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Greetings,
Happy New Year! We hope
this first Restore of 2006 finds you well-rested, with a renewed
sense of commitment to Everglades restoration. This issue
includes opportunities to learn more about the challenges ahead
and experience the "river of grass" for yourself, as well as
three important actions you can take to support our
Everglades. Enjoy!
-- Audubon of
Florida Policy Team
Ask President Bush to Fund Federal
Commitments
to Everglades Restoration in 2007!
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The
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was approved
nearly six years ago, yet in the absence of its implementation,
the Everglades continues to decline. While State of Florida
contributions to the restoration have been ongoing, the
restoration of the Everglades is at a critical juncture. Federal
funds committed during CERP's development have not been
realized. Keeping Everglades restoration on schedule and
maintaining the federal/Florida partnership will require a
significant federal investment in 2007.
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| President Bush will
soon deliver to Congress his 2007 federal budget proposal. His
request of funding for Everglades restoration would not only
allow critical projects to proceed, but would send an important
message to Florida legislators: the federal government remains a
committed partner in this project of vital national
interest. |
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State May Allow Florida
Keys to Slide on Water and
Habitat Commitments
The Florida Keys have been an
Area of Critical State Concern since 1974. Under this
designation, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is
required to make an annual evaluation of Monroe County's
progress toward addressing four critical needs: water quality
improvement, habitat protection, affordable housing, and
hurricane evacuation.
Recently, DCA has praised Monroe County for
making "substantial" progress overall in meeting its goals.
However, little true progress has been made. Much
of the reported "progress" is in the form of promises,
drafts, and conceptual plans, and is not the real achievement of
the designation's overriding goals.
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| The Governor and
Cabinet are scheduled this month to evaulate DCA's annual
assessment of progress in the Keys, and if they approve of
this assessment, the Keys could be delisted from their
status as an Area of Critical State Concern. As a result,
even more development will be allowed in a county which has not
addressed such basic issues as water quality, habitat
protection, affordable housing and hurricane evacution for the
development it currently
allows. |
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HOW
YOU CAN HELP |
Use our Keys
Advocacy Site to write the Governor and Cabinet. Ask them to
defer any determination of substantial progress until the true
requirements of this designation have been met. Every community
in Florida should have guarantees of water quality, habitat
protection, affordable housing and hurricane evacuation.
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Battle to Control Miami Sprawl Moves to
Tallahassee
The Coastal
Everglades are a habitat corridor of fresh and saltwater
wetlands connecting Everglades and Biscayne National Parks. In
Miami-Dade County, they have been protected by the Urban
Development Boundary (UDB), a line separating urban development
from the Everglades.
On January 9th, the South
Florida Regional Planning Council took a hard line and
recommended denial on seven of the nine applications to push
development past the UDB and toward Everglades and Biscayne
National Parks. The Council was tied on the two other
applications. The applications have now been sent to the State's
Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for comment, before they
return to the County for a final vote later this spring.
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HOW
YOU CAN HELP |
Join Audubon in sending a strong
message to DCA that conserving the Everglades and Biscayne Bay
must take precedence over unnecessary urban development. Use our
advocacy site on
the UDB issue to ask DCA to recommend denial of these sprawl
projects. | |
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Audubon of Florida's Okeechobee State
of the Lake Report Released
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In
recent years, Lake Okeechobee has suffered from
hurricane-deepened water levels and intense water quality
problems, and has been forced to discharge harmful pulses
of freshwater to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries. The
symptoms are clear-- water management in South Florida isn't
working for the lake-- but the causes of and solutions to these
problems are complex at best.
To help
inform citizens and public servants about the issues,
Audubon of Florida has released "Lake Okeechobee: A
Synthesis of Information and Recommendations for Its
Restoration." In a single document, this report illustrates the
history and causes of Lake Okeechobee's problems,
and makes meaningful recommendations for
restoration.
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| The fate of the Everglades is
tied to that of Lake Okeechobee. Learn more about the challenges
we face and the resource we'll restore in returning the lake to
its original glory. Read the
report! |
7th Annual Everglades Day
Event · Saturday, February
11
at Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National
Wildlife Refuge
Everglades Day
is a free, day-long celebration of the
Everglades! This year's theme, "Everglades: Florida's River
of Life," will highlight the important connection of people,
animals and habitat in this unique ecosystem.
Sponsored by the
Audubon Society of the Everglades, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and Friends of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee
National Wildlife Refuge, this festival is a wonderful
opportunity for families to explore Florida's natural wonders
and learn more about how they can help protect one of our
nation's most special places. Activities are available for all
ages, interests and degrees of mobility!
Loxahatchee National Wildlife
Refuge is located at 10216 Lee Road, Boynton Beach, FL 33437.
For more information, call (561) 734-8303 or click here. |
SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES |
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· wildlife
presentations
· children's
activities
· bird & nature
walks
·
guided canoe & kayak
trips
· photographic
exhibits
· live
music
· food
vendors
· tram rides around the
refuge
· presentaciones en
español | top
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