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| NEWS:Turtle Tracks Newsletter |
| Turtle
Tracks
Newsletter of the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Volume 27, No. 5 | October-November 2003 Table of Contents |
Back Issues
Newsletter Editor
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COUNTY COMMISSION CONSERVATION ISSUES UPDATEThanks to all who attended the Palm Beach County Commission meeting on September 23rd. Thanks also to all who wrote or faxed your Commissioner. The important item was a preliminary reading of the Conservation Lands Protection Ordinance (CLPO.) It is not as strong as we would like but it may be as good as we will get. We need to keep pressuring for permanent protection for the most environmentally sensitive of areas. This is a tool that will help us do that. Currently we don¹t have even that much. Look for a public hearing on October 21, 2003.
The Acreage Reliever Road issue turned out to be a non-issue. We had a good turn out of supporters wearing our tee shirts. However, people from the Village of Royal Palm Beach came in busses. The Acreage also had a good turnout. The Village offered to allow the County to move a section of the roadway towards the west onto a parcel of land owned by the Village. This will save about a dozen acres of the Pond Cypress from destruction. We have made strides in that the alignment is no longer through the middle of the Pond Cypress.
We need to pressure the County Commission to follow the rules in the new CLPO on this case. We also need to monitor the permitting by the South Florida Water Management District and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Many acres of the Pond Cypress Preserve are still unnecessarily threatened.
The third item was a proposal to trade Section 1, the environmentally
sensitive wetlands owned by Minto Homes, for the severely degraded southern end of the Pond Cypress. This could be a very good deal, but to eliminate unpleasant surprises, we need to make sure that the County follows the rules of the CLPO.- JoAnn Miner
On October 21 we are pleased to have Brenda Duffy, Senior Director Public Relations of Wakodahatchee Wetlands. Brenda will give us an overview of Wakodahatchee, the great success this water reclamation project has been, and its future plans for expansion. As an introduction to this subject our own 13-year-old Scott Carle will show us his multi-award winning environmental science project on the Wakodahatchee Wetlands.
At our November 18th meeting, Clive Pinnock, Manager of the Okeeheelee Nature Center, will have several birds of prey to show us. Clive worked for 15 years as a Wildlife Biologist with the National Park Service in New York¹s Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and Arizona¹s Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Our meetings start at 7:00 PM for social, meeting opens at 7:20PM. We look forward to seeing you all.
- John Gates Program Chair
From the Easy Chair . . . . . .
Our September wildflower Outing to Overlook Scrub was excellent! Pleasant weather, knowledgeable leader Lisa Hanley, good company, and the scrub jays showed. Overlook Scrub is one of those ESLs, Environmentally Sensitive Lands, purchased by 1991 and 1999 Bond funds that Palm Beach County citizens, with wisdom and heart, voted to tax themselves for. Located in Lantana just west of US 1, it is a unique spot of native Florida where scrub jays, gopher tortoises, and native fauna flourish.
This leads me to remind you about Lox Sierra¹s effort to get the County
Commissioners to see the wisdom in placing Conservation Easements on these habitats. This needs to be done or development will shuffle roads and schools onto them. Then PBC will look like the counties to the south. Can¹t we save a small space for nature? Please support our Conservation effort. See JoAnn Miner¹s article.My other plea is for an ExCom share-job secretary. Alan P. is a great
secretary, but since his retirement he has been going off on extended
excursions. Our small group of volunteers is stretched to the breaking
point. This secretary job is for one evening a month when Alan is out of
town. Help!Take a walk in one of the Nature Preserves this week. Call me
(561-742-9219) for a copy of the booklet that gives all their locations.
Then think about giving back, all volunteers are needed and always welcome.- Kay Gates, Chairperson
SCRUB JAYS MAKE APPEARANCE DURING WILDFLOWER OUTING
Sheila C., Debbie E., Kay G., Sabrina and Randy C., Margi L., JoAnn M., Maryvonne D., and I enjoyed our Wildflower Walk in the Overlook Natural Area. Our aim, in particular, was to find a meadow of jointweed in full bloom (it's much prettier than it sounds) and, in general, to savor the early morning freshness of this ninety acre ESL.We were too early for the jointweed,which was still in bud, but, not too early for a family of scrub jays who decided to accompany us. We saw five at one time, a fact that greatly interested Stella Rossi, of the Wilderness Islands Coalition. Apparently the jays have not been so obliging of late and no one has been able to get an accurate count, which is important to the management of the natural area. Sabrina and I have volunteered to go back, with paper, pen and video camera and we will publish our results in the next Turtle Tracks.
- Lisa Hanley
NEXT EXCOM MEETING will be at 7:00 p.m. at John & Kay Gates¹ house on Oct., 13, and at Maryvonne Devensky¹s house on Nov. 10. Call Maryvonne and John & Kay for directions if you plan to attend.
LOXAHATCHEE GROUP NEWSLETTER FOLDING PARTY - Sunday, Nov. 30, at 4 p.m. Turtle Tracks will be labeled at the home of Lisa Hanley and Mike Fitzpatrick because our usual hosts, the Carles, will be out of town. Come on over to Mike and Lisa's: 175 SW 2nd Street, Boynton Beach. For directions, call 732-9578. It doesn't take much time and there's usually lively talk. Mike & Lisa can't compete with Melanie's cookies, but they'll come up with something!
Please visit Events.
CONSERVATION COMMITTEE MEETING
Bring issues that are important to you before the Committee for attention and action. Please contact JoAnn Miner for location and time (561)-433-0685.
The Arthur R. Marshall Foundation's 4th Annual Recognition Breakfast & Cypress Seed Gathering. Lox Sierra volunteers are again invited to
participate in this annual fun event sponsored by the Marshall Foundation. The free breakfast is on October 25 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 2005. The trees we¹ll be planting in spring 2004 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.
Please R.S.V.P by October 10, 2003 to Meghan Murphy at (561) 805-TREE (8733) or plantcypress@aol.com. Call for directions.
Audubon Meetings: First Tuesday of the month, 7:30 p.m. Meetings held at NEW LOCATION Howard Park Community Center in West Palm Beach (corner of Parker & Okeechobee). Call Claudine Laabs (561) 655-9779.
PB Pack & Paddle Club, Second Monday of the month, 7:00 p.m. at Okeeheelee Nature Center, WPB.
PBCEC - PBC Environmental Coalition Conferences on the third Monday of each month at Pegasus Restaurant. 301 N. Dixie Hwy., Lake Worth, 7:00 p.m. Contact Steve Bell (561) 632-7737 or livingscape@cs.com.
Pine Jog Environmental Education Center Fourth Enchanted Forest, November 14 & 15, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. To volunteer or for more information, visit www.pinejog.org/WebPages/SpecialEvents.htm, or contact Rachel Cavanaugh (561) 686-6600, pinejog@fau.edu.
League of Environmental Educators in Florida (LEEF), a non profit org. whose mission is to develop and support environmental education and educators by promoting community-based support will organize field trips and environmental workshops. Check their website at
http://leeflet.brinkster.net.Indian Riverkeeper. The newly formed organization in Stuart is looking for more volunteers to keep an eye on the Indian River Lagoon, and report any pollution you see. They also need a grant writer. If interested, contact them at (772)283-8747.
(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.)
WANT TO GET INVOLVED? 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, you don¹t need to be an expert on the environment. All that counts is an interest in getting involved. Everyone just helps each other!
-- Two, it's a great opportunity to meet interesting and enjoyable, nice
people. Friendship is an important benefit!-- Three, think about the terrific things the group does: A variety of
outings; fabulous picnics; interesting speakers; group efforts to promote
environmental stewardship in our community; vibrant environmental
scholarship program for youth, very active Inner City Outing (ICO) program. 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 -- call a
current ExCom member.- Your friendly Nominating Committee, Kay Gates, John Gates and Mike Yustin
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.
FTAA -- IT'S MOSTLY NOT ABOUT TRADE
FTAA is mostly about expanding corporate power over national governments. Chapter 11 of the proposed treaty allows corporations to sue for damages in special secret trade courts for lost profits due to a country's environmental regulations, health standards, labor laws, workmen's compensation and consumer protection. Requiring businesses to clean up toxic sites like Love Canal would be held to be a trade barrier. This happened with a lead smelter in Mexico under NAFTA. It also threatens privatization of public services such as water supply, education, and mail delivery. UPS is currently suing Canada under NAFTA for subsidizing its post office, which delivers packages in competition with UPS, claiming the subsidy is a trade barrier.
Pretty scary. But what can you do? The trade ministers are meeting in Miami November 19-21 to work out the details of the FTAA treaty. If they can agree on a text it goes to the US Congress where it is expected to get "fast track" treatment, a yes or no vote on the package with no amendments permitted. There is some good news--the trade ministers recently met in Cancun to work on the World Trade Organization treaty, a global version of NAFTA and FTAA. They went home with no agreement thanks to the world's poor countries. Brazil was a leader in the poor country bloc, but we can't count on the Brazilians to stop FTAA for us. We have to show the world that we, the American people, do not want FTAA.
For more information attend the Stop FTAA training, Saturday Oct. 18 at 9:30 AM to 1 PM at the Postal Workers Hall in Lake Worth. Phone 588-3990 to RSVP and get directions.
One of our coalition partners, the Lake Worth Global Justice Group, is
putting on the Free Carnival Area of the Americas. They are inviting young people from all over the country to come to Lake Worth to build tall puppets and do street theatre from Oct. 1 to November 14. They need welding equipment, paint and other materials, and housing for guests. On November 15 six weeks worth of creativity will be paraded, wheeled carried and dragged on a 60 mile five day romp to Miami, joining the Nov. 20 Day of Action festivities. Attend the parade when it passes through your town, or join in. Details: phone 547-6686.Plan to go to Miami. The Alliance of Retired Americans say they have funds to charter as many buses as we can fill. Details are not yet known as negotiations with the Miami police are ongoing. For current info: our
e-mail forum, visit www.stopftaa.org, phone me at 963-5574 and/or attend our October and November meetings.- John Koch
MARK YOUR CALENDAR WITH IMPORTANT CONSERVATION DATES
October 20 - Fax Your Commissioner Day
Remind your Commissioner that the Conservation Lands Protection Ordinance is important to you.October 21 - Board of County Commissioners
First Reading and Public hearing on the Conservation Lands Protection
Ordinance.October 28 - Board of County Commissioners Workshop on Water Resources. The Commission will discuss ways to secure water resources to restore the Everglades ecosystem in the northern part of the county. This should be interesting and informative.
November 15 and 16 - Florida Chapter Conservation Conference at the
beautiful new Luther Springs campground on Lake Vause in western Putnam County, between Hawthorne and Interlachen. Keynote speaker: Al Burt. Musical entertainment: Jane Yii. There is a lot happening. You can find up-to-date information on outings, actions items, current events and commentary on the LOXAHATCHEE FORUM.- JoAnn Miner
HOLIDAY PARTY AND SILENT AUCTION UPDATE
Our Holiday Party will be Sunday, December 14th at the Micanopy Pavilion in Okeeheelee Park on Forest Hill Blvd. in W. Palm Beach.
Our fantastic start with donation offers for our Silent Auction is getting
better all the time. The gift certificates have started rolling in. We will
have a great choice of restaurants, Florida attractions, theatre tickets,
native plants, and art work along with other great gift items. And don¹t
forget we have a week¹s vacation at a six-bedroom home with a National
Forest as your back yard. Combine that with all kinds of outdoor fun at the Holiday Party with good Sierra friends.A reminder that the funds raised will be for our Inner City Outings program, the Elaine Usherson Camp Scholarship program and local environmental projects. Please contact Sheila Calderon, by phone (561-968 4166), fax (561-969 2557) or E-Mail (Shecal@Bellsouth.net) with any donations of items (min. value of $25.) or gift certificates you get donated from your favorite restaurants or attractions. Check the December issue of Turtle Tracks for final party time and details.
Sheila Calderon
Our new Inner City Outings program sponsored its first leader training
seminar on Sept. 27, 2003 at the Everglades Youth Camp. ICO members from around the state came to attend. The training combined outing leaders¹ training with specific sessions on how to work with youth. Safety and environmental education were emphasized.All leaders have to be certified by national headquarters and leader
training is the first step. They also have to take first aid, and attend two
trips as apprentice to a certified leader. It is unusual for such a new ICO as West Palm Beach to offer training programs this early in their establishment.Several youth groups have expressed interest in the ICO program but we
still need more certified leaders and trip volunteers before more youth
agencies can be accepted. To volunteer contact Mike Baird at GSDad@bellsouth.net or (561) 965-7237.- Mike Baird
FLORIDA SIERRA CLUB ENDORSES FLA. HOMETOWN DEMOCRACY PETITION
All Florida Sierra Clubs are soliciting petition signatures to put a Florida
Constitutional Amendment on the ballot in the Nov. 2004 election. We need 500,000 signatures statewide. Leslie Blackner, an Environmental Attorney who was instrumental in getting a Palm Beach County ordinance passed to protect nesting turtles, is a co-author of this petition. Join Floridians who understand that the power to decide land use changes belongs to the voters - and it's time to take that power back!The U.S. and Florida Supreme Courts have consistently recognized that local land use decisions can be made directly by the voters. Go to www.floridahometowndemocracy.com to GET THE PETITION, MAKE COPIES for your friends and family to sign, SIGN IT AND MAIL IT. If you don't have a computer, you can print a copy at your public library, or come to our next general meeting or our holiday picnic. WE WILL BE COLLECTING SIGNATURES AT SPECIAL EVENTS. IF YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER TO HELP OUT WITH THIS ISSUE, CALL ME AT (561) 596-3467.
- Maryvonne Devensky
FLORIDA CHAPTER SIERRA CLUB CONSERVATION CONFERENCE - SAT., NOVEMBER 15
This year the conference will be held at the beautiful new 350-acre Luther Springs campground on private Lake Vause in western Putnam County, 25 miles East of Gainesville. The facilities are beautiful and opportunities for canoeing and hiking are available. There will be something for everyone during the day with seminars by leading conservationists on many different topics including Global Warming, Solar Energy, National Forests, Florida Master Naturalists Program, Our Oceans in Crisis, plus more.
In the evening, Al Burt, author of ³Becalmed in the Mullet Latitude: Al Burt¹s Florida² and ³Snowbirds, Sand Castles and Self-rising Crackers² will be our keynote speaker at the annual awards dinner. Al was a roving reporter for the Miami Herald for over 20 years and is famous for writing about the special places in the state. Then we will be entertained by the music of Jane Yii. In 1994, while singing in the duo, ³CecilyJane², Jane won Best Overall Songwriting at the S. Florida Folk Festival. She has also gotten awards at the annual Will McLean Folk Festival and her music is featured on the Emmy award winning documentary ³Wild Heart of Florida².
The deadline for registration of lodging and meals is Nov. 3. NO REFUNDS AFTER THIS DATE!
DIRECTIONS
From South: I-75 to exit 358(Hwy 326), take this east to Hwy 301, go North on Hwy 301 to Citra, In Citra take Hwy 318 east to Hwy. 315. Turn Left (North) onto 315, continue to Hwy 21 in Orange Springs, go approx. 6 miles North on Hwy. 21 to the Camp Sign on Vause Lake Rd.From North: Take Hwy. 20 east from Gainesville or west from Palatka to Hwy. 21. Take 21 South through Johnson. Cross RR tracks and go 1.2 miles to the Camp Sign on Vause Lake Rd. (right). From Camp Sign at Vause Lake Road: Take Vause Lake Rd 1/4 mile to fork; take
left fork 3/4 mile to road on left; turn left and go 3/4 mile to the gate.
The gate is on the right.
Join Our E-Mail Forum
- Ron HainesGet 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.
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 561/968-4058), 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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