid-July, 13% of U.S. adults said they agree with the statement, “Bigfoot / Sasquatch is a real, living creature.” That’s up from 11% who said the same in May 2020 – an 18% increase.
In fact, belief in ‘conspiracy theories’ grew across the board over the past two years.
Similarly to our 2020 study, Americans living in the West were still the most likely to believe in Bigfoot – 15% of residents in the West are believers, compared with 11% of those in the Northeast. However, it appears the overall uptick in Sasquatch truthers has come from the cities and suburbs. Rural Americans were no more likely to believe in Bigfoot this year than they were in 2020, but city-slickers and suburbanites were.
Just like we found in 2020, Gen X (ages 35 to 54) was more likely to believe in Bigfoot, while older adults were more likely to be skeptics. But all age groups saw at least some growth in Sasquatch belief.
Interestingly, one’s desire to get in touch with nature could be correlated to their belief in Sasquatch. People who say they believe in Bigfoot were more likely than others to visit state or national parks at least a few times per year.
Compared to non-believers, Bigfoot believers are generally:
- More likely to be daily YouTube users
- More likely to play a musical instrument
- More likely to plan to invest in cryptocurrency
- More likely to bet on sports online
- More likely to believe in the Loch Ness Monster
- More likely to enjoy the 1990s TV show “The X-Files”
- More likely to own a gun
It’s not our place to say whether or not Bigfoot is really out there, but we can say for sure that Sasquatch’s grip on the American psyche is as strong as ever.
J
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You may be surprised to learn that the most likely place to see an American bigfoot, outside of the Pacific Northwest, is in the Florida Everglades. The region around the tiny town of Ochopee is particularly favored by smelly, hairy bipeds, and it is here that the Shealy brothers -- Dave and Jack -- have opened the world's only Skunk Ape Research Headquarters.
Dave Shealy, the younger and more outspoken of the two, is Florida's self-appointed Skunk Ape expert.
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KEEP AMERICA FISHING MONTH – ONLINE TOURNAMENT AND AUCTION
This September is Keep America Fishing Month! To celebrate, we are hosting the Inaugural Online Fishing Tournament and an Online Auction.
Click here to receive information about these exciting events!
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We are anglers (professional and recreational), marina owners, boat owners, and fishing guides. ...
We support science-based solutions that will bring on additional storage and treatment at the SOURCE of Lake Okeechobee.
With data showing that 95% of the water flowing into Lake O comes from the north, we believe that the answer to our water quality issues lies at the lake’s source. We also want to look for alternatives to spraying on the lake and explore methods like mechanical harvesting. If we slow the flow of water coming into the lake during wet years and look for options other than spraying, we believe we can help save Lake Okeechobee and prevent discharges from impacting coastal communities like Ft. Myers and Stuart.
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On Sunday join RAE member group Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) to tour to the CRCL Oyster Shell Recycling Site in Violet, just 25 minutes south of New Orleans. From there you will travel by airboat to plant native trees along the Violet Canal in support of wetland reforestation and natural hurricane protection.
Additionally, NOAA, Restore the Mississippi Delta, and Great Lakes Dredge and Dock will be leading a boat tour through the Upper Barataria Mash Creation project. The partners are building more than 1,200 acres of marsh habitat using sediment pumped more than 10 miles from the Mississippi River. Participants will view newly created wetland planforms as well as see previously restored sites. This project will support marsh plants and healthy wetland habitat, which can lessen the impact of future storms by dissipating wave energy. ...more...
We hope you’ll join us December 4-8 in New Orleans and we are happy to highlight the work of our great partners in the Gulf Region during NOAA’s 2022 Habitat Month. Registration for the 2022 Summit is open now with early bird savings being offered until October. Click here to register today!
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Sea & Shoreline is a full service
Florida-based aquatic restoration firm
that has two decades of experience restoring fresh and saltwater habitats. Seagrass is key to restoring water quality and we have planted more seagrass than any company in the world!
WHY OUR SERVICES ARE NEEDED
Most of our planet is made up of water. Two-thirds of Earth’s surface is covered by aquatic ecosystems. And all life depends on water to survive. When these ecosystems become unbalanced, they pose health risks to not only humans, but also to plants and animals that rely on the water to live. Unhealthy or ”dead” aquatic ecosystems contain little to no life.
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This year’s EVCO conference theme will be “Watershed Moment for America’s Everglades,”
The 2023 EvCo conference will be taking place on January 26-28 at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs Hotel & Convention Center.
Hosted by the
National Parks Conservation Association
The Everglades Coalition’s annual conference is the largest forum for discussing Everglades restoration progress, challenges, and opportunities. The conference brings together diverse stakeholders including conservation groups, elected officials, business leaders, local, state, tribal and federal partners, scientists, and students to engage in meaningful dialogue about restoring America’s Everglades.
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The comprehensive nature of The Water School at FGCU allows us to focus on key areas critical to our water-driven world: climate change, natural resources, ecosystem health and well-being, restoration and remediation.
With 400 acres of protected habitat and LEED-certified buildings, FGCU is an environmental lab with sustainability at the core of its mission. Our award-winning initiatives in education, energy production, research and sustainable practices make us one of the nation's greenest campuses - the perfect place to develop The Water School at FGCU.
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Environmental groups say task force’s suggestions haven’t been adopted
Max Chesnes
Treasure Coast Newspapers USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA
It’s been almost three years since a governor-appointed task force of water quality experts made their recommendations for combating harmful algal blooms.
Still, 87% of the Blue-Green Algae Task Force’s suggestions haven’t been fully adopted, either with new laws or any meaningful regulatory action from state government agencies, according to a report from a coalition of twelve Florida environment groups.
“Ecological conditions in Florida have not improved and, in many cases, they have worsened,” the coalition wrote in its report released Wednesday. “A lack of meaningful water quality protections have resulted in persistent harmful algal blooms, a record number of manatees deaths, and an overall decline in water quality statewide.”
The coalition identified at least 27 science-based ideas the Blue-Green Algae Task Force presented to Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2019 that have not been fully addressed. The report also lists these major pitfalls:
A failure to improve the state’s flagship pollution-reduction program, which a TCPalm data investigation found isn’t working.
Not enough new water storage infrastructure around Lake Okeechobee.
A lack of political will to pass water quality measures recommended by the five scientists on the task force.
In 2019, for instance, the task force recommended state agencies strategically focus on pollution hotspots for cleanup projects “to accelerate progress toward achieving restoration targets.” Yet funding has been used on less cost-effective wastewater projects, even in places where agriculture is the main polluter, the report claims.
Pollution-reduction projects currently underway reduce 1 pound of nitrogen annually for every $3,781 spent, the coalition reports, citing last year’s annual report by the Department of Environmental Protection.
In a statement, a DEP spokesperson said the progress report is based on information that has been “misinterpreted” and “misrepresented.”
“It reaches an inaccurate conclusion regarding the status of implementation of the task force’s recommendations,” said spokesperson Dee Ann Miller, who pointed to the 2020 approval of the Clean Waterways Act as an example of when some of the scientific recommendations became law.
That legislation, which moved regulation of septic tanks from the Department of Health to the DEP, increased fines for violations of environmental rules and required farmers to provide fertilizer records, among other things, was lauded by Treasure Coast politicians despite clean-water advocates saying it didn’t go far enough to stop pollution at its source.
“The point of this exercise was to check (DEP’s) progress, and we want this to start a dialogue,” said Jen Lomberk, the Matanzas Riverkeeper who helped to lead the report.....
.....groups backing the report include the National Wildlife Federation, Florida Conservation Voters, the Florida Springs Council and the Calusa Waterkeeper. ....
“Sometimes I wonder if any of the Legislature listens anymore,” said Mike Parsons, a task force member, professor of marine science at Florida Gulf Coast University and director of the Coastal Watershed Institute and Vester Field Station. “We’ve done a couple of virtual meetings. Are they listening in? Or do they just ignore the whole process?”
The task force will convene at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce to discuss prioritizing restoration projects.
Max Chesnes is a TCPalm environment reporter focusing on issues facing the Indian River Lagoon, St. Lucie River and Lake Okeechobee. You can keep up with Max on Twitter @MaxChesnes, email him at [email protected] and give him a call at 772-978-2224.
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Competitions to kill snakes, hogs, and lionfish make us feel good but don’t solve problem
AUGUST 4, 2022 7:00 AM
.....the Python Challenge has turned into an annual sporting event not unlike a NASCAR race, minus the roaring engines, carbon monoxide fumes, and left turns. Politicians pose for the cameras, corporate sponsors put up big-money prizes, and everyone acts as if they’re making major inroads in eliminating the python population.
But they aren’t.
‘Not likely to remove large numbers’
Hunting pythons is hard work. .....
Hunters searching diligently for big snakes walked right by them, unaware.
That was one of the things scientists learned from that hunt. They also learned about where the snakes live, what they eat, and so forth.
The next round-up was in 2016, and the hunters brought in 106 snakes. That may sound impressive until you consider that a single clutch of eggs from one female python would be enough to replace what had been killed.
“We knew then and know now that these events are not likely to remove large numbers of pythons,” Nick Wiley, then the commission’s executive director, said prior to the second hunt.
A gap of nearly four years followed. When I asked Wiley, now chief operating officer for Ducks Unlimited, why the commission stopped holding the contests, he said the reason was simple. The agency decided it was smarter to contract with professional trappers to go out and hunt snakes all year long.
“We learned from the first few python challenge competitions that experienced trappers were having success locating and catching pythons, so we focused on standing up and supporting that approach,” Wiley told me this week.
But then, in late 2019, Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference to announce a new competition to be held in January 2020 called “the Python Bowl.”
The name-change tied the snake-hunt in with another, slightly larger sporting event: the Super Bowl, held that year in Miami. To underline the link, DeSantis displayed a football covered in python skin instead of pigskin.
“The 2020 Python Bowl is sure to be a great success, and I look forward to the positive effects it will have on preserving and protecting the Everglades ecosystem,” he said then.
But the 2020 competition turned out to be a backward step. Hunters snagged only 80 snakes. Predicting the contest would be “a great success” turned out to be as accurate as predicting the NFL would allow the teams to use that python-skin football.....
But how effective have these annual hunts been? Last year’s brought 600 people from 25 states to slog through our swampy wilderness seeking snakes. Over 10 days, they captured 223 python, which is … still not a lot.
“If you’re going to control the population of an invasive species, the mortality rate must exceed the birth rate,” said Don Schmitz, a retired Florida biologist who used to head the National Invasive Species Council. He’s also editor of a book about invasive species in Florida with the marvelous title of “Strangers in Paradise.”
Florida’s python contests aren’t coming close to knocking out the number of snakes that hatch each year. They’re killing so few snakes, Schmitz told me, “they’re not making a bit of difference.” ....
The fish that roared
Other invasives eventually followed the hogs. Greenhouse frogs and Cuban anoles arrived aboard ships in the late 1800s. Fire ants did the same in the 1930s.
One of the scariest is the lionfish, first spotted off Dania Beach in 1985. These natives of the Indian and Pacific Oceans appeared here because, apparently, some aquarium owner decided to dump his or her tank in the wild.
Common lionfish. Credit: Jens Petersen via Wikimedia Commons
The lionfish remind me of pythons because they gobble up all the native reef fish. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary notes that “lionfish have been known to swallow whole prey twice their length.”
Yet, as with the python and the feral hogs, we’ve turned the pursuit of lionfish into a sport. There are lionfish tournaments in the Keys and the Panhandle with big cash prizes. Meanwhile, chefs stand ready to cook your catch.
The contestants hauled in 13,835 fish. Bear in mind that one female lionfish can release 25,000 eggs every few days. ....
Putting them to sleep
I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s python-catching parade here.
Sometimes these contests yield fascinating human stories. One of last year’s python hunters was a deaf science teacher from St. Augustine who just wanted a snakeskin to show his students. Brandon Call grabbed the $1,500 award for the longest snake with a 15-foot-9 specimen, and, yes, he got a skin too.
I just think we should all be clear about what’s really going on. These sporting events may be fun, lucrative, and even educational, raising awareness of the problem. But they’re not the answer to eradicating what’s steadily changing the nature of our state......
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Gulf Council to Meet in Corpus Christi, Texas
August 22-25, 2022
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will meet Monday, August 22 through Thursday, August 25, 2022, at the Omni Hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas. The meeting will be broadcast by webinar.
About Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional Fishery Management Councils established by the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Council prepares fishery management plans, which are designed to manage fishery resources within the 200-mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico.
Sign up for Gulf Council News here!
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Florida Groundwater Conference
Register to attend!
Exhibit & Sponsor opportunities!
September 28 & 29, 2022
Florida Hotel and Conference Center
1500 Sand Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32809
The 2022 Florida Groundwater Conference program includes a variety of presentations on important Florida groundwater issues.This year's sessions focus on topical issues identified by the conference planning team, including:
Everglades and Lake Okeechobee
PFAS - May not be as "forever" as we first thought
Geophysics, sinkholes and pumping tests
Potable reuse and seawater intrusion challenges
Managed Aquifer Recharge and ASR
Florida aquifer recharge and deep well injection projects
Wells, well maintenance and wellfield management
And also includes:
Field trip opportunity, reception, door prizes and great networking!
FIELD TRIP OPTION Tuesday September 28th 10:00am - 1:00pm to
LAKE OKEECHOBEE NUTRIENT REDUCTION PROGRAM – REMOVING AQUATIC VEGETATION FOR LAND APPLICATION. - AguaCulture Technologies, LLC
Conference schedule, presenters, on-line registration (including field trip option), and
additional conference information.
Continuing Education
- Approved CE provider by Florida Board of Professional Engineers
- Application submitted to FL DEP for Water Well Contractors
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Approved by FUSE for Water & Wastewater Operators-Course #8118004,1.2 CEUs
- Certificate of Attendance available for all other professions
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August 4, 2022
The Honorable Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader United States Senate
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House United States House of Representatives
Dear Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi,
The undersigned groups write in strong support of the more than $21 billion investment in climatesmart agriculture and conservation technical assistance included in the Inflation Reduction Act. This would be the largest investment into agriculture conservation in decades and would be transformative for farmers, ranchers, and foresters across the country. USDA’s voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs enable producers to adopt practices that build soil health, sequester carbon, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while also improving surface and ground water quality, increasing water efficiency, creating habitat for fish and wildlife, and protecting agricultural lands for future generations. Farm Bill conservation programs are critically oversubscribed and meet only a fraction of the need for voluntary conservation on the landscape. Increasing funding for USDA’s popular and effective Farm Bill conservation programs is one of the quickest and most practical ways to energize rural economies, improve climate resilience, and ensure that our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters are part of the solution to climate change. Farmers, ranchers, and foresters are ready to adopt practices that sequester carbon and reduce emissions if they are provided the tools and resources to make that goal a reality. Increasing funding for the Farm Bill conservation programs and climate-smart agriculture and ramping up conservation technical assistance on the ground will enable landowners to mitigate the impacts of drought and flood, restore wildlife habitat, improve soil health and long-term food security, create new job opportunities for rural economies, and galvanize the agriculture sector to lead the charge in our fight against climate change. Passing the Inflation Reduction Act represents the best opportunity in decades to meet farmer demand for conservation programs. The undersigned groups urge you to support the investments in the Inflation Reduction Act that support USDA agriculture conservation programs and conservation technical assistance.
Sincerely,
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One Dragonfly Can Eat 100s of Mosquitoes per Day: Plants to Attract Dragonflies!
.... Grow Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
. Swamp milkweed has white and pink flowers that grow back every year. The perennial plant attracts dragonfly prey and grows well in moist and sunny areas. Native plant that is great for supporting monarch butterflies.
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we are inviting you to Big Cypress Gallery Labor Day Weekend for
CLYDE BUTCHER'S 🎉
80th Birthday Celebration
September 3rd & 4th, 2022
BIG CYPRESS GALLERY
Wish Clyde Happy Birthday
Saturday & Sunday 11am-3pm
Join the Butcher family at the Big Cypress Gallery this Labor Day Weekend, Saturday and Sunday, September 3rd and 4th, 11 am to 3 pm for an Artist “Meet and Greet” event. We are celebrating Clyde's 80th Birthday both days with party snacks and plenty of cheer! This event is free and open to the public but we ask that you please RSVP so we know how many people to expect.
BIG CYPRESS GALLERY
Open 7 days a week
10am-5pm
In the heart of the Everglades
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Join us for a weekend of swamp walks, live demonstrations and experiments with NPS rangers, entertainment, and so much more when our Swamp Celebration returns this October 22 & 23!
These adventurous outings are a fundraiser for Big Cypress National Preserve's environmental youth education program, which serves every 6th-grade student in Collier County each year.
With support from The Alliance, around 3,000 children are able to experience the natural and wild wonders of Southwest Florida's ecosystems through this scientist-for-a-day program.
During the Swamp Celebration, swamp walks will take place on Saturday, October 22, and Sunday, October 23, from
8 am - 3 pm each day.
The Butcher family has once again graciously opened the gates to their private land and trails to our supporters for this two-day exclusive event at the Clyde Butcher Big Cypress Gallery.
This year's Swamp Celebration is sponsored by:
JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Get your tickets now, before we sell out
Purchase tickets and get all the details at
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The International Coastal Cleanup is the world's largest, single day volunteer effort to clean up the marine environment. This year will be the 33rd year that Keep Lee County Beautiful has hosted this event in Lee County. CLICK HERE for details and to register.
There is still time to become a sponsor and get your company name or logo proudly displayed on the custom event t-shirts, banners, posted on our event page and given media attention for your contribution. Please visit our sponsorship page for additional information. Call 239-334-3488 or email [email protected].
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Great American Outdoors Act
This landmark conservation legislation will use revenues from energy development to provide up to $1.9 billion a year for five years to provide needed maintenance for critical facilities and infrastructure in our national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, recreation areas, and American Indian schools. It will also use royalties from offshore oil and natural gas to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund to the tune of $900 million a year to invest in conservation and recreation opportunities across the country.
National parks host more than 325 million visitors every year, and the infrastructure cannot keep up without significant repairs. The network of roads, trails, restrooms, water treatment systems, and visitor facilities are aging, and many are exceeding the capacity they were designed to support.
The National Parks and Public Lands Restoration Fund will provide funding for priority projects that address the maintenance backlog at NPS facilities, including campgrounds, picnic areas, roads, trails, and other critical infrastructure.
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August 03, 2022
BY MARY WOZNIAK
Conservationists are lauding the first steps taken by the state during the first year of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act to preserve acreage critical for the survival of imperiled wildlife species and protect the state’s water supply.
Now they say the need is to ramp up the momentum to conserve more acreage more quickly to save the sensitive land from ever-encroaching development.
“This is a race against time,” said Mallory Dimmitt, CEO of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, an organization focused on promoting, supporting and completing the corridor.
The Florida Wildlife Corridor is a geographic swath of about 18 million acres of land stretching from the Panhandle to the Everglades. Ten million of those acres are already preserved, but fragmented, creating a meandering patchwork of disconnected parcels surrounded by development....
The act was passed unanimously by state lawmakers and took effect July 1, 2021. They set aside $400 million to begin funding “incentives for conservation and sustainable development,” as the law language states. Of the $400 million, $100 million went to the Florida Forever land conservation program and $300 million in federal stimulus money went toward acquiring land through actual purchase, or conservation easement. A conservation easement means the owner is giving up the development rights of the property in perpetuity, but still owns the land, manages it and pays taxes on it......
The next meeting where more lands could be considered for acquisition in the corridor is scheduled for Aug. 23 by the Florida Board of Trustees, which is composed of the governor and the cabinet.....
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Learn more about the impacts of storage north of Lake O?
The University of Florida Water Institute’s 2015 report effectively detailed the best solutions. These solutions include additional storage north of the lake which, according to the South Florida Water Management District, the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project combined with other planned storage and treatment projects will help achieve the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)’s goal of achieving an 80 percent reduction of coastal discharges from Lake Okeechobee.
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'Learn About Climate First Bank's Focus on Environmental Sustainability'
Tuesday, August 9 @ Noon
Florida is at the center of the climate crisis, being threatened by ever increasing storms and super-charged hurricanes, sea level rise, and rising record-breaking heat days, among other climate impacts.
The status quo of inaction is no longer an option. The future demands on our ability to work together, now, to reverse the damage and restore our planet’s natural balance to allow people and nature to thrive in harmony.
Climate First Bank's vision is to reimagine finance as a force for good and become the most impactful bank contributing to the drawdown of atmospheric CO2. Backed by Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles, Climate First Bank is a full-service community bank offering personal and commercial banking services with a focus on environmental sustainability.
They preserve America’s irreplaceable ecosystem by providing residents and businesses with convenient, specialized green loan options for everything ranging from rooftop solar to renewable energy to building retrofits, EV charging, or even purchasing certified carbon offsets. Hear more at the August Lunch and Learn. Register Today!
Building Blocks of Green Building is a FGBC Webinar
hosted by the Realtor, Builder and Appraiser Committee
Guest Speaker:
Chris Cucci
Senior Vice President,
Chief of Staff
Climate First Bank
Chris Cucci has spent all of his nearly 20-year banking career in the Central Florida market. A native of New Jersey, Cucci moved to Orlando in 1997 to attend the University of Central Florida where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree.
Going Green? Follow the Florida Green Building Coalition on Social Media
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DOI and NOAA update GOMA Federal Working Group on America the Beautiful
GOMA’s Federal Working Group recently hosted a webinar focused on the “America the Beautiful” initiative. Kate Kelly, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, Department of the Interior, and Dr. Letise LaFeir, Senior Advisor at NOAA, spoke on the initiative, which is a locally-led nationwide effort to conserve, connect, and restore 30% of lands and waters across the U.S. by 2030. A variety of organizations will be able to participate in this inclusive and collaborative effort, including those that already have existing programs. If you have something to contribute, let us know!
GOMA's Federal Working Group includes multiple federal agencies that bring diverse expertise to the Alliance. To join the Federal Working Group mailing list, email [email protected].
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Why Flowers, Plants, and Trees Matter
Big challenges with climate await us, and never have trees, plants, and flowers been more important. At this year's America in Bloom Symposium & Awards Celebration, you will get a big picture view of all that horticulture does to make our lives, homes, neighborhoods, and communities healthier, economically strong, more beautiful, and environmentally better, and why it needs to be a part of the solution.
One of your favorite symposium speakers is back again this year! Dr. Charlie Hall continues his theme of providing information on the benefits of your In Bloom efforts. In past symposia, he focused on the economic, environmental, and health benefits of beautification. Now his attention turns to the positive impact beautification has on property values. These benefits are often overlooked by municipal leaders, so Charlie is going to equip you with the data to support your ongoing beautification efforts.
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Recreational red snapper summer season closed Aug. 1 in Gulf state and federal waters
The last day to harvest red snapper in Gulf state and federal waters during the summer season for private recreational anglers is July 31. The season closes Aug. 1, reopening for five fall weekends beginning Oct. 8.
The current season also applies to for-hire operations that do not have a federal reef fish permit but they are limited to fishing for red snapper in Gulf state waters only.
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Register Now for The
2022 Southeast Building Conference
You don't want to miss this year's Southeast Building Conference (SEBC) NEXT WEEK at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee.
The region's best show will be Wednesday, August 3 and Thursday, August 4.
Visit the Florida Green Building Coalition in Booth #831.
See the latest innovations and building trends with 300+ exhibitors and live product demonstrations each day. Not to mention, attendees have access to five different education tracks with a total of more than 30 CE hours to choose from.
You don't want to miss the largest industry expo in the southeast this summer!
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Protecting the Everglades Ecosystem
WildLandscapes International and Family Lands Remembered entered into an agreement with Collier Companies to allow WildLandscapes to acquire 458,277 acres of mineral rights in Big Cypress and Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge (Florida Panther NWR).
Acquisition of Mineral Rights
Big Cypress and Florida Panther NWR were established in the 1970s, but the mineral rights were not included in the original acquisition, leaving the parks only partially protected. Collier Companies have retained the right to extract oil from the property and NPS and USFWS do not have the legal authority to prevent them from doing so. Purchasing the mineral rights will irrevocably protect the Green Heart of the Greater Everglades system, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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A Land Remembered was winner of the Florida Historical Society's Tebeau Prize as the Most Outstanding Florida Historical Novel. Now in its 14th hardcover printing, it has been in print since 1984 and is also available in trade paperback.
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The Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP) seeks to use a series of active and passive water management features and water quality features, and make alterations to existing canals and levees. The goals of the project are to improve the quantity, quality, timing and distribution of water in the Western Everglades in the effort to re-establish ecological connectivity, reduce the severity and frequency of wildfires, and restore low nutrient conditions.
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Mike Elfenbein - Conservation Chair
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Our mission is to restore and maintain an ecological harmonious balance between Florida’s waterways and the human activities surrounding them. We are in the business of reducing the cost of nutrient removal, boosting the local economy by creating farm jobs and aquatic harvesting jobs, and saving Florida’s waterways at a lower cost to taxpayers than current conventional methods.
With over 30 years of experience in the agricultural
industry mastering logistics, land management, lagoon remediation
and crop consulting, AguaCulture has transferred that knowledge
and expertise to the aquatic weed harvesting market providing a
NEW perspective on Aquatic Weed Management.
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Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Science Conference (GEER 2023) will take place IN-PERSON in beautiful Coral Springs, Florida, April 17-20, 2023!
If you are working in the Everglades, you should make plans to join us!
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Robert V. Sobczak is a hydrologist and author of the Go Hydrology! web page and co-author of the campfire trilogy. Bob can be emailed at [email protected] |
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It features environmental education topics including watersheds, habitat, and sustainable fishing as well as fun activities for kids to learn and explore the Florida outdoors.
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Eco-Voice.org
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