The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation is dedicated to the conservation of
coastal habitats and aquatic resources on Sanibel and Captiva and in the surrounding
watershed. SCCF manages over 1300 acres of land on the islands
(and owns an additional 500 acres on nearby Pine Island).
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GOVERNOR SCOTT REQUESTS MORE THAN $77 MILLION IN GULF COAST RESTORATION PROJECTS
~State of Florida proposals include 20 projects for the Gulf Coast~
Governor Rick Scott announced five proposals for 20 projects total...ing $77 million were submitted to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council) for consideration under the Council-Selected Restoration Component portion of funding through the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act).
Governor Scott said, "We're committed to protecting and restoring Florida's estuaries, and these $77 million in projects would significantly bolster our efforts to protect and restore our natural treasures. Our Department of Environmental Protection has worked closely with local leaders and environmental stakeholders to identify the projects that will best benefit our critical ecosystems. Through state funding we've made major investments in the Everglades and the Keys, and with these dollars we'll make similar investments in North Florida's estuaries and continue to make Florida's environment a priority."
Funding Proposals
These proposals address high priority restoration needs in 10 major watersheds from Perdido Bay to Tampa Bay. They also represent the feedback received from numerous meetings with stakeholders and citizens. Additionally, the proposals represent projects from the list of over 1,200 submissions to the Department of Environmental Protections' online portal.
The Pensacola Bay Watershed Proposal encompasses two living-shoreline projects, a wastewater reuse project, a stormwater and wastewater improvement project and a contaminated sediment removal planning project. These projects will collectively improve Pensacola and East Bays, a portion of the Santa Rosa Sound, as well as Bayou Chico. The funding amount for this proposal totals $15.9 million. The Apalachicola Bay Watershed Proposal includes three major projects that would improve fresh water flows to the hydrologically impacted bay. Also, an expansion of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment oyster population rebuilding project, a marsh and oyster reef project, and an agricultural pollution reduction project will help to restore the bay and assist affected oystermen. The funding amount for this proposal totals $26.1 million. The Suwannee River Watershed Proposal would provide $12.1 million in funds to acquire conservation easements in the Florida Forever Lower Suwannee River and Gulf Less-than-Fee Program and to implement an oyster-restoration project near Cedar Key, as well as an agriculture pollution reduction project. These projects will restore and protect water quality and habitats that sustain the local communities whose economies depend on these vital resources. The Tampa Bay Watershed Proposal includes $6.9 million in funding for five projects, three of which are shovel-ready stormwater projects that would improve water quality and habitat within this watershed. Also included in this proposal are Manatee County's Robinson Preserve restoration and Alafia Bank Bird Sanctuary living shoreline installations, which are two highly ranked projects identified in the Southwest Florida Regional Ecosystem Restoration Plan. The last proposal, Northwest Florida Estuaries and Watersheds Proposal, is intended to complete the current watershed planning efforts in the Panhandle and includes funding for design, permitting, implementation and monitoring for high priority water quality and habitat restoration projects that will be identified through these planning efforts. The funding amount for this proposal totals $16.8 million. The five proposals, involving approximately 20 specific projects, total more than $77 million in requested funding. Information may be found about each proposal at www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com.
"Water quality is a top priority in Florida, and the projects in the submitted proposals significantly reflect that priority. We hope to see the projects approved and implemented in the near future," said Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. of the Department of Environmental Protection. "The proposals submitted are just one example of Governor Scott's commitment to the environment."
"Thanks to the Governor's leadership this group of Florida proposals advances a vision for restoring some of our most important Gulf Coast estuaries and watersheds," said Executive Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Nick Wiley. "These RESTORE projects would revitalize key habitat for fish and wildlife and help support the economies of coastal communities that are so closely tied to these resources."
"The Gulf Consortium is tasked with creating the State Expenditure Plan for the Spill Impact Component of the RESTORE Act funds and working with Governor Scott is an important step to gaining successful projects for the state of Florida," said Mike Sole, Governor Scott's appointee to the Gulf Consortium. "Florida's proposals submitted to the Council focus on restoring Florida's natural resources and as a member of the Gulf Consortium, I am thankful to Governor Scott for his continued dedication to restoring the Gulf Coast."
"Audubon Florida is supportive of the five proposals submitted for consideration by the Council," said Eric Draper, executive director for Audubon Florida. "There are many projects within the proposals that would continue Governor Scott's work to conserve the vital habitats in our state."
"These proposals show that Governor Scott and the state of Florida are committed to improving water quality, restoring critical habitats and cleaning up our shorelines," said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam. "From Apalachicola Bay to Central Florida springs to coastal estuaries, these projects will make a real difference across the state."
"The Gulf Consortium is fully supportive of the proposals submitted by Governor Scott," said President of the Florida Association of Counties, Chairman of the Gulf Consortium and Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson. "Also, local governments across the Florida Gulf Coast have greatly enjoyed the working relationship with Governor Scott and state agencies to plan, propose, and initiate restoration of our environmental assets."
"The after affects of the BP oil spill are still felt in many communities and by many businesses in coastal Northwest Florida," said Senator Don Gaetz. "The grant funding announced today is another step in rebuilding and strengthening our environment and our economy. I'm grateful to Governor Scott and Secretary Vinyard for working closely with local leaders on these funding decisions."
"Protecting Florida's water continues to be my top priority while serving in the Florida Senate," said Senator Charles S. Dean (R-Inverness). "The projects Governor Scott submitted to the RESTORE Council under the Suwannee River Watershed proposal would help protect Florida's natural resources for future generations."
"Both the Pensacola Bay and the Northwest Florida Estuaries and Watersheds proposals are great news for the Panhandle," said Representative Doug Broxson. "I want to thank Governor Scott for his continued commitment to restoring the Gulf Coast of Florida following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill."
"Pensacola Bay is one of Florida's most important bays and I am grateful to Governor Scott, DEP Secretary Vinyard and Nick Wiley of FWC for their hard work in recognizing that restoring this bay is top priority for the state of Florida," said City of Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward.
"We are so pleased to see three proposals including planning and implementation for Panhandle estuaries and watersheds were submitted by Governor Scott to the Council," said Temperance Morgan, executive director for The Nature Conservancy. "These proposals would extend the good work being done by TNC and lay the foundation for a sophisticated estuary program for the Panhandle."
"Governor Scott's submitted proposals complement the work already being implemented in the Panhandle watersheds to preserve water quality and quantity," said Executive Director of the Northwest Florida Water Management District Jon Steverson. "We are hopeful the projects will be approved and more can be done to protect Northwest Florida's water resources."
"Tampa Bay is a critical lifeline to the health of the Gulf of Mexico and the projects included within the proposals submitted by Governor Scott reflect the much needed restoration and water quality improvement for Tampa Bay," said Holly Greening, executive director of Tampa Bay National Estuary Program.
"The Suwannee River watershed is one of the largest watersheds affecting the Gulf of Mexico," said Ann B. Shortelle, Ph.D. executive director of the Suwannee River Water Management District. "The projects included in Governor Scott's submitted proposal would address many water quality and habitat issues in the Suwannee River watershed."
"Water is a necessary part of our lives and ensuring the quality of Florida's water and associated natural resources is a top priority of the state and our District," said Robert Beltran, executive director of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. "We are pleased to see that priority reflected in Governor Scott's proposals for RESTORE Act funding."
The RESTORE Act
The RESTORE Act allocates 80 percent of the Clean Water Act administrative and civil penalties resulting from the Deepwater Horizon incident to the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund. To date, Transocean is the only responsible party to settle its civil liability and a portion of those funds are now available. The Council-Selected Restoration Component, commonly known as Bucket 2, equates to 30 percent of available funds and is managed by the council. For this first round, the total available for projects is roughly $150 to $180 million to be shared among 11 council members.
Once the council staff receives all member proposals they will be reviewed for eligibility and posted online. The council members will then work to create a draft Funded Priorities List, which will be available in the Spring/Summer of 2015 for public review and comment.
The state of Florida will compete for Bucket 2 funding with the other states and federal agencies represented on the council. The proposals must align with the Council's Comprehensive Plan, which was published in August 2013. The Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have been working diligently to ensure Florida's Bucket 2 proposals align with the council's goals, have wide support and significantly contribute to the overall health of the Gulf of Mexico.
RESTORE Act funding is just a small portion of the overall environmental restoration work that is being implemented in the state of Florida to compensate the public for injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon spill.
To date there has been nearly $175 million in approved projects and programs across Florida's Gulf Coast communities through other funding sources, such as Natural Resource Damage Assessment early restoration and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. These projects range from living shorelines, land acquisitions, boat ramps, coastal conservancy and enhanced recreational use. Project selection processes among these multiple funding sources are coordinated to ensure projects that are chosen are complementary and successful for our treasured Gulf Coast.
These projects come on the heels of Florida securing a record level of funding for important environmental projects through the state budget. This year, Governor Scott approved more than $300 million for projects to improve water quality in south Florida and the Florida Keys. This investment will be used for critical projects for families and businesses that rely on these natural treasures, mitigate impacts of Lake Okeechobee's discharges on our estuaries and divert more fresh water south to help restore the Everglades.
exploring approaches for effective education and training of workers in the offshore oil and gas industry and health professions; and
linking ecosystem services related to and influenced by oil and gas production to human health and well being.
Letters of intent are due by January 29, 2015. Full proposals are due March 30, 2015. A letter of intent is required for this funding opportunity.
Environmental Assessment for design refinements to the Picayune Strand Restoration Project available for 30-day public and agency review ***
The Environmental Assessment for design refinements to the Picayune Strand Restoration Project, an Everglades restoration project in Collier County, Florida, is now available for public and agency review. Comments will be accepted through December 22, 2014.
During the detailed project design for the Picayune Strand Restoration Project, it was determined that refinements needed to be made to the original plan in order to achieve the project's full restoration benefits. These design refinements are minor, but will result in the project infrastructure encompassing a larger area than originally planned, so an Environmental Assessment was performed to ensure these refinements will not have any adverse impacts on the environment.
The Environmental Assessment has been completed and has determined that no significant impacts are anticipated as a result of these design refinements. These refinements are necessary to achieve project goals and additional Congressional authorization of the updated project design is not necessary.
The design refinements include:
- The replacement of individual berms for the Merritt, Faka Union and Miller Pump Stations with a single full width tieback levee for each pump station. This project component was authorized as part of the project and is needed to achieve full restoration benefits.
- A manatee mitigation feature located south of the project near the Port of the Islands Basin. This feature has been negotiated through informal Endangered Species Act consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to mitigate for potential adverse effects due to project implementation on the existing thermal refugium in the Port of the Islands Basin.
In North America elevations are given using either Sea Level Datum of 1929, also called the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) or the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). Confusion often occurs when a user sees an elevation value using the older datum. Some may assume the elevation is incorrect and in fact the reader might find reliable documentation based on the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 to support their assumption
by Bonnie Gross I've paddled a lot of trails in the Everglades, but so far, the Turner River is my favorite. It goes from pristine cypress swamp, through mangrove tunnels to sawgrass ma...rsh, and it teems with birds, gators and fish. It's everything the Everglades can offer in one trip.
Please join the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition's annual FLY-IN event and show your support for the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program - our nation's CORE program for preventing fish and wildlife from becoming endangered in every state and territory.
Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was found in background concentrations in one sample collected alongshore of Lee County and in background to very low concentrations in two samples collected offshore of Monroe County.
Additional samples collected throughout Florida this week did not contain K. brevis.
DDWS awards $5,000 in school conservation education grants
(Sanibel Island, FL, December 2014) "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS) recently awarded more than $8,000 in grants to 12 conservation education-related projects at 11 different schools in Lee, Collier, and Hendry counties.
Teachers submitted grant applications to the DDWS Environmental Education Committee by Oct. 31, 2014. The committee chose awards based on need and relevance to conservation.
Schools to which DDWS awarded grants include Cypress Lake Middle School in Fort Myers for its "Paws For Panthers" project, Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School in Fort Myers for "Creating Environmental Stewards," Estero High School for "Estero Earth Day," LaBelle 4-H Nature Club and Marine Ecology Team for "4-H Field Trip/Photo Shoot at 'Ding' Darling and Cayo Costa," Patriot Elementary School in Cape Coral for "Fourth Grade Patriots Under Construction," Pelican Elementary School in Cape Coral for "Catching the Wind: Designing Windmills" and "Science - Changes to Watch," Precious Cargo Academy in Naples for "The Learning Garden," Robinson Littleton Elementary School in North Fort Myers for "TWEET for the Birds," Royal Palm Exceptional School in Fort Myers for "ABC: Animals Behavior and Conservation," Trafalgar Elementary School in Cape Coral for "Save Today...Preserve Tomorrow!" and Renaissance Montessori School in Fort Myers for "Discoveries of Relevance."
"This is the ninth year the Society has awarded these conservation teacher grants, but the first year we extended it to a five-county area," says Doris Hardy, DDWS president and education committee chair. "To date, we have awarded nearly $48,000 in teacher grants. We were so impressed by the great projects our teachers and their students imagined this year. The society is pleased to help out the future of conservation stewards in this important way."
Grant recipients report back on their projects to the society and refuge, often sending pictures and thank-yous from the students, upon completion in May 2014.
In 2015, DDWS will again be awarding up to $10,000 in teacher conservation grants for schools in Charlotte, Collier, Desoto, Hendry, and Lee Counties. The grants are funded by monies received from the DDWS Conservation Education Endowment Fund earmarked specifically for education. For information on next year's grants, contact Ranger Becky Wolff Larkins at 239-472-1100 ext. 237 or Hardy at hardydd@comcast.net, or visit www.dingdarlingsociety.org/grants after Jan. 1, 2015.
Dr. Jim Burch Describes How Scrub Environments are No Day at the Beach
The Coccoloba Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) monthly meeting is moving. Monthly meetings in 2015 are moving to the second Tuesday of each month between September and April at 6:30 pm for social, 7 pm for the presentation and meeting. The location is also moving to the centrally located Page Field Base Operations, 5200 Captain Channing Page Drive, Fort Myers, Florida 33907.
Coccoloba Chapter members promote the preservation, conservation and restoration of native plants and native plant communities of Florida. This past summer, they planted over a hundred native plants at Estero Community Park. With the help of several area high school students, they also planted a street median in Cape Coral near Oasis High School. Florida Forest Service and Coccoloba members donated all plants for both projects.
The chapter is currently lending their expertise to build an outdoor classroom at Heights Elementary School, which is the largest public elementary school in Lee County. Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) recently awarded a $3,000 grant to Coccoloba Chapter to purchase and install educational signage for the classroom project, which will include rebuilding an old boardwalk in a wetlands area on the school property.
Generally, the Chapter hosts monthly field trips which are usually open to the public and are educational events to help understand the function of natural communities and to identify native plants. The past two months included a wading trip to Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park and a native plant hike at Cayo Costa State Park. The Chapter also works well with like-minded organizations to plan and execute outreach events such as the WetPlan Pond Management workshops (www.WetPlan.org), and by volunteer work days in various garden centers in Lee County promoting native plants.
On January 13, 2015, the chapter meeting will feature Dr. Jim Burch, who has held several positions with conservation organizations that deal with stewardship of natural systems in southern Florida. He currently works for the National Park Service as a Resources Management Supervisory Botanist at Big Cypress National Preserve and oversees the exotic plant management program. Dr. Burch will discuss how life in the rare and threatened scrub and sand pine scrub communities of southwest Florida is no life at the beach. This will be the chapter's first meeting on the new date and at the new location, January 13, at 7 pm at Page Field Base Operations, 5200 Captain Channing Page Drive, Fort Myers, Florida 33907. The membership meetings are free, open to the public and refreshments will be served.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District has issued a Public Notice concerning an application by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for a Department of the Army permit to conduct restoration activities on 11 lakes and water bodies in the FWC's North Central Region.
The restoration's goal is to put as much of the Kissimmee as possible back to the way it was. This photo shows the river after restoration.
Courtesy the South Florida Water Management District
It sounds almost superhuman to try straighten a river and then recarve the curves.
That's what federal and state officials did to the Kissimmee River in central Florida. They straightened the river in the 1960s into a canal to drain swampland and make way for the state's explosive growth. It worked - and it created an ecological disaster. So officials decided to restore the river's slow-flowing, meandering path.
That billion-dollar restoration - the world's largest - is a few years from completion. And so far, it's bringing signs of new life, especially on a man-made canal that was dug through the heart of the river.
"Birds are back, both wading birds and ducks. They're all over the place," says Paul Gray of Audubon Florida. "The oxygen levels in the river are better. There's a lot more game fish in the river like bass and bluegill and stuff. Most of the biological perimeters, the goals of the restoration we've already met."
The man-made canal begins near Walt Disney World in Central Florida and flows 50 miles south. "It messed up our water management infrastructure," Gray says. "Now we drain so much water that when it's dry we don't have enough water for our human needs. We over drained, and so now we're trying to rebuild the system where we're going to catch water instead of wasting it when it's wet."
For decades, piles of dirt dug for the canal have remained heaped on its banks. Now bulldozers are pushing the dirt back into the waterway, filling it and making way for the river's old meanders to recarve their historic path. Five dams controlling the waterway's flow are being blown up, allowing the water to flow naturally.
The 20-year restoration effort is expected to be complete by 2017.
Defending The Water
The Kissimmee also is the backbone of the Everglades. It supports farming and the drinking water for 6 million south Floridians. The problem is now central Floridians are looking to the Kissimmee.
"Groundwater is not an infinite resource," says Joanne Chamberlain of the Central Florida Water Initiative, a group of state agencies, cities and utilities who together are examining how much water the region needs.
The group estimates by 2035 Central Florida's demand will exceed its supply, which it gets mostly from an underground aquifer. So the group's members are considering other sources. One possibility they've identified is the Kissimmee's headwaters.
"There's opportunities under certain situations that water can be used - high-water level situations where that water could be taken, stored and used for other purposes," Chamberlain says.
She means during the summer wet season, when Florida receives the bulk of its rain.
"Florida is not like any other state in the union. We revolve around our water so greatly, not just as a drinking source but as a source of recreation and as source of tourism," says Chuck O'Neal, chairman of the natural resources committee of the League of Women Voters of Florida.
The group supports a state constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would put more money toward land and water conservation, including the Kissimmee.
Other environmentalists hope to protect the Kissimmee's water with a unique legal tool called a water reservation, which would set aside a certain amount of water so utilities can't have it for consumer use.
"The future is going to be trying to defend the water, to make sure the river has the proper hydrology," Gray says.
Cynthia Barnett, a Florida author who writes about water issues. "The key for the future is to learn from those past mistakes and now do things differently. Instead of clashing all the time the idea is to work together to use less."
She says the Kissimmee is a lesson, that Floridians don't need more water but that environmentalists, utilities and farmers together can work toward a future of conservation.
WASHINGTON D.C. - The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved by unanimous vote, legislation (H.R. 5266) to reauthorize funding for the National Estuary Program (NEP).
Rep. Posey, one of four principle co-authors of H.R. 5266, was able to secure the inclusion of his bipartisan plan (H.R. 5117) to increase available funding for estuaries with critical needs like the Indian River Lagoon. In July, Posey and Rep. Patrick Murphy introduced the Estuary Urgent Needs Priority Program Act to meet high priority needs across the nation's 28 national estuaries.
"This common sense plan will help provide critical funding for our nation's estuaries, and make available additional funding to estuaries that are experiencing urgent and challenging ecological problems, including our own Indian River Lagoon," said Rep. Posey. "I'm pleased to see this important legislation move forward in a strongly bipartisan manner."
Posey's plan directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide awards in addition to estuary base grants for estuaries that are experiencing urgent and challenging ecological problems. Some problems include: sea grass loss, reoccurring harmful algal blooms and invasive exotic species or jellyfish proliferation. These awards would be provided on a competitive basis and would be funded through funds already authorized for the NEP program. The base bill also secures higher levels of funding for each estuary's base grant.
Under H.R. 5266, the National Estuary Program is reauthorized for Fiscal Year 2015 at $27 million, almost $2 million more than what was appropriated for Fiscal Year 2014. Posey's plan makes 15% of appropriated funds available for the additional competitive awards to estuaries with urgent needs. The bill also gives direction to the EPA to ensure that no less than 80% of the funding is reserved for estuary base grants.
It shall be the policy of the state to conserve and protect its natural resources and scenic beauty. Adequate provision shall be made by law for the abatement of air and water pollution and excessive and unnecessary noise and for the conservation and protection of natural resources.
The marshes of Lake Okeechobee are a paradise of biodiversity. Everglade Snail Kites, Roseate Spoonbills, Tricolored Herons, and a plethora of other wildlife abound in this great ecosystem at the heart of the Greater Everglades.
For this incredible habitat to thrive, Lake Okeechobee's water levels cannot be too high or too low. Marsh habitat drowns when water is too deep. When water is too low, marsh habitat dries up and is destroyed.
Last century, the Northern Everglades faced serious alterations to its natural system, as developers ditched and drained land. As a result, the natural system is off kilter and Lake Okeechobee now experiences rapid fluctuations in water levels. This results in harmful effects to the delicate Lake ecosystem. Water managers send large releases of Lake water to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Estuaries for flood control. These releases have long term negative impacts on their ecosystems and local communities.
In addition, some water users in the south demand the Lake function as a reservoir for their water supply needs, despite the fragile nature of the ecosystem.
Lake Okeechobee's natural balance of life must be protected. The Audubon Everglades Conservation Team advocates to state and federal partners to manage Lake Okeechobee with its precious ecosystem in mind. The long term fix is to store more water north of the Lake. Audubon supports Kissimmee River Restoration, easement programs, and partnerships with ranchers and landowners to achieve this goal. There are many exciting Everglades restoration initiatives that can help.
Lake Okeechobee's water levels require proper management to protect this treasured habitat for years to come.
The 2014 System Status Report (SSR) is the fifth in a series of systemwide reports that aim to provide an accounting of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) Monitoring and Assessment Plan (MAP) program. The goal of the MAP is to document status and trends of the defining attributes and key indicator species of the South Florida ecosystem, as well as address key questions (uncertainties) about achieving ecosystem restoration goals. A comprehensive understanding of the system enables the successful use of adaptive management principles to track and guide restoration activities to ultimately achieve restoration success.
ABOUT RECOVER RECOVER (REstoration COordination & VERification) is a multi-agency team of scientists, modelers, planners and resource specialists who provide essential support to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) effort. They do this by applying a system-wide and integrative perspective to the planning and implementation of the plan. ABOUT RECOVER: RECOVER conducts scientific and technical evaluations and assessments, and communicates and coordinates the results with managers, decision makers and the public. The two primary components of RECOVER include the Monitoring and Assessment Plan and the Adaptive Management Program Program - together together they facilitate facilitate the continuous continuous improvement improvement in implementation of the plan and its operations by using and building upon existing science and technology.
Seagrass beds represent critical and threatened coastal habitats around the world, and a new University of Florida study shows how much sunlight seagrass needs to stay healthy.
Loss of seagrass means fish, crabs and other animals lose their homes and manatees and sea turtles lose a source of food. Nutrients, such as phosphorous, may prevent seagrass from getting the sunlight it needs to thrive. Nutrients may come from many sources, among them fertilizers used in agriculture, golf courses and suburban lawns, pet waste and septic tank waste.
Scientists often use seagrass to judge coastal ecosystems' vitality, said Chuck Jacoby, a courtesy associate professor in the Department of Soil and Water Science and co-author of a new UF study that examines light and seagrass health.
"By protecting seagrass, we protect organisms that use seagrass and other photosynthetic organisms that need less light," said Jacoby, a faculty member in UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
When nutrient levels are too high, microorganisms in the water, called phytoplankton, use these nutrients and light to grow and reproduce until they become so abundant that they block sunlight seagrass needs to survive, said Zanethia Choice, a former UF graduate student who led the investigation.
"Seagrass can cope with short-term light reductions, but if those conditions last too long or occur too frequently, seagrass will deteriorate and ultimately die," Choice said. "Good water clarity is vital for healthy coastal systems."
Choice studied seagrass beds in a 700,000-acre swath off the coast of Florida's Big Bend.
Choice, now a natural resource specialist with the U.S. Forest Service in Mississippi, conducted the study as part of her master's thesis, under the supervision of Jacoby and Tom Frazer, a professor of aquatic ecology and director of the UF School of Natural Resources and Environment.
Choice combined 13 years of light and water quality data and two years of seagrass samples from habitats near the mouths of eight rivers that empty into the Gulf of Mexico.
Seagrass off the Steinhatchee, Suwannee, Waccasassa, Withlacoochee, Crystal, Homosassa, Chassahowitzka and Weeki Wachee rivers constitutes part of the second largest seagrass bed in Florida. The largest bed is in Florida Bay, between the Everglades and the Florida Keys, Jacoby said.
Choice wanted to see how much light was needed to keep the seagrass in this region healthy. She found different seagrass species needed varying amounts of light, ranging from 8 to 27 percent of the sunlight at the water's surface.
The UF/IFAS study will give water resource managers, such as the state Department of Environmental Protection, water-clarity targets they can use to set proper nutrient levels for water bodies, Jacoby said.
Reducing nutrient levels can promote the health of seagrass and coastal waters. For example, concerted efforts to reduce nutrients flowing into Tampa Bay over the past 20-plus years resulted in a 50 percent reduction in nitrogen, a 50 percent increase in water clarity and a return of lost seagrass, according to a study conducted by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.
Unlike Tampa Bay, there is no evidence that elevated nutrient levels in Choice's study area have led to loss of seagrass. UF researchers are trying to make sure nutrients do not pollute the seagrass beds off the coast of the Big Bend, and they hope their results will guide managers as they strive to prevent any damage.
The study of seagrass light requirements is published in this month's issue of the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin.
Wildfires are becoming more frequent, more dangerous and more costly. In order to pay for the rising costs of fighting wildfires in recent years, the U.S. Forest Service has been forced to borrow from non-fire natural resource and conservation accounts, forcing major cuts to programs that restore fish and wildlife habitat and enhance access for hunters, anglers and other outdoor recreation enthusiasts. How to help
Eco-Voice thanks Algenol Biofuels for being a sponsor.
"Algenol has taken a huge step forward adding a new process for its spent algae. Hydrothermal liquefaction and light hydrotreating will now add 1350 gallons per acre per year of the greenest diesel fuel, jet fuel, and gasoline. That's on top of the 9,000 gallons of ethanol per acre per year from the Direct to Ethanol® process."
The District is working with its federal, state and local partners on a variety of strategies to help minimize the need for freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee that can cause ecological harm to the coastal estuaries. more »
These strategies are designed to increase water storage in the regional system and move more clean water south to the Everglades. They include:
Capturing more seasonal rainfall in restored sections of the Kissimmee River floodplain to more slowly - and naturally - deliver water to Lake Okeechobee.
Constructing storage features known as flow equalization basins (FEBs) south of Lake Okeechobee as part of the State's Restoration Strategies for improving water quality in the Everglades.
Working with private property owners through the District's Dispersed Water Management Program to retain water from lake discharges and regional runoff on large tracts of ranchland.
Advocating for the Corps to hold water levels higher in Lake Okeechobee for increased storage as it makes progress in rehabilitating the Herbert Hoover Dike.
Working with the Corps on the Central Everglades Planning Project to deliver a plan for restoration projects in the central Everglades that would increase the storage, treatment and movement of water south of Lake Okeechobee.
The Lake Hancock projects are a critical part of meeting minimum flows in the upper Peace River, improving water quality in the river and protecting Charlotte Harbor. Property Lake Hancock is a 4,500-acre lake in the headwaters of the Peace River. From Lake Hancock, the Peace River extends 120 miles south to Charlotte Harbor. Details The projects are two initiatives that are critical to the District's recovery strategy for meeting the minimum flows in the upper Peace River, improving water quality in the Peace River and protecting Charlotte Harbor. The goal of the Lake Level Modification Project is to store water by raising the control elevation of the existing outflow structure on Lake Hancock and to slowly release the water during the dry season to help meet the minimum flow requirements in the upper Peace River between Bartow and Zolfo Springs. The goal of the Outfall Treatment Project is to improve water quality discharging from Lake Hancock and throughout the entire Peace River and to protect Charlotte Harbor. Background Over the last 150 years, the cumulative effects of land use changes and water withdrawals have altered the hydrology of the upper Peace River watershed. These activities have significantly reduced the watershed's ability to store and recharge rainfall, which, in combination with groundwater withdrawals, has resulted in lower local and regional groundwater levels, extended periods of low or nonexistent river flows in the upper Peace River during the dry months, degraded water quality and altered ecosystems. To address problems with low flows in the upper Peace River, the District developed minimum flows and levels (MFLs) for the river in 2002. An MFL is the limit where reduced flows or further withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources of the area and the related natural environment. Currently, the upper Peace River from Bartow to Zolfo Springs does not often achieve the minimum flows.....
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Eco-voice is a non-partisan, independent, volunteer-run organization, which endeavors to communicate multiple positions on important environmental issues effecting south Florida and the opinions of the various specialist groups and 'green' businesses who support us to share information with subscribers. The opinions posted on this site are not necessarily those of the site managers or all of our sponsors. Comments on postings can be made on our Facebook page or sent to the moderator, ecovoicemoderator@msn.com for posting to our website.
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