Please join us back at the Nature Center
Thursday, September 11, 2008

Gopher Tortoise Mitigation Park
Old Dunham Ranch/SE Polk County
Presented By M. Shane Belson, FWC Biological Scientist, Division of Habitat & Species Conservation

More information about our meetings

UNIQUE GIFTING

For the loved one who 'has everything,' how about a unique nature-related gift? Nesting boxes will attract owls as well as ducks; they can be placed in yards not particularly close to lakes and rivers. For a minimum donation of $50, you can have a beautifully constructed cypress nesting box. Call Bob at 863 439-2251.

picture Copyright © 2004, Frances H. Coleman, All Rights Reserved

RICHARD L. COLEMAN SCHOLARHIP FUND

At the suggestion of Dr. Bo Jackson, an endowed scholarship in the name of Richard L. Coleman will be established at New College of Florida for environmental studies students. New College of Florida is the independent public honors college for the State of Florida, located in Sarasota. New College established its Environmental Studies Program (ESP) in 1972, making it one of the oldest in the US. The program emphasizes interdisciplinary research in the areas of Florida ecology, Florida sense of place, environmental ethics and public policy. Long time Sierra activists Jono Miller and Julie Morris have co-directed the program for over 20 years. Students receiving the annual scholarship will be financially needy seniors preparing for their final year of environmental study. A minimum of $25,000 is required for the endowment to support a annual scholarship named in Richard's honor. Contributions can be sent to the New College Foundation, Inc. at 5700 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243. Please enclose a note specifying the Richard L. Coleman Endowed Scholarship. Any amount will be appropriate. New College has 650 full time students, 75% of whom are Florida residents. New College's innovative academic program features, intensive independent study each January, non-graded narrative evaluations of all semester classes, and a required senior research thesis. For more information on New College visit www.ncf.edu.

You might rather contribute to one of Richard's favorite conservation organizations; you will be helping to safeguard public lands, national forests, parks and wilderness areas. These organizations fight to reduce air and water pollution, preserve endangered species and wildlife habitat. Each has a different emphasis.

The Sierra Club with which Richard worked most closely emphasizes environmental lobbying and enjoyment of the natural world through a strong outings program. Tax deductible checks should be made out to the Sierra Club Foundation for either the Florida Chapter or the Polk Group and can be mailed to Polk Sierra, PO Box 7544, Winter Haven, FL 33883-7544.

The Florida Wildlife Federation emphasizes habitat protection and provides a strong voice in Tallahassee.

Earthjustice emphasizes achieving justice for the environment through the courtrooms and halls of Congress. Donations to Earthjustice are tax-deductible.

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About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is a grassroots conservation organization that was founded in 1892 by 182 charter members. John Muir was its first president. In its first conservation effort, the Sierra Club led the campaign to defeat a proposed reduction in the boundaries of Yosemite National Park.

Today, the Sierra Club has over 700,000 members. Our mission statement is:

• Explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth;
• Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources;
• Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment;
• Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.

The Sierra Club's conservation activities occur on national, state chapter and local group levels.

The national club focuses on issues in the national and international arenas including global warming, human rights, population stabilization, responsible trade, clean air, genetic engineering, habitat conservation, nuclear waste, pollution, toxics, and wetlands. There are two field offices in Florida whose representatives work on national club priorities like the Everglades and Kissimmee River restoration projects and coordinate with and provide support to Florida members on other projects.

The Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club has over 20,000 members and employs one full time legislative lobbyist. We have 20 volunteer leaders serving as issue chairs for subjects ranging from agriculture to transportation to coral reef protection. Each year the Chapter in concert with other conservation organizations sets legislative priorities to focus efforts during the upcoming session. Some of this year's priorities were sovereignty lands, growth management, and Everglades's restoration.

Local groups like the Polk group usually include several counties. Our group has about 700 members from Polk, Highlands, Hardee and Desoto counties. The Polk Group has proven to be an extremely effective force for conservation in our area. We were key in bringing about the restoration of the Kissimmee River, played a major role in having the Green Swamp declared a Critical Area, were a major force behind the defeat of the proposed hazardous waste incinerator, and were instrumental in the creation of Polk County's Environmental Lands Program. We have defeated several proposals for ill-conceived development in environmentally sensitive areas.

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