Audubon of Florida News

Audubon Florida Everglades Policy Associate Jane Graham writes in about her most recent adventure on Lake Okeechobee with Audubon’s Dr. Paul Gray and SFWMD Governing Board Member Timothy Sargent! Enjoy:

Last week, Dr. Paul Gray and I enjoyed a beautiful day out on Lake Okeechobee in the company of Timothy Sargent, a Governing Board member of the South Florida Water Management District. Many times when Paul and I give public officials an airboat tour, it is one of their first voyages out on an airboat in a wetland. This was not the case with Mr. Sargent, who grew up exploring the Grassy Waters Preserve in Palm Beach County in his father’s airboat.

Lake Okeechobee’s water levels are currently about a foot lower than normal but the ecology of the lake looked healthy. American Coots dashed across the rim of the crystal water, Sandhill Cranes soared above our boat, making the characteristic clucking sound, and an Everglade Snail Kite searched for food. Paul noticed an area of the marsh with a mild algal bloom at the edge of the open water where water quality as not as good as in the marsh.

We pulled up to Fox Island, an island within Lake Okeechobee’s marsh made of a spoil pile. The island’s name sake, Donald Fox, a Biological Administrator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC), was tending to the vegetation.  Don showed us around the island and explained that FFWCC planted varieties of plants on the island as experiments to see what fared best. Interestingly, the cactus plants were doing exceptionally well.

Paul took one “short-cut” that got us stuck in some dense vegetation, but with Paul pushing and Tim driving, we got out without too much trouble! The excitement never ends on Lake Okeechobee!

Audubon Florida thanks Mr. Sargent for joining us for our latest adventure. As the dry season progresses, we will be carefully monitoring the health of Lake Okeechobee. Bookmark our blog and check back often for the latest conservation news from the Everglades’ liquid heart.

At just under 210,000 acres, Blackwater River State Forest (BRSF) is the largest expanse of sandhills, longleaf pine forest, and seepage slopes in state ownership. It’s in a remote area in the very northwest corner of Florida about an hour’s drive north of Pensacola and is a very Special Place for Francis M. Weston Audubon Society. The Blackwater River flows through the forest for approximately 30 mi (48 km). It is a rare sand- bottom stream that has been protected in its natural state since the mid–1930s. DEP has classified the river as an Outstanding Florida Waterway to acknowledge its high water quality and wildlife populations.

The Forest lands are bordered on the southeast by Northwest Florida Water Management District-owned property along both banks of the Yellow River. The District’s land acquisition along the Yellow River in 2007 was the last piece in completing a wildlife corridor that now extends from the Florida-Alabama border across Blackwater River State Forest and the vast expanse of Eglin Air Force Base eastward to Appalachicola National Forest and Tate’s Hell State Forest in the central Florida panhandle.

As with all four of these northwest Florida Important Bird Areas, BRSF is home to a large population of the federally-endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Both BRSF and Eglin host globally-significant populations of the woodpecker. As of 2011, Biologist Liz Langston counted more than 90 clusters of the woodpeckers – family groups – living in the mature longleaf pine forest at BRSF.

In the spring of 2009, Francis M. Weston Audubon chapter members began a three-year bird survey project in BRSF at the Division of Forestry’s request. Little was known of the forest’s seasonal bird diversity beyond the stellar Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Peggy Baker took the lead, dividing up the forest into 12 bird survey blocks, many larger than 5 x 5 miles in area. She and Larry Goodman led teams and recruited other chapter members to conduct quarterly surveys in each block, stopping every half mile along the dirt tracks or at changes in habitat to record all birds seen or heard. Completing the three year survey of seasonal counts in each area of the forest and providing a summary report to the Forestry Division is contributing invaluable baseline data to long-term forest management. And it’s the kind of project that could not have been completed without heroic effort by the chapter’s leadership and a cadre of enthusiastic birders.

Please join us with a doff of your favorite birding hat to Francis M. Weston Audubon’s dedication to the birds of Blackwater River State Forest!

The word is out about the natural beauty of  the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, but the Preserve has another special feature in this universe, dark skies.  Read a special post from The Astro Geeks (astronomers) who enjoy the Preserve for its fabulous view of the heavens. Prepare yourself for a nominee for Florida’s Special Places that is truly out of this world! Special thanks to Charles Lillo from AstroGeeks for contributing to our growing community of Florida nature-lovers. Keep looking up!

Click here to view Charles’ wonderful post.

This past Saturday, more than 25 individuals participated as Wetland Weed Warriors and came out on a very cold morning to help remove exotic plants from our wetland at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey.  This man made wetland, created through a sponsorship from St. Johns River Water Management District and the City of Maitland, helps treat runoff from the nearby roadway and helps maintain the health of Lake Sybelia.  This area (approximately 1/10 of an acre) has become overgrown by many non-native vines and plants, which have prevented the natives from flourishing.  Native plants within our wetland greatly help support a healthy lakefront habitat and provide a food base for wading birds and fish.

Volunteers got down and dirty and helped to clear this area in preparation for herbicide treatment followed by planting in the spring.  This wetland event was day two of a primarily hand removal process.  Disney VoluntEARs joined Audubon staff and volunteers on Friday to start this laborious process.  They graciously donated the use of a large dumpster to remove the plant waste.  Saturday’s event was part of the TogetherGreen initiative, a program empowering individuals to take part in conservation within their communities.  The Center joined forces with Hands on Orlando to recruit volunteers for this event as part of their Martin Luther King Days of Service.  This event was one of many, where Hands on Orlando placed volunteers with different organizations to give back in Central Florida.

The next TogetherGreen Volunteer Day event:  February 11, 2012 at 9:00am.  Birdhouse Bonanza – check the event section of the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey Facebook Page for details.

Audubon Florida’s Director of Advocacy Charles Lee joined Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and a large group of Northern Everglades ranch owners at today’s formal announcement of the creation of the 150,000 acre Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area.

Lee gave Audubon’s strong support to the decision by Secretary Salazar, indicating that the new Refuge is one of Audubon’s top priorities for Everglades restoration. Now that the Refuge and Conservation Area has been formally established, Audubon will support congressional appropriations from the Land And Water Conservation Fund and other sources to support purchase of easements and fee title.

The Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission also signed an agreement today assuming the responsibility of managing hunting and fishing on lands in the Refuge that are open to the public. Lee, who compared the event to President Harry Truman’s dedication of Everglades National Park in 1947, pointed out that there is a long road ahead in securing funding to complete the Refuge purchases. Lee was joined at the event by Audubon Board Member George Willson and staff member Dr. Paul Gray who directs Audubon’s science program in the Northern Everglades.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Burmese python and three other species of snakes are “injurious” under the federal Lacey Act.  This action makes it illegal to import or sell these species across state lines.  Audubon has been urging this action for almost five years as part of a larger control and eradication strategy to reduce the harmful impact of these species.

In the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Burmese pythons are already well established, and pose a significant threat to native, imperiled species. Monitoring has shown that state and federally threatened and endangered species, including the Wood Stork andKey Largowoodrat, are already being predated by these large constrictors. Because these predatory snakes are cryptic, highly productive and can take advantage of difficult-to-access aquatic habitats, eradication is very difficult.

Audubon commends this pro-active action by DOI and the support of Senator Nelson, Congressman Rooney and other members of Florida’s Congressional delegation who were proponents for this listing.

To read more about invasive species, please click here.

In response to the recent threats to sue the US Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to downlist the endangered Wood Stork to threatened status, the Audubon Wood Stork Research Team are calling attention to stark omissions in the media’s coverage and public dialogue on this important issue.

Wood Storks are a system-wide indicator species for the multi-billion dollar Everglades Restoration effort and its nesting remains decimated there due to wetland destruction. Thus, Wood Storks have moved in big numbers to many smaller colonies in Georgia and South Carolina, which Audubon scientists agree may meet the numeric prescription for downlisting.

However, nesting totals in the stork’s historic home in the Everglades tells a far more troubling story. There has been no new nesting in four of the past five years at the nation’s largest Wood Stork colony at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, located in the Western Everglades.   

This raises serious questions about whether the Wood Stork can recover as a species without longterm restoration of its historic Everglades home. This and other questions about long term sustainability of the new small northern colonies must be answered before any claim of “mission accomplished”, which has been the tone of many recent news accounts.

Stay connected as Audubon works to protect this iconic Florida species – become a friend to the Wood Stork on Facebook.

This past week, the Everglades Coalition held its 27^th annual conference, which brought together almost 300 governmental, community and business leaders with its 56 environmental organization members to discuss new opportunities to advance Everglades restoration and protection.  Important panel discussions were led by Audubon staff, including a panel on the pioneering Central Everglades Planning Project led by Executive Director Eric Draper.

Julie Hill-Gabriel, Audubon’s Director of Everglades Policy co-chaired the coalition and brought together some of the highest ranking leaders involved in Everglades restoration.  State partners including Governor Rick Scott, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Hershel Vinyard and South Florida Water Management District Director Melissa Meeker expressed the State’s commitment to the 50/50 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.  Federal officials Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Nancy Sutley, Chair of the President’s Council on Environmental Quality, Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army, Rachel Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of Interior and Ann Mills, Under Secretary of USDA all represented the federal partners’ desire to work cooperatively with Florida to find solutions to some of the Everglades’ most daunting challenges.  Senator Bill Nelson offered a riveting assessment of the unique opportunities to restore the Everglades’ ecological treasures while Senator Marco Rubio’s representatives and many state and local elected officials were in attendance, with an representation from the leaders and citizens of Martin County.  Novelist Carl Hiaasen also provided a comic assessment of the challenges facing Everglades’ activists.

Audubon will work to build upon the goals and other ideas discussed in line with the conference theme – Everglades Restoration: Worth Every Penny - to make sure sound projects that achieve ecological benefits are implemented with a sense of urgency.

Audubon’s Director of Everglades Policy and Everglades Conference Co-Chair Julie Hill-Gabriel was quoted in the Naples News:

Julie Hill-Gabriel, state co-chairwoman of the coalition and director of Everglades policy for Audubon of Florida, agreed that participants were excited that “we’re no longer just in the building-up-to stage, we’re getting things in the ground. Now that we’re actually implementing some of these plans, it makes it easier to recognize that we can be successful.”

Hill-Gabriel said it was exciting to see the various groups represented at the conference “saying they’re going to work together to get things done, to take the challenges of Everglades restoration head-on. I don’t think it’s ever been like this in the past. In the past there’s always been this, well, tension. Is it really a ‘Kumbaya’ moment? C’mon. But there really has been a concerted effort to get face-to-face, eye-to-eye and work things out.”

Additional Coverage of the Conference:

• CBS 12
• Miami Herald
• Naples News
• Palm Beach Post

For the past seven years the Audubon Academy has served the vital function of training and motivating local Audubon leaders for the important and challenging job of community based conservation.

While we were excited to bring the Academy to the Everglades, unexpected difficulties with the Clewiston location leaves us to conclude that we are not able to put on an Academy this year that meets the standards we set in the past.  The Audubon Florida Board Chapters Committee will meet to review the purpose and goals of Audubon Academy, and will begin planning for a regenerated Audubon Academy for 2013.

For those who were planning on attending or who have some upcoming leaders who would benefit by getting together, we are trying to think through some more targeted training efforts.

Our deepest thanks to all Florida chapters and Audubon staff who have supported the Audubon Academy in the past.  We look forward to resuming the Academy with a renewed and reinvigorated spirit in 2013.

Joyce King, Eric Draper, Jacqui Sulek and John Elting

As you can see from these photos, the Serenova Preserve in Pasco County is truly one of Florida’s Special Places. Unfortunately, development interests intent on spurring a development boon in the eastern part of Pasco County, and the misguided political leaders of Pasco County want to destroy it with an unnecessary road.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has extended the comment period through January 27 on a permit application by Pasco County to build a road known as the “Ridge Road Extension” through the Serenova Preserve, a 6,000 acre tract owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Letters and emails to the Corps are crucial, and if enough are received, sources tell us we have a real chance to stop this devastating and unnecessary project. This tract was purchased by the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) in the late 1990s as mitigation for about 200 acres of wetland destruction associated with the construction of the Florida Turnpike Enterprise’s “Suncoast Parkway”.

When DOT bought the land and transferred it to SWFWMD, it retained the right to allow “Ridge Road” to be built in an east-west direction, linking U.S. 41, U.S. 19 and the Suncoast Parkway. However, the loss of extensive habitat in the Serenova tract and the division of important wildlife habitat by a road corridor is causing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carefully review whether to issue the permit to Pasco County. Even though the original Serenova mitigation deal technically allows the Corps of Engineers to consider a permit for the Ridge Road Extension, it does not guarantee its approval. Concerned citizens can increase the chances of the Corps denying this permit by sending comments recommending permit denial to the Corps by January 27.

The Serenova Preserve is a highly important ecological treasure under the management of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This is a “Special Place” that should be defended against encroachment by a new highway that will severely compromise its wildlife habitat values.

Comments on the proposed project should be submitted in writing to the District Engineer at 10117 Princess Palm Avenue, Suite 120, Tampa, FL 33610. Use our easy email form by clicking here or send your comments directly to: Tracy.E.Hurst@usace.army.mil.

Important Links:

• Army Corps of Engineers Permit Notice
• Army Corps Seeks Public Comment on Ridge Road Extension – TBO.com
• Pasco’s Highway Obsession – TBO.com