Loxahatchee Group Florida Chapter
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Indian River Lagoon Development
By Nada MacKinney

The Fort Pierce Port, today a very small scale operation on the Indian
River Lagoon, is being considered for industrial cargo ship expansion.  This expansion would seriously damage, perhaps irreparably, the rich and diverse ecology of this precious estuary.  The Conservation Committee of the Loxahatchee Group has taken a position in opposition to Port expansion.  In the future, our Group may join forces with The Treasure Coast Environmental Defense Fund, the St Lucie Waterfront Council, The Conservation Alliance of St Lucie County and the Audubon Society of St Lucie County in legal action. While we have been authorized to pursue such action if it becomes necessary, this does not mean we must or will.

The Indian River Lagoon, 156 miles long, extends from the Jupiter Inlet
in Palm Beach County to the Ponce de Leon Inlet in Volusia County.  It is North America's most diverse estuary, home to more than 4,000 plant and animal species, 36 of which are endangered animal species. In short, it's a unique and valuable resource that must be preserved and protected.

The facts supporting the position that Port expansion would be highly
damaging and potentially fatal to the rich biodiversity of the Indian River
Lagoon are substantial and convincing.

Of primary concern:

--Increased large and/or deep draft vessel traffic will vastly increase
turbidity which, in turn, will degrade the health and viability of light
dependent Johnson sea grass beds that surround the Fort Pierce Inlet and harbor.

-- Bilge water dumped by visiting ships introduce invasive, exotic organisms into our native waters.  Although not of concern here, the zebra mussel is an example of an exotic species introduced through dumped bilge water.

Hats off to our activists in St Lucie County for staying on top of this
issue!!!

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Flexcom Is Coming
By Nada MacKinney

The Florida Executive Committee (Flexcom) meets approximately each quarter. The meeting is hosted on a rotating basis by a local group.  It's our turn January 20 and 21!  That seems like a long way away, but you know better. Summer vacations will sail by and before you know it, we'll have holidays on our minds.

Volunteers are needed now - what would you like to do?  There are lots of people to share how it's done, you won't be flying blind!

--  Food committee (around 8 people) -- plan meals, estimate cost per
person, shop, prepare food, organize cleanup (you can count on attendees cleaning up their own dishes!), etc.

--  Communication committee (1-2 people) -- organize and document the
information to be sent to attendees - cost, logistics, directions, what to
bring, etc.

--  Hospitality Committee (1-2 people) -- locate campground sites and host homes to provide housing for the visiting Flexcom reps.

Our group needs your able help!  Contact Maryvonne (marydeven@aol.com or 561/369-3462), Nada (mackinne@us.ibm.com) or Lisa (561/732-9578 or lisa.hanley@juno.com) to volunteer.

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From the Easy Chair
By Lisa Hanley

Although there were no screech owls in our yard this spring, I'm happy
to say that we did find a baby screech owl hiding in the tall grasses on the lot where we are now building a home.  On this lot, on the coastal ridge in Boynton Beach, we also have six striped skinks and black racers; even after major excavation for the basement.  The skinks love the tall piles of bare sand.  Back in the old house, the chimney swifts have had a very successful nesting season, maybe too successful.  One little guy got the boot and ended up in the bottom of the fireplace, shrieking for dear life.  I know this is the way of nature but it is distressing to have survival of the fittest played out in your own living room. From the feeding frenzy noise emanating from our chimney, the rest seem to be doing just fine.

Our members in the north counties have been very busy on the activist
front, fighting the Walton Road Toll Bridge and Port of Fort Pierce
Expansion. Watch Turtle Tracks for an October Outing to these sites of
special concern. Remember, August and September are party months.......see you at the beach.  In October we will resume regular meetings at Station #3

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Does Turtle Tracks have a different look?

If this issue of Turtle Tracks has a different look and feel it is
because the "regular" crew is on vacation and this issue has been put
together by Mike Baird as guest editor. Please bear with us and the regular crew will be back next issue.

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Keep Eco-Tourism Environmentally Friendly
by Kay Gates

May 15-20, I had the opportunity to attend the third annual FL Agro-ecology Conference for the SIERRA CLUB.  The Conference was organized by the FL Center for Environmental Studies, a group that grew out of the state university system.  The theme for this year's conference was eco-tourism, defined as "a recreational and educational experience that encourages greater understanding of the natural and cultural resources of an area, while providing benefit to the communities of the region."

Parks and wilderness areas are being asked to contribute more towards
paying their way, become more accessible to the public, and to form
partnerships with small, local businesses.  Eco-tourism is the wave of the
future and, since tourism is the number one industry in FL, big changes are underway.  The conference showcased some of the changes.  It was a dialogue among resource managers, the business community, and academia.  There was opportunity for public access and input, but there weren't many participants from the various advocacy groups present.

As advocates for the environment we have a chance to monitor and effect some of these changes.  This would be a good time for our chapter to form a partnership with a state park or wilderness area.  If you would like more information on the conference, please ask for a copy of the report I have written for the SIERRA CLUB.  There is also lots of literature available on the conference.

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Electronic Forum is Up and Running
By Ron Haines

WOW! Our very own e-mail posting and discussion list is up and running. Think of this as a continuous Group meeting, only it's electronic.  It can be used for many things:

*1. A "telephone tree," but faster and better: An action alert posted to the
list by the conservation chair or other activist is -mailed immediately to
everyone on the list.
*2. Outings can be announced and reservations taken.
*3. Meetings can be announced.
*4. Volunteers wanted notices can be posted.
*5. If you want to find members who share your love of poetry, send a
message.

There is no end to what we can get done with this list!

BUT, it won't work without getting a lot of folks signed on, so let's do it
now.  Any Loxahatchee Group Sierra Club member can subscribe and post and receive messages.  All you need is email. And, you can sign yourself off any time you want.

Email me NOW to get signed on.  Ron Haines rhaines999@aol.com
(Please also visit E*Forum for more information)

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Environment Education
By Maryvonne Devensky

Thank you to our members Debbie Evans,  Kay Gates and Ron Haines for speaking to Pine Jog Environmental Education Center teachers on Saturday, April 29. Grace Lawrence sent us a thank you letter stating she will call us for future meetings with students and teachers. I will follow up and will let you know. Anyone can go to www.earthforce.organd learn about the Pine Jog center.

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Sea Turtle Rescue - Sold Out!
by Sabrina Carle, outing leader

All 25 spots for the August 13th morning beach walk have been filled, and a growing waiting list is poised to fill any cancellations. This promises to be an exciting outing with a great group of Sierrans. All we need now are cooperative hatchlings and alarm clocks. Don't forget - 6:30 a.m.! Call Sabrina at (561) 732-6749 for waiting list information.

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For Outings and Other Activities, Please Visit Events

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Turtle Tracks is published bi-monthly by Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group, 619 SW 2nd Avenue, Boynton Beach, FL 33426. The purpose of this newsletter is to inform members about environmental issues and events. Members subscribe through their annual dues. nonmember subscriptions are available for $12 per year.