Florida Chapter
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Loxahatchee
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| NEWS:Turtle Tracks Newsletter |
March 8 City Election Results
- By John Koch, Political Chair
Candidates and issues endorsed by our Group did well in the City elections on March 8. Robert M. Friedman won a Council seat in Jupiter, joining 3 Sierra-endorsed members elected last year. In a bitterly fought race in Palm Beach Gardens, where the main issue was Scripps and development of the Vavrus Ranch, our endorsed candidates, Eric Jablin and Jody Barnett won with 2/3 of the vote. In Lake Worth the Sierra-backed referendum requiring City land sales to be voted on by the public passed. Our endorsed candidate for Lake Worth City Council, Lox EXCOM member Drew Martin, garnered 31% of the vote in his race. Not enough to win, but not bad for a new face in a four-week, shoestring campaign. We know he'll do better next time.
Endorsing in municipal races is difficult due to the short time between candidate filing and the elections. The endorsement process requires candidate interviews and approval from our EXCOM and a political subcommittee at the State level. We would have looked at the Mayor's race in Lake Worth, and maybe others, if we had more time.
I want to thank the volunteers who did scheduling and interviews.
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Volunteers Needed April 8-10
This year our Group is hosting a National Outings Leader Training on April 8-10 and we need volunteers to help out with the food service during the various meals. You can volunteer for one meal or more, a few hours or more. But we need several people to come forward for this wonderful event located at the Corbett Wildlife Management Area, in West Palm Beach. Please contact Mike Baird at GSDad@bellsouth.net, or call him at 561-967-7237 (Mornings please).
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From the Easy Chair. . . . .
- Kay Gates, Chairperson
The Lox Sierra Club Group has chosen to remember Norma and Murray Cossey, long-time members and staunch supporters of our group, by having trees planted in their names at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge. Members of the group participated in a memorial service at the Refuge on March 19. The names of those loved ones commemorated by Memorial Trees were read. Rabbi Barry Silver officiated. He and Vincent Safuto shared special memories of Norma and Murray. I know that the Cosseys would have approved of the service in this natural setting. The memorial service and the tree planting are annual events for the A.R.Marshall Foundation. The Foundation has made a significant impact to Everglades reforestation with tree (usually cypress) planting programs. They also provide educational programs for the next generation of environmentalists. Visit www.artmarshall.org.
On other fronts, I hope you are keeping up to date with our Elaine Usherson Camp Scholarship and Inner City Outings programs. Your financial support continues the volunteers’ efforts.
Everglades Day at the Refuge was fun and a huge success. I look forward to speaking with many of you at April environmental festivals, or join us at a general meeting.
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General Meetings
- John Gates Program Chair
April 19, Panel discussion on population & immigration. Panelists are: Nick Aumen, Past Sierra Club Board Member, Ken Bruno, student of immigration, and Shelby Scarpa, Director Of Field Operations Planned Parenthood. This discussion will be preceded with a short video on immigration. There will be time allowed for audience participation. Be sure to attend this important discussion.
May 17, Mary Barley, Chair person of the Everglades Foundation Inc; Everglades Alliance Inc; Sierra Club Foundation Board Member, and long time environmental activist. Mary will discuss current issues regarding Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP). The impact of Scripps on Mecca Farms, and other issues relating to CERP.
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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Please visit Events.
Take Another Look Please!
By Ron Haines
Did you, like I usually do, toss that letter you got last month from the Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club into the ‘get to someday’ pile?
It was the letter telling you what Florida Sierra Club VOLUNTEERS accomplished last year and told you what Florida Sierra Club VOLUNTEERS want to do this year. And it asked you to donate whatever you could to assist in the effort.
Yes, we all get asked for donations way too often, but here is why you should take a second look at this one:
It is only during March that the Sierra Club National office allows us to ask all Florida Sierrans for non-specific donations to be used all over Florida.
It is the only time we can tell you what we've accomplished IN FLORIDA in 2004 and what we intend to accomplish IN FLORIDA in 2005 and ask for your help.
YOUR DONATION STAYS IN FLORIDA! The March Fund Appeal is run BY Florida Sierrans FOR Florida! It is not just another letter asking you to send off money to who knows where. It is a letter asking you to participate in the fight to preserve Florida's environment.
When you send in your contribution, please make a note on the card that you were encouraged to do so by the Loxahatchee Group. If you do that, a percentage of the funds raised may stay right here in our Group.
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Legal Challenge to Stifle Development
By Barbara Curtis & Kay Gates
Despite environmentalists’ cries, bulldozers are rolling on the Mecca site in preparation for construction of “Scrippsville”. For those who haven’t been following this travesty, Scripps is a California biological lab recruited by Gov. Bush to relocate to Palm Beach County. The County Commission has reaffirmed the fragile western Mecca site as their primary location choice, followed by the Park of Commerce, bordering the Corbett wildlife preserve. Environmentalists prefer the Brigger site in Palm Beach Lakes along I-95, which has already suffered environmental damage and does not border preserved, functioning wetlands.
The Army Corp of Engineers has issued a permit to build on 534 acres of the Mecca property. The Loxahatchee Sierra Club and other environmental groups plan to challenge this permit in a Federal arena. Further damage to the fragile western environment will ensue as Lennar/ Centex develops a village of 9000 homes on the adjacent Vavrus site. Naturally, malls, schools, and multi-lane highways will soon follow. Sierra Club and others plan legal resistance to construction of Scripps on Mecca and any other development in the fragile western area of Palm Beach County, citing lack of environmental impact studies, fragmented permitting, serious interference with the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, Loxahatchee River restoration, wetlands, wildlife and Palm Beach County’s water supply.
If you want to contribute to this effort financially or physically, please contact Kay Gates or Barbara Curtis. See directory for phone & e-mail numbers.
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Next EXCOM Meeing - Note Date Change: 7:00 p.m. on 2nd Tuesday of the month. April will be at the Gates’; May at Maryvonne Devensky’s. Call John & Kay Gates for directions if you plan to attend.
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Highlands Hammock Explored
By Mike Baird
A small but determined group of Lox members trekked to Highlands Hammock State Park near Sebring on Feb. 25, despite forecast foul weather. We arrived Friday evening and set up camp in a heavy drizzle. By Saturday morning the rain departed, so we leisurely hiked the trails and found the thousand year old oak. Saturday morning Barb Curtis spotted a deer grazing just behind our site. On the Cyprus Trail we saw great stands of Cyprus trees reflected in the calm black waters. Saturday night was spent sitting around the camp fire telling tales of other campouts in far away places. The only sour note on the trip was an early morning rain shower on Sunday. I tried a foil dinner Saturday with mixed results so it’s back to the drawing board for that menu item.
Anyone with a spare weekend should visit Highlands Hammock State Park to see its great live oaks and hike its trails. All the trails are short loops so no great endurance is necessary. There are also a nice system of bike trails so this is a perfect location to bring the kids and bikes.
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Lox Group Newsletter Labeling Party
is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, May 22, 2005. Call Kay Gates 561-742-9219 or Lisa Hanley 561-732-9578 for details.
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, 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
Sierra Club National Election 2005
Soon you will receive in the mail a letter from National Sierra Club containing information about the candidates nominated to be on the National Sierra Club Board of Directors. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you take the time to read the information about each candidates and select who you think best represent the Sierra Club. We know how you care for the environment, otherwise you would not be a member of the Sierra Club. So you need to take the time to be an informed voter and select the candidates that you think will defend best this beautiful and yet fragile environment . For more information on the issues, and links to the Board of Directors candidates’ information, visit www.sierraclub.org/bod/2005election/.
Population Ballot Question
For years prior to 1996, Club members discussed taking a position on US immigration policy. In February 1996, the Sierra Club Board of Directors adopted a resolution which said that the Club would take no position on US immigration levels or policies. In 1998, that position was put to a member vote, and 60% of the Club members who voted supported the Board-adopted position of neutrality on immigration. Following the vote of the members, the Board adopted in 1999, and subsequently revised in 2003, its population policies to maintain the Sierra Club's neutrality position on immigration levels or policies. In response to a request that the issue again be submitted to the membership, the Board of Directors agreed to put the following question on the 2005 ballot, but the Board also recommended members vote "NO" on this question.
Shall the Sierra Club policy on immigration, adopted by the Board of Directors in 1999 and revised in 2003, be changed to recognize the need to adopt lower limits on migration to the US as shown below
[Note: The current Sierra Club policy on immigration, adopted by the Board of Directors September 23-26, 1999, and revised in 2003, is quoted here verbatim, with proposed deletions struck out and additions underlined and marked as new language]
“Immigration: The Board of Directors finds that under existing Sierra Club population policies:
The Sierra Club advocates reductions in the population in the United States and the world.
The Sierra Club will pursue this objective by vigorous implementation of the membership vote in the spring of 1998, which stated that”
The Sierra Club reaffirms its commitment to addressing the root causes of global and United States population problems and offers the following comprehensive approach:
* The Sierra Club will build upon its effective efforts to champion the right of all families to maternal, infant, and reproductive health care, and the empowerment and equity of women.
* The Sierra Club will continue to address the root causes of migration by encouraging sustainability, economic security, human rights, viable ecosystems, and environmentally responsible consumption.
* The Sierra Club supports the decision of the Board of Directors to take no position on U.S. immigration levels and policies.
* The Sierra Club recognizes the need to reduce U.S. birthrates (add the following new language) and adopt lower limits on migration to the United States to address our nation’s rapid population growth and its harmful effects on the domestic and global environment.
* The Club remains committed to environmental rights and protections for all within our borders, without discrimination based on immigration status.
Statement in Favor of this Question
U.S. population is growing explosively as never before. During the 1990s we grew by 33 million - equivalent to another California. All 50 states added population for the first time ever. Census Bureau projections show that children born today could witness our population topping one billion!
A new Club flyer asks: "What does Population have to do with the Environment?" It answers: "Everything." A rapidly growing population means more polluting coal burned to generate electricity, more imported oil, more forests clearcut to provide construction materials, more farms, wetlands and natural landscapes developed into endless sprawling subdivisions, roads and strip malls. Every Club objective is frustrated by population spiraling out of control.
From 2000–2004 US population grew by 12 million: immigration was 5.3 million and births to immigrants were 4 million. Should the United States therefore close its doors to all immigrants? Should we wall ourselves off from those fleeing persecution? Of course not. This ballot question suggests no such thing. It simply adopts policy recommended in 1988 by the Club’s Population and Conservation Committees. It doesn’t change priorities or reallocate resources.
The Club's current approach of improving conditions in foreign countries to reduce migration pressures has been in place for 9 years. Yet population growth here is faster than ever! We should redouble efforts to improve the lives of those in impoverished places. But this is not enough. Our government must develop a comprehensive population policy, or we soon will become another India or China, a nation swelling with humanity.
Our working poor are the first to suffer as an overflowing labor supply depresses wages. Yet the poor cannot escape the crowding, pollution, and high costs of overpopulated areas. Future generations – who have no voice in current policies – are the ultimate victims.
Our poor and disadvantaged, disproportionately minorities, have shown in poll after poll that they oppose mass migration, especially illegal immigration. And the media – see cover stories in TIME, Los Angeles Times Magazine and Environment Magazine – can talk openly and honestly about such problems. But our Club cannot under current policy.
In 2000, Club hero David Brower said, "Overpopulation is perhaps the biggest problem facing us, and immigration is part of the problem. It has to be addressed."
Please read the ballot question carefully. It’s a modest but needed change for sustainability. Please vote "YES."
Visit www.SustainableSierra.org for Board/other endorsers, more information.
Dick Schneider, member, Conservation Governance Committee
Statement in Opposition to this Question
Please VOTE NO to end the fight over immigration that is dividing the Club, and affirm the Sierra Club’s commitment to tackle the environmental problems caused by global population by addressing its root causes: the lack of health care, education, family planning, and empowerment of women worldwide. (For information, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/population.)
Watersheds and bird migrations have no political boundaries. Environmental protection and population growth are global issues. To address them otherwise – as this measure would do – is short-sighted. More border guards will not heal our environment.
Robert Redford reminded us in last year's divisive Club election, "Immigrants are not responsible for polluting our air or putting poisonous mercury in our water. It's not the immigrants blocking fuel-efficiency standards for cars. They are not the owners of the oil and gas companies … exploiting public lands." Blaming immigrants will not solve our environmental problems. To date, members of the Sierra Club have conscientiously avoided this kind of scapegoating.
The only path to the Club’s long-term effectiveness is to address the root causes of population and global migration. This means remaining neutral on immigration. The Sierra Club has repeatedly supported that approach. Club members affirmed it in 1998 by voting against another anti-immigration measure and voted overwhelmingly last year to reject a slate of petition candidates running with an objective of forcing the Club to take an anti-immigration stance.
Now, one of the anti-immigration activists has warned the Sierra Club: “Immigration reformers are still out there, like guerrillas, ready to strike in the night.”
Can we, and the earth, afford to divert the Sierra Club’s focus from environmental protection to fights over immigration yet again? We face serious threats to the environmental progress of the last century:
* Removing of protections for wildlife and wilderness in our National Forests
* More smog and mercury in our air and water
* Open season on endangered species, and opening protected wildlands and coasts to oil drilling
* And a President pretending that global warming is a myth
Enough is enough. The Club's elections end April 25-just days after the birthday of our founder John Muir, an immigrant. Please vote “NO.”
Larry Fahn, Sierra Club President; Anne and Paul Ehrlich (The Population Bomb); Robert Kennedy, Jr.; Governor Bill Richardson (NM); Dr. Edgar Wayburn, Honorary Sierra Club President; Carol Browner (former EPA Administrator); 12 Sierra Club Presidents; Former Sierra Club Executive Directors: Mike McCloskey, Michael Fischer
Proposed Bylaws Amendments
These proposed amendments grew out of a larger revision and clarification of the conduct of Sierra Club elections by the Election Reform Task Force, which was appointed after last year's election. The Board of Directors approved the following proposed Bylaws changes at its November 2004 meeting and presents them for the approval by the membership. The Board of Directors recommends a "YES" vote on these amendments.
Bylaws Change 1–Write-in Candidates
[underlining is new text; deleted text, if any, shown by strikethroughs]
Remove the requirement to provide space for write-in candidates on the ballot by deleting the second sentence of Bylaw 5.6.
5.6. At least four (4) weeks before the date set for counting the ballots, a ballot containing the names of the nominees, in the order presented by the Nominating Committee, shall be mailed to each member of the Club eligible to vote. This ballot shall have at least two blank spaces for the insertion of additional names by the voter.
Statement in Favor of this Bylaws Amendment
First written into the Bylaws in 1905, the provision for write-in candidates for the Board of Directors has been meaningless since the early 1950s, when the Club had about 7,000 mostly Californian members. Now, with nearly 780,000 members, it is relatively easy to get onto the ballot by gathering a comparatively small number of signatures. Just look at the ballot this year. There is certainly no lack of qualified candidates representing a wide array of points of view!
In recent decades, this anachronistic provision has resulted in 200-300 mostly bizarre entries, which the Club’s election vendor is duty bound to extract from the ballots, adding time and expense to the election process. In general, such persons get only one or two votes each, and include such well-known politicians as George W. Bush, who got 24 votes last year, such fictional characters as Paul Bunyon and Smokey the Bear, persons already on the ballot (cumulative voting is not permitted), Directors not up for re-election, staff members, and conservative commentators, as well as an array of unreadable entries.
While write-in candidates often have a role in public elections, where print and electronic media can publicize a write-in campaign, a candidate seeking to run in this manner in the Club’s election would have to spend as much as $50,000 in mailings to make a credible showing, and even then would probably not do well against the diversity of candidates already in our elections.
Anyone wanting to run for the Club’s Board need only announce their desire to run by November and gather about 350 signatures by January to get their name, picture and statement of views on the ballot.
Please join a strong majority of the Board in getting rid of this bothersome, expensive anachronism by eliminating it from our Bylaws. Our democratic processes are expensive enough as they are without retaining this unnecessary provision.
Larry Fahn – President, for the Board of Directors; Jan O’Connell, Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors; Susan Heitman, Chair of the Election Reform Task Force, Co-chair of the Communications & Education Governance Committee; Ed Dobson, Past Secretary and former member of the Board of Directors, member of Board-appointed Election Reform Task Force
Statement in Opposition to this Bylaws Amendment
An important principle in democratic elections is to open and enhance the election process for candidates, not to restrict it. Thomas Jefferson encouraged citizens to be engaged in their governance. We bet John Muir would have said the same thing about Sierra Club citizens!
In this spirit, we urge you to vote no on the proposed bylaw change that would prohibit you from voting for a qualified write-in candidate for Board of Directors.
While a write-in candidate has not won election to the Board of Directors in recent years, creating a bylaw change that tells members they may not ever again write in the candidate of their choice, should they choose, is an infringement of the rights of membership. Why do this?
We were recently inspired by a demonstration of the power of the write-in candidacy by surfer and environmental activist Donna Frye. Frye made national news because of her wildly successful write-in campaign for Mayor of San Diego, California.
If this is good enough for San Diego voters, it is certainly good enough for the Sierra Club membership!
Those who advocate this bylaw change want to save a few dollars at the expense of full, open democracy, preventing you from casting a write-in vote for the candidate you might think is most qualified. We don't do this in public elections, and we ought not to do this in the Club.
Vote NO on the proposed bylaw amendment that eliminates write-in candidates. Our organization will be stronger with more democracy, not less.
Don Young - New York City Group member; former Atlantic (NY) Chapter Chair; Jean Brocklebank, member for three decades (MT, CA); Caleb Kleppner, Executive Committee, San Francisco Bay Chapter (2001-2004), current member - CT Chapter, Senior Analyst, Fair Vote - the Center for Voting and Democracy; Gordon LaBedz, M.D., Conservation Chair, Angeles Chapter; Abe Ringel, Sierra Club leader, Grayland, WA.
Bylaws Change 2 – Membership Requirement for Candidates for Director
Change the first sentence of Bylaw 5.4 to require one year of continuous membership immediately before the close of nominations in the Sierra Club as a requirement for any candidate to be placed on the ballot for the Board of Directors.
Bylaw 5.4. All nominees must be members of the Club in good standing, must have been members of the Club in good standing continuously for one year prior to the date set for the close of nominations, and must agree to accept the nomination. Nominations shall be closed on December 30, or such later date as is fifteen (15) weeks preceding the date set for counting the ballots.
Statement in Favor of this Bylaws Amendment
The 2004 Sierra Club election demonstrated the Club’s vulnerability to capture by outside interests. Club members voted in unprecedented numbers in 2004, choosing candidates with a history of Club knowledge and activism. Members sent a message: Board candidates need a demonstrated level of knowledge, activism, and loyalty to the Club.
Currently, the only requirement for a person to hold a volunteer leadership position at any level in the Sierra Club, including the Board of Directors, is that a person must be a member. In 2004, some board candidates joined the Club only weeks prior to qualifying as candidates.
Serving on the Board of Directors is not simply an honorary or advisory position. A working board with fiduciary and corporate legal responsibilities needs members who have an understanding of the Club’s 113-year history and its complex volunteer-driven structure: Conservation, Political, Outings and Legal programs, the relationship with the Sierra Club Foundation and support for the Club’s grassroots chapters and groups.
Board members are responsible for the smooth operation of the Club. Therefore, they should be knowledgeable of, and dedicated to, the goals and core mission of the Club as their first priority.
Some would argue that there might be a need to bring in people from outside of the Club to provide different expertise. Yet, history has shown there are many Club-experienced candidates who contribute a broad scope of professional and volunteer experience from their other affiliations. Before we ask for outside experience, we need to ask that they have, at a minimum, a basic understanding of the Club. Even when “outside” people with special background or skills wish to run, they should be required to be a member for at least a year before being a director.
Asking for a single year of membership for Board candidates is a minimal, common sense requirement for a potential Board candidate. Delegates from the Council of Club Leaders voted overwhelmingly to support a minimum membership requirement.
For these reasons, we support a change to the bylaws to require that all Board candidates be members of the Sierra Club for a period of at least one (1) year immediately prior to their election.
Mary Grisco, Chair, Council of Club Leaders; Bernie Zaleha.,Vice President and Director; Lane Boldman, Cumberland (KY) Chapter Chair, member of the Election Reform Task Force; Rafael Reyes, member of the Organizational Effectiveness Governance Committee, past Loma Prieta (CA) Chapter Chair
Statement in Opposition to this Bylaws Amendment
We ask you to vote NO on the proposed change to the organization’s bylaws for one simple reason: Sierra Club members who vote are well qualified to choose, by their votes, who will be their Directors.
To us, democracy is an integral component of a grassroots organization, and it is an important part of how we develop policy and make decisions in the Club.
Sierra Club expects democratic principles to be followed in government matters at the federal, state and local levels, and it often seeks redress in the courts when they are not. We want the same rigorous commitment to democratic principles guiding our own Club’s governance.
Democracy is inclusive. Open, participatory, inclusive.
Restricting the right for an environmentalist/conservationist to run for the Board runs counter to democratic principles.
In the past, members have sometimes concluded the Board would benefit from the perspective of someone not entrenched in the Club’s bureaucracy.
For example, Martin Litton is a giant among environmentalists, serving on the Board when David Brower was executive director. Litton won the Club's highest conservation prize, the John Muir Award, for his work saving the planet's largest trees, Giant Sequoias. A member for decades, his membership lapsed and he rejoined within the past year. If this bylaw change were approved, you would lose the right to vote for candidates such as Martin Litton.
Sierra Club voters are educated and smart enough to make informed decisions. If Sierra Club members are informed that a candidate has been a member for less than a year and those members believe that candidate has qualities the Club needs and those members want that candidate on the Board, doesn't the choice belong to them?
Let the voting membership speak. Let the members make their votes count! Don’t support a system where we are being manipulated by others who have limited our choices.
Vote to retain genuine democracy in our Sierra Club!
Vote to let each member choose, rather than being censored before the fact.
Help keep the membership in the Sierra Club tradition of grassroots decision-making.
Please vote NO on the proposed bylaw change.
Congressman Dan Hamburg, Sierra Club member (1998-present), Executive Director, Voice of the Environment, Ukiah, CA; Jim Lane – New York City Group legal advisor, Secretary Atlantic Chapter, formerly Chair, New York City Group; Marcia Hanscom. Sierra Club Board of Directors (2002-2005), wetlands preservation advocate, Los Angeles, CA.
Remembering Norma Elina Cossey
- By Alan Parmalee, Edited from articles by Yoav Gonen, Vincent Safuto and Barbara Reed
Norma Elina Cossey, 79, of Lantana, Fla., died peacefully on Feb. 8, 2005, at her home just four months after her husband Murray had passed on (see article in the Dec/Jan 2005 issue).
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 22, 1925, Norma was raised in East Harlem, N.Y. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Cooper Union, New York City in 1946. In 1948 she earned a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering at Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. It was here that Norma met Murray, a fellow engineering student and a World War II veteran of the Army Air Corps. They were married on May 30, 1948, and celebrated 56 years of marriage in 2004.
Politics played a major part in Norma’s life. In 1970, she ran for the New York State Senate but lost to Sen. John J. Marchi. Two years later Norma ran unsuccessfully for Staten Island Borough President as “That Woman” on the Liberal Party ticket. Despite her election defeats, she remained politically engaged throughout her life.
The names of Norma and Murray Cossey are engraved on the wall of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in West Palm Beach. They were both tireless fighters for civil rights and attended the 1963 March on Washington.
The Cosseys moved to Florida in 1984 where Norma remained active in a variety of groups participating in local Earth Day and Everglades events. She took great pleasure in the flora and fauna of Lake Osborne behind her home. She loved the lake, especially its birds,and enjoyed talking of the life cycles of the purple gallinules that lived there. She loved to feed them and describe their tricks, play, and their competition with the other birds over bread at feeding time on Norma’s deck overlooking the lake.
As a scientist, Norma wished to make a contribution to medical research upon her death and donated her body to a non-profit organization called Science Care (www.sciencecare.com), which distributes tissue samples to various medical research facilities seeking treatment and cures for a wide range of diseases.
Those who knew Norma will miss her wisdom, insight, understanding, compassion, intellectual curiosity, and her freely and willingly given advice. She always had time for others who needed advice or just wanted to talk. With her death, a little light has gone out, but others will continue to take up the causes she defended. The world is a more enlightened place because of Norma, and those of us who knew, loved and respected her are determined to carry on and help make her dreams of a better world come true.
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Clean Energy Future Partnership
-Justin Wilson, PIRG Staff in Palm Beach and Broward Counties
The Loxahatchee Group of the Sierra Club and Florida Public Research Interest Group (PIRG), have joined forces to ensure a safe, clean and affordable energy future for South Floridians. The Sierra Club and PIRG have a long history of working together to fight for environmental protections, both in Florida and on Federal issues. Our partnership exists to ensure that the current energy proposal being discussed in the House does not pass in the Senate.
So what is at stake? There is a lot at risk for Floridians. The current energy plan does nothing to minimize our addiction to fossil fuels. As long as we continue to be addicted to these dirty fossil fuels, Florida’s coastlines will be at risk for off-shore drilling. There are two things Sierra Club members can and should do to ensure that we stop the dirty, dangerous, and budget busting energy bill. First, we need to each call our Senators, Bill Nelson at (202) 224-5274 and Mel Martinez at (202) 224-3041and ask them to oppose the current energy plan in the House and support Florida PIRG’s campaign for a Clean Energy Future. Second, Sierra Club members are asked and encouraged to attend a house party to learn how we can all do more to ensure a Clean Energy Future. To let me know you contacted your Senators and/or want to attend the next house party in your area call (479) 283-2995 or e-mail
jwilson@floridapirg.org. For more information please visit www.floridapirg.org or http://sierraclub.org/globalwarming/.
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Elaine Usherson Program - Education Committee Update
- By Maryvonne Devensky
A few of us met on Feb 23. We discussed the collected information on summer camps and possible placement for ICO children into summer camps. We are working hard to find children, and place them in good summer camps where they can learn about the ecology of Florida, wetlands, ocean life, and Florida flora and fauna. Anyone interested in being involved, please contact us.Anyone wanting to give us a donation, please do so. Some summer camps have raised their prices and if we want to send 17 children this year (our goal for the year), we need more money to do so. So be generous and help fund a good program.You will make a child happy this summer!!!
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Recycle Your Old Cell Phones
- By Maryvonne Devensky
Thanks to Drew Martin, our new Conservation Chair, the Lox Group is now involved in recycling cellular phones. Remember that cell phones have toxic materials and they should not be tossed in the garbage. At each general meeting we will have a box where you can dispose of your cell phones, or you can mail your old phone to Drew Martin, 500 Lake Worth Road #102, Lake Worth, FL 33460. For each recycled phone, the club will get some money back, so by recycling your cell phone, you will also help raise funds for Sierra Club Lox Group. Thanks for participating in this new program.
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ICO Everglades Weekend Camp-0ut
- By Jill Donaldson and Chris Sember
If there ever was a reason or a time we would deem more appropriate for an ICO excursion to the great River of Grass, it was the weekend of January 29th. Earlier in the week, the weather service called for a possible rainy weekend. Despite this dreary outlook, the weather on Saturday was justification for Florida's snowbird population. Upon our arrival at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, we joined outing leaders Lori Haynes and Mike Yustin, apprentice leader, Chef Glen Laufer and volunteers, Sheila and Marvin Calderon.
To open the outing, Fish and Wildlife Officer Lori presented our amazing group of seven children from Melaleuca Elementary School (better known as the Mud Patrol) with an interactive demonstration of water management and conservation. With a dynamic flare only a true believer could convey, Lori grabbed the attention of the children and it was up to the rest of us to hold it tight for the next 24 hours. This may sound more difficult than it was, as we are truly blessed to have such a dynamic group of leaders, but even more fortunate to have such wonderful children to share our enthusiasm with.
After Lori finished her presentation,the kids were truly energized. We caravanned to the Long Pine Key campground, shared in preparing lunch and setting up five tents against the backdrop of the pine scrublands of the park. Our itinerary, carefully planned by our outing leaders, included a trek along the Anhinga Trail. Having armed each of the kids with a set of binoculars, it was very difficult to curtail our own enthusiasm while trying to show the kids a woodstork "fishing" the pond-side grasses with a technique that even the most seasoned ESPN fishing-watcher would envy. We were all thrilled to see three-foot long terrapins, alligators from 4 to almost 14 feet (some piled on each other like logs to grab any warmth they could), dozens of species of birds, including warblers that you could get within inches of, cormorants so plentiful that the smell of their roosts was overshadowed by the brilliance of their eyes. Raucous calls of the Anhinga Trail natives were the backdrop for the continuous buzz of the children, many of whom had never witnessed this degree of natural magnificence. In a moment that surely impacted all participants, Mike Yustin had us all close our eyes and see with our ears for a minute. We can say first-hand that the children had looks of amazement when they realized that a moment of golden silence opens doors to places most will NEVER see with their eyes.
Sharing in the chores of preparing our meals and setting up camp brought the kids together and gave us all time to bond, but not much, as Mike had a Slough Slog planned that only those brave enough to partake could do justice. I watched in amazement from dry land as Mike took the kids out into the liquid savannah. Concerned that Glen and Marvin were going to be overwhelmed with kitchen duties, some of us returned to the campsite before the true adventurers. Lets just say that if you're camping, take these two guys with you. You won't be hungry for sure!
As daylight gave way to the magnificence of an Everglades twilight, the group left on an Anhinga Trail night walk. There is something to say about a flashlight and the reflectivity of an alligators' eyes to stir emotion in an impressionable child. It could have been that, but it may have been "gourmet campfire s'mores", a tale of a fella who "stopped to taste the strawberries", or a look at the Pleiades or a peek into the craters of the moon through a high-powered spotting scope before snuggling up for the night in a sleeping bag under the Milky Way. Who knows ??
Early rising to a truly epicurean breakfast, including eggs, sausages, oatmeal, fresh fruit, juice, gave us the energy to pack up camp and head to Flamingo for an eco-boat trip through the mangroves. Personally bearing witness to my first-ever American crocodile, was overshadowed again by the sheer bubbling exuberance of the kids while eating lunch at the Flamingo lodging area, where we were joined by a brazen crow. A simple lunch of sandwiches, fruit, veggies fueled the kids enough to get them into the vans for the long trip home. Just to make sure all would end on an up note, as if there were any doubt, we stopped at "Robert's" famous for exotic milkshakes and some wonderful fresh local veggies to enjoy the following week.
If you want to volunteer, be a leader, or contribute in any way to our Inner City Outings Group, please contact Sheila Calderon at shecal@bellsouth.net.
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April Environmental Festivals
- By Louise Austin
The Lox Group participates in environmental festivals to share the Sierra Club message, meet and greet members, introduce new folks to the group. We sell t-shirts with environmental messages, and matted animal and scenic photos and prints to raise money for our many causes. These include the Elaine Usherson Environmental Camp Scholarship Program, Inner City Outings Program and conservation causes.
You are invited to join us at these events. Also we need members like yourself to staff our outreach tables. This is an easy, outdoors effort with fun like-minded friends. Spend an hour or two at our table and enjoy the rest of the day at the festival.
April 3 11:30 AM - 4 PM - River Fest at J. Dickinson State Park the park is located off US 1, 12 miles south of Stuart and north of Jupiter. Exit I95 or the Turnpike on Indiantown Rd., east to US 1, north 5 miles.
April 16 10 AM - 4 PM - Naturescaping, an Earth Day celebration at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park. Located on Singer Island, A1A.From US 1 head east at PGA Blvd. 1.8 miles
April 23 10 AM - 3 PM - Earth Day at DuPuis Management Area in Martin County, Hwy. 76, 6 miles west of the Intersection of Indiantown Rd. & the Beeline (Hwy. 710).
To volunteer to staff our outreach table call John and Kay at 561-742-9219 or e-mail johnkay@mindspring.com
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Corbett Hiking Outing
By Charles Hunt
We had a perfect day to hike a section of the Florida Trail in the Corbett Wildlife Management Area. The trail passes several different topographic zones - wetlands, pine scrub, and hardwood forests. Many species of birds were spotted. All participants agreed this is a beautiful area so on April 30 we’ll hike a different 5-mile section of the Trail. See the Outings section for more details.
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Sierra Summit 2005
By Marcia Karasoff
On September 8-11, 2005, an estimated 3000 Sierrans from throughout the country will gather at the Sierra Club’s first ever large-scale convention, Sierra Summit 2005, at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. There will be top-notch keynote speakers and entertainers, educational workshops, exhibits of outdoor adventure and "green" ideas, products and technologies, and a showcase of the Sierra Club’s work.
One thousand official Sierra Summit 2005 Delegates will have an opportunity to participate in special sessions to formulate recommendations to the Club’s Board of Directors to guide and integrate our Club-wide conservation priorities, strategic approaches, and organizational capabilities for the next five years.
Visit www.sierraclub.org/sierrasummit for more information and fees.
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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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Loxahatchee
Group Webmaster Marcia - karasoffm@bellsouth.net please let me know if you have any problems with this site |
The Loxahatchee
Group is an environmental organization serving Sierra Club members in
Palm Beach
County, Martin County, St. Lucie County and Okeechobee County, Southeast Florida
