Florida Chapter
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Loxahatchee
Group Florida Chapter |
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| NEWS:Turtle Tracks Newsletter |
A Really Great Day on the River
- Ron Haines
Nineteen lucky folks participated in our eight-mile canoe and kayak trek down the Loxahatchee River on May 7. A favorable tide and heavy rains beforehand made it possible to do the entire trip from Riverbend Park on Indiantown Road west of the Turnpike in Jupiter to the boat ramp in Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
A cold front that dropped morning temperatures to the 60’s, triumphed over the humidity and made the skies nice and blue. Paddling all that way was a distinct pleasure. And on top of that we had no spouses screaming at each other, no one who said ‘I just want to go home,’ and plenty of helpful folks (John Diaz, Charles Hunt, Chris Sember and Mike Fitzpatrick among them) who helped us get over the obstacles the river always offers. It was a good thing Mike’s wife, Lisa Hanley, chose to sit on a log at one obstacle while he did all the work because she spotted some wild orchids for the enjoyment of the rest of us.
Best of the day were all the very nice folks amongst us whom we got to know along the way.
Chris Sember got the prize for the most dunkings and Mike Nutini and Murielle Johnson came in a very distant second (they were all dry and comfortable well before Chris’ second dump).
We met around 8:30, got the paperwork out of the way, and hit the river at 9. We stopped at Trapper Nelson’s for lunch and a short tour from the park ranger. The last of our group pulled into the boat ramp just in time for the 3:15 shuttle back to our cars.
From the put-in to Trapper’s the river is a narrow meandering stream in a cypress swamp. Beyond Trapper’s it widens; mangroves are the main vegetation, and the wind is often in one’s face. Although the most arduous, boring part of the trip came at the end right after a big lunch, the spotting of numerous osprey and their nests seems to make up for it.
A bit of history: In 1985, the Loxahatchee River became a federal Wild and Scenic River, thanks largely to the efforts of the Loxahatchee Group.
For a decade or more, the Loxahatchee Group led annual cleanup trips on the river, helping to turn what was then a junk yard into the river it is today. We hauled out old tires, refrigerators, mattresses, furniture, car parts, and many bags of cans and bottles and other stuff. I remember one year pulling out one of those horses you see on the 25-cent carousels in front of discount department stores. (I hung onto it for years, thinking I would some day clean it up and repaint it. That never happened.) And I recall member Tom Tomlinson balancing a discarded industrial grade freezer on the gunnels of his canoe and paddling down the river, his center of balance about three feet off the water and his forward vision majorly impaired, tipping precariously from side to side like a pendulum all the way, but never losing control.
Eric Bailey of Canoe Outfitters of Florida, who provided his services and friendly help on our trip May 7, was in business back then and for years he provided free canoes for our cleanup trips which drew as many as 30 people annually.
If anyone wants to take a small bite of this river on their own, call Eric at 561- 746-7053 and do it. Renting a kayak and paddling an hour downstream and then back up to your car will make for a very nice half day outing.
And remember: The Loxahatchee Group has a stake in this river. Enjoy it please!
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April Fund Raising
- Kay Gates
The Lox Group participated at three environmental festivals this April. We shared the Sierra Club message, passed out literature, sold some t-shirts and gave away saplings for donations. We raised over $900 for our favorite causes – Inner City Outings, Elaine Usherson Camp Scholarships, and conservation programs.
It is a pleasure to meet so many members who stop to chat with us at these events. Many thanks to our hard working volunteers – John K., Sheila, Harriet, Gus, Mike N., Debbie Blair, Phil & Katie Sorensen, Kathleen DiTullio, Ann Dube, Rudi Knodt, Dave Cook, and Bill Platt. (Hope I didn’t leave anyone out.) It was a pleasure working with you. Hope you had as much fun as I did. You did good!
And the next event: Mounts Botanical Garden’s annual Garden Get-together and Tropical Fruit Festival will be held on the same day this year, Saturday, June 25, 10AM to 3PM. Lox has been invited to participate. They promise us huge crowds, lots of contacts, new people to introduce to Sierra Club.
If you would like to volunteer to help us table this event, please contact Kay or John. johnkay@mindspring.com(561) 742-9219.
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From the Easy Chair. . . . .
- Kay Gates, Chairperson
Late April our yard is full of fledgling birds, mostly grackles and mockingbirds. A special delight is the brown thrasher family, and a bunny rabbit. Small pleasures in a somewhat out of kilter world.
Fifteen Lox Group activists gathered on April 16-17 to work on a Strategic Plan for our group. With help from two National planners, four priorities were selected by consensus. The areas the group agreed to focus effort on are: Environmental Issues; working together as leaders and activists; building relationships with group members and connecting with our communities. Details and actions will follow as the plans coalesce. If you would like to throw your two cents into any of this planning, contact Ron Haines at ronaldhaines@bellsouth.netor (561) 964-1995.
Plans are also under way for monthly Conservation meetings, see Drew Martin’s article. This will be another way to get involved with the group.
Thanks to all who responded so generously to our FL Sierra Club donation request, and a gentle reminder to those who are still considering. Your dollars allow us to bring some sense to the out of kilter world.
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General Meetings
- John Gates Program Chair
Our meetings start at 7:00 PM for socializing; the meeting opens at 7:20 PM. We look forward to seeing you.
June 21 Nate Geisler, Clean Water Action South Florida Program and Community Organizer. Nate will talk about the problems with our sanitary sewers overflow, clean drinking water, and what we can do to improve these conditions. With nearly 60 million gallons of raw sewage overflows closing beaches and threatening the health of Florida’s citizen’s and its tourist-based economy, this is an issue that directly affects all of us.
July: The Group has a fantastic DVD titled “Oil On Ice”. This documentary tells how the fates of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the communities that depend on it are tied to decisions about America's energy policy.
Several members have volunteered to host “Oil On Ice” house parties. You may be receiving a special phone or e-mail invitation to a party near you, or contact John & Kay Gates 561-742-9219 johnkay@mindspring.com. Better yet, we can arrange for you to hold your own “Oil On Ice” party.
Aug. 14 or 21, picnic at Boynton Beach beachfront. See next issue for details.
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Please visit Events.
Lox Group Has New Treasurer
- Louise Austin
Nada MacKinney, our talented and devoted Treasurer, and her husband are expecting their first child in June. So Nada has handed over the group's books to Harriet Boggi, who will assume the duties this month. Loxahatchee Group is indeed fortunate to have Harriet volunteer for this critical position. She comes to us with a stellar background in accounting with degrees from CCNY, Adelphia and an MBA from Iona. She retired from Price Waterhouse as director of financial systems. Many, many thanks to Nada for her years of superlative service, and best wishes for her in her newest endeavor!
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Why is Sierra Club Challenging Army Corps of Engineers
- Ron Haines, Barbara Curtis, Kay Gates
Have you been following our legal challenge in the local newspapers? If you have, then you know Sierra Club and Florida Wildlife Federation have jointly filed suit in U.S. District Court against the Army Corps of Engineers for their permit to construct Scripps biotech facilities on the Mecca Farms property.
The Corps decided arbitrarily and capriciously that no Environmental Impact Statement was required before issuing its dredge and fill permits on Mecca. They did not adequately measure the impact of the dredge and fill permits on the Everglades ecosystem, which the public is spending billions to restore under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). They did not adequately assess the impact of the dredge and fill permits on the Loxahatchee River, a federally designated Wild and Scenic River that has been woefully starved of a proper water flow for years. And they also disregarded possible affects of the permits on two nearby public properties, J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area and Hungeryland Slough. The Sierra Club will not stand idly by while the Corps of Engineers violates the law.
The Corps has not yet responded to the lawsuit and no hearings are scheduled. The Corps told reporters that they believe they will prevail, but environmentalists have been victorious in two recent cases against the Corps.
Your help is needed. If you would like to contribute to this effort financially or physically, please contact Kay, Barbara, or Ron. See directory for phone & email numbers.
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Next EXCOM Meeing - 7:00 p.m. on 2nd Tuesday of the month. June will be at Maryvonne Devensky’s; July at the Gates’. Call John & Kay Gates for directions if you plan to attend.
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Cell Phone Recycling
- Drew Martin
Americans replaced 100 million cell phones last year, but only about 5% were recycled. Which puts a lot of them in the trash – and that’s bad for the environment. Cell phones contain compounds that can contaminate water and the soil. The problem is projected to increase as new features make it attractive to replace phones more often. Fortunately, six toxic substances – including lead and mercury – may be banned in most electronic devices by July, 2006. Until then, please recycle your phone with our group. Place them in our box at a general meeting or mail to Drew Martin, 500 Lake Worth Rd. #102, Lake Worth, FL 33460.
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Lox Group Newsletter Labeling Party is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, July 24, 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 Ladies Visit Cumberland Island
- Barbara Curtis
Four Sierra Club women enjoyed a ferry boat trip to historical Cumberland Island, Georgia, April 9. They saw many feral horses, ruins of old mansions and out-buildings. The island features a picturesque camping area with a beautiful live oak canopy, twisted by the ocean winds. An armadillo and unusual plants were sighted.
Sierra Club National Election Results
The newly elected National Board Members are:
Joni Bosh (89,549 votes);Jennifer Ferenstein (87,151 votes); Jim Dougherty (86,377); Jim Catlin (82,459); Barbara Frank (68,878).
The three Ballot Questions results are: (*win)
Population immigration policy - Yes 18,998, *No 102,455; By-law provision for write in candidates - *Yes 92,289, No 26,936; By-law one-year membership for candidates -*Yes 115,392, No 5,272.
Total ballots sent to members - 807,375; total ballots returned - 124,337 (31,164 by Internet); percent returned -15,20%.
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West Palm Beach Inner City Outings Update
- Chris Sember
Hello fellow Sierrans! By the time this goes to press, we will have had an ICO trip on May 21st. Megan Murphy and I will take a group of Grove Park Elementary 5th graders, along with the Melaleuca group led by Mike Yustin, to Gumbo Limbo down in Boca Raton. This is our last scheduled trip of the school year for this group, and they're all excited about it. Volunteer leaders will be Beth Jones, Debbie Blair, Jill Donaldson, and Ann Dube. We hope to stimulate the kids' enthusiasm so they’ll carry it with them into middle school and open up some new doors for ICO and Sierra.
The kids will try netting in the intracoastal, canoeing, and of course a nature walk through the beautifully restored preserve.
We need more leaders as we have some groups waiting in the wings to join us. What better way to perpetuate our message than by teaching the children who will in turn teach the next generation.
We invite you to come to our next scheduled general meeting on June 21st and/or ICO meeting on July 14th. If you are interested in joining our ICO group, please contact Sheila Calderon at shecal@bellsouth.net.
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Conservation Chair Notes
- Drew Martin
Right now the Florida legislature is finishing the session. The Governor is trying to make it impossible for us to take down the buildings on Mecca Farms if we win our law suit. This is an end run around the public process. The President and our Governor are in full attack on the environment. The President just opened a million acres of roadless lands in our National Forests to development and wants to open the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. The Governor is working to open our Western Areas to development. At the same time he has refused to protect the Everglades from the pollution of big agribusiness.
In addition we see an assault on the protection of the Manatee. In fact one member of the Committee to protect the Manatee is a member of a trophy hunters club. How could someone who trophy hunts endangered animals be good at protecting our Endangered Species?
These are reasons we must stay active on Environmental Issues and the Conservation Committee will be discussing them. I am currently working to set up a location for the Conservation Committee meetings. If you have suggestions on issues you would like to discuss please contact me via email or by telephone. Also if you would like to host a meeting at your home please let me know. dmandch@aol.com, (561) 533-6814.
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Sierra Summit 2005
- 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
