Governor Crist vetoed HB 1565 late Friday afternoon May 28th. In his veto message, Governor Crist validated Audubon’s concerns, by stating that “…If HB 1565 did become law, nearly ever rule may have to await an act of the Legislature to become effective…”
Audubon commends Governor Crist for his foresight and leadership in standing up to legislators who are willing to harm Florida’s environment and the quality of life of its citizens on behalf of polluters and other special interests.
Audubon and all Everglades advocates welcomed the good news last week that park officials are recommending the
Tamiami Trail Photo Courtesy of the US Army Corps of Engineers
preferred alternative of 5.5 miles of additional bridging for Tamiami Trail.
The announcement came during America’s Everglades Summit when the National Park Service released its draft report for additional bridging over Tamiami Trail. The preferred alternative goes above and beyond the one-mile bridge currently under construction as part of the Modified Water Deliveries Project. Audubon and partner Everglades advocates have long urged that enough Tamiami Trail bridging be built to reconnect the vital sheetflow to Everglades National Park (ENP) that provides habitat for many of the Everglades’ endangered and threatened species. This preferred alternative will finally provide the needed ecological connectivity that enabled the once abundant populations of wildlife to thrive in the Everglades.
This alternative was selected because scientific analyses concluded that it provided the greatest ecological benefits, based on marsh connectivity, flow velocity, reconnection of ridge and slough habitat, and wetland loss. The plan would increase ecological connectivity between ENP and Water Conservation Areas north of Tamiami Trail by 500 percent, providing great benefits for endangered bird species such as the snail kite and wood stork. Audubon applauds the National Park Service for recognizing the importance and necessity of additional bridging, and looks forward to working with partner agencies and organizations to ensure that the preferred alternative is fully implemented.
Read Audubon’s view on raising the trail in the Miami Herald.
Threatened by the Gulf Spill: Dry Tortugas National Park. Photo by National Parks Service
Audubon of Florida joined the Natural Resources Defense Council and Rocky Mountain Climate Organization to launch a new report this week that highlighted the public coastal areas threatened by the BP/Gulf oil spill. Read about the report and our views here.
So Far So Good
The Good News is that Florida’s special places and wildlife have not yet been heavily impacted by the oil or chemical dispersants. Everyone should be encouraged to enjoy all that Florida has to offer and support our tourism economy. The health of Florida’s economy depends on healthy bird and wildlife populations, pristine beaches and rich coastal and marine habitats.
To encourage visitors, Governor Charlie Crist and state agencies are promoting two free fishing weekends, allowing residents and visitors to fish without a license for saltwater species in state waters. No fishing license will be required on Memorial Day weekend, May 29 to May 31, and the weekend of June 5 and 6, just after red snapper season opens in the Gulf on June 1. Fishing rules will apply. Click here to learn about them.
Red Knots Courtesy of Rod Wiley
Please remember to STEP LIGHTLY ON OUR BEACHES. Shorebirds are nesting and long-distant migratory species, such as Red Knots, are resting to build their strength for the next leg of their journey.
Tips to Protect Birds
• Avoid the temptation to flush groups of birds. They may be resting, feeding or sheltering eggs. By giving them a wide berth, you’ll make sure your actions don’t have deadly consequences for eggs or chicks.
• Similarly, obey leash laws and don’t allow dogs to flush birds. Even in areas where there do not appear to be groups of birds, solitary nesters may be camouflaged with the beach. It’s best to keep dogs off the beaches entirely or only take them to “dog beaches” until later in the summer when the birds have finished nesting. Birds perceive dogs as predators and will be scared off their nest even by a leashed dog walking away from them.
• In places where beach driving is allowed, take extra care to be aware of birds on the beach. Drivers who move faster than a pedestrian and are isolated by their vehicles from the sights and sounds of the beach are more likely to overlook birds. Furthermore, chicks sometimes take shelter in the depression of tire tracks in the sand, leaving them vulnerable to other vehicles that follow them.
Download our factsheet for more beach guidelines. Have fun and protect our birds and beaches.
A New Resource on the BP Gulf Oil Spill
Progress Florida has launched a new site on the oil spill. Check it out here.
Learn more about how the ongoing BP Gulf Oil Spill threatens national and state parks and wildlife areas during a telephone news conference at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 26.
Julie Wrathmell, Florida Audubon’s Wildlife Policy Coordinator, will join Stephen Saunders, President, Rocky Mountain Climate Organization; Dr. Enid Sisskin, University of Western Florida in Pensacola, and policy experts from the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to answer questions about a new report on the parks threatened by the spill. The report by NRDC and the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) identifies 15 threatened areas.
JOIN the teleconference press launch of this report by dialing 800-860-2442. Ask for the “National Parks at Risk/Gulf Oil Blowout” news event. A streaming audio replay of the news event will be also available online after 5 p.m., Wednesday, May 26. Contact Patrick Mitchell at 703-276-3266 for more information.
Audubon Center for Birds of Prey experts and special guest Rob Yordi, Curator of Zoological Operations for Busch Gardens Tampa and representative for the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, released the 395th rehabilitated Bald Eagle back into the Florida skies at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 14, at Palm Cemetery in Winter Park.
Rod Yordi releases the Bald Eagle
“The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund is proud to have provided $60,000 in grants to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey since 2004,” said Yordi. “The Center’s work to rescue, rehabilitate and release birds of prey and protect their habitat is vital to Florida’s ecosystem and the wide range of species population in the region.”
This adult Bald Eagle was rescued in January 2010 at Mary Schultz’s home on Miller Ave. in Winter Park near the Palm Cemetery. The bird’s injuries included puncture wounds and a fractured right coracoid, a bone in its right shoulder. Center specialists believe the bird was in a territory fight with another eagle. Audubon staff and veterinarians treated the eagle, which healed nicely but then contracted a fungal infection and other complications delaying her release until this month.
Authorities have confirmed that the southern surface plume of the Gulf oil spill has become entrained in the Loop Current, which loops into the Gulf of Mexico before swinging south through the Florida Keys and joining the Florida Current and Gulf Stream along Florida’s east coast.
Meanwhile, Jane Lubchenco, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reported this morning that overflights and sensing technology are being used to track the spill. Tar balls recovered in Key West have been collected for sampling to determine whether they originated from the Gulf spill or another source.
Whether and how much oil will make landfall in the Keys and Florida’s east coast depends on wind currents, weather conditions and the dynamic nature of the both the Loop Current and the spill. Scientists expect the oil from the spill would be degraded into streamers and tar balls.
Oceanographers from the University of South Florida have begun modeling the trajectory of the spill and Audubon of Florida has received permission from Oceanographer Dr. Yonggang Liu, a principal oceanographer of this modeling at University of South Florida (USF) to post the forecast maps, Oil Spill tracking in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Audubon of Florida Research Director Jerry Lorenz comments here on the potential ecological impacts should oil reach South Florida’s mangrove forests.
Audubon is also urging well-intentioned volunteers to step lightly on Florida beaches because sensitive wildlife, including shorebirds and turtles are nesting now. Read our fact sheet on how you can help and share it with your friends.
Useful telephone numbers to:
• Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866) 448-5816
• Submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511
• Submit your vessel for the Vessel of Opportunity Program: (281) 366-5511
• Submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858
• Report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401
A stealth bill slipped through the Legislature with little notice or debate could have the effect of blocking almost every agency rule necessary to protect Florida’s environment. All agencies, including the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Community Affairs, and Water Management Districts will be hobbled in carrying out their duties unless Governor Charlie Crist vetoes HB 1565.
Florida’s environmental and growth management laws work by setting out general policy, then directing agencies to implement that policy by adopting rules under a process established in Florida’s Administrative Procedures Act. There are already many safeguards in place to assure that these agency rules are consistent with the laws the Legislature has adopted. For example, each draft rule must be reviewed by the Legislature’s “Joint Administrative Procedures Committee” which regularly makes recommendations that are reflected in the final adopted regulations. Affected parties can also challenge the validity of rules, by appealing to an independent Administrative Law Judge to determine if the agency has, in fact, adopted rules inconsistent with the underlying legislation.
HB 1565 would add layers of process and a near-certain requirement that each agency rule be returned to the Legislature itself for ratification. All new rules would be subject to a costly economic analysis requiring state agencies to hire outside consultants to compare proposed rules to similar regulatory requirements in all 50 states.
Any rule having a possible economic cost to private business of $1 million dollars in any 5 year period would require ratification by the Legislature. In other words, the rule would not become effective until a bill ratifying it was passed in the Legislature. This would cause every agency rule to fall prey to lobbyists paid by special interests for the sole purpose of blocking rule ratification.
Florida’s environmental agencies have reported to the Governor’s office that virtually all rules adopted concerning environmental, growth management, water management, and related issues will “trip the threshold” requiring legislative ratification. This will virtually shut down rulemakng on important topics such as water quality standards, minimum flows and levels for Florida’s lakes and rivers, water conservation, and much more.
Read Audubon of Florida’s letter urging Governor Charlie Crist to Veto this dangerous bill.
Please TAKE ACTION NOW: Urge Governor Charlie Crist to VETO HB 1565.
While Floridians hold their breath and wait, hoping the oil spill will spare our beaches, Audubon recognizes the urgent need to ensure our beach-dependent wildlife like nesting terns, plovers and other shorebirds have as successful a breeding year as possible in those areas that are not impacted by the spill. In this way, we hope their successes will help offset the dramatic losses of threatened wildlife that may occur elsewhere in the Gulf.
One way to help beach nesting birds is to provide bird stewards–chaperones who volunteer a few hours of their time in a shift on the beach to help ensure beachgoers and individuals preparing for the spill do not enter nesting areas, and help educate beach visitors about these remarkable species.
Increasing bird steward efforts in the following counties now can help us ensure birds in these locations have a better chance of survival: Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee, Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Nassau/Duval and St. Johns.
We are looking for two categories of volunteers. Click on your category of interest to sign up:
1) Bird Stewards will function as site ambassadors for a shift or shifts. We will train you on the bird protections and biology you will need to be successful. These individuals should like spending time on the beach and interacting with the public.
2) Site coordinators will be responsible for scheduling the bird steward volunteers at their sites, to ensure that all shifts are covered. These individuals do not necessarily have to perform beach steward functions as long as all shifts are covered, but should enjoy “organizing” tasks and have the time to dedicate to coordinating shift scheduling.
Brown Pelican spill survivor. Courtesy of Richard Baker, President, Pelican Island Audubon Society
Pelican Island Audubon Society President Richard Baker accompanied US Fish and Wildlife Service officials yesterday to release a Brown Pelican and Northern Gannet, the first birds oiled in the Gulf spill, rehabilitated and set free in Florida’s Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.
The Brown Pelican was the first to be released. It took flight and flew directly over everyone’s heads as if to say thank you and goodbye. The Northern Gannet lifted off and then settled into a pond and splashed around, Baker said.
Florida’s Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is the nation’s first federal wildlife refuge, created in 1903 with Audubon’s help. The salary of the first national wildlife refuge manager on the island was paid by Florida Audubon Society because Congress had not set aside funds for such. More recently Pelican Island has been identified as one of Audubon’s Important Bird Areas, a global network of vital habitats for birds and other wildlife.
Dr. Sharon Taylor, of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, releases the Northern Gannet. Photo courtesy of Richard Baker
Well-motivated but not well informed volunteers sent out to clean debris from beaches may be disturbing nesting and other shorebirds. Volunteers eager to move beach litter above the high water line to make it easier to clean up oil that may come ashore are putting beach and marsh nesting birds at risk.
Some people are moving beach debris such as driftwood from the beach onto high-water areas. This is harmful as beach wildlife use naturally occurring beach debris near the water line and may be harmed when debris is piled in upland areas on or near their well camouflaged nests. Traffic in dune areas can also harm vegetation.
Safe Tips for Cleaning Litter off Beaches:
For those who want to clean litter from the beaches in anticipation of oil coming ashore, Audubon recommends the following:
Use approved access points and avoid walking or hiking through marshes or seagrass beds.
Stay below the tidal line.
Leave natural debris in place because it provides nesting benefits to shorebirds and other wildlife.
Only remove man-made litter.
Do not place litter in the dunes or above the high water line.
Don’t use equipment such as rakes, shovels or tractors.
Do not bring ATVs or other motorized vehicles onto the beach.
Do not bring dogs onto the beach (dogs are a primary sources of beach bird disturbance and mortality.)
Respect posted areas and leave signs, posts and twine in place to protect beach nesting bird colonies.
You can take action in many ways:
1. Volunteer to rescue injured birds and to clean oil off Florida’s beaches and other coastal areas.
2. Sign the petition opposing state and federal plans to expand oil drilling in Florida’s water.
3. Contribute to our special fund to rescue birds injured by the oil spill and underwrite advocacy so this never happens again.
4. Recruit your friends and family to join Audubon’s response efforts.
Red Knot courtesy of Rod Wiley
Send us your photos and video of local habitats and wildlife
Audubon of Florida is urging everyone to step lightly on our beaches and follow safety tips if you are engaged in beach clean up activities.
You can also help by taking pictures and videos of the habitats and wildlife in your local communities. This local knowledge could become very useful as the oil spill evolves.
Follow these guidelines when documenting your coastal areas and wildlife and to send images to Audubon of Florida:
When photographing or filming
Follow all Audubon safe tips for beach cleaning.
Keep your distance from nesting grounds, marked areas, and resting birds. Do not flush birds.
Use long range zooms to capture close up images.
Send your images, video or a notification of their availability to flconservation@audubon.org.
Identify the time, day, date and location that the image was taken, and use GPS coordinates if possible.
Identify and clearly spell the name of the photographer/videographer and provide contact information, email, telephone and address.
Clearly state whether Audubon may have the rights to reprint, publish in print and electronic vehicles, and share your images, providing proper credit.
For large photo or video files, notify us at flconservation@audubon.org that images are available and we will contact you with instructions for uploading them.
Note that Florida Audubon does not have a budget to pay for images but provides photo credit to the photographer/videographer.
Additional Resources
Click Here for Florida updates from the Department of Environmental Protection.
Click Here for the most updated National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maps on the oil spill’s trajectory.
Click Here to visit the Deepwater Horizon central command.
Governor Crist vetoed HB 1565 late Friday afternoon May 28th. In his veto message, Governor Crist validated Audubon’s concerns, by stating that “…If HB 1565 did become law, nearly ever rule may have to await an act of the Legislature to become effective…”
