You are here

Everglades Coalition's Priorities For 2012 Include Better Water Conservation, Land Acquisition

Share

 

During its 27th Annual Conference the Everglades Coalition announced its priorities for 2012, priorities that range from better water conservation in the landscape that surrounds Everglades National Park to prioritization of land acquisition.

The conference last week brought together business leaders, elected officials and environmentalists to discuss opportunities and challenges for restoring the Everglades’ unique ecosystem.

The 2012 priorities build upon the Coalition’s first-ever statewide legislative education effort, launched in November to educate policymakers and community leaders about the tremendous economic and ecological value of restoring America’s Everglades. This year’s conference was hosted by Earthjustice, a public-interest law firm that has represented environmentalists in many key legal cases to protect the Everglades over the past 24 years. 

“Everglades restoration is a sound investment that generates at least four-to-one return on every dollar spent,” said Dawn Shirreffs, national co-chair for the Everglades Coalition. “Restoration projects provide key water supply protections, and have generated more than10,500 jobs in the last three years.” 

“The unprecedented progress on Everglades restoration continues, bringing with it ecological benefits that make Florida a unique natural wonder,” added Julie Hill-Gabriel, state co-chair for the Coalition. “The economic return on investment in restoration is just another strong argument to continue funding for projects like bridging Tamiami Trail.”

2012 priorities for the Everglades Coalition include:

•  Secure sustained and adequate funding to agencies and for projects to ensure restoration momentum continues, including the 5.5 miles of additional bridging for Tamiami Trail. Congress and the Florida Legislature must continue to fund Everglades restoration to demonstrate their commitment to real environmental and economic progress. There is no longer a divide between saving the environment and promoting business interests.

•  Protect water resources through strong statewide conservation policies and improved water quality standards that safeguard Florida’s most important resource – America’s Everglades.

•  Prioritize the acquisition and conservation of land needed to protect and connect wildlife habitat, and provide water storage and treatment. Complete planning and authorization of critical projects, including the Central Everglades Planning Project, to increase the quality, quantity, timing and distribution of critical freshwater flows into the central Everglades, Everglades and Biscayne Bay National Parks and Florida Bay.

“Getting water flow right is enormously important,” said Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen. “And so is protecting the water quality in Lake Okeechobee and in the rivers, streams and canals that flow into the Everglades. That’s why we continue to fight for clear, enforceable clean water standards.”

Joining the Coalition for this year’s 27th annual Conference were U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, famed novelist and Miami Herald Contributor Carl Hiaasen, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy, Department of the Interior's Acting Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Rachel Jacobson, Chair, and White House Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley.

Comments

Kind of sounds like another meeting about having another meeting again. I live in Florida and have yet to see any significant "on the ground "work done to restore the glades. maybe I haven't seen it though??


Dick--
MODwaters, the flow changes for a section of Tamiami Trail between WCA3 and ENP, has started, and a couple of canals in water management areas have been filled & levees removed (including water spreading into the SE edge of ENP).  Other than that, the CERP timeline always frontloaded water for development projects in the first decade, and restoration of the Everglades per se comes later, assuming that funding would continue as planned for 30-40 years.  I loved the Everglades, but I'm glad that I no longer live there, and that I love other ecosystems more.


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.