@SFWMD, though short on cash, renews farmer leases... in @pbpost by @christinestaple #Everglades

@SFWMD, though short on cash, renews farmer leases without competitive bidding

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Posted: 8:03 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011

For five years the Pearce family of Okeechobee waited for the lease to expire on 4,700 acres of public ranchland, so they could bid on the lease and return their cattle to land that, until 2006, was in the family for five generations.

But about 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 13, Patricia Pearce learned that, later that morning, the governing board of the South Florida Water Management District would be asked to renew the 5-year lease of the current tenants, the Old River Cattle Company. The renewal was scheduled even though the lease was not up until March 2012, no notice of the land's availability was published in a local newspaper and the Pearces were willing to pay more.

"We have been waiting patiently for five years," Patricia Pearce told the board after making the 85-mile drive to the district headquarters in West Palm Beach. "We were told it would be put up for public bid. I'd like to know what the policy is."

So would many others, including members of the governing board and ranchers and farmers who lease more than 129,000 acres of public land controlled by the district, which spans 16 counties.

"What is the thinking, that we didn't want to give the Pearce family an opportunity to compete for this land?" asked board member Glenn Waldman during the Oct. 13 meeting. "Is it just because it's easier to re-lease?

Last year the district collected more than $4.2 million in rent and saved countless more in taxes and land management costs by leasing land for agricultural uses, from grazing to farming. But at a time when the district's budget has been slashed, more than 300 workers cut and Everglades restoration projects delayed for want of money, the board's renewal of the Old River Cattle Company lease and eight others without seeking competitive bids to ensure top dollar has sparked a review and proposed overhaul of the district's controversial and confusing lease policies.

Bob Brown, the district's recently appointed assistant executive director, acknowledged that "some legitimate points have been raised." Brown will unveil the proposed changes at a meeting of the Projects and Lands Committee meeting today.

This is not the first time the district's lease policy has come under fire. A critical, internal audit in 2002 uncovered a lease for as little as $1 per acre -- far below the market value of a lease for pasture land. Other leases were renewed without competitive bids which appeared to "bypass the tenets of fair and open competition," according to the audit.

The auditor strongly recommended that the district adopt a policy of public notice and open bidding for all leases: "Competition will determine market value and therefore the leases should be competed."

That did not happen. Although the district did adopt its first agricultural lease policy in November 2003, revisions made in 2005, 2006, 2010 and earlier this year diluted oversight and eventually gave the executive director the authority to approve lease renewals.

As the policy evolved, the leases of ranchers and farmers who leased back the land that they had sold to the district were routinely renewed without allowing others the opportunity to bid. And despite a Florida law that requires the district to publish notice -- weekly for three weeks -- of its intention to lease any land, the district enacted its own policy that "allows the district to renew existing leases without competition if, among other things, the lessee is in good standing," the district said Tuesday in response to questions from The Palm Beach Post.

In defense of those policies, Ruth Clements, the district's chief real estate specialist, explained that renewing the leases of good tenants -- those who paid their rent on time, paid taxes, maintained fences and were good stewards of the land -- made good sense. That was the case of the nine lease renewals presented to the board last month.

All nine of the tenants needed lease renewals to qualify for a federal agricultural matching grant that would allow them to make environmental improvements to the land, according to a spokesman for the grant program. Unless they could prove they would be on the land for at least another five years, their applications would be denied, he said. The application deadline for the grant was Oct. 31.

"Here's my thought on this," said Ric Hartman, a partner in the Old River Cattle Company. "I'm a businessman and I have a tenant who is paying his rent on time, paying his taxes and done everything I have asked him to do, why would I want to go look for someone else?"

Even though the board approved his lease renewal last month, the documents have not been signed, Hartman said. Now he is concerned that the board may reconsider its vote.

"We played the game the way we were supposed to," Hartman said. "I'm not threatening and I'm not going to sue but I would be really disappointed if they did that.

SFWMD Invests in Alternative Water Supply Projects

Partnerships help reduce South Florida’s reliance on limited traditional sources

West Palm Beach, FL — To help sustain the region’s water resources, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board approved an investment of funding for three alternative water supply projects in Broward, Palm Beach and Hendry counties.

“These projects help to expand South Florida’s water supplies and ensure a sustainable supply for people, businesses and the environment,” said SFWMD Governing Board Chairman Joe Collins. “Supporting efforts to develop alternative water resources is an investment in Florida’s future.”

The following projects were approved:

	Entity	Project	Water Made Available (Million Gallons Per Day)

Town of Davie Reclaimed Water Facility Phase II-B 3.5*
Palm Beach County Water Lake Region Water Treatment Plant 1.3 Utilities Floridan Wellfield Improvements
City of LaBelle Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment 1.5 Plant, Phase 1A

*Part of a multi-year project

Including additional projects approved for the Big Cypress Basin, the SFWMD is investing $2.72 million in Alternative Water Supply projects during Fiscal Year 2012. Since 1997, the Alternative Water Supply Funding Program, in cooperation with the State of Florida, has invested $185.5 million into 468 alternative water supply projects. To date, these projects have created 398 million gallons a day of water supply capacity, reducing reliance on freshwater sources.

Alternative water sources diversify South Florida’s water supply while reducing the region’s dependence on traditional freshwater resources and making communities less susceptible to drought impacts. Examples of alternative water supply include:

Saltwater and brackish water
Reclaimed water
Surface water captured during wet weather
Sources made available through new storage
Stormwater (for consumptive use)
Other nontraditional sources

Development of alternative water supplies is an important component of the District’s four regional water supply plans, which encompass the agency’s jurisdictional area. Updated every five years, each plan creates a framework for future water use decisions and identifies strategies to meet future water demands of urban and agricultural uses, while meeting the needs of the environment.

For more information on alternative water supplies, please visit www.sfwmd.gov/AWS. >

Dispute over northern #Everglades area pits environmentalists and sports enthusiasts against each other @TCPalm

Can't we all just get along....

WASHINGTON — A dispute over what should happen to 150,000 acres of the northern Everglades pitted environmentalists and sports enthusiasts against each other at a House subcommittee hearing Thursday.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hasn't said which 150,000 acres it wants for the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge. The agency says the proposal will improve the quality and quantity of water and protect wildlife. Those opposed to the plan worry about public access to the land.

"These areas need to be open. They need to be open to recreations," Jorge P. Gutierrez, president of the Everglades Coordinating Council, told the House Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs subcommittee.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would purchase easements to protect 100,000 acres from future development. The land would remain privately owned. The agency would buy 50,000 acres to create a refuge open to visitors for recreational activities, including hunting and boating.

Some witnesses worried about not being able to hunt and boat on the 100,000 acres that would remain under private ownership.

"Air boaters are unique individuals, and we don't really appreciate land being locked up," Bishop Wright Jr., president of the Florida Airboat Association, said. "There are no airboats for public use in refuges."

Mark J. Masaus, deputy regional director for Region 4 of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said officials are meeting with hunters to hear their suggestions about the project.

Some committee members questioned how the proposal would be funded. The government plans to use money from offshore oil and gas revenues.

The project would take several years to complete and cost about $450,000 annually to maintain and operate.

Rep. John Fleming, R-La., the subcommittee chairman, said it would cost $700 million to buy the easements and land, a figure others said was merely an estimate.

"What the service fails to tell the American people is how many thousands of new jobs will be lost by locking up this land to no development in the future," Fleming said.

via m.tcpalm.com

Watering Limits Lifted @sfwmd by @cmorganherald in @miamiherald #water #okeechobee

Just because its legal to water now doesn't mean we are out of the woods yet nor should we abuse the ability and privilege to water...

Posted on Thursday, 11.10.11

By CURTIS MORGAN

Water managers pronounced the drought officially dead on Thursday, lifting water restrictions for most of South Florida.

With torrential rains last month largely erasing most of the lingering deficits from what had been a record-setting dry spell, the South Florida Water Management District’s governing board on Thursday voted to drop irrigation limits placed on homes, farmers and golf courses across much of the region.

They will stay in place, however, in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which have both adopted permanent twice-weekly watering rules.

Wet weather helps water levels at Lake #Okeechobee #eco #everglades - Florida Wires we need the water!!!

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Some wet fall weather is helping improve Lake Okeechobee's water level.

The South Florida Water Management District says three major rainstorms helped bring the lake from a level of about 11.1 feet a month ago to about 13.7 feet as of Monday.

That's still below the historical average of about 15 feet, but a drastic improvement for a major South Florida water source.

via miamiherald.com

@FL_Audubon's @CorkscrewSwamp Sanctuary Is a Haven for Shrinking Wildlife Habitats by @miamiherald #Eco #Everglades #Water

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is in season...well worth the trip.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary a haven for shrinking habitats

IF YOU GO

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is open seven days from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through April 10. Admission is $10 for adults; $4 for children 6-18; free for children under 6. For directions and more information, call 239-348-9151.

BY SUSAN COCKING

SCOCKING@MIAMIHERALD.COM

When the weather cools and the mosquitoes wane, an easy must-do nature hike is the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary near Naples.

Home of the largest remaining virgin bald cypress forest in North America, this 14,000-acre preserve features an elevated 2 ½-mile boardwalk for easy and spectacular wildlife viewing. It might be the closest thing South Florida has to a living looking glass into the turn-of-the-last-century frontier.

Acquired by the National Audubon Society in 1954 to prevent logging, the Corkscrew features a variety of habitats — pine flatwoods, wet prairie and cypress forest in rich, undisturbed abundance. The array of plant and animal life is dizzying, and varies with water level and season.

From now through April is the best time for encountering birds — anhinga; heron; ibis; swallowtail kite; red-shouldered hawk; barred owl; wood stork; and limpkin (among others). The marsh holds alligators, otters, turtles and frogs. Occasionally a black bear lumbers through, leaving tall scratch marks on the cypress and depositing tell-tale dung piles on the boardwalk. On the prairie, visitors sometimes spot deer.

Each trip to Corkscrew is memorable — no matter the season. Because the area has been protected for nearly 60 years, the swamp dwellers behave a lot like the creatures of Ecuador’s remote Galapagos Islands: they seem unafraid and nonchalant around human visitors.

Once on a winter trip, I happened by a small lake filled with water lettuce where a little blue heron had speared a frog. When it saw me approach, it hopped onto the railing to make sure I appreciated its hunting prowess.

On another visit, I saw several barred owls perched on tree limbs, including one with chicks, that didn’t fly away when I came close. On the same day, a family of otters swam and played beneath the boardwalk, oblivious to the humans gaping at them.

Then, a few weeks ago, I went on a guided tour with three Audubon volunteers and we all got scolded by a red-shouldered hawk.

You just never know which creatures are going to greet you.

The plant life is just as vibrant and varied as the wildlife. Nearly 40 kinds of ferns decorate the swamp, interspersed with colorful wildflowers that change with the season. I recently learned from sanctuary volunteer Edie Blair that the beautiful pink marsh mallow flowers actually hold a sweet substance. For some reason, I always thought the popular campfire treat got its name arbitrarily.

When you visit Corkscrew in winter, you will see small, brown, dead-looking leaves draping the cypress boughs. It is resurrection fern, which turns into a vibrant green garland with the summer rains after going dormant during droughts.

The Corkscrew drew a flurry of international publicity in July of 2007 when several beautiful and mysterious ghost orchids, never seen before in the swamp, bloomed gloriously on a cypress within sight of the boardwalk. The news drew hordes of tourists and several botanists to view and photograph white petals that resemble the 1960s cartoon character, Casper the Friendly Ghost.

The botanists predicted the orchid wouldn’t bloom again for at least a decade. But Casper had other ideas, and has showed off for visitors every summer since.

Perhaps the swamp’s most remarkable features are the thick, towering cypress trees, some estimated at 600 to 700 years old and standing 130 feet tall and 25 feet in circumference. These enormous trees serve as hosts for strangler figs and homes for birds, while their smaller knees provide nutrients for other vegetation, such as ferns and orchids.

In summer the leaves are feathery green; about now, they fade to brown, and in winter, they disappear, creating a starkly beautiful, haunting effect.

South Florida is entering prime hiking season, and the Corkscrew Swamp should be high on any rambler’s list.

U.S. Dept of @Interior Approves #Christo ‘Over the River’ #Art Project in #Colorado. #Eco impact?

Fascinating and challenging art project with serious environmental challenges.

The artist plans to install fabric over the Arkansas River.

By KIRK JOHNSON

Published: November 7, 2011

DENVER — Federal regulators on Monday approved a $50 million installation of anchored fabric over the Arkansas River in southern Colorado by the artist Christo, whose larger-than-life vision has divided environmentalists, residents and politicians for years over questions of aesthetics, nature and economic impact.

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Christo

The artist's drawing of the project, which will include eight suspended panel segments totaling 5.9 miles along a 42-mile stretch of the Arkansas River.

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The project, “Over the River,” will include eight suspended panel segments totaling 5.9 miles along a 42-mile stretch of the river, about three hours southwest of Denver. Construction could begin next year, pending final local approvals, with the goal being a two-week display of the work as early as August 2014.

“Drawing visitors to Colorado to see this work will support jobs in the tourism industry and bring attention to the tremendous outdoor recreation opportunities,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. “We believe that steps have been taken to mitigate the environmental effects of this one-of-a-kind project.”

Christo, 76, said in an interview that the project had already made history for its interconnection of art and public participation, with a federal environmental impactstatement that drew thousands of comments.

Christo’s projects — from the wrapping of the ReichstagParliament building in Berlin in 1995 to “The Gates,” a meandering path of orange awnings through Central Park in New York in 2005 — have often generated heated debate in advance of their creation.

“We are elated,” Christo said. “Every artist in the world likes his or her work to make people think. Imagine how many people were thinking, how many professionals were thinking and writing in preparing that environmental impact statement.”

Permits are still needed from Fremont and Chaffee Counties, the Colorado Department of Transportation and the State Patrol. But Christo emphasized that those agencies had been working with the federal government all through the environmental impact study and were involved in shaping the mitigation measures included in Monday’s decision.

Federal officials said that “Over the River” could generate $121 million in economic output and draw 400,000 visitors, both during the construction — which could become its own tourist event — and the display itself.

Points of contention and controversy ranged from road safety in the narrow canyon highway through the installation zone, which extends from the towns of Salida to Cañon City, to potential impacts on wildlife, especially on the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep that habituate the Arkansas River canyon and are Colorado’s state mammal.

In May, the Colorado Wildlife Commission, an advisory panel to the state’s Division of Parks and Wildlife, urged federal officials to reject Christo’s proposal, specifically citing its concerns about the sheep, and whether the chaos and traffic of construction could keep them from crucial water sources. A local opposition group complained in August that federal regulators were being unduly swayed by Christo, and that phrases like “artistic vision” in the impact study, rather than neutral terms like “proposed project,” suggested a predisposition to let him have his way.

The decision announced Monday spelled out measures to protect the sheep, including restricting activity in lambing season and a Bighorn Sheep Adaptive Management Fund, paid for by Christo, who is covering the full cost of the project via the sale of his work.

@LionCountry Safari Park Looking to Add 10 Acres by @lonaoconnor in @pbpost #Eco @FL_Audubon

By Lona O'Connor
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Updated: 8:52 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, 2011

Posted: 8:41 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, 2011

Lion Country Safari is hoping to add 10 acres to enhance the walking area of the wild animal park.

According to the park's planning consultant, the 10 acres is an irregularly shaped area situated between the drive-through area of the park and the "walking safari" area.

The idea is to enhance the walkway by incorporating more natural area around it.

Lion Country, which opened in 1967 as the first cageless zoo in the country, is a popular tourist attraction, with a 4-mile driving path through what looks like an African plain with free-roaming lions, zebras, giraffes and other animals. Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, it also contains the 55-acre "Safari World" with rides and other animal exhibits, and a 233-site campground.

Lion Country's consultant, Kerry Kilday, said he hoped to meet within the next few days with District 6 County Commissioner Jess Santamaria on the park's property to show him the planned changes.

"We're just getting a surveyor and an environmentalist to look at the land," said Kilday. "The park likes to add something new on a continuing basis and it seems like a natural way to expand."

He described the 10 acres as parcel of land sandwiched between the area where cars drive among lions and a walking area, which would be made more meandering if the changes are approved by county, state and federal authorities.

After Kilday talks to the park's owners and gives Santamaria a tour, the next stage would be to make sure that there are no wetlands or cypress stands that would be affected by alterations to the area.

"They might have to modify their existing permit," said Anita Bain, bureau chief of environmental resource permitting for the South Florida Water Management District, a required stop on the path to incorporating the 10 acres.

After Bain's department reviews the plans, they would next be sent to the Army Corps of Engineers for federal permits.

"Good luck with the permitting," said Joanne Davis, community planner for the 1000 Friends of Florida, an environmental watchdog group. "They do have some wetlands out there and the Water Management District is probably going to have quite a bit to say about that."

Davis said she had already put in calls to Santamaria and to County Commissioner Karen Marcus regarding the proposed changes.

"What would be fine would be to put a boardwalk in there without damaging the cypress."

Lion Country's owners last year gained Palm Beach County's permission to rezone some of the property's 600 acres for residences, a move opposed by residents and environmentalists as opening the door to sprawl in the rural area where the park is located.

via palmbeachpost.com

See comments from County Commissioner Jess Santamaria.

#Everglades projects face cuts; Programs for monitoring the frail @christinestaple @pbPost

by CHRISTINE STAPLETON on 10/27/11

The monitoring programs that reveal how Everglades restoration plans are working, or not, will probably be slashed by 60 percent overall, leaving gaping holes in programs that predict algal blooms, monitor pollution, provide real-time water level data and assess the survival rates of endangered species.

Gone are programs that monitor the well-being of alligators, crocodiles and pink shrimp, indicator species that reveal the health of the ecosystem.

Cuts to wading bird monitoring in Lake Okeechobee will leave scientists unable to predict the start, peak and end of nesting season -- benchmarks needed to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between restoration efforts and wildlife.

"The Everglades and Lake Okeechobee are like patients in an emergency room," said Paul Gray, Audubon of Florida's science coordinator for Lake Okeechobee watershed programs. "If you have a patient in the emergency room, the last thing you want to do is shut off all the monitoring equipment."

The proposed cuts by federal, state and other agencies will be discussed today at a meeting of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force.

Monitoring restoration efforts is the keystone of "adaptive management," which governs Everglades restoration projects. "Adaptive management" lets decision-makers customize projects based on what has worked and what did not.

"Adaptive management is totally dependent on data," said John Marshall, chairman of the Florida Environmental Institute.

Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, named for Marshall's uncle, covers 147,000 acres of remnant northern Everglades habitat, west of urban neighborhoods in Palm Beach County. A 56 percent cut in aerial monitoring of Everglades plant growth and water depth will eliminate vegetation sampling in the refuge.

That could cause problems in monitoring the spread of invasive plants, Marshall said. The Old World climbing fern, which smothers native vegetation, infests tens of thousands of acres there.

"Without monitoring, how can you make a decision on what is producing the best results?" Marshall said.

Also hard hit are programs that monitor oysters, barometers of estuary health, in the Lake Worth Lagoon, Loxahatchee River and St. Lucie estuary.

Oysters cannot move out of pollution's way, giving researchers valuable data on water quality. The data are also used to schedule releases of fresh water from Lake Okeechobee.

"Do you do quarterly monitoring? Would that be good enough?" said John Scarpa, research professor at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University.

He calls oysters the "canary in the coal mine" for gauging the success of restoration programs.

"We still need to do something," Scarpa said. "Is the restoration going to get done if we keep pulling the plug on certain projects?"

~christine_stapleton@pbpost.com

Copyright 2011

Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

FL Supreme @FLCourts Sides w/ @FL_Audubon+@SFWMD on Wetlands Mitigation Case #Eco #Everglades @AllEverglades

Florida Supreme Court Sides With Audubon on Wetlands Mitigation Case

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Florida Audubon

The Supreme Court of Florida last Thursday ruled in favor of the position advocated by Audubon of Florida that continues to support state agencies’ ability to negotiate terms of development permits to ensure they protect the environment.

Coy A. Koontz applied for a permit with the St. Johns Water Management District (District) to develop 3.7 acres of his property that was comprised mostly of wetlands. The District offered to grant the permit to Mr. Koontz only if he complied with certain conditions to conserve property and mitigate the loss of wetlands by improving other wetlands off site.

Wetlands by Chad Johnson

Mr. Koontz refused to comply with the District’s conditions and his permit was not granted. Subsequently, he sued the District, claiming the District had “taken” his property during the time the negotiations continued without a resolution. The Supreme Court reversed a previous decision that ordered the District to pay Mr. Koontz over $300,000.

Audubon filed a brief supporting the District and requiring that the fine be reversed- this reversal was unanimously supported by the Supreme Court Justices (although they reached the same conclusion for a number of different reasons.)

Audubon’s support for the District’s case stemmed from recognizing the importance of allowing water management districts and other state agencies to negotiate terms before issuing a permit without fear that they could face financial repercussions if an agreement is not reached quickly enough.

Audubon applauded the Florida Supreme Court’s decision that gives agencies greater power to require specific protections when wetlands are developed, as they did with Mr. Koontz. This decision will prevent the agencies from being pressured into issuing permits hastily that could harm Florida’s wetlands and environment.

Audubon’s intervention in this case was facilitated by the late Thom Rumberger, and the firm of Rumberger Kirk and Caldwell, who have done much very important legal work for Audubon. Tallahassee attorney Anna Upton also was instrumental in the preparation of Audubon’s brief before the Supreme Court.

Environmental Intersection by George Lindemann