Loxahatchee Group Florida Chapter
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Conservation News: Update on State Road 7 Reliever Road
- by Elaine Usherson & Nada MacKinney

Palm Beach County is considering the construction of a road to relieve
traffic in The Acreage, a residential area in the Western Communities.  All the alternatives under consideration place the road through the Pond Cypress Natural Area (formerly called the Fox Properties).  This land sits north of Okeechobee, roughly at State Road 7.  Pond Cypress is environmentally sensitve land (ESL) that the County purchased with funding from two bond referenda.  Those referenda (1991 and 1999), overwhelmingly passed by voters, authorized bond money to purchase, protect, preserve and manage ESLs.

The Lox Group is opposing road construction in the Pond Cypress. While a road to relieve traffic may be needed, we object to a road through preserved land that voters purchased (via the approved bond money) to ensure protection and preservation!

On Sunday, May 20, eight Lox members tromped around this area
ourselves.  We wanted to see for ourselves what the county is considering disrupting with a road, but we had a good time as well.  The beautiful, undisturbed nature and good company made for a great time (despite keys locked in one car and a flat tire in another!).  Terry Walker, a Lox Member who is also a biologist, graciously offered his considerable knowledge of the area, the ecosystems and vegetation.  His insight made the trip all the more valuable.  While invasive vegetation exists in some areas, large areas are in excellent, undisturbed condition.   We now have a greater appreciation for the public treasure that Pond Cypress could be, if it were managed and cared-for as a natural area, as was the plan when the voters purchased it.

Many Lox members are gathering information and researching this
situation to coordinate our opposition.  Additional help and involvement is welcome and needed.  If you're interested, please contact Ed Tedtmann, 561-734-3163 or Nada MacKinney, 561-795-7809 or mackinne@us.ibm.com.

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General Meetings
Update on Power Deregulation and Merchant Power Plants
- by John Gates, Program Chair

JUNE: We are pleased to have Ann Elizabeth Vanek for our speaker at our June 19th Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Meeting. Ann Vanek is a marketing and public relations consultant. She is on the Board of the Florida Wildlife Federation. Ann was instrumental in organizing Citizens for a Rational Policy (CREP) and is the new Energy Committee Co-Chairman for the Sierra Club of Florida.

Ann has been closely following our state's flirtation with power
deregulation, and proposals to build over 40 Merchant Power Plants in
Florida using Simple Cycle Technology, which is about 1/3 less effecient
than current Combined Cycle.

JULY: No meeting scheduled for July.

Stay tuned for exciting event planned for August.

Members meet at 7:30 pm on the third Tuesday of every month at the Boynton Beach Fire Station #3. Directions: From I-95, get off at Gateway Boulevard and go west to Congress Avenue. Go north on Congress to Miner Road (stop light). Go left on Miner and the station is immediately on your left. Questions? Contact John Gates at
johnkay@mindspring.com or 561-742-9219.

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From the Chair

Dear Sierrans,

Many things have been happening in the last two months. Thanks to all of you who got involved in some ways with our Group. And if you want to get more involved, please contact us.

The Legislative session is over. Susie Caplowe, our lobbyist kept us
informed almost daily through the Tallahassee Report. We  voiced our
opposition to the Aquifer Storage and Restoration (ASR) Bill (SB 854, HB 705) by sending e-mails, letters, phone calls to our representatives. We succeeded (for now), and untreated water will not go down the aquifer. Some Sierra Club groups have members who decided to be Legislative Liaisons: each contacted a legislator and informed him/her of the Sierra Club positions on upcoming bills. Anyone interested in contacting a legislator, then following up when the session resumes, please let us know.

Responses to our fundraising letter add up to $5,300 at the moment.
Thanks to your generous contributions, Excom agreed to send 3 more children (who otherwise would not go to camp) to one week summer camp dedicated to Nature and Conservation:  Two children will go to a week long Fish and Wildlife Conservation Camp in West Palm Beach, and 5 children will go to the Sandoway Nature Center in Delray Beach, which is a Day camp with a wonderful staff. If you intend to mail a donation to the Lox. Group, please do so now.

We participated in "Naturescaping" in the MacArthur Park on Singer
Island, on Earth Day. We had a beautiful booth, with new colorful Sierra
Club T-shirts, and a birthday cake to celebrate the birth of John Muir,
Founder of the Sierra Club. We talked to lots of people about issues of
concern. Thanks to all who helped out at that event.

The General Meetings were quite informative. In April, John Hargis
educated us on his Artificial Reef Project, and how high school kids in Boca were actively involved with it. In May, Jonathan Ullman came from the Miami Office with Neysa Gabriel, newly hired Conservation Organizer.  They spoke to us about the ASR and the Tamiami Trail - Everglades Skyway Project.

Remember, we are all volunteers in the group and if you want to join us
in our events, outings, meetings, committees, we are just a phone call away (561/369-3462 or marydeven@aol.com).

Sincerely,
Maryvonne

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CONGRATULATIONS TO JONATHAN ULLMAN!

Jonathan won the Sierra Club Special Achievement Award for his
successful efforts in opposing a major commercial airport in Homestead.

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INVITATION
- from Maryvonne Devensky

We are all volunteers who enjoy nature and want to protect the
environment. There are many ways you can get more involved in the group activities. Please feel free to come to the following meetings:

Executive Committee (Excom) on 2nd Monday of the month, at 7.00 p.m. Contact Maryvonne Devensky for location and directions (561/369-3462 or marydeven@aol.com).

Conservation Committee: contact Nada McKinney for time and directions (561/795-7809 or mackinne@us.ibm.com).

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FAU Preserve Burrowing Owl Notes
- by Sabrina Carle

We had an enjoyable and educational outing at FAU in April, where we
explored the controversial FAU wildlife preserve and witnessed several
burrowing owls at their nests. We learned a lot about the preserve, which is invaluable as a wildlife habitat and as a research site for biology
students. It is home to gopher tortoises and many other species (both native and exotic), but it is not the home of burrowing owls - as reported in the newspapers. The owls absolutely require treeless areas of low grass, so the imperiled FAU owls are much more threatened by construction, landscaping choices and feral cats than by a proposed football stadium on preserve land. It was yet another reminder that the newspaper is not necessarily the best way to learn all about a given situation. Many thanks to everyone who participated, especially our guides: Annabelle, Vivianne and Mike.

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Ocala National Forest Camping, Caving, and Canoeing
- by Charles Hunt

Our last spring overnight trip was an overwhelming success!!  Our
private campsite was located on a pristine lake within the National Forest. On Saturday, most of the group went to Jennings Cave.  After descending 28 feet into the cave, we encountered a subterranean world where the only light was from our headlamps.  The cave consisted of many passages of varying size.  Everyone had a great time exploring the various nooks and crannies.

Afterwards, we had lunch at Rainbow Springs. On Sunday, we canoed the Juniper Springs Run.  This is a beautiful stream fed by crystal clear spring water.  The lush overhanging tree canopy provided shade on a beautiful day.

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Cedar Key Outing
- by Kay Gates

The first weekend of April found a diverse group of Sierrans enjoying
"efficiency room camping" at Cedar Key on the gulf coast. There were eight of us, five members of the Lox. Group, two doctors from Miami and a forest ranger from the real west coast.

Here is a joyous thank you letter written by Gloria Hildago of Ft. Pierce to Barbara, our outing leader:

"Vera (Gloria's daughter) and I really enjoyed the Cedar Key weekend and shared fun and interesting activities with a great bunch! The meals were delicious too! The Sierra Club had lots of variety from a walking/shopping tour of the fishing village, bike riding the back roads, nature trails, old cemeteries, John Muir plaque (Did you know John Muir walked to FL and spent a season on Cedar Key?), museum history, walking til sunset and swinging in the breeze, watching the dolphin swim and feed, bird watching, and (surprise) horseshoe crab mating season on the out islands with our very own Captain John piloting the  pontoon boat. And a Happy Birthday Key Lime celebration for our leader!"

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For Outings and Other Activities, Please Visit Events

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SPECIAL THANKS to Mike Baird for doing our newsletter for the past 6 months.

WELCOME to Marcia Karasoff of MJK Graphics, our new Newsletter Editor.

THANK YOU to Kay Gates for her involvement with Earth Day preparations and with selecting students for our Conservation and Nature Camps.

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JOIN OUR E-MAIL FORUM
- by Ron Haines

Get involved in our very own Loxahatchee Email Forum.  It's the best way to get environmental alerts, meeting, party and outing reminders, and other good stuff from your fellow Loxahatchee Group members. You can sign on or off at any time. If you are interested, visit our E*Forum page, or e-mail me at rhaines999@aol.com
 

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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.

Newsletter submissions are welcome. The deadline is the third Tuesday of each month. Email articles to Marcia Karasoff at mkarasoff@mindspring.com (phone 954/525-7198), or deliver Macintosh format 3.5" disc or Zip disc copy to general membership meeting. (Typed hardcopies are also acceptable, but not preferred).