Loxahatchee Group Florida Chapter
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VOTE NOW in National Sierra's Board Election
Deadline is April 21
- Ron Haines

Sitting in my pile of ³things to get to² is the ballot for the annual Sierra
Club Board of Directors.  Deadline for voting is April 21, so if you're like me and have been procrastinating, get to it now!  The Sierra Club is a democracy and it is important that all members exercise their right to vote. Each candidate was given a questionnaire based on a solicitation of members on what questions they most wanted answered and candidates' statements are included with the ballots.  You can see the results of the questionnaire by going to www.sierraclub.org/bod/2004election.

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Planting Trees With the Marshall Foundation

Belle Glade's Torry Island is the place this year. Plantings are taking
place on Saturdays in March and April from 9 am - 1 pm.  Free BBQ lunch and bottled water will be provided.  See the Marshall's website
www.artmarshall.org and call Megan (561)805-8733 to register.  Call Kay if Sierrans want to form their own car pool.

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Everglades Day, CERP and Senator Bob Graham
- Sabrina Carle

Palm Beach County's affair with the Everglades was apparent February 14, Everglades Day at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.  More than 3,000 visitors participated in the day's events. One of the highlights was Senator Bob Graham's inspiring words, shared stories, and exchange of ideas. When asked what the average person can do to help preserve the Everglades, Senator Graham said join an organization that works on the issue.  He said Audubon and Sierra Club are two organizations that are doing good work.

Sabrina Carle (wearing her Sierra shirt and button) shared that the Sierra
Club was concerned about whether the Everglades Restoration (CERP) is focusing too much on creating reservoirs to enable population growth, and wondered if enough was being done to restore the natural Everglades
environment.  Graham responded that he was glad he had included Sierra Club earlier on his good guys list, and that a restored Everglades was indeed the goal.  He pointed out that shutting down the outflow of fresh water from the drainage canals is helping the environment in many ways, including the Indian River Lagoon, and then acknowledged that it is an ongoing battle.

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Earth Day Opportunities

Earth Day, April 22, which follows Sierra Club founder John Muir's
birthday, has come to be a month long celebration of spring.  There are many opportunities for members to get involved. The Lox Group will sponsor outreach tables at three great, fun environmental fairs.  Volunteers are needed for 2-hour shifts to sell t-shirts, share the
Sierra message, etc.  And you get to enjoy the fair for the rest of the day. All events are free.

Saturday, April 17th, 10am-3pm at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park.  The park is located on A1A in north Palm Beach, 2.8 miles south of the intersection of US1 and PGA Blvd.  Call/email Kay at (561)742-9219, johnkay@mindspring.com to volunteer.

Sunday, April 18th, 10am-3pm at J. Dickinson State Park. Located on US 1, 12 miles south of Stuart, or north of Jupiter.  Linda Rickson will be in charge of the Sierra table.  Reach her at 772-334-7743 or kalin101@bellsouth.net, or you can contact Kay.  We hope our northern members will come out to support these efforts.

Thursday, April 22nd, 5- 9pm is Environmental Night at Clematis By Night. This event is sponsored by the Audubon Society of the Everglades.  Contact Carol Shields (561) 964-1522  clsaudubon@yahoo.com  if you want to help, otherwise just go and have a blast.

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

In spite of the grackles' nest building in our flowering bougainvillea, the
mockingbirds and brown thrashers are singing their lungs out around the
yard.  Spring has returned to south Florida. The environmental community is still wrestling with the idea of Scripps development in the footprint of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).  The Army Corps of Engineers seem to have applied the brakes on run-away permitting.  Will they hold or will political clout rule the
day?  See the Conservation request for letter writing; please share your
concerns with the powers that be.

I am pleasantly amazed with the generous response of so many Sierrans to Lox's March Appeal Letter.  May the sun shine on you, and St. Patrick bless you!  Didn't receive the letter?  Just call, we have extra.  Didn't send your donation yet?  No problem, we accept donations all year long.  The more you all send, the more we can do.

This leads me to your participation in another Sierra matter.  You have
probably heard about the hotly disputed National Sierra elections. You
should have received your ballot in the mail. The single, most important
thing you can do for the Club right now is to read the candidates
statements, think about the direction you want the Club to move in, and
vote!  Ballots are due April 21st.  If you would like to discuss any Sierra
Club matter just call/email me or any of the Executive Committee members. See the Directory for names and numbers.

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General Meetings
- John Gates, Program Chair

The speaker for April 20th Meeting is our own Ron Haines. Ron is going to take us in his canoe, from the head waters of the Mississippi to its
discharge into the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans.   This is the trip Ron
took last year, and will share it with us through a slide presentation.
Our May 18th Meeting will be also our own Mike Yustin.  Mike will be giving us a Power Point Presentation from his Masters Thesis on the impact from development on Grassy Waters. This is very timely in view of the Scripps Institute Development on the Mecca Farms Property, which is adjacent to Grassy Waters. Grassy Waters is of course the drinking water supply for West Palm Beach.

Our meetings start at 7:00 PM for socializing; the meeting opens at 7:20 PM. We look forward to seeing you.

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What do you think? Let Bevin Beaudet know!
- JoAnn Miner

What do you think about Scrippsville? Will it be a ³Water World?²  Will
there be adequate water of high enough quality for all the human residents of northern Palm Beach County as well as adequate clean water supply for the needs of the Loxahatchee River watershed?  Will our beloved river be turned into ³The Bush / Scripps Wild and Scenic Drainage Ditch?² Will it be ³Sprawl World?²  Will it be like Wellington?  It will be a part of Palm Beach Gardens.  Will it be like the area along PGA Boulevard between Military Trail and the Intercoastal Waterway?  At the Palm Beach Gardens exit of the Florida Turnpike morning rush hour traffic lines up on the shoulder for two miles south of the exit waiting to exit the turnpike.

Maybe Scrippsville will be a beautiful place like Boca Raton.  As Wilson
Mizner called it way back in the 1920's - ³A Platinum Sucker Trap.²
Will Scrippsville actually provide a significant, long-term benefit to the
citizens of Rivera Beach, Belle Glade or Pahokee worth the investment that all taxpayers in this county and state are making?   Will it provide as many new, high tech jobs for the future as Pratt & Whitney, Motorola, RCA or Silicone Beach currently supply?  I guess we will have to wait and keep our fingers crossed.

What do you think about Scrippsville? What do you say?  We are running a campaign to tell our responsible governmental officials just what we think on this issue.  If you have already sent a letter then ³Thanks very much!² But why not send another? There are plenty of questions to go around.  You could even invite your family, friends, and neighbors to join in.

Please send a letter to:
Bevin Beaudet
Scripps Program Manager
301 N. Olive Avenue
Suite 1101.11
W.Palm Beach, FL, 33401

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Scripps Institute/Loxahatchee River Questions

How will Scripps/Florida Benefit the public?  Florida taxpayers, especially those in Palm Beach County, are being asked to pay for this endeavor.

How will the typical taxpayer in Riviera Beach or Pahokee benefit?

Water for Lox River:
sWill there be enough water flowing through Scripps property so that minimum flow levels for the river will truly be the minimum acceptable, and not the standard?
sHow will this be achieved?
sWhat efforts will be utilized in landscaping to control the addition of
pollutants to the water flowing into the River?
sWhat efforts will be utilized in landscaping to minimize the amount of
water for irrigation?

Low Income Housing:
sWhat are the plans for housing for the workers who flip the burgers, mop the floors and clean the toilets?
sWhere will these be located to minimize transportation problems for
low-income workers?

Transportation:
sWhat are the plans to make this a livable, walk-able community?
sWhat are the plans for intra community public mass transit?
sWhat are the plans for inter community public mass transit?
sHow many lanes will be paved for PGA Boulevard?
sHow many lanes will be paved for Pratt/Seminole Road?
sHow many lanes will be paved for Northlake Boulevard?
sHow will workers from Riviera Beach be able to commute to their jobs mowing lawns, cleaning homes and offices and changing diapers

Efforts to Make this a Planned, Showcase Community:
sHow will these communities compare to the likes of Celebration or
Watercolors?
sWhat will be done to assure that only state of the art, energy efficient
building designs will be considered for both commercial and residential
structures?
sSolar hot water
sPhotovoltaic
sGeothermal heating and cooling on all commercial structures.

Landfill:
sWhat will be done with the solid waste?
sWill it be put in our already overtaxed landfills?
Public water works:
sWhere will wastewater be treated?
sWill it be recycled as irrigation?
sWhere will potable water come from?

Cost for Infrastructure:
sWhat are the costs to the taxpayers of Palm Beach County for the additional roads for this development?
sWhat will be the impacts on traffic in the area?
sWhat are the costs to the taxpayers of Palm Beach County for the drinking water and waste water lines required for this development?
sWhat will be the additional costs for the consumers of Palm Beach County for the power lines for this development?
sWhat will be the additional costs for the consumers of Palm Beach County for the telecommunication lines for this development?
sHow much will the total costs be to the individual taxpayers of Florida and Palm Beach County for this development?

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Doggone Little Teaspoons

³It's true that no one of us is more than a grain of sand. But here's a
little parable I thought of years ago. Imagine a seesaw, and one end is on
the ground because there's a basket half-full of rocks on that end. And the other end is up in the air, because there's a basket only a quarter full of sand. And some of us got teaspoons, and we're trying to fill it. Most people are laughing at us, ÔWhat do you, gee, it's leaking out as fast as you're putting it in!' And we say, ÔWell, it's true, but we're getting more people with teaspoons all the time, and it's not leaking out quite as fast as it's going in,' and one of these days, you're going to see that whole seesaw just go ÔZoo-oop!' And people will say, ÔHow did it happen so quickly?'  ÔUs and our doggone teaspoonsÉ!'

- Pete Seeger, folksinger whose most recent album, "Pete Seeger and Friends," was just nominated for a Grammy.

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Lox Group-ICO Completes Probation
- Mike Baird

Each Inner City Outing Group is placed on probation for its first year. The Loxahatchee Group ICO probation ended in January, 2004.  The final probation report shows an impressive list of accomplishments for a new group. Regional Chairperson Sue Hammerstrom said of the Loxahatchee Group ICO, "You should be very proud of your group. What a great job you have done since last year. I don't think anyone else in the country has started an ICO and done so much in one year. It is amazing. Congratulations to your group."

The end of probation report showed these accomplishments:
- Three groups including two elementary schools and one recreation
department.
- One group has two trips, one has three and the third has five trips.
- Sponsored two trainings for trip volunteers.
- Sponsored a certified leader training attended by ICO members from around the state.
- A second certified leader training is being planned,
- We have received one grant and held two fund raising events with more planned.
- We have been represented at a national and regional training meeting.
- We are actively recruiting new volunteers and leaders.
- At least three additional youth groups have expressed interest in working with us, pending more leaders.

Debra Asher, National ICO Administrator, has said she too is impressed with the progress of such a new group. As Loxahatchee Group ICO Chairman, I am very proud of the group's progress and its core group of dedicated volunteers. In addition to the two leaders in process of becoming certified, ICO needs many more active volunteers so we can expand our program to more area youth. If any Sierra member would like to work with youth groups and share knowledge and appreciation of the environment they are encouraged to volunteer to help the ICO.

The latest ICO trip was Grove Park Elementary's trip to the Treasure Coast Wild Animal Hospital in Hobe Sound.  The trip also took them to Blowing Rocks Beach where they played in the surf and learned about coastal geology.

To volunteer with ICO contact Mike Baird at GSDad@bellsouth.net or call 561-965-7237.

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Lox Sierrans Learn Wondrous Manatee Secrets at Blue Spring State Park
- Louise Austin

Did you know that a manatee's grinding molar teeth actually move from back to front of the jaw? They are continually replaced as they wear down!  This is just one of the fascinating facts that our group of nine intrepid Sierrans learned during our weekend at Blue Spring State Park Feb. 20-22.

Blue Spring, bubbling millions of gallons daily into the St. Johns River,
attracts manatees because of its constant warm temperature, and we Sierrans lucked out as over a hundred manatees were counted swimming on the day we visited. From the deck of a pontoon boat plying a tributary of the St. Johns, we also viewed a variety of wildlife up close, including indigo snakes basking in the sun and a pair of yellow crowned night herons.  Some of us went canoeing and kayaking, and we all enjoyed the meals planned and prepared by our own illustrious itinerant French Chef, Maryvonne. To learn more about the wondrous manatee, click on www.savethemanatee.org.

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Sierra Lox Group Favorites Elected
- John Koch

Two candidates interviewed and supported by the Loxahatchee Group won Jupiter elections: Karen Golonka was re-elected as Mayor; and Jim Kuretsky was elected to the  North District Council.  Another favorite, Todd Wodraska, is in the run off for South District Council. Thanks to all volunteers who helped with interviews.

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Outings

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Other Happenings

Audubon Meetings:  First Tues. of the month, 7:30 p.m., Howard Park
Community Center, W. Palm Beach (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  Third Monday of the month at Pegasus Restaurant. 301 N. Dixie Hwy., Lake Worth, 7:00 p.m.  Contact Steve Bell  (561) 632-7737 livingscape@ cs.com.

Pine Jog Environmental Education Center Native Plant Workshop, 4th Tuesday, 7 pm. Contact Ann Weinrich (561)582-2235

Living Green and Lightly, Earth-friendly-Build Green, 3rd Thursday.  Contact Jenny at (561)686-6600.

Green Trends 2004 is the first annual Florida statewide green building
conference.  Topics include green building, green solutions in government, commercial and residential building, and sustainable development.  It will be held at FL Atlantic University campus at Abacoa in Jupiter May 3-5, 2004.  For more information visit:  www.greentrends.org, Phone: 239-263-6819

(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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Public Meeting to Attend
PALM BEACH COUNTY COMMISSION - First and Third Tuesdays, 9:30 AM.  Televised on Cable TV Ch. 20.  We need someone to monitor the PB County Commissioners, either on TV or in person.  For information, visit http://www.pbcgov.com/PubInf/Agenda/index.htm, or call (561) 355-3229.

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"HearYe, HearYe"  Calling All Sierra Photographers
Both Amateurs and Pros
Give Us Your Best Shots
- Sheila Calderon

I have a little project that needs your help so that we may continue our
fund raising efforts throughout the year. I know we have a number of excellent photographers in our group who, because of our love and appreciation of nature and wildlife, have taken some great pictures.  We would like the opportunity to share your "special" pictures by
putting them on sale at our meetings and table events throughout the year. It would be great to have lots of photos to sell.  Proceeds will be equally divided between ICO and Elaine Usherson Scholarship Fund.
Matted pictures (5x7 and 8x10 photographs which mat up to 8x10 and 11x14 are preferred).  On the back of the picture, please include a description of the photo and your contact information, and bring them to any of our next meetings (general, Ex-Com, ICO, Conservation, etc.) or contact me at (561) 968-4166 or  shecal@bellsouth.net.

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Deserving Students To Receive Camp Scholarships
- Maryvonne Devensky

Summer is coming and the Environmental Education Committee volunteers are busy selecting deserving students to receive a scholarship from the Elaine Usherson Education Scholarship Program.  Selected students will attend one week in a local environmental summer camp.  Anyone interested in participating in this project, call Maryvonne Devensky, (561) 369-3462. If you're unable to volunteer, please respond to our recent fundraising letter and support this program  with a financial donation.  Thank you.

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Join The Great American Cleanup

Keep America Beautiful is Palm Beach County's Great American Cleanup program.  Cleanup days are sponsored in different areas of the county from April 3 - May 1.  Check the website, keepPBCbeautiful.org, to see where and when there is an event close to home for you.
Each cleanup site has a registration coordinator.  Be sure to register so
there will be a free t-shirt, snacks, and supplies for everyone who helps.

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EXCOM meetings ...

... will be at 7:00 p.m. at the Gates' house on April 12, and at
Maryvonne's on May 10.   Call John & Kay for directions if you plan to
attend.

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&supOne of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you
end up being governed by your inferiors."
- Plato

Get Out & Vote in November!!

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Join Our Email Forum
- Ron Haines

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, have your Membership Number handy and fill out the form on one of the following websites: http://www.sierraclub.org/memberlists or
http://www.sierraclub.org/memberlists?listname=FL-LOXAHATCHEE-FORUM

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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  karasoffm@bellsouth.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).