"Hurricane Sandy keeps Lake Okeechobee rising" @sunsentinel

Hurricane Sandy's weekend nudge to Lake Okeechobee's rising water levels add to flood control concerns with a month of storm season still to go.

Flooding threats from the fast-rising lake in September prompted the Army Corps of Engineers to start draining billions of gallons of lake water out to sea to ease the strain on its 70-year-old dike — considered one of the country's most at risk of failing. But lake water levels have actually gone up nearly one foot since the draining started Sept. 19. That's because South Florida's vast drainage system of canals, pumps and levees fills up the lake faster than it can lower it.

The Army Corps tries to keep the lake between 12.5 and 15.5 feet above sea level. On Monday, the lake was 15.91 above sea level.

"The storm didn't give us that much of a bump [but] the Corps is nervous," said Paul Gray, an Audubon of Florida scientist who monitors Lake Okeechobee. "We are kind of in a risky spot right now."

The lake draining stopped briefly as Sandy passed and then resumed over the weekend with the Army Corps now attempting to dump nearly 3 billion gallons of water per day from the lake.

Dumping lake water out to sea lessens the pressure on the lake's earthen dike, but it wastes water relied on to back up South Florida supplies during the typically dry winter and spring.

The deluge of water from the lake also delivers damaging environmental consequences to delicate coastal estuaries, fouling water quality in east and west coast fishing grounds.

Lakeside residents, who have seen the Herbert Hoover Dike weather decades of storms, don't worry about lake water levels until they top 16 feet, Pahokee Mayor J.P. Sasser said.

"They can open those gates and shotgun that water straight to the ocean," Sasser said. "It's like feast or famine."

Tropical Storm Isaac's soaking at the end of August started lake levels climbing. The steady rains of September and October that followed, capped by Sandy's showers, kept the lake water rising even as the draining continued.

Sandy dropped as much as 3 inches of rainfall in parts of South Florida, according to the South Florida Water Management District.

Gray said Lake Okeechobee didn't receive that much, but with the region already saturated any rainfall adds to the stormwater runoff flowing into the lake.

"We continue to receive a lot of water into the lake, and the discharges are important so we can continue to maintain storage capacity for the remaining five weeks of hurricane season," said Lt. Col. Tom Greco, the Army Corps' Deputy District Commander for South Florida.

Ads by Google

Lake Okeechobee water once naturally overlapped its southern shores and flowed south to replenish the Everglades.

But decades of draining and pumping to make way for South Florida agriculture and development corralled the lake water; allowing the Army Corps to dump lake water west into the Caloosahatchee River and east into the St. Lucie River to drain it out to sea when water levels rises too high for the dike.

The infusion of lake water brings pollution and throws off the delicate balance of salt and fresh water in the estuaries. Dumping lake water since September already has fish leaving, oyster beds dying and fishermen staying away from the St. Lucie River, said Leon Abood, president of the Rivers Coalition.

"It's extremely frustrating," Abood said. "It is a problem that has been plaguing this area for decades."

Elevated lake water levels can also have damaging environmental consequences, drowning the aquatic plants vital to lake fishing grounds.

The Amy Corps is in the midst of a decades-long, multibillion-dollar effort to strengthen the lake's dike.

The Corps in October completed the initial 21-mile stretch of a reinforcing wall being built through the middle of the dike to help stop erosion. That took five years and more than $360 million and now the corps is working on a study, expected to last until 2014, aimed at determining how to proceed with upgrading the rest of the 143-mile-long dike.

Beyond fixing the dike, environmental advocates contend that jumpstarting the reservoirs and water treatment areas envisioned for state and federal Everglades restoration efforts would help the lake and protect the estuaries.

"We have got to find a permanent solution," Abood said. "Move the water south the way Mother Nature intended."

-By By Andy Reid, Sun Sentinel

"Popular beach proves essential to Florida's bird breeding" @jax_just_in

Monique Borboen for Shorelines

Despite Hurricane Debby’s severe impact on coastal wildlife on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the state’s royal tern population has increased thanks to a successful breeding season at Huguenot Memorial Park.

“Huguenot is a truly unique habitat. Dozens of species of birds have relied on this one beach for survival for generations,” said Monique Borboen, an Audubon Florida policy associate.

Borboen said, thanks to a dedicated park naturalist assisted by volunteer bird stewards, progress is being made in protecting this special place.

“Residents of northeast Florida are fortunate to have such an important and beautiful bird habitat so close to home,” she said.

Huguenot Memorial Park is the only breeding colony of royal terns on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. This year, the colony fledged more than 2,000 royal tern chicks. These young birds will go a long way in helping statewide populations recover from the rain, wind and storm surge caused from a devastating Hurricane Debby in June. The storm made landfall at the height of Florida’s beach-bird nesting season, destroying the eggs and chicks of many beach-nesting birds on the Gulf Coast.

“Huguenot is a perfect example of why multiple breeding sites are the best defense for beach birds against natural or manmade disasters,” said Borboen. “Hurricanes are a common and natural occurrence in Florida, that’s why nature doesn’t like to put all her ‘eggs in one basket.’ One strong storm has the potential to devastate miles of shoreline habitat and cause the destruction of multiple breeding bird colonies.”

Huguenot Memorial Park is considered by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as the most important seabird breeding colony site on Florida’s east coast. Located at the mouth of the St. Johns River, this coastal habitat hosts a wealth of declining species, providing vital stopover habitat for imperiled red knots, federally designated critical wintering habitat for threatened piping plovers, a state-designated critical wildlife area for one of Florida’s few laughing gulls and royal tern colonies, nesting habitat for marine turtles as well as historic nesting habitat for declining American oystercatchers, gull-billed terns, least terns, black skimmers and Wilson’s plovers.

"State formally approves Glades clean-up plan" @MiamiHerald

State formally approves Glades clean-up plan

Florida formally signed off on an $880-million slate of Everglades cleanup projects on Tuesday.

Gov. Rick Scott announced the state had signed water quality permits and a consent order negotiated with the federal government to expand efforts to stem the flow of polluted farm, ranch and yard runoff into the Everglades.

Scott, in a news release, called the plan he had championed during nine months of negotiations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “a historic step for Everglades restoration.’’

The plan commits the state to $880 million in new projects that will expand on an existing network of manmade marshes designed to reduce the flow of the damaging nutrient phosphorus into the Everglades. The state, under pressure from federal judges to speed up the pace of cleanup, has already spent some $1.8 billion to construct 45,000 acres of treatment marshes. The new plan calls for adding another 6,500 acres of marshes, along with large shallow water storage basins and other improvements.

Though most environmental groups have applauded the plan, the Miccosukee Tribe and Friends of the Everglades have been critical, arguing it will push back cleanup deadlines to 2025 — almost two decades beyond an original 2006 target — and questioning whether the state has a firm plan to pay for the work.

Scott, in the release, said the deal would be paid for with a combination of revenues from the state and South Florida Water Management District “without raising or creating new costs for Floridians.’’

By CURTIS MORGAN The Miami Herald

"The goal: more water conservation" - Opinion Letter in Miami Herald

Audubon Florida was happy to see the May 13 article South Florida cuts water use by 20 percent, on the success of South Florida’s water-conservation methods. Our region has made progress. But if South Floridians want water security in the future, more must be done through meaningful water conservation.

Does it make sense to build a multimillion dollar treatment plant or just ask residents to save water? Cooper City asked this question a few years ago and decided that water conservation was the answer. Today, the city has doubled its water conservation goal and saved $12 million in the process.

As the South Florida Water Management District updates the long-term water plan, conservation needs to be a top priority. Every county in our region should limit landscape irrigation to at least two days a week like Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

South Floridians each use an average of 140 gallons a day, and up to half of that amount is for outdoor irrigation. Local and state agencies should implement better leak detection programs so utilities, as they have reported, do not lose tens of millions of gallons of water. And, as one of the largest consumers of water — with an estimated demand of 604 million gallons a day — agricultural businesses in our region need to work to find better ways to conserve water, especially during droughts.

Conserving water today is securing water for tomorrow.

Jane Graham, Everglades policy associate, Audubon Florida, Miami

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/21/2810694/the-goal-more-water-conservation.html#storylink=cpy

"Scott vetoes ‘Conservation of Wildlife’ bill" - in the Florida Independent

Scott vetoes ‘Conservation of Wildlife’ bill

By | 04.09.12 | 9:56 am

Gov. Rick Scott (Pic via Facebook)

Gov. Rick Scott on Friday vetoed a bill that would have allowed for the placement of exotic animals (like zebras and rhinoceros) on public lands. H.B. 1117, known as the “Conservation of Wildlife” bill, was lambasted by environmental groups that argued it would “supplant threatened and iconic Florida species with exotic” animals.

The bill would have allowed private zoos and aquariums to lease state conservation lands in order to construct and operate breeding facilities for exotic wildlife, including large hooved animals. Groups like Audubon of Florida called the bill’s passage both ecologically and economically irresponsible.

In his veto letter, Scott wrote that the bill was unnecessary, as the the state’s water management districts already have the authority to use state-owned lands for purposes “not inconsistent with the State Constitution”:

The Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund (Board of Trustees) and the governing boards of the five water management districts may currently authorize the use of state-owned and district-owned lands, respectively, for any use not inconsistent with the State Constitution and Florida Statutes. Additionally, I believe that the bill lacks sufficient safeguards, and may restrict the current authority of the Board of Trustees and the governing boards, to ensure the protection of state and district lands, native species, and habitats.

As The Tampa Bay Times‘ Craig Pittman notes, Scott vetoed that bill, but signed an agricultural bill (H.B. 1197) that contains a provision lifting a ban on dyeing chicks, bunnies and dogs a rainbow of colors.

“Animal welfare groups and veterinarians had opposed the bill, which had been filed at the request of a dog groomer who wanted to color his show dogs for more dramatic effect,” writes Pittman. “It takes effect July 1.”

via floridaindependent.com

 

"Audubon Advocate: Big Win for Florida's Conservation Lands" - in National Audubon Society


Audubon Florida Advocate
April 2012 - Veto HB 1117

Big Win for Florida's Conservation Lands

Governor Rick Scott vetoes "Rhinoceros Bill"

rhino.jpg 

In a big win for Florida's conservation lands and native wildlife, Governor Rick Scott vetoed HB 1117 - Conservation of Wildlife.

Passed during the 2012 Legislative Session, this bill would have allowed zoos to lease state conservation lands to construct facilities, utilities and roads to support breeding and research operations for exotic ungulates—hoofed animals like elephants, zebras and giraffes. 

Click here to read Audubon Florida's formal veto request letter. 

In the days following our appeal, over 1000 Audubon Advocates - like you - sent in personal letters to the Governor urging him to veto this bill. Thanks to your voice, Governor Scott has agreed to do the right thing and put an end to this bad legislation.

Congratulations to everyone who stood up for Florida's conservation lands. You brought this issue to the attention of the Governor and made the case for it to be vetoed. 

This is a great example of Audubon Advocates making a difference for Florida's natural heritage. Thank you for all that you do. 

For further coverage of this issue, please see this article from The Florida Current.

 via fl.audubonaction.org

 

National Audubon Society: Email - Restore: Victories for the Greater Everglades

via fl.audubonaction.org

The Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced this week that the Burmese python and three other species of snakes will be listed as “injurious” under the federal Lacey Act. This action makes it illegal to import or sell these species across state lines.

Audubon Florida has been urging this action for almost five years as part of a larger control and eradication strategy to reduce the harmful impact of these species. In the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Burmese pythons are already well established and pose a significant threat to native, imperiled species. Monitoring has shown that state and federally threatened and endangered species, including the Wood Stork and Key Largo woodrat, are already being predated by these large constrictors. Because these predatory snakes are cryptic, highly-productive, and can take advantage of difficult-to-access aquatic habitats, eradication is very difficult.

The ban also stops imports and interstate commerce in yellow anaconda and the northern and southern African pythons. Audubon Florida continues to advocate for the listing of boa constrictors, reticulated pythons, DeSchauensee’s anaconda, and other invasive species that harm the Everglades.

Audubon Florida commends the Department of Interior and Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), Congressman Tom Rooney (R-Tequesta), Congressman David Rivera (R-Miami) and other members of Florida’s Congressional delegation who were proponents for this listing. See Congressman Rivera's Press Release on this issue in English o en Español.