Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet

JOIN US AT OUR MEETINGS

January, 2012
For information call Loren (239) 267-1566

At 6 PM on the First Thursday at Happehatchee Center 8791 Corkscrew Road, Estero

Go to this site and join Ellen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWKWKV5ka_o&list=PLF98D82DAA81C60F8&feature=player_embedded

UPCOMING SWF SIERRA - CALUSA GROUP OUTINGS

SIERRA CLUB PLANNED OUTINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC OUTDOORS ENTHUSIASTS ARE WELCOME TO ALL SIERRA OUTINGS Please contact Sierra Calusa Outings Leader Marcia Cravens for more details and directions. ph (239) 594-8256 email

goldandrose@mac.com or goldandrose@me.com February 2012 Outings: 2/15/12 9 - Noon Bird Rookery Swamp Hike at Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) - with CREW Nature guide 2/21/12 9 -10:30 AM Clam Pass Park Nature Hike with Conservancy Nature guide. Optional add-on 2 hour kayak tour through Clam Pass mangrove creeks (fees apply to kayaking) 2/28/12 9 -10:30 AM Clam Pass Park Nature Hike with Conservancy Nature guide. Optional add-on 2 hour kayak tour through Clam Pass mangroves creeks (fees apply to kayaking) March 2012 Outings: 3/8/12 6:45-8:45 PM CREW Marsh Trail Full Moon Hike with CREW Nature guide (CREW requires a nominal fee for this special hike) 3/14/12 Paddle through Shell Creek 3/17/12 9 - Noon CREW Marsh Trail Hike with CREW Nature guide April 2012 Outings: 4/22/12 Join Sierra Calusa at Earth Day Event in Koreshan Historic Site State Park - includes many supporting partners and activities all day 4/25/12 Estero Bay Kayak tour with Florida Master Naturalist and GAIA certified Guide ( fees apply for guide and kayak rentals)
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50 million acres of America's National Forests are now protected

10/23/2011 I am pleased and proud to bring you news of a landmark court victory won by Earthjustice, with your support, after 13 years of legal struggle. Nearly 50 million acres of America's richest natural resource our National Forestsare now protected by a decree of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court has firmly, and unanimously, taken the side of you and me and the vast majority of citizens who love our forests just the way they are: thick with trees and wildlife, their waters running free and pure. This ruling, which reinstates the Roadless Rule, is so powerfully constructed that we believe it can withstand further challenge.

DROUGHT IS UPON US www.sfwmd.gov/

Conservation Encouraged for Coming Months The SFWMD Governing Board has declared a water shortage warning to encourage vigilance and voluntary water conservation during the dry season. Frequent swings in South Florida's water conditions - and the drier-than-normal La Nia forecast - indicate that a return to water shortage is possible in the spring.

Biologists: 32 Florida panthers born in 2011

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) State wildlife officials say the number of Florida panthers born last year appears to offset the number of documented panther deaths. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 32 of the endangered cats were born to 11 female panthers last year. Biologists also documented 24 panther deaths in 2011. Nine deaths were caused by collisions with vehicles. Officials say just 100 to 160 Florida panthers survive in the state. The population has been increasing since the 1970s, when fewer than 30 were found.

DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE, 1/13/12, Seeking Safety for Panthers

Defenders and our partners are working with ranchers and state and local officials to protect these panthers -- and ensure they continue to have room to roam. Learn how Defenders is helping ranchers and panthers coexist. Learn more about how technology is helping Florida panthers -- and drivers.
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IT IS HAPPENING ALL OVER FLORIDA

Dear Friends of Floridas waters: First of all . . . Happy 2012. Wouldnt it be nice to know what lies ahead of us so we could plan our work for the entire year? There are always so many unanticipated challenges to our collective efforts to protect Floridas waters. Heres our top 6 campaigns for the year ahead and a bit of what is happening with them in the early days of 2012:

1. Stop the Buckeye pulp mill from building a pollution pipe to the Gulf. Now they plan to expand their pollution to the Gulf even more and still operate on 20 yearold expired permit. Heres what we are doing. 2. Defeat the state and federal Numeric nutrient criteria. Get a new nutrient rule that will actually help our waters. The next steps in a hugely wasteful and misleading process. 3. Push EPA to regulate dozens of health-based toxics in Floridas waters. 4. Stop Georgia-Pacific and their pollution pipe to the St. Johns River. 5. Expand our Florida Estuary Project. Keep fighting in court to have a real Impaired Waters clean-up program. Monitor TMDLs around the state.
ALSO BELOW: * Important meetings coming up that you may want to attend. * Our new website. And here are the details:

1. Buckeye pulp mill expands pollution to the Gulf and still operates on 20 yearold expired permit. Heres what we are doing. According to Buckeyes SEC filings, the 60-year-old, pulp mill in Perry, Florida is shifting its production to add a 42,000 ton increase in dissolving pulp products and to offset the same amount in fluff pulp. By keeping their total production numbers the same, they are hoping to avoid a permit modification. In case you have forgotten, Buckeye is operating on an expired permit that was issued some 20 years ago for a 60 million gpd discharge to an industrial river (class V). That means that the permit essentially has no pollution limits in it at all. The discharge has already caused a 10 square mile dead zone at the mouth of the Fenholloway River, which is right in the middle of the Big Bend Aquatic Seagrass Preserve.
What does this 8% increase in dissolving pulp products mean to the Fenholloway River, surrounding springs and tributaries, ground water and the Gulf of Mexico? It means a lot!!! Buckeyes daily discharge of tens of millions of gallons of industrial waste is highly contaminated with dioxin several orders of magnitude higher than allowed by law, according to studies done by the US EPA. It also contains a whole slew of other hydrogenated organochlorine chemicals that are extremely toxic to humans, marine life and land animals. It is high in nutrients which cause toxic algae to grow in the river and offshore in the Gulf and it has high levels of ammonium-nitrate which is very toxic to everything. Those are just a few of the problems.

Of Buckeyes two production lines, the dissolving line is by far the most toxic and deadly. The fact that the Florida DEP and the US EPA are allowing Buckeye to increase their pollution load to the environment, when the mill doesnt even have a current permit is outrageous. For the past several years, the federal government has given paper mills billions of dollars to do something that they have been doing for decades: burning black liquor in their boilers. Black liquor is a byproduct of their process. By adding petroleum to their liquor fuel, they qualified for a federal tax credit that was intended for other purposes. Buckeye got $130 million in these tax credits for 2009. In 2010 they got $67.1 million in Alternative Fuel Mixture Credits (AFMC). Are they using this corporate welfare from the US government (thats our money by the way) to reduce their pollution to our air and water? No! They are using it to expand their production and their pollution. Buckeyes proposed solution to their lack of an operating permit is to build a 15 mile pollution pipeline to the Gulf of Mexico. By volume, their discharge equals about 20 of BPs Deepwater Horizon pipes that spewed into the Gulf for months. Buckeyes discharge will not be for a few months, it could be for another 60 years. Discharging pollution 24/7 at 45 to 70 million gallons per day. CWN-FL has been fighting Buckeyes pollution (the biggest, nastiest, deadliest polluter in Florida) for decades. We are continuing to fight for the protection of the Gulf of Mexico from this monster, rogue industry. Please contact the Congressional Representative from Taylor County with this message (or one of your choosing): Dear Congressman Southerland: https://southerland.house.gov/index.cfm/email-me Your congressional district has the dubious distinction of being the home of one of the most polluting industrial facilities in the country the Buckeye pulp mill in Perry. Did you know that this mill has a 45 to 70 million gallon per day discharge to the Fenholloway River and then on to the Gulf of Mexico? Did you know that it has no current permit for this discharge? Its last permit was written some 20 years ago for an industrial river and contains almost no pollution limits. Buckeyes discharge has caused a 10-square mile dead zone in the midst of the Big Bend Aquatic Seagrass Preserve. Its black dioxin-contaminated sludge landed on Wakulla beach a few years ago and killed a huge area of grassbeds there too. As shocking as this sounds, its only the tip of the iceberg. Now Buckeye is expanding its pollution even more. They are increasing by 8% their production of dissolved pulp which is their most toxic product and is the source of most of the dioxin in their waste stream. DEP has received no written request for permission to make this major change in their production and is demanding nothing from Buckeye since they cant possibly violate their expired permit that contains essentially no pollution limits. Your district also includes and is adjacent to counties that are largely dependent on coastal resources such as clam farming, scalloping, fishing and tourism for their economic health. These industries are in danger of collapse if Buckeyes pollution is not substantially reduced. I am writing you to ask DEP why Buckeye is being allowed to operate without an up -to-date permit? Why is this company allowed to increase its pollution loading without permission from the state? Buckeye has the technology available to clean up its pollution and protect the Gulf of Mexico. A pipe to the Gulf will only further threaten our valuable coastal
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resources. In 2009 Buckeye took $130 million in tax-credits and in 2010 they took $67 million in tax-credits. They should use this money to clean up their mess and be a responsible part of the community. Please share your thoughts with me and let me know what you can do to help with this problem. Your name Address City, state, zip 2. Numeric nutrient criteria next steps in a hugely wasteful and misleading process. As previously reported the ERC approved the DEPs version of the Numeric Nutrient Criteria for Florida. DEPs nutrient rule essentially treats point-source polluters the same way that the Clean Water Act treats agriculture as a non-regulated entity. The federal nutrient rule does the same exact thing, so dont be mislead into thinking the federal rule will make a difference either because it wont. To explain further, point source discharges (NPDES discharges) will not be required to meet the nutrient criteria at their point of discharge like they do with other pollutants. Instead, the entire water body will be sampled over a one year span in different places. Only after those samples are averaged over the entire year, and are found to be too high for two out of three years will a red flag go up. This is where the state and federal rules take a different path. The federal rule then offers numerous ways to avoid making any polluters reduce their nutrient pollution. Those loopholes are easy to get and will usually be the end of the story once one or more are applied. The state rule requires that the chemically impaired water body be inspected for biological impairment. If DEP decides that the whole water body is not biologically impaired (basically dead), then life goes on and the pollution can continue unabated indefinitely. If by some miracle DEP decides there is a serious problem, then all of the same loopholes that EPA offers to polluters, are also available. The worst case scenario for the polluters is that the water will get listed on the 303(d) list (can take up to 5 years), then a TMDL will be developed (can take an indefinite length of time), then a BMAP will be developed (will take at least 5 years) and then NPDES permits can be adjusted to reduce nutrients. Point-source polluters can ask for other loopholes and can have up to 20 years to comply if ever. So, in short, neither the state or federal nutrient rules are worth the paper they are written on. DEP says that the Legislature received the state rule on January 9th. This will be the first time a DEP rule has gotten ratified by the Legislature so DEP says that they do not know the procedure. Even though there is no hope that the Legislature will be horrified by the lack of integrity in the nutrient rule, we should all contact our state legislators (house and senate) and let them know that we are not satisfied with this do-nothing rule and we want them to vote against it. You message can be as simple as this: Dear Legislator: Floridas springs, lakes, streams and estuaries are choking to death on nutrients. They need help immediately and every other government official who has had an opportunity so far to provide protection to them has failed. We are writing to you today with this urgent message. Please reject the Dept. of Environmental Protections nutrient rule. Just vote no! I would appreciate a reply with your position on this issue which is vital to Floridas economy, public health and our future. When I learn more about next steps, I will let you know. EPA is requesting an extension of
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time from the federal courts to adopt their version of the nutrient rule. They would prefer to wait until Floridas rule is final and then the federal rule will be withdrawn. 3. Push EPA to regulate dozens of health-based toxics in Floridas waters. CWN-FL is still pushing EPA to set limits on dozens of health-based toxics for Florida at levels that will be protective of the most vulnerable populations. Florida has stalled on setting these regulations for 15 years, so we have petitioned EPA to take over the rule-making process. If we can avoid a lawsuit, that will be our preference but we will continue to push for better protection until either the state or EPA sets protective limits for these toxic chemicals in our environment. 4. Georgia-Pacific and their pollution pipe to the St. Johns River. We continue to work with our members and partners to stop Georgia-Pacific from building their pipeline to the St Johns River. The St Johns Riverkeeper is doing excellent work on this issue and we will continue to assist in anyway possible. 5. Expand our Florida Estuary Project. Over the next year or so, DEP and/or EPA will be setting nutrient criteria for most of Floridas estuaries. It is critically important that you are involved in this process. We will continue our efforts to keep you informed of workshops and pending decisions. If you would like to partner with CWN-FL on your estuary protection, please let us know and well be happy to work with you. 6. TMDLs around the state. We are still in litigation over the state Impaired Waters list and the methodology that DEP uses to list and delist impaired waters. We have sued over this issue and won several times in the past 10 years. DEP is relentless in its efforts to keep many impaired waters off of this clean-up list. They would prefer that we accept current pollution levels and problems as the norm and the best that we should ever expect in the future. This is contrary to the Clean Water Act and a terrible legacy to leave for future generations. This litigation is expensive and extremely difficult to undertake. We are incredibly grateful to our attorney David Ludder for his amazing work on this important issue.

EVERGLADES NEWS
Everglades Skyway Update. On December 23 the President signed the 2012 Appropriations Act, including authorization for the elevation of Tamiami Trail, to restore the flow of the River of Grass. See more at Everglades Skyway. The Greater Everglades joins 9 other ecosystems in the Sierra Club's renewed effort to protect these important areas and the species that live in them. To find out how you can volunteer for the new Greater Everglades Resilient Habitats Campaign Click Here You can see the national campaigns listed on the web at Ecosystems You can give the gift of sponsorship of Everglades National Park! Finally, Everglades is getting the attention at the national level that it6 deserves. You can help. See the information at Everglades Sponsorship

FAVORITE WEBSITES
Please Explore http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/projects/ surplus-lands/index.php http://m1e.net/c?76996594-D/ Oze0CYRLRsE%407155690hjuVUjD43cKDg Kids Outdoors Act (HKOA) (HR 3353/ S 1802) will support state, local and federal strategies with intentions of improving children's health and supporting future economic growth and conservation efforts. The HKOA would provide funding for state-level incentives to connect youth with the outdoors and ensure the next generation of conservation stewards. Please take a minute to contact your U.S. Representative and Senators today and urge them to support the Healthy Kids Outdoors Act!

THE PEW ENVIROMENTAL NETWORK

1/5/2012 Sharks Win Big in 2011

Two Years After Spill, Dont Shortchange Gulf

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR WATER

http://dev.chnep.wateratlas.usf.edu/ http://flcoastalandocean.org/ http://www.evergladesplan.org/

http://www.news-press.com/ article/20120120/ OPINION/301200030/ Editorial: Resume Cape utility expansion In another example of elections having consequences, the Cape Coral City Council has declared in strong terms that it wants the citys controversial utility expansion program restarted. Red Tide Current Status

Protecting 10 Vulnerable Ecosystems from Climate Change

Climate change is the largest threat that our natural heritage has ever faced. The effects of climate disruption are already being felt on even our most pristine landscapes. Setting aside areas where development is restricted is no longer enough - we must now actively work to create resilient habitats where plants, animals, and people are able to survive and thrive on a warmer planet. Click the images below to learn more.

TAKE ACTION! Its Time To Crack Down On Water Pollution In Florida!

Toxic algae outbreaks in Florida have closed beaches, killed fish, and injured humans. The EPA must take control of this issue once and for all.
Take Action Today!

JUST WHAT WE NEED

If youre a Florida Keys resident or visitor, come May the next mosquito buzzing in your ear could be genetically engineered -- unless we act now. A private company called Oxitec wants to release potentially harmful genetically engineered mosquitoes in the Florida Keys as early as late spring of this year, in what would be the firstever U.S. release of these engineered bugs. There are too many unanswered questions about the health and environmental risks of Oxitecs engineered mosquitoes. Can you tell the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that Oxitec should not be allowed to use Floridians as field experiments? Oxitecs plan is to release 5,000 to 10,000 genetically engineered mosquitoes over a few weeks in a 36-square-acre block near the Key West Cemetery. The company claims that releasing the mosquitoes will help limit the spread of dengue fever because it has engineered the bugs so that their offspring die before they reach adulthood. But there are worrying signs that the company may not be leveling with the public. According to data we uncovered, Oxitecs mosquitoes may survive at much higher rates than the three to four percent that the company has asserted publicly.1 Up to 15 percent could survive in the presence of the common antibiotic tetracycline, which is used widely to raise meat and fish products and to treat sewage -- a possible breeding ground for these mosquitoes. We don't know all of the possible ecological and health impacts of these mosquitoes because state and federal agencies have not yet fully studied them. Could dangerous invasive species like the Asian Tiger mosquito fill the population void? What impacts might the engineered bugs that do survive into adulthood have? Are there unique health risks of bites from genetically engineered mosquitoes? Continued pg. 10
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LIVE ONLINE EVENTS

Energy
Economic Development & Clean Energy: Creating Positive Returns for LocalEconomies
January 31, 2012 2:00 4:00 PM EDT Clean energy technologies offer a diversity of ways to boost local-economies. Get in on the action in support of your community. Bring green-jobs and a thriving clean tech sector to your locale. Learn how to plan for, locate, engage-and-support clean energy industries of wide variety, including those already in your area and others to re-cruit. Discover green era approaches and insights from state and national leaders. Gain an insiders perspective on overcoming obstacles and finding real world solutions. Use what you learn to help make Florida an international leader in clean energy industries and green jobs. John A. "Skip" Laitner, Economic & Social Analysis Program Director, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Long-time national leader in the dual realms of energy and economic-impacts Mario Farias, CEO, Farias Marketing-Group Tampa area firm with strong experience in renewable energy econ-devp Buck Martinez, Senior Director of Project Development, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) FPL Next Era Energy Mike Aller, Executive Director, Space Coast Energy Consortium Engaged in diverse econ-devp activities and innovations for clean energy To hold your space: http://energysmartplanning.org/Webinars.html ... then simply-click-the-link you receive to join-us live. 2 AICP CM pending

Space Coast Annual Clean Energy Symposium

February 15 -16, 2012 Here's an outstanding event you can attend live at the Florida Solar Energy Center (Cocoa Beach) ... or, through the power of technology, and in cooperation with the Space Coast Clean Energy Consortium, we'll be presenting up to four of the Symposium sessions live online. See the agenda and sessions slated for virtual access: http://energysmartplanning.org/Webinars.html

Local Government Clean Energy Forum

February 29, 2012 2:00 - 4:00 PM On-line live event to assist communities in bolstering local economies through green jobs and clean energy actions. Will feature 8 officials from around the state with cities, counties, economic development agencies, a sustainability program and a municipal utility. Interactive session to share insights, exchange ideas, focus on needs and solutions for communities. Short presentations followed by open forum. Emphasis given to renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable energy strategies. Save your seat: http://energysmartplanning.org/Webinars.html

Sponsored-by:
1000 Friends of Florida ... and the Future Is Now Foundation

Audubon of Florida Advocate Protect Florida's Waterways

Florida's Waterways Under Threat

Legislation has been filed to privatize state submerged lands.
Urge the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee to OPPOSE HB 1103 by Rep. Goodson. An identical bill has been filed in the Florida Senate. The effect and purpose of these bills are to privatize tens of thousands of acres of publicly owned submerged lands in Floridas rivers, lakes, and streams. The bills do this by changing the legal definition of Ordinary High Water. The definition is changed to promote new conclusions in surveys which would set the Ordinary High Water Line at a lower elevation than current case law allows in Florida today. Lowering the elevation of Ordinary High Water causes the line between public and private lands to move further out in the water. If you are a kayaker, airboater, fisherman, duck hunter, or bird watcher who maneuvers your means of conveyance around in shallow marshy water this means that someday, headed into your favorite place, you are going to encounter a fence, barbed wire, and no trespassing signs blocking your way. And, one day a little later in the future, you will see rooftops and strip malls where the ducks, deer, and wading birds used to be. Representative Goodson needs to be contacted now and urged to drop this special-interest bill that may block the public from sovereign lands by turning those lands over to private parties. This is privatization of Floridas public lands in rivers and lakes, pure and simple. HB 1103 will be considered by the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Tuesday, January 17 at 12:30PM. To read this bill for yourself, please click here. Office Phone Ways You Can Help Right Now: Member Name 1. Send an email to the Bill Sponsor and the memRep. Tom Goodson (Rbers of the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Rockledge) (Bill Spon- (850) 488-3006 Subcommittee: sor) 2. Place a phone call to these committee members: Rep. Steve Crisafulli (R(850) 488-4669 Merritt Island) (Chair) Rep. Matt Caldwell (R(850) 488-1541 Lehigh Acres) Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda (D(850) 488-0965 Tallahassee) Rep. Jim Boyd (RPlease tell the Florida Department of (850) 488-4086 Bradenton) Agriculture and Consumer Services to Rep. Dwight Bullard (Dhalt Oxitecs experiment. (850) 488-5430 Miami) Rep. Rachel Burgin (RRegulators at the state and federal level are (850) 488-9910 Riverview) kicking around responsibility for overseeing Rep. Luis Garcia (D(850) 488-9930 the release of these engineered bugs, which Miami Beach) gives us time to try and stop this experiment Rep. Richard Glorioso (850) 488-0807 outright. (R-Plant City) Rep. Shawn Harrison (R (850) 488-3087 Please take action now. -Tampa) Rep. Steve Perman (D(850) 488-5588 Thanks for speaking out! Boca Raton) Eric Hoffman Rep. Ray Pilon (R- Sara(850) 488-7754 Biotechnology policy campaigner, sota) Friends of the Earth Rep. Elizabeth Porter (R (850) 488-9835 -Lake City) 1. Friends of the Earth, GeneWatch UK and Rep. Franklin Sands (DThird World (850) 488-0590 Weston) Rep. Jimmie Smith (R(850) 488-0805 Inverness)

MOSQUITOES

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Sen. Graham criticizes proposed environmental bills

Gov. Bob Graham appealed to a group of mostly-Democratic lawmakers Tuesday to use this legislative session to roll back laws and policy initiatives passed last year that he says threaten the Everglades and the future of the state's precious River of Grass. "There was considerable damage done last year to the state and one of its most precious assets, which is water," Graham said. "My hope is this legislative session will avoid any further damage and will begin the process of rolling back some of the improvident changes made last year." He also asked lawmakers to "do no harm" and reject the water privatization effort and the bill that redefines the line between private and public lands. The"water privatization bill," HB639/S1086, is said to be Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn's top legislative priority. It would allow local governments and utility companies to maintain control of treated waste water used mostly for watering lawns and agricultural irrigation. "The history in Florida is that water belongs to the people of Florida, wherever it is and under whatever process it may be undergoing" Graham said.

First International Conference on Mining Impacts to the Human and Natural Environments
Click here for Biographies of the Conference speakers

Schedule of Events
Morning Group Sessions Human and Wildlife Impacts 9:00-10:00 Central Florida
Inadequate Public Input on Offsite and Long-term Adverse Impacts of Phosphate Mining in the Peace River Basin: Lake Hancock to Charlotte Harbor Estuary Hardee County Dennis Mader, People for Protecting Peace River

Listen to Mr. Mader's presentation Phosphate Mining Impacts, Gyp Stacks and Gaps in Agency Regulation Manatee and Sarasota Counties Glenn Compton, ManaSota-88 website maintained by ManaSota-88 http://www.ourphosphaterisk.com Listen to Glenn's presentation 10:00-11:30 Southern and Coastal Florida Threats to Lives and Lifestyles from Industrial Mining in a Rural Southwest Florida Community Lee County Peggy Apgar-Schmidt & Kevin Hill, Corkscrew Road Rural Community oops! We don't appear to have the audio for this one- sorry! Maybe next conference. listen to the afternoon panel discussion

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Brooks Concerned Citizens advocacy website - sign up for e-mail notices and e-action alerts Gulf Coast Impacts from Inland Mining Gulf Coast Joe Murphy, Gulf Restoration Network " If the earth came with an instruction manual, it would have said DONT TOUCH THE KNOBS!" listen to the presentation South Floridas Dredge & Fill Projects for Beach Dunes Ignore Impacts of Source Material from Inland Mines"- not yet available for release Southeast to Southwest Tom Warnke, Surfrider Foundation & the Eastern Surfing Association - look especially for their "Position Statement on Coastal Armoring". 11:30-12:00 Morning Session Speakers Panel Discussion Ron Armstrong, P.E. & Jack McCarthy, Withlacoochee Area Residents Rob Brinkman, the Suwanee-St. Johns Group of the Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club Glenn Compton, ManaSota-88 Peggy Apgar-Schmidt, Corkscrew Road Rural Community Dennis Mader, People for Protecting Peace River Joe Murphy, Gulf Restoration Network Tom Warnke, Surfrider Foundation & the Eastern Surfing Association Afternoon Technical Sessions Science, Technology and Alternatives Session Moderator Nora Demers, Ph. D., Florida Gulf Coast University 1:00-2:00 Monitoring Inadequacies and Alternatives Designing a Water Quality Monitoring Plan for Phosphate Mining: A Critique of the Horse Creek Stewardship Program Bill Dunson, Ph. D., Penn State University Listen to Dr. Dunson's presentation High Performance Wireless Networks: Realtime Data Access for Monitoring Mine Sites (see the video at the link) Hans-Werner Braun & Pablo Bryant, University of California San Diego Learn more about HPWREN Applications for Glass Cullet as an Alternative to Mined Sand for Construction Aggregate * Charles W. Finkl, Ph. D. & C. Makowski, Coastal Planning & Engineering sample of Florida projects 2:00-3:00 Air and Water Quality, Remote Sensing and Economic Impacts Spatial and Temporal Monitoring of Phytoplankton in Waters Affected by or within Open Pit Mining Operations Using Pigment-Based Chemotaxonomy * Bill Louda, Ph. D., Florida Atlantic University, and Councilman of Loxahatchee Groves see Dr. Louda's CV "The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." (Isaac Asimov) Monitoring Open Pit Mining Operations Using Aerial Photographs and Google Earth * Tommy Jordan, Ph. D. & Marguerite Madden, Ph. D., University of Georgia Center for Remote Sensing and Mapping Science Economic Analysis of Mining Impacts: Flaws and Inadequacies Richard Weisskoff, Ph. D., University of Miami technical difficulties - click here for Dr. Weiskoff's T/F test 3:00-4:00 Soils and Geology Comparative Analysis of Physical, Chemical and Hydrological Characteristics of Native and Reclaimed Phosphate Mine Soils in Hardee, Hillsborough and Polk Counties, Florida, USA Lew Carter, Polston Engineering listen to the presentation
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The Use of Seismic Profiling To Identify Subsurface Fluid Migration Pathways at Proposed Mine Sites in Florida, USA James Flocks, USGS listen to the presentation Controls on the Depositional Balance Between Carbonates and Siliciclastics on the Southeastern Florida Platform: Applicability To Mine Site Evaluations* 4:00-5:30 Hydrology and Hydroperiod Understanding the Floridan Aquifer System: Dye Tracing Challenges Conventional Wisdoms of Mining Impacts Todd Kincaid, Ph. D., H2H Associates "Don't do the pink underwear test" listen to Dr. Kincaid's presentation Groundwater Modeling to Assess Impacts from Mining in Karst Aquifers Tim Hazlett, Ph. D. & Todd Kincaid, Ph. D., Hazlett-Kincaid listen to the presentation Field Assessments of Landscape-scale Mining Impacts Based on Spectroscopic Analyses Sydney Bacchus, Ph. D., Applied Environmental Services listen to Dr. Bacchus' presentation

WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO OUR PANTHERS ?

After a year which saw a record 24 Florida panthers killed by auto collision, intraspecific aggression (panther on panther fights to the death), illegal shootings, wildfire, and unknown causes, 2012 has gotten off to a rough start for Floridas state animal - and the only large cat which remains east of the Mississippi River. In just the first 2 weeks of the year, a total of 4 Florida panthers have died - two on highways, one in a territorial fight with another panther just outside a new housing development, and one by apparent infection. For a species which resides on just 5 percent of its former range (estimated to be shrinking by 1 percent per year) and has a maximum population of 160 individuals - this is not a good sign of things to come. You can help. The new director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Dan Ashe, is currently touring south Florida along with Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar. Positive announcements are being made on banning the import of invasive snake species, supporting Everglades restoration, and investing hundreds of millions of dollars to protect ranch lands in central Florida. With Director Ashes attention firmly on the Sunshine State, now is a perfect time to ask him to take the steps necessary to the recovery of Floridas great cat. As always - individual emails will carry much more weight than a form letter. Director Ashes email is: dan_ashe@fws.gov There is an underscore _ between dan and ashe. Here are two suggestions from South Florida Wildlands Association for you to consider sending to Director Ashe. 1. Designate critical habitat for the panther immediately. In February of 2010, in response to a petition by a coalition of environmental organizations, FWS chose to deny the Florida panther critical habitat protection under the Endangered Species Act - in spite of numerous documented benefits to species recovery. Thus, while the panther itself is currently protected, its habitat is not. In their denial, the service cited both the need to have cooperative relationships with area landowners as well as a technicality - the panther was protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1973 before the requirement to provide critical habitat designation for any endangered animal was mandated by a 1978 amendment to the Act. Just since the 2010 decision, ten new development projects have been approved by FWS in panther habitat (since 1984, FWS has approved 143 individual projects - a near perfect record). The ten recent projects include the typical mosaic of usages now common throughout south Florida: expanded agricultural operations; a waste to energy plant; a golf course community; a parking lot for off-road vehicles; a road widening project; and a limestone mine. In each case, after acknowledging adverse impacts to the Florida panther and Florida panther habitat, the service has concluded, Critical habitat has not been designated for the Florida panther, and therefore, will not be affected. 13

For a look at what one of these projects actually looks like on the ground, this video was shot 2 weeks ago at mile marker 51 of Interstate 75. It shows the massive new parking lot being constructed in the heart of primary panther habitat in the Big Cypress National Preserve Addition Lands. A popular hiking trail now lies buried somewhere beneath it. When completed, the project will provide parking for some of the 650 recreational motor vehicles which FWS has also approved in this highly sensitive area. http://m1e.net/c?76996594-D/Oze0CYRLRsE% 407155690-hjuVUjD43cKDg 2. Move immediately to expand the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. As mentioned above, Director Ashe will be making an announcement today to protect 150,000 acres of ranch lands in central Florida through a combination of land purchases and conservation easements. He will be requesting a 700 million dollar authorization from congress to accomplish that. While we appreciate the intent of the "Headwaters of the Everglades" project, South Florida Wildlands Association (SFWA) believes that, given the current plight of the panther, a re-prioritization is absolutely essential. At least a half dozen properties essential to the panther - and totaling approximately the same acreage as would be included in the Headwaters project - have been on the books for a decade as unfinished Florida Forever projects (the State of Floridas conservation land acquisition program). These include a property to the north of the Big Cypress Addition Lands (bought up by Florida Power and Light just this past June and now slated to become the biggest fossil fuel power plant in the country - the Hendry County Clean Energy Center - if we and our allies are unsuccessful in stopping the project). Another piece of privately owned land borders the Caloosahatchee River and has been identified as the last piece of undeveloped property which panthers (so far only males) use to leave the confines of south Florida. While SFWA and other environmental organizations are working hard to bring this key corridor under conservation protection, the for sale sign remains. Time is of the essence. These lands and others adjacent to them are on the Florida Growth Machines chopping block now. Allowing them to be developed will likely deal a fatal blow to the panthers chances of recovery. If protected they would form a completely contiguous corridor of conservation lands and habitat which would stretch from the Caloosahatchee River to the southern tip of Everglades National Park. They have been extensively studied for their conservation importance and, with the sole exception of the land recently purchased by Florida Power and Light, have owners willing to provide protection without added development (we are still hoping Florida Power and Light will come around on this as well). This is not an opportunity we want to miss. 14 Please send an email to Director Ashe now. Ask him to reconsider the decision of his agency and designate critical habitat for the panther immediately. And ask him to use the power of the federal government to acquire lands necessary to the survival of Floridas great cat by expanding the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge with already identified, essential acquisitions. Once again, Director Ashes email address is: dan_ashe@fws.gov The National Park Services own comments on the construction of the parking lot and motorized recreational access point described above are well worth a read. Written in 1994, they are a fitting summary of what we (and the panther) stand to lose: The odds for the long-term survival of the Florida panther in the wild are not good. The-human population in the region continues to increase, resulting in urban growth and expansion of the regional highway network into former panther habitat. The demand and use of panther habitat for outdoor recreation has also increased and will continue to do soAny action that decreases the wilderness qualities of the Everglades region impacts this species. The existing threats to the panther are interrelated and cannot be separated. The primary threat to the Florida panther has been human encroachment into panther habitat. Eloquent words. Now is the time to follow them and make true protection of Florida panther habitat - along with the hundreds of species of plants and animals

ATTENTION CALUSA GROUP MEMBERS AND PUBLIC AT LARGE

If you see something in this newsletter or know of something else going on in our area that sparks your interest and would like to become involved or have the support of the Calusa group to assist you; please contact us and let us know of your interests or needs. We can always fit you into our organization and help you become efficient at saving this dear Planet that we live on. We have a lot of resources as well as contacts with other organizations working on various problems around the state that we would be very happy to share with you. Whether all you do is take on a small help with sort of project, set at a table for a few hours, or lead a major campaign the Calusa Group of the Sierra Club is here to help.

THOUGHTS FROM MARCIA CRAVEN

Calusa Group, conservation chair Mining, agriculture, water, energy Our major regional and county-specific issues could be put into a larger framework and hopefully meet the criteria the State Chapter wants followed. Here's a few ideas to get a discussion going on it. Goals-- Defeat new MINES by framing as a need keep Ag from being converted to mining and/or framed for related issue of preventing Urban Sprawl Objectives--Re-Value Ag lands. Lobby for Legislative Priorities that encourage innovative farming strategies while discouraging Mining and Urban Sprawl. Goals-- Support the Clean Water Act as Watershed Management Requiring Restoration and Protection of Historic Fisheries and Wildlife Habitat Conditions in Florida's Estuaries, Rivers,Creeks, and Wetlands (actions needed are identifying and reducing/eliminating sources of pollutants; reverse the losses of fisheries and wildlife habitat conditions ) Objectives-- Do not let developer interests control how Watershed Management proceeds. Create grassroots coalitions that develop habitat restoration and protection plans. Goals-- Renewable Energy - Sunshine State Takes the Lead in Developing and Utilizing Solar Power and Non-Petroleum FuelsObjectives-- Build up effective opposition to coal, gas, petroleum, and nuclear generated power plants. Create educational materials and a process to get them widely distributed - Include what Sierra members and general public can do as ratepayers, voters, and taxpaying citizens.
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