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| NEWS:Turtle Tracks Newsletter |
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Tracks
Newsletter of the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Volume 26, No. 5 | October/November 2002 Table of Contents |
Back Issues Newsletter Editor
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From the Easy Chair . . . . . .Here I sit, gazing out over my postage size bit of manicured, developed Florida, groping for inspiration and understanding. It¹s a struggle to comprehend the jigsaw Florida environment. I am delighted with the increased butterfly population among the Lantana, Beautyberry and other indigenous plants we are nurturing why we moved here. But overwhelmed with the myriad environmental issues in the greater picture. Do you feel the same way?
In attempting to take one step at a time, we protested and commented at the US Army Corps of Engineers public hearing on their latest draft of the Everglades plan (CERP). You know the eight billion dollar re-plumbing project for South Florida and the Everglades. Will this be the boondoggle of the century for developers, utilities and agriculture or will it return some of the water flow to the Everglades restoring natural flora and fauna? That answer is up in the air. There are many projects scheduled with boondoggle written on their face, not the least of which is the permitting of rock mining in an area of western Miami-Dade County known as the Lake Belt. National SIERRA CLUB and several other environmental organizations have filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. in an attempt to have those permits revoked. Help us continue to keep up the pressure on the Corps to do the right thing. Join us spiritually and financially. It would be serendipity for me if you would join us physically, but I understand, you have to do what you have to do.
On the local scene, we are seeking nominees for the Executive Committee and volunteers to Chair numerous other Committees. Check out the Group Directory to see the kinds of positions that need to be filled. Elections will be held in December. Nada is chairing the Nominations Committee.
Looking forward to hearing from you, and seeing you at a meeting, outing, political hearing, event!
- Kay Gates, Chairperson
For Loxahatchee Group Directory, Please Visit Contact Us.
Sierra Club Calendars Available
HO! HO! HO! Heads up you Sierra Club calendar fans. The always beautiful, eagerly awaited Wilderness and Engagement calendars will be available for sale beginning with the October general meeting. Get a head start on your holiday shopping and support the group at the same time. The weekly engagement calendar is $13.00; The monthly calendar is $12.00.
All proceeds from calendar sales go directly to the Loxahatchee Group and will be put to good use. Help us defend against encroachments into our Environmentally Sensitive Lands, support our Camp Scholarship Program and enlarge and improve our Outings Program - just to name a few of the projects of the Lox Group.
Would you like to be a promoter of calendars and sell them at work? Do you work for an insurance company or bank or any corporate entity that needs to give presents to clients? Sierra Club calendars make excellent gifts. Many groups make thousands of dollars on calendar sales (honest, they do), but, it takes a few volunteers to generate those big bucks. If you're interested in trying your luck as a purveyor of calendars, call Lisa at (561) 732-9578 for details.
The General Meetings are on the third Tuesday of the month. The meeting opens 7:00 PM for social fellowship and starts at 7:20 PM. See directions in the Events section.
Speaker for October 15th general meeting, is Frank Jackalone, Sierra Club Senior Regional Representative, and Florida Staff Director. Frank is going to talk about how the political climate in Washington D.C. and the Bush brothers¹ policies affect national environmental issues, Everglades restoration and Palm Beach County. Darden Rice will give us a brief update on the Sierra Club Green Fleet. Don¹t miss this informative meeting.
Speaker for the November 19th general meeting is Tom Wheatley, Southeast Field Organizer for the Alaska Coalition, who will be presenting a slide show exploring the beauty of the wild Alaskan rainforest. This will be an inspiring look at one of the most rare and biologically productive ecosystems on earth. Before a stunning backdrop of coastal mountains towering to 18,000 feet, overlooking hundreds of mist-shrouded islands, the Alaska temperate rainforest spans a thousand-mile arc along the pacific coast and boasts 12 million acres of ancient forest, including giant trees hundreds of feet tall and up to a thousand years old. It is also home to the world¹s healthiest remaining populations of grizzly bears, bald eagles and salmon. Tom will also discuss the threats facing the Tongass and the Chugach, the lush temperate rainforests that stretch from Kodiak to the Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska. The Alaska Coalition is a coalition of over 600 conservation, sporting, and religious groups working together to protect Alaska¹s wild public lands.
No December meeting. Watch for details on our December 14 picnic.
- John Gates Program Chair
Conservation Committee Meeting is on the 4th Tuesday of the month. Please contact JoAnn Miner for location information: 561/433-0685.
Next ExCom Meeting will be at Maryvonne Devensky¹s house at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 14. Contact Maryvonne for directions if you plan to attend (marydeven@aol.com or 561-369-3462).
Loxahatchee Group Newsletter Folding Party - Nov. 24, 4:00 pm, please join your fellow Sierrans for an hour or two sticking labels on our group newsletter, Turtle Tracks. Come join the fun and help with this important volunteer effort. Call Sabrina at (561) 732-4486 for directions (West Boynton). Everyone is welcome.
CLASC - Conservation Land Acquisition Selection Committee Meets on the 1st Monday of each month at 1:30 p.m. ERM Building #509 off Belvedere Rd, West Palm Beach. (561) 233-2400.
ERM - Environmental Resource Management Constituency Meeting Meets on last Wednesday of every 2nd month at 1:30 p.m. ERM Building #502 off Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach. (561) 233-2400.
NAMAC - Natural Area Management Advisory Committee to Board of County Commissioners. Meets on 3rd Thursday of each month at 1:30 p.m. ERM Building #509 off Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach. (561) 355-3229.
CTF - Citizen Task Force Meeting date varies. Meets at Planning and Zoning (on 4th floor) at I-95 and Southern Blvd. (561) 233-5000.
SFWMD - South Florida Water Management District Governing Board: Workshop 2nd Wednesday 9AM, business 2nd Thursday 8:30AM, at 3301 Gun Club Rd. WPB. Call John Koch re. parking, etc. Workshops occasionally move out of town. (561) 686-8800.
WRAC Water Resources Advisory Commission: Advisory body to SFWMD. Usually 1st Thursday 8:30 AM at SFWMD, but dates and locations occasionally change. (561) 686-8800.
ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION COMMITTEE - A group of environmentalists meeting informally, usually at a SFWMD conference room usually during 1st week of the month. Contact John Marshall at the Marshall Foundation, (561) 805-TREE (8733). Not a government meeting, but good for learning issues.
PALM BEACH COUNTY COMMISSION - First and Third Tuesdays, 9:30 AM. Televised on Cable TV Ch. 20. We really need someone to monitor the PB County Commissioners, either on TV or in person. For information, visit http://www.pbcgov.com/Agenda, or call (561) 355-3229.
Lox Group to Start Inner City Outings Program
Inner City Outings (ICO) is a Sierra Club community outreach program that helps low-income, inner city youth to build strength and character through teaching about nature. The Lox Group will be offering this program to children living within our club boundaries. A planning meeting will be held in western Boynton Beach at 7 PM, Thursday, October 10th. Outings experience is not necessary to volunteer. Our initial trips will be to parks within our local area. The Broward and Miami Groups have had ICO programs for several years and have agreed to be our mentors.
To learn more about this opportunity to make a difference for children in our community, please contact Cheryl Huggins at (561) 967-0185, chrcheryl@bellsouth.net.
Florida Chapter Sierra Club has endorsed Bob Butterworth in his District 25 State Senate race against Jeff Atwater (Coastal Palm Beach & northern Broward counties). A list of statewide endorsements will appear in the Pelican.
Always Wanted to Hold Higher Office? Here's Your Chance!
It's that time of year when we elect members to the Executive Committee of the Loxahatchee Group, Sierra Club. Terms are for two years. Once seated, the Executive Committee decides among itself who will hold the offices of Chair, Vice chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Before you pass this by, thinking this is not for you, please read on.
There are three reasons to seriously consider joining the Executive Committee.
-- One, if you think it's only for people with much knowledge and experience in the Sierra Club or environmental matters, you're mistaken. Many of us are beginners, with very limited knowledge or experience and that's entirely OK. All that counts is an interest in getting involved. Everyone just helps each other!
-- Two, the social aspect of joining ExCom is a real joy. For me, it's been a great opportunity to meet interesting and just plain nice people, who are enjoyable to be around. Friendship is an important benefit!
-- Three, there is an element of "paying back." Think about the terrific things the group does: A variety of outings; a fabulous picnic just this past August; interesting speakers such as Chris Madden, Senior Environmental Scientist on the Everglades Restoration project; coordinated group efforts to promote environmental stewardship in our community; vibrant environmental scholarship program for youth. These things don't "just happen." If you've enjoyed any of them, perhaps it's your time to give back a bit... and have a heck of a good time while doing it!
If you're interested -- or just want to talk about it -- give any current ExCom member a call. All our phone numbers and e-mail addresses are included in this newsletter.
- Your friendly Nominating Committee,
Nada MacKinney, Maryvonne Devensky, John Gates
BYLAW 4: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
3.1 Annual Election
An Annual Election shall be held in the fourth quarter of each year to choose ExCom members. This election and any special elections shall be conducted by secret written ballot mailed to all Group members at least four weeks before the closing date of the elections, and shall be conducted in such a manner as to ensure facility of voting and tabulations, and secrecy of ballot. The ballot shall allow each voter to vote for as many candidates as there are positions to be filled. A voter may not cumulate votes for any candidate.For the annual election, the ExCom shall specify the calendar dates and deadlines for appointing a Nominating Committee (NomCom), production of eligible voter lists, receipt of names for consideration by the NomCom, receipt of ballot issue petitions, the NomCom report of the names of nominees, receipt of candidate petitions, appointment of the Election Committee, printing and mailing dates for ballots allowing at least four weeks for return of the ballots, receipt of returned ballots, and the date, time and place for counting ballots. The ExCom shall provide written notice of this schedule and of the opportunity to nominate candidates by petition to all Group members.
3.2 Nominating Committee
A Nominating Committee of at least three Group members, at least one not an ExCom member, none of who may be a candidate, shall be appointed annually by the ExCom not later than four months before the designated closing date of the election. Sufficient opportunity shall be given for Group members to submit names for consideration by the NomCom. The NomCom shall attempt to nominate at least two more candidates than the number of ExCom members to be elected, and shall report the nominees' names to the ExCom at least two weeks before the deadline for submission of nomination petitions and five weeks before the scheduled mailing of the ballots. Nominees shall be Group members who give their consent. If the NomCom chooses not to nominate a willing candidate, the NomCom shall promptly inform that candidate of the opportunity to seek nomination by petition.3.3 Petition Candidates
The name of any Group member proposed in writing by a least fifteen Group members prior to the deadline, and who gives consent, shall also be included on the ballot. The nomination petitions shall be retained until the ballots are destroyed.3.4 Election Committee
An election Committee of at least three Group members, at least one not an ExCom member shall be appointed annually by the ExCom prior to the scheduled date of mailing of ballots. No candidates may serve on the Election Committee. The Election Committee shall cause the ballots to be prepared and mailed and shall count the returned ballots. Challenges of the conduct of candidates or their campaigns shall be referred to the Elections Committee. Decisions of the Election Committee may be appealed to the ExCom.3.5 Mailing Ballots
Ballots shall be mailed to all Group members of record according to the voter list obtained prior to the election.3.6 Return of Ballots
Ballots shall be returned to the Elections Committee as directed the ballot instructions. Return of a minimum number of valid ballots shall not be required for the validity of an annual or special election.3.7 Counting Ballots
The Election Committee shall count the ballots on the closing date of the election, or as soon as practical after the closing date of the election. The candidates or their authorized representatives shall be permitted to be present. The candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected. Any tie shall be resolved immediately, first by a recount, then if necessary by lot at the ballot counting. The Election Committee shall report the results immediately to the Secretary. The Secretary shall immediately notify the candidates, the ExCom, membership and other interested parties, and shall report the results to the ExCom at its next meeting. The ballots shall be retained until the ExCom directs their destruction.
Happenings with Other Environmental Organizations
In numbers there is strength, and sometimes fun! Lox Sierra would like to share with our members events that other environmental organizations are sponsoring.
Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition meets on the fourth Wed. of the month at 7 p.m. at Pegasus Restaurant, 301 N. Dixie Hwy., Lake Worth. Contact Steven Bell 632-7737 or livingscape@cs.com
Palm Beach Pack & Paddle Club meets on the second Monday of each month, 7 p.m. at Okeeheelee Nature Center, WPB. The Oct. 14 meeting will be an Ice Cream Social! Nov. 11 meeting, "Lighting up the night with headlamps and flashlights." Contact Linda Leeds, 683-2851 or lindamarie7@juno.com.
Pine Jog Environmental Education Center is having an Enchanted Forest for children and families. Oct. 25-26 & Nov. 1-2. Located at 6301 Summit Blvd., WPB. 686-6600 or www.pinejog.org.
Volunteer Recognition Breakfast & Cypress Seed Gathering: Lox Sierra volunteers are again invited to participate in this annual fun event sponsored by the Marshall Foundation. The breakfast is on October 26 at 8:00 am, followed at 9:00 with the Cypress seed gathering. This is a neat, hands-on environmental experience for the whole family. Enjoy a nice fall day at the Refuge with other like-minded people! The seeds will produce seedlings to be planted in the spring of 2004 . The trees we¹ll be planting in spring 2003 are from the seeds we gathered last year. All of this happens at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in west Boynton Beach. Be sure to mention you are a Sierra Club member when you call to make your reservation at
(561) 805-TREE (8733) or e-mail PlantCypress@aol.com.(These activities are not sponsored nor administered by the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club has no information about the planning of these activities and makes no representations of warranties about the quality, safety, supervision or management of such activities.)
Turtle Rescue Walk - August 18th
It was a beautiful morning on Lantana Beach as the sun was rising. Small children were happy to dig up the sand and find baby turtles. Then they let them walk to the shore for their long journey in the ocean. We saved about 15 turtles that morning...Thanks to all who came, some from the Fla west coast. Thanks so much to Bob Schonfeld, biologist, who was so informative answering so many questions. (Visit our online slide show to see the turtles and their rescuers in action!)
- Maryvonne Devensky
Theme is "Water, Lifeblood of the Planet." Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group will again participate in this annual environmental celebration sponsored by the Conservation Alliance of St. Lucie County, Inc. The theme asks each Group to show how our expertise can contribute to water conservation and water quality, or how our area is affected by water.
Where: Fort Pierce Inlet State Park
When: Saturday, November 9, 2002, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Lox Sierra Group has participated in this event for the past several years. It is great fun! I¹m sure many of our same activists will want to participate. At the August picnic held at Carlin Park, we met members from the northern reaches of our group. We¹d like to again offer an opportunity for those northern members to participate more fully in a Sierra event. We need members from the Jupiter, St. Lucie, Martin County area to participate in this event. Lox Excom will provide t-shirts to sell and literature to share, banners, etc. A petition designed for this event would be great - CERP (Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan), Ban roads in ESLs (Environmentally Sensitive
Lands), - whatever your cause.Contact Barbara Curtis (954) 946-7359 or Maryvonne Devensky (561) 369-3462.
- Kay Gates
If you missed the August picnic in Jupiter, you truly missed out on a good time. The weather was beautiful, sunny and not too hot. The Carlin Park pavilion was spacious and comfortable for eating as well as socializing. The turnout was terrific, with an estimated 100 Sierrans there at the high point, with people coming and going. We even had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Grace Iverson discuss her research on Florida Scrub Jays, 2 of which live in a wooded area near the pavilion. Getting reacquainted with Sierrans from northern Palm Beach County, Martin and St. Lucie counties AND welcoming new members was particularly enjoyable.
We'd like to extend heartfelt thanks to the many individuals who spent considerable time and effort to arrange this fun event. Things like this don't "just happen!" There are too many people to list here (2 dozen perhaps?!), but special thanks go to those who made telephone calls to extend the invitation and handle RSVPs -- Linda Rickson, Lucy Lanpher, Dave Campbell, Charlotte Carle, Harold Phillips, Maryvonne Devensky and Sheila Calderon. But make no mistake, everyone's effort is sincerely appreciated.
If you missed this, don't miss the Holiday Party on December 14. Watch your Turtle Tracks for upcoming information.
- Nada MacKinney
The September 12th meeting of the South Florida Water Management District featured an agenda of 125 items that changed almost hourly, and some of the more interesting stuff was not even on the agenda. For example, Board member Patrick Gleason reported that the cypress tree islands in the Arthur R. Marshall National Wildlife Refuge (a.k.a. Water Conservation Area #1) are being overrun with Lygodium, an exotic vine that envelopes trees (and everything else) and smothers them. Gleason called for immediate action to combat this pest. However, no control technology exists. Biological controls (like Lygodium eating insects) are being studied.
Since the Board's idea of public access to District land seems to be mainly hunting and fishing, they approved a trial duck hunting season in Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (somewhere down near Miami) under the close supervision of Florida Fish & Wildlife.
There was no presentation on Minimum Flows and Levels for the Loxahatchee River, the decision on this is apparently postponed until December, but the item was left on the agenda for public comment. I came upon a document called "A Resolution of the Loxahatchee River Management Coordinating Council" that called for a higher minimum flow (65cfm) than the District has proposed (35 cfm) and that plans be developed for even larger flows to restore the freshwater cypress
environment further downstream than it is at present. I thought this sounded pretty good, so I commented that I thought this proposal was something Sierra would support.Rosa Durando had two permit applications moved from the consent agenda to discussion. One was a permit for rock mining in western Palm Beach County along US 27 southeast of Belle Glade. The other was for a residential/equestrian development called Equus along State Road 7 in the Ag Reserve. It's a lot of houses on very small lots with little stables and strips for horses to run around in behind the houses. While the permit calls for stringent rules for stable waste removal, I argued in my
comment that unless they put diapers on all those horses there would be plenty of loose manure to create a serious water quality problem. They approved both permits. Too bad we did not catch this at the County level. They had already approved it.We would welcome anyone willing to be the Sierra Club's "ears" at County Commission meetings to monitor issues relevant to the environment so we¹re aware of issues up for the Commission¹s
consideration and can provide input before it's too late.- John B. Koch
Florida Chapter Sierra Club Annual Conservation Conference
"Sierrans for Solutions"
November 8-10, 2002
Ocala 4-H Center, on Sellers Lake in the Ocala National Forest.
Registration Deadline October 26, 2002
Agenda | Directions | Registration Fees & Form
Get on board with the Loxahatchee Group's very own e-mail forum. This is a general e-mail discussion and announcement list for members of the Loxahatchee Group of the Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club. Our forum is a strong network for communications, announcements, action alerts and just plain fun for members of the Loxahatchee Group. To sign onto the list, go to the following website. Please have your Membership Number handy: http://www.sierraclub.org/memberlists
listname=FL-LOXAHATCHEE-FORUM
Questions? e-mail me at: rhaines999@aol.com.- Ron Haines
For Outings and Other Activities, Please Visit Events.
Turtle Tracks is published bi-monthly by the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group, P.O. Box 6271, Lake Worth, FL 33462-6271. Non-profit postage paid at West Palm Beach, FL. 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/year. Send address changes to: Sierra Club Member Services, Box 52968, Boulder, CO 80322
Newsletter submissions are welcome. The deadline is the third Tuesday of each month. Email articles to Marcia Karasoff at mkarasoff@adelphia.net (phone 561/278-5240), or deliver Macintosh format 3.5" disc or Zip disc copy to general membership meeting. (Typed hardcopies are also acceptable, but not preferred).
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