Loxahatchee Group Florida Chapter
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Turtle Tracks Newsletter of the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Volume 27, No.4  | August/September 2003 Table of Contents Pond Cypress update Florida energy plan General meeting From the easy chair Environmental summer camps August picnic Circuit City comes through Meetings ICO leadership training Silent auction FTAA

Back Issues 2003 back issues coming soon! June/July 2003 January 2003 November/December 2002 August/September 2002 June/July 2002 April/May 2002 February/March 2002 August/September 2001 June/July 2001 April/May 2001 October/November 2000 August/September 2000 Newsletter Editor Marcia Karasoff 561/968-4058 mkarasoff@adelphia.net

THANKS!!
- JoAnn Miner

Those of you who have sent letters to Donald Medellin of the SFWMD deserve a round of applause.  Your thoughts about the Acreage Reliever Road proposed to be paved through the Pond Cypress Nature Preserve are being heard.  Your letters have been read.  An impressive pile greeted Mr. Medellin when he returned from vacation. (If you didn¹t get a chance to send in your letter, don¹t feel bad.  There is still time.  Send one today!)

It ain¹t over yet.  Permitting of this road will be a long, drawn out
process.  It¹s our job to make the process as long and drawn out as
possible.  It seems the County thought that it would be an easy expedient to get this road through -- ³easy² because the route is on County owned
property (it is just a wee complication that it is environmentally sensitive
land) and ³expedient² because it would be faster for the County to put
through the road than to wait for the State to proceed with the State Road 7 Extension.  In addition, mitigation will be quite expensive for such high quality land.  Our task is to show them the error of their ways.
Thanks for your continued support of this and the many other environmental issues in our area.

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Florida energy plan: An opportunity for all Floridians to create a sustainable energy future
- Debbie Evans

Florida imports fossil fuels to meet virtually all our energy needs, both
electric and transportation.   This leaves us with a host of environmental
and economic problems.  Billions of dollars leave our state each year to pay for the fossil fuels whose pollution fouls our air and water.  Now there is an opportunity for all Floridians to make a change and chart a course for a sustainable energy future for Florida.

The Florida Energy Office has initiated Florida's first ever energy planning process and is asking citizens to get involved.  A plan will be produced by the fall of 2003.  The time to act is now.   Eleven public workshops, hosted by each of the state's regional planning councils, will be held in August.

A draft energy plan used for discussion at the initial July 16th meeting in
Tallahassee is viewable on the web.  See it at
http://consensus.fsu.edu/floridaenergyplan/index.html and discover how you can participate in planning Florida's energy future.

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General meetings
- John Gates, Program Chair

There will be no meeting in August. Hope to see you ALL at the August
Picnic.

Meeting September 16th will feature John Hargis. John is going to share the exciting work he has been doing with artificial reefs in the Lake Worth Lagoon.  He and his class have been doing some very impressive marine research this year. Be sure not to miss this informative presentation by John Hargis.

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From the easy chair . . .
- Kay Gates, Chairperson

Vacation!  Time to reflect on what and why we do what we do. Heading north on the Florida turnpike and I 75, as the miles of scrub pine roll by outside the car window, I note that much of the roadway is encroached with Brazilian pepper, some draped in old world vine.  How do these exotic invasive species spread?  Will they eventually overwhelm all of Florida¹s native species? What will development leave untouched?

Our Lox Sierra Group is involved in preserving Palm Beach County¹s natural areas, the Pond Cypress Preserve in particular.  A Boynton Beach contingent is instrumental in the formation of Greenways ­ multi-purpose paths connecting parks for people on foot, bikers, and wildlife and natural vegetation. In the northern reaches of the county the Loxahatchee River Coalition is demanding sufficient water flow for the river, and asking that existing greenways along the river be kept as open, public places.  Members in Martin and St. Lucie counties are working on several different projects through their respective Conservation Alliances, River Keepers, Audubon, and the Haney Creek Friends.

Florida, the environment and community, will become what people allow it to. What would you like to see?  It¹s important to do something to make a difference. There are many ways you can participate ­ writing letters to elected officials and the newspapers, responding to internet surveys, attending meetings and learning more about the issues, volunteering for a Sierra position.

Last year¹s August picnic was held in Jupiter.  It was a huge success.  This year we¹re doing Boca!  Look for details in this issue.  Hope to see you there.

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Environmental summer camps
- Maryvonne Devensky

This June and July, our group sent three boys to the Everglades Conservation Camp in West Palm Beach, and four girls to the Pine Jog Environmental Center summer camps.  Below you can read the thank you note from Danyelle at Pine Jog. Read it and share her joy.  And a sincere thanks to all of you who donated money to the Elaine Usherson Scholarship Program, during our March appeal or at our auction.  It helped fund this program.

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August pot luck picnic

The Loxahatchee Sierra Club cordially invites you to our Annual Summer Picnic. This year it is all pot luck.

WHO:
All Sierra Club members and friends of the environment.

WHY:
To see old friends, make new friends, have fun, and learn about local
ecological issues.

WHERE:
 Patch Reef Park, Boca Raton
Pavilions #1 and #2
The park is located at 2000 N.W. 51st Street (Yamato Road)
1 block west of Military Trail on the South side of Yamato Road.
Phone number of the Park is (561)  997-0791
Look for the Sierra Club banner.

WHEN:
Sunday, August 24th from 4:00 PM Ôtil sundown

COST:
None!  The Sierra Club will furnish soda and ice.

WHAT TO BRING:
We are trying a new thing:

BRING A SALAD if your family name starts with letter A to E

BRING AN ENTREE if your name starts with a letter from F to J

BRING A VEGAN ENTREE/SALAD if your name starts with a letter from K to Q

BRING A DESSERT if your name starts with a letter from R to Z

Please feel free to bring what you want, if you have a creative mind!!

NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED IN THE PARK

Bring eating utensils, a folding chair, sunscreen, hat, etc.

ATTIRE:
Casual, wear your environmental shirts, hats, buttons, etc.

RSVP:
To John & Kay Gates, 561-742-9219, johnkay@mindspring.com.

Sierra Club T-shirts for sale

See You At Patch Reef Park!

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Outings

Please visit Events.

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Circuit City comes through!
- Kay Gates

Thanks to Mackenzie Pierce at Circuit City, our first annual July
Environmental Video/Popcorn party was able to view videos with a 25² TV/VCR. After booking the comfortable Lantana Community Center which has air and kitchen facilities and plenty of parking spaces, we realized there wasn¹t a television.  Brain storming led John Gates, Program Chair, to inquire about a loaner from Circuit City while he was shopping.

The quick, positive response makes me realize we need to give businesses more opportunities to participate in our work.  See Sheila¹s article on planning the Holiday Silent Auction.  John Koch¹s popcorn was a hit. The videos were interesting, the socializing was fun.  Leslie Blackner gave us the details on the evolution of her Florida Constitution Petition.  Our group is considering supporting the Petition.   Visit http://www.FloridaHometownDemocracy.com for more information.

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Newsletter folding party
Sunday, September 28th at 4 p.m.  Your help will be appreciated sticking labels on Turtle Tracks.  It's an hour or two of easy volunteer work and good company. Please join us! Contact Sabrina at (561) 732-4486 or carles@bellsouth.net for directions (West Boynton).  Free cookies!

NEXT EXCOM MEETING will be at 7:00 p.m. at John & Kay Gates¹ house on August 11th, and at Maryvonne Devensky¹s house on September 8th.   Call Maryvonne and John & Kay for directions if you plan to attend.

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.

OTHER HAPPENINGS

Audubon Meetings:  First Tuesday of the month, 7:30PM. Meetings held at NEW LOCATION Howard Park Community Center in West Palm Beach (corner of Parker & Okeechobee).

PB Pack & Paddle Club,  Second Monday of the month, 7:00 PM at Okeeheelee Nature Center, WPB.

PBCEC -  PBC Environmental Coalition Conferences on the 4th Mon. of each month at Pegasus Restaurant in Lake Worth, 7pm.  Contact Steve Bell  (561) 632-7737  or  livingscape@cs.com.

Lollapalooza Rock concert on August 5th.  $1.00 per ticket going to Sierra Club. For more information on time and location, check newspapers or email: crystal1@ucla.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, or call Jenny Cohen at (561) 640-615.

Indian Riverkeeper.The newly formed organization in Stuart had a cookout on June 24th. They  are 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.)

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WPB-ICO to sponsor leader training
- Mike Baird

The newly formed West Palm Beach Inner City Outings (ICO) program will sponsor a training weekend to certify ICO leaders. Scheduled for the weekend of Sept. 27, 2003, the training will be held at The Everglades Youth Camp in suburban West Palm Beach. All courses except first aid will be offered to anyone who is interested in becoming an ICO certified leader. Some of the sessions will include how to plan a trip, paperwork and insurance requirements and handling "difficult" children. Costs and itinerary had not been established at press time.

The current certified leaders had to attend training in the Tampa area.  Our training  will be open to any ICO member from the other five ICO groups in Florida. Sierra Club members are also working to establish a new group in the Gainesville area and all potential leaders from the group will be invited also.

The WPB-ICO has been certified by Sierra National since March of this year and is already working with four youth agencies including a church group, two schools and an after school program. They have taken youth members on 5 field trips, including two canoe outings and three hikes.

Anyone who would like to share their love of nature and the environment with underprivileged youth and is a Sierra Club member can volunteer to be either a trip volunteer or a certified leader by contacting Mike Baird, ICO Chairman at (561) 965-7237 or by email at GSDad@bellsouth.net.

ICO is a community outreach program of the Sierra Club and currently operates in 48 metropolitan areas nation wide.

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Silent auction update
- Sheila Calderon

We will hold our Silent Auction at our Holiday Party in December rather than the August Picnic.  We¹re already off to a fantastic start with donation offers which include stained glass artwork, an original painting and some great nature photography.  Combine that with some great Florida attractions, restaurants and shows.  Then top it all off with a weeks vacation in a six-bedroom home with a national forest as your back yard and what more can you ask for?!

Remember, funds raised will be for our Inner City Outings program, the
Elaine Usherson Camp Scholarship program and local environmental projects.

Please contact me by phone or fax with any donations of household items (minimum value of $25) or gift certificates you get donated from your favorite restaurants or attractions.  Watch for more details in the October Turtle Tracks.  Sheila Calderon (561-968 4166 or E-Mail shecal@bellsouth.net).

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What is FTAA???
 - John Koch

It's Free Trade Area of the Americas, a plan to extend NAFTA (North American Free Trade Area) to include Central and South America as well as the US, Canada and Mexico, which is why we call it NAFTA on steroids.

Why is National Sierra Club against it? It would force us to accept imports of almost anything, including food produced with toxic chemicals that are banned in this country or produced under unsanitary conditions, and goods produced cheaply in countries with no environmental or labor standards that drive US competitors out of business, destroying American jobs.

But FTAA and NAFTA are mostly about Investment.  It allows corporations to set up shop in any country and if they find the local environmental or labor laws are not to their liking they can sue the government to recover "lost profits" caused by those laws.  The cases are tried in secret in special international courts. Right now Atlanta-based United Parcel Service is suing Canada for lost profits.  They argue that since Canada subsidizes its postal service, its rates are too low and that takes business away from UPS.  Why don't the Canadians tell UPS to get lost?  They can't because they signed the NAFTA treaty, and treaties trump national laws.

Could this lead to the massive privatization of public services?  Stay tuned. What's the local angle on this?  The hemisphere's trade ministers are meeting in Miami Nov. 19-22 to do a final draft of the FTAA treaty.  We need to send them a loud, clear message that we don't want it, like the folks in Seattle did with the World Trade Organization a few years ago.

Learn more about FTAA and get involved.  Trainings will be held in the West Palm-Lake Worth area on Saturday, Aug. 16 and  Sept. 20.  Time and location will be announced on the FORUM.  If you're not on the Forum phone 963-5574.
 

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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).