Loxahatchee Group Florida Chapter
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Turtle Tracks Newsletter of the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Volume 28, No. 3| June/July 2004 Table of Contents Bahia Honda Experience CERP vs. Private Developers Candidate Endorsements From The Easy Chair General Meetings Generosity Suits You Grace Iverson Dies at 76 Group Directory ICO Gets Boost From Broward Group Living Green Electrically Membership Form Other Happenings Outings Public Meetings to Attend Summer Picnic Announcement

Back Issues April/May 2004 February/March 2004 December 2003/January 2004 October/November 2003 August/September 2003 June/July 2003 April/May 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 karasoffm@bellsouth.net

CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENTS
- John Koch, Political Chair

Loxahatchee Group will be endorsing candidates for the Aug. 31 primary and the November general election. Much of this work must be done in June.
National Sierra Club has already endorsed John Kerry for President, and will initiate endorsements for Congress and the US Senate.
Florida Chapter has sent out questionnaires to all the candidates for State Representative and State Senate. The results will be shared with us and we will interview the ones from this area and make recommendations to Chapter. In County and Municipal races we are on our own. We do interviews and submit our choices. Under a special procedure for re-endorsing incumbents we have endorsed in the past, we have already endorsed Karen Marcus for re-election in County Board District 1. Besides needing people to do interviews I would appreciate members' opinions of our elected officials and their opponents. We don't have the resources to endorse in every race, so tell me who is really good, who really needs to be replaced, and why. Call me at 963-5574 or send an e-mail to banyanjohn@earthlink.net.

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Generosity suits you!
- Nada MacKinney, Treasurer & membership chair

The "March Appeal" is the one time your local group -- the Loxahatchee Group -- comes knocking for contributions. In the letter we sent, we highlighted challenges facing us, reported how funds were spent last year, and outlined ways we anticipate funding this year. Apparently many of you read this letter (thank you!) because your donations have been arriving. To date we've received approximately $5,000 to be shared between the Loxahatchee Group and the Florida Chapter. You also generously contributed approximately $1,300 specifically to support environmentally friendly political candidates. For both, we are most grateful. If you have not yet contributed and are financially able, please dig out that letter and support your local Sierra Club group.
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The Bahia Honda Experience
By Barbara Curtis
Nine lucky Sierrans went camping at Bahia Honda State Park. The weather was too windy to kayak but pleasant.
Some of us watched videos about the creation of the Keys railroad by Henry Flagler. Few of us knew about the hurricane that killed so many workers or that Flagler lived to see the line completed but not to see it become the overseas highway. We took the guided nature walk in the park and walked the old railroad tracks. We also swam and played on the beach.
Saturday night we had a fantastic seafood dinner in Key West and explored the city with its beautiful gardens, historic homes and odd characters who appear at Mallory Square at sunset.
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Grace Iverson, Lifetime Sierran & Respected Environmentalist dies at 76
Biologist Grace Iverson, age 76, passed away April 16th at home in Hobe Sound. She was a lifetime Sierran, adjunct professor of biology at Florida Atlantic University, and a renowned, influential environmental activist in Palm Beach County. Because of her early advocacy for saving our native Florida, Dr. Iverson was hired by the Palm Beach County Commission to measure the effect of development on natural habitats and map areas for preservation by acquisition through bond issues. Using aerial photographs, Dr. Iverson and colleagues created a map defining wetlands, Florida scrub, pine flatwoods, beach dunes and other ecosystems that became the basis for the County’s conservation plan. One of her favorite projects was locating, counting and tagging Florida Scrub Jays, which are in danger of extinction as a result of their scrub habitats being lost to development. She was an honored guest and speaker at Sierra gatherings, and will be sorely missed. Send donations for continuance of Dr. Iverson’s scrub jay project to Audubon Foundation for the Environment c/o Alan Parmalee, 4765 NW 6th Ct., Delray Beach, FL 33445.
	Dr. Grace Iverson Photo by Jerry Stintz, US Bureau of Land Mgmt.

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From the easy chair . . . . .
- Kay Gates, Chairperson
I want to share with you information about a special Sierra Club event called “Smokestacks, Impacts and Talkbacks.” It’s not a fundraiser. It’s not a lecture, forum or rally. It is an exciting interactive gathering full of dialogue and opportunities for exchange. The event is especially for people who are concerned about the environment and what the Bush administration is up to, but don’t feel like they know enough to really talk with confidence about what’s going on. We’ll be focusing on what’s happening with air pollution, policies that let polluters keep on polluting, concerns about asthma and mercury, and how we can do something about it here locally. Participants will gain confidence, knowledge and new ways of sharing information with our neighbors, family, friends, and co-workers. Be expecting a postcard or phone call with an invitation to a “Smokestacks, Impacts and Talkbacks” gathering. Better yet, if you would like to get in on the ground level planning for this event and know of a place where a small group could meet to hold an event, please call or email me at (561) 742-9219, johnkay@mindspring.com. The more planners we have, the more events we can hold. Our nation needs a change, but we can’t do it alone. Sierra has a message; we have facts and figures; we need your commitment – for our families, for our future. There is a better way!
On another note, the Lox Group would like to thank Sabrina Carle and family for their many years of service as the newsletter expeditors. Sabrina has ordered the newsletter labels and her family has graciously hosted the newsletter labeling party for many years. Now it is time for someone else to step up and accept this bi-monthly job. It isn’t a difficult job, it’s social and fun. We need a responsible individual to become our Newsletter Expediter and host this two-hour event once every other month.
Speaking of needing you, please read Mike Baird’s ICO article. There couldn’t be any more rewarding volunteering than working with his group. They share a love of the outdoors with inner city kids who otherwise would not have these kinds of experiences. Won’t you join them?
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General Meetings
- John Gates Program Chair

Our speaker for June 15 is Jerry Lorenze, Phd., Research Director, Audubon of Florida, Tavernier Science Center. The topic will be the beautiful pink spoonbills of Florida
There is no General Meeting in July, and August. Watch for announcement of other events.
Our general meetings are held at the Boynton Beach Fire Station corner of Miner Rd. & Congress (see map below) and start at 7:00 PM for socializing; the meeting opens at 7:20 PM. We look forward to seeing you.
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Outings

Please visit Events.
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Summer Picnic In The Works
Watch for announcement of details for our Summer picnic being held at Carlin Park in Jupiter this year. The tentative date is Sunday, August 29th, so mark your calendars. We look forward to having a great day with lots of good Sierra friends, pot-luck food, fun games to play (maybe a swim to cool off) and we are planning a raffle with some special prizes. See you all there !!!!!
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Living Green Electrically
As much as many of us may dream of producing our own cleaner electricity by way of wind and photovoltaic power as we recently saw the Miedemas doing at their island home in Ontario, Canada, it’s not possible for many of us right now. Wind is not viable in Florida at this time because we do not have enough sustained winds of the velocity required. Although photovoltaic costs keep dropping, many people still feel the initial cost is too much. Florida is heavily dependent on electricity for its energy delivery, and we residential customers, because of our reliance on electricity for cooling, appliances and lighting, use more kilowatt hours than residential customers in other states. Nevertheless, there are many things we can all do that are inexpensive and reap great benefits.
Efficiency First
Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lights in your most-used fixtures. These lights have improved greatly in recent years, have come down in price tremendously, and are now small enough to fit almost anywhere an incandescent does. Available at Home Depot and Costco for many years, they are now appearing at supermarkets. Whereas people with vision problems, particularly those who are elderly and have dimming vision, once found them not bright enough or off-color, most now give a pleasant white light.
Replace older, less efficient appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers with newer, more efficient models. Look for the EnergyStar logo (www.energystar.gov) or check with the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACE3) (www.aceee.org) for the most efficient appliances available. After air conditioners, refrigerators are the next largest users of energy in most of our homes. A number of dishwashers and clothes washers sold today have a small booster water heater or even a water heater which operates independently of your home’s tank. In addition, the newer clothes washers and dishwashers are more water efficient, which is also an energy savings, and an important consideration in a state which just built its first desalinization plant.
If you have an air conditioner from 1990, 1980 or even 1970, replace it. Air conditioning is the bulk of our electric bills about 4 -6 months out of the year, and since the first energy code was written in 1985, the required SEER for air conditioners has increased. The energy code, however, only provides minimum standards. Going with a higher SEER rating than required should provide you greater cost savings and energy savings and may qualify you for a utility rebate.
Don’t neglect your air conditioning duct work. If yours is a home with mold which is making you sick, or you can’t figure out where the bugs keep coming from, you should definitely check your air conditioning ducts. No matter how efficient your air conditioner, if you have leaky duct work, you are paying to cool your attic. It is estimated two-thirds to three-fourths of Florida homes have duct leaks. When the Florida Solar Energy Center completed its study on duct leakage in the early 1990s, it concluded if all duct leaks in Florida homes were eliminated, energy savings could total $200 - $300 million a year. Their calculations also show proper duct leak repair in Florida homes could reduce peak demand to electric utilities by 5,000 megawatts in winter and 2,000 megawatts in summer. Check with your utility about duct leakage detection. There will probably be a fee charged for this service, but it is small. It will be recouped in energy savings, and the utility commonly offers some incentive for repair.
Maintain your appliances properly. This is the time of year to have your air conditioner serviced. Be disciplined about cleaning or replacing your air conditioner filter monthly. Clean the dust from the coils of your refrigerator on a regular basis. Each time a load of clothes is put into your dryer, be sure to clean the filter. Periodically remove the lint that accumulates in your dryer’s duct as well.
Eliminate phantom loads also known as leaking electricity or standby power. This is the electricity used by electronic devices such as computers, televisions, cable boxes, portable vacuums, battery chargers, security systems, and small appliances even when we think we have turned them off. This is a continuous loss of electricity. Connect these items to a power strip or a switch outlet, which you can turn off. Unplug cell phone chargers from the wall when not in use. This may seem insignificant for one person or family to do, but multiply the numbers of these devices in a household or office and the United States consumes more electricity in phantom loads than some countries. For a quick and easy introduction to this phenomenon, read an article by Alan Meier, a building scientist for the Energy Analysis Department of the Lawrence Berkley Laboratory National Laboratory at www.earth.columbia.edu/library/earthmatters/spring2000/pages/page25.html.
Plant trees. Planting trees for energy conservation around buildings can cut cooling needs by 30%. After Hurricane Andrew destroyed so many trees in Miami-Dade County, American Forests chose Miami-Dade County as one of its Cool Community sites. As part of this Cool Community project, FPL attributed $5.3 million in energy savings to the county’s existing tree canopy. This same study projected $14.4 million in energy savings could be had with an aggressive urban tree-planting program, which would also be beneficial for stormwater attenuation and carbon sequestration (trapping carbon from the atmosphere through plant respiration). As part of its revised landscape code provisions, Miami-Dade County has since defined an area "no more than twenty-two (22) feet from a structure in a one hundred eighty (180) degree band from due east of the northeast point of the structure, to due south, to due west of the northwest point of the structure" as an energy conservation zone in which trees and shrubs should be planted to shade buildings and reduce heat island effects by shading paved surfaces. Shorter trees and shrubs are planted closer to structures, larger trees and shrubs farther away.
Improve your home’s energy rating. Before making repairs or remodeling your home, learn what its energy efficiency rating is. The Florida Energy Efficiency Code for Building Construction establishes only minimum standards for construction. Unfortunately, this code is not uniformly enforced by code compliance officers. Visiting the Florida Solar Energy Center’s website (www.fsec.ucf.edu) will give you ideas on how you can improve your home’s rating and perhaps qualify for an energy efficient mortgage or energy improvement mortgage.
Once you have addressed your home’s energy efficiency issues comprehensively, hopefully you will find yourself able to take another step along the path of green living.
Invest in Renewables
Solar Thermal and Solar Photovoltaics (PV). In spite of their higher initial or up-front costs, renewables offer great returns over the life of the equipment. Some people even think investing in solar is a better investment than investing in the stock market.
In our all-electric Florida houses, water heating accounts for about 15 – 30% of a family’s annual electric bill. The Florida Solar Energy Center calculates that a solar water heating system serving a family of four saves 3200 kwh of electricity annually. That’s equivalent to about 560 pounds of crude oil or 980 pounds of coal. Each household that heats its water with solar energy also reduces CO2 emissions by 1600 pounds per year and SO2 emissions by 12 pounds per year.
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the price of solar PV is currently about 20 cents per kilowatt. This is why we see PVs in remote locations where electric utility service is not provided or in areas where there are incentives to offset the cost. In Florida there is currently a sales tax exemption on solar energy systems. It was to expire on July 1, 2002, but was extended until July 1, 2005. In March 2002 by order of the Public Service Commission, FPL began providing interconnection service for owners of small PV (10kw or less) systems who wish to interconnect their systems to the grid. The PSC rule, the application and agreement may be accessed through FPL’s website at http://www.fpl.com/home/services/contents/small_photovoltaic_systems.shtml. For an overview of incentives in Florida, visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy at http://www.dsireusa.org/.
Even if you are not able to invest in a solar thermal system or a small power solar PV system, PVs come in smaller sizes such as the little panels that operate garden pathway lights. Small PVs provide power for outdoor motion-sensing lights as well as stand alone lighting. They provide lighting for signs and power to gating. Taking even small items such as these off the grid has larger benefits as more and more people use PV for these purposes.
Buy Green Power or Buy Renewable Energy Credits
FPL recently began offering a Sunshine Energy program. This program is administered for FPL by Green Mountain Energy. You remain an FPL customer. For an additional cost of $9.75 a month, reflected on your bill, Green Mountain purchases on your behalf 1000 kwh of green power from wind, bio-energy or solar facilities. The power mix at this point is 10% wind from a Midwestern state and 90% bio-energy from Southeastern states. Once 10,000 customers sign up, a solar 150kw facility, or perhaps several smaller solar facilities totaling 150kw, will be built somewhere in FPL’s territory. Before signing up for this program, request a disclosure as to precisely what facilities this energy comes from. Further information is available on FPL’s website or through a toll-free number. To learn more about Green Mountain, visit their website at www.greenmountain.com/ or email Mark M. Hammer, the Director of Operations for the Southeast US at mark.hammer@greenmountain.com.
If you’re not quite sure about participating in the Sunshine Energy program, consider purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs), also called tradable renewable credits (TRCs) or green tags. You still will purchase your energy through FPL or your local municipal utility. However, with these companies you can make a donation as low as $20 or a larger amount calculated to purchase kilowatt hours sufficient to offset as much of your CO2 contribution as you desire. Their websites have carbon calculators so you can determine your carbon contribution. These organizations will use your money to construct new wind farms, perhaps some PV installations, or biomass. Again, request a disclosure of their facilities. Green-e, a part of the Center for Resource Solutions, independently certifies that the kilowatt hours you purchase are being generated. Because some of these organizations are nonprofit 501c(3) corporations, your purchases could be tax deductible charitable contributions. Some companies to consider are Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Native Energy. A list of all certified retailers is available from Green-e at www.Green-e.org.
I hope I have acquainted you with of the many things you can do to reduce the environmental impact of your electrical energy use. They all have different costs, pollution reductions, payback times and rewards, depending on your lifestyle. The important thing is to make an informed choice about what is best for you.
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Next EXCOM meetings will be at 7:00 p.m. at the Gates' house on February 9, and on March 8.   Call John & Kay for directions if you plan to attend.
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Lox Group Newsletter Labeling Party
The August/Sept. Turtle Tracks newsletter labeling party will be announced at a later date. Call an ExCom member for details.
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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, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Contact Ann Weinrich (561) 582-2235.
(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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CERP vs. Private Developers -
Who Wins?
- By Edward Tedtmann

The major components of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) that are dependent on land availability include:
* Surface Water Storage Reservoirs
* Water Preserve Areas
* Treatment Wetlands
* Improved Water Deliveries To The Everglades
* Removal Of Barriers To Sheet Flow
* Storage Of Water In Existing Quarries
Presently a large percentage of this land is held in private ownership. With the rapid development of this land and the slow pace of the CERP planning and implementation progress, Everglades restoration is in danger of being abrogated by the lack of available land.
The CERP plans for northern Palm Beach County propose four alternatives to increase fresh water flowing to the headwaters of the Loxahatchee River. The purpose is to avert increasing salt-water encroachment up-river. It appears that two or more flow ways may be combined, and from as far away as the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge at Twenty Mile Bend, west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, and immediately south of State Road 80 (20 miles west of West Palm Beach). The two others begin in the western reaches of Martin County, 20 miles out. They will all include water storage reservoirs and wetland treatment systems along their paths. All this requires land acquisition, much of which is in the path of growth.
The Lox. Group Conservation Committee is pursuing a development moratorium in the form of a temporary zoning over-lay district to protect the general path of the flowways until the subject properties are defined and acquired.
The committee has presented this protective concept to South Florida Water Management District, The Palm Beach County Planning Department, and the governor’s Office of Policy and Budget.
The Burt J. Harris Private Property Rights Protection Act is the law being cited to stop government agencies from enacting a special, temporary zoning district. The Harris Act is way too vague to prevent this. The zoning change we are seeking would not be permanent. In short, “The Harris Act is a rusty musket behind the door.” We aren’t lawyers, but we can read for comprehension.
We are going to contact the regional office of the Army Corps of Engineers and the media world of public opinion. It would be helpful if other members of the group would like to share their opinion with the governor’s Office of Policy and Budget at (850)488-7810; Or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Brad Foster PD-PF, P.O. Box 4970,Jacksonville, Florida 32232-0019.
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WPB-ICO gets big boost from Broward Group
- Mike Baird, ICO Chair

The West Palm Beach Inner City Outings program got a big boost recently from the Sierra Club’s Broward Group. Broward Outings Chairperson, Jackie Fisher, contacted WPB-ICO Chairman, Mike Baird, and offered to donate a large selection of camping equipment which belonged to the now-disbanded Fort Lauderdale ICO. The equipment includes sleeping bags, day packs, rain ponchos and a large tent, as well as a large quantity of smaller items needed to take young adults on safe and fun camping trips. All items are in new or almost new condition and completely serviceable.
Jackie said the items had been either purchased with ICO money or donated to be used by the youth program so she felt it was fair to pass them along so they will be used for their intended purpose.
WPB-ICO is very appreciative of this gift. It puts us much closer to being able to take our groups for an overnight trip. There are a few more things we will need, but Loxahatchee Outings Chair, Charles Hunt, has volunteered to lend us needed equipment that the Lox Group has.
WPB-ICO Certified Leader Mike Yustin, assisted by Leader-in-Training, Linda Holmes, took the Mud Patrol of Melalueca elementary on a service trip to help the Marshall Foundation plant trees as part of the Everglades Restoration. Trips such as this give our youthful members a feeling of "ownership" of the environment and will help them realize the importance of working to preserve and protect it.
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Public Meetings to Attend
CLASC - Conservation Land Acquisition Selection Committee, 1st Monday of the month, 1:30 p.m. ERM Building #509 off Belvedere Rd, West Palm Beach. (561) 233-2400.
ERM - Environmental Resource Management Constituency meets on last Wednesday of every 2nd month,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, 3rd Thursday of the month, 1:30 p.m. ERM Building #509 off Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach. (561) 355-3229.
CTF - Citizen Task Force meeting date varies, 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. (561) 686-8800.
WRAC Water Resources Advisory Commission (Advisory body to SFWMD) 1st Thursday 8:30 AM at SFWMD. Dates and locations occasionally change. (561) 686-8800.
ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION COMMITTEE - A group of environmentalists meeting informally, usually at a SFWMD conference room on the last Friday 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 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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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).
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