As 2023 comes to a close, I remember all of the general meetings in person and on zoom, the committee meetings where the foundations were laid for our actions. I remember the outings, tabling events, invasive plant removal, rallies, petitions, meetings with elected officials, letters to the editor, and fund raisers. Without fundraisers we could not provide scholarships for our future environmental champions, attend conferences, and purchase newspaper ads, signs, and tee shirts.
Looking back at the successes of the past year, we have educated our members and supporters about local, regional, and national issues. I want to thank everyone who saw a Sierra Club call to action and acted. Your collective actions made a huge difference.
In the year ahead, I am optimistic about what we can achieve together. I thank everyone for joining us on this journey, and I wish you all the best in 2024!
As always, I invite everyone to visit our calendar and Zoom into a committee meeting to learn about the work they do.
I hope you can attend our Sat. Feb. 17, 2024, Harbour Branch Oceanographic Institute Boat Tour, Campus Tour, and Ocean Discovery Center exploration. Register here.
We are stronger together!
Thank you so much,
Linda Smithe
Executive Committee Chair
Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group
Announcing your Executive Committee Members for 2024!
The Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group Executive Committee is responsible for the management of the affairs and activities of your Group. The ExCom consists of nine members elected by the Group membership for staggered two-year terms.
Please feel free to reach out to all of us with your Environmental and Conservation Concerns. Also, all are welcome to virtually sit in on an ExCom meeting. They are all Zoom and posted on our Events Page.
Saturday Jan 6, 10 a.m., Pine Glades Natural Area in Jupiter
A leisurely morning paddle of about two hours. It is not a large body of water. Should be plenty of birds to see. Water is generally open, but there are weeds to paddle through also. No rentals here. On the south side of Indiantown Road about 6.5 miles west of I-95 and the Turnpike.For information and registration, click here.
Trip Leader: Ron Haines ronaldhaines@bellsouth.net
Saturday Jan. 13, 10 a.m. Paddle South Fork of St. Lucie River
Leisurely three-hour paddle on the South Fork of the St. Lucie River in Stuart. No rentals available, suitable for paddleboards too.Rest stop halfway through.For information and registration, click here.
Trip Leader: Ron Haines ronaldhaines@bellsouth.net
Sunday Jan. 21, 10 a.m., Upper Loxahatchee River
Leisurely 3-4 hour paddle in the backwaters of Riverbend Park in Jupiter.Rentals available.Two portages required.For information and registration, click here.
Trip Leader: Ron Haines ronaldhaines@bellsouth.net
Saturday Jan. 27, 10 a.m., Paddle at Okeeheelee Park South in West Palm Beach
This is a leisurely, two-hour paddle on the water trail at Okeeheelee Park South. The park is at 7715 Forest Hill Blvd, West Palm Beach. Go south from Forest Hill, NOT NORTH. Allow yourself time to launch at 10 please. No rentals here. For information and registration, click here.
Trip Leader: Ron Haines ronaldhaines@bellsouth.net
Saturday Feb. 10, 10 a.m. Paddle Winding Waters Natural Area
Leisurely two-hour paddle at Winding Waters Natural Area in West Palm Beach. Suitable for beginners and for paddle boarders. No rentals here. For information and registration, click here.
Trip Leader: Ron Haines ronaldhaines@bellsouth.net
Saturday to Monday, February 17 to 19, 3 Day Primitive Backpack Hike in the Ocala National Forest
Join the Broward and Northeast Florida Sierra Clubs for a three-day hike along the southern section of the Ocala National Forest on the Florida National Scenic Trail, one of the most beautiful areas of the Trail, and the site of its earliest section. Prior backpacking experience is required. Click here to register.
Trip Leader: William Snow, wbsnow@gmail.com, 904-315-7222
Service Outings at Galaxy Sand Pine Preserve Every Sunday at 9 AM
Join other volunteers in continuing our 10-year tradition of improving gopher tortoise habitat at the Galaxy Sand Pine Preserve, located behind Galaxy Elementary School. We will work for two hours, sometimes in full sun, sometimes in the shade, depending on the weather. The work includes pulling, clipping and sometimes digging invasive plants that are choking out gopher tortoise forage
Sunday, January 7, 9 AM:
For more information and to register, click here.
Sunday, January 14, 9 AM:
For more information and to register, click here.
Sunday, January 21, 9 AM:
For more information and to register, click here.
Sunday, January 28, 9 AM:
For more information and to register, click here.
Sunday, February 4, 9 AM:
For more information and to register, click here.
Sunday, February 11, 9 AM:
For more information and to register, click here.
Announcing our January General Meeting:
The Loxahatchee Group is encouraging our members to attend the 2024 Everglades Coalition Conference, EVCO, virtually.
We are thrilled that EVCO is bringing together Everglades stakeholders under the theme of "Everglades Restoration Rewards: Benefiting Ecosystems, Economies, and Communities."
We hope that you’ll be able to join in the state’s largest forum for discussing Everglades restoration progress, challenges, and opportunities.
For the latest updates, please visit www.evergladescoalition.org/conference.
The 39th Annual Everglades Coalition Conference will be held on January 25-27, 2024, in Bonita Springs! If you are in the area during that time, consider attending in person.
Sierra Club members are invited for a boat ride and guided tour of HBOI, one of South Florida’s premier research institutes. Activities begin at 10:30 a.m. with a 90-minute tour of the Indian River Lagoon from a pontoon boat where we will participate in research activities with a guide who will conduct real-time data collection, survey underwater habitats with a remotely operated vehicle, and help us identify many of the over 4,000 plant and animal species in the Lagoon, including over 50 threatened or endangered species.
At 1:00 p.m., after a bring-your-own-lunch break, enjoy a 90-minute guided tram tour of HBOI’s 144-acre waterfront campus and research facilities including the marine rescue area, the necropsy lab, and aquaculture labs. The tour includes a photo-op in front of the iconic Johnson Sea Link deep-sea submersible, the vessel that conducted critical research in the eastern Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill in 2010.
End the day with a self-guided tour of the Ocean Discovery Visitor’s Center. The Center’s exhibits and live displays highlight current research projects, notable discoveries, marine life, and environments from coral reefs to seagrass beds, including demonstrations of HBOI’s sustainable aquaculture systems.
The fine print:
The cost including the Boat Tour, Campus Tour, and Ocean Discovery Center is $75.
The maximum number of participants is 25.
Transportation is notprovided to HBOI which is located about an 1-1/2 hr. drive from West Palm Beach. Detailed instructions will be provided. Bring a friend and carpool!
Participants will meet at the J. Seward Johnson Education Center on the HBOI Campus no later than 10:15 a.m. The boat departs promptly at 10:30 a.m.
Participants must bring their own lunch. Water fillers are available.
Walking is limited but there are several steps to negotiate to reach the boat.
The activities are child-safe so bring them along (12 or older) for a fun and educational day.
Tickets are not refundable but are transferable.
Join us for this unique opportunity and experience!
Have questions? Contact Mary Mertz, marymertz@me.com.
Attended by Drew Martin, Conservation Chair and Linda Smithe, Executive Committee Chair
Celebrating its 15th year, the Summit enjoyed record attendance of more than 900 participants, 60 exhibitors and 10 media representatives, including the Miami Herald, WLRN, and the Sun Sentinel. Links to video recordings will hopefully be available soon. The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact agenda gives you a sense of the speakers and their talks.
There were lots of congratulations on acquiring funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, for a lot of initiatives. The proof will be in the outcomes of those initiatives. A lot of, we’ve heard this before. Palm Beach County contributions was we burn trash, and we recycle a lot. Palm Beach County has a high recycling rate because it counts burning trash as recycling. Hardly inspirational.
The last speaker on the first day ended us on an upbeat note!!!
Will Charouhis’s Teen Talk: There’s No Planet B, and I’m not Moving to Mars, was inspirational, was worth the price of admission!
Will Charouhis a 17-year-old environmental changemaker from Miami, FL is aiming to exert whatever influence he can on the climate crisis.
Touting mangroves as nature’s best solution against climate change, he has already drawn in partners in Australia, Gabon, the Dominican Republic, and Fiji, sharing his mangrove research in the hopes of increasing restoration efforts along the Western African coast.
During the pandemic, he restored more than six miles of mangrove roots along the Miami shoreline to regenerate growth.
At the age of 15 he was the youngest attendee at the 2021 United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26). Where he met with officials from Peru, Fiji, and the Seychelles to discuss mangroves’ role in mitigating coastal risk.
Will was the only youth in Miami-Dade and one of the youngest in the country awarded the 2022 Congressional Award Gold Medal with STEM Star recognition, the highest honor the United States Congress bestows upon youth civilians.
Will has also founded a nonprofit “A Million Mangroves”. It’s goal is to restore or plant one million mangroves.
“Knock relentlessly. I have a thousand unanswered emails and a mound of form letters from our past two Presidents and a few others. But I kept at it. And mine is now the youngest organization admitted to the United Nations Environment Program and the United Nations Framework for the Conference on Climate Change. Somewhere along the line, someone will open a door. And we as youth cannot make change unless we get on the inside.” Will Charouhis.
Did I mention he is only 17 years old? He is an inspiration to all of us!
An update on the Right to Clean Water Campaign Joseph Bonasia, Chair of the Florida Rights of Nature Network
To date, FloridaRightToCleanWater.org has collected 115,000 signed petitions, all due to the amazing efforts of the volunteers that worked on the campaign. Unfortunately, there were not enough petitions to qualify for the 2024 ballot. RTCW needed 900,000!
But there is little disappointment among the RTCW board members and ambassadors. They are quite excited about the prospects for 2026. They’ve been talking to professionals in the campaign business who think collecting 115,000 petitions through low budget volunteer efforts is extraordinary. This is a testimony to the passion and commitment of our volunteers and to the efforts of supporting organizations and individuals like you.
RTCW feels good about the prospects for 2026 because this time they will be starting with a volunteer infrastructure and level of public awareness that did not exist at the start of this campaign in 2022, and because they will be employing professionals to provide campaign guidance and fundraising. RTCW understands without their crucial involvement, RTCW will not achieve success. For more detail go to this recent op-ed announcing the 2026 campaign publicly.
Thank you for all the support you provided RTCW during this first campaign. We appreciate it greatly! For more information about the Right to Clean Water visit our website: Florida Right to Clean Water. I’ll keep Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group updated as we move forward.
South Florida Will See a Lot More Flooding By Meryl Davids, Award-Winning Independent Journalist
When we think about the impact of climate change in South Florida, many people worry about intensifying hurricanes and a rising ocean. And while those are certainly great concerns, so too is the increased routine flooding the area is already seeing.
That was a key takeaway from the November annual leadership summit of the South Florida Regional Climate Compact—an organization comprised of all four South Florida counties to reckon with what’s coming—that several Loxahatchee Group Sierra Club members attended.
“How many days a year will there be standing water in front of your house? That will be an issue more than [sea levels rising to put] everything submerged under water,” said Ben Kirtman, Ph.D., a professor of earth sciences at the University of Miami who delivered the “state of the climate” report.
For example, in just 12 hours last year, Broward county received 26 inches of rain, flooding many areas that don’t usually get water. These intensive rain bombs spring from the increased moisture that warmer air holds, which it dumps in a rapid and intense fashion.
Kirtman shared a slide from Miami’s Virginia Key of the historical and projected number of days each year when the area has more than an hour of flooding. There were hardly any such days in 2006, but in the past few years this happened on 50. If climate change is allowed to continue unabated, instead of fossil fuel burning and other greenhouse gases intensively reduced around the globe, Virginia Key projections are as high as 150 days in 2030 and nearly every day by 2050, he said.
Part of the problem is that once water falls it may have no place to go. “You used to be able to operate (spillway) gates whenever you needed to,” Broward County’s chief resiliency officer Jennifer Jurado recently told the Sun-Sentinel. But with seas rising, the gravity that used to send the water down to the ocean is less available. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is currently studying flood control in our region, with fixes like pumps at every gate expected to cost hundreds of millions or billions of dollars.
Homeowners should know that flooding isn’t covered by regular homeowner’s insurance. If you don’t have a separate flood policy look into getting one. Don’t be lulled by federal maps that might indicate your home isn’t in a flood zone, because climate experts say these are wildly inaccurate since they don’t take climate change into account.
State of The County Breakfast, Palm Beach County Linda Smithe Loxahatchee Group Executive Committee Chair
On Nov 28 the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches held its annual State of the County Business Breakfast. You were represented by me. I would recommend members who live in Palm Beach County to attend next year.
Some of the highlights were the State of the County Address delivered by Mayor Sachs (pictured above), the introduction of many of our elected officials, and presentation of a very well-done video featuring the highlights of Palm Beach County’s legacy.
It is hard to believe there are 1.5 million people living in Palm Beach County. Mayor Sachs highlighted what she called a three-legged stool holding up our economy, 1. Agriculture, 2. Real-estate, 3. Tourism. I was personally encouraged that Agriculture was number 1.
Publix Supermarket is the largest grocery chain in Florida, distributing 1.7 billion single-use plastic bags annually.
On average single-use plastic bags are used for 12 minutes and only around 5% are recycled.
Plastic doesn’t biodegrade, instead single-use plastic bags photodegrade (breaks up into smaller pieces called microplastics from exposure to sunlight and wave action).
Marine debris has impacted over 600 species of wildlife. This occurs through ingestion or entanglement and plastic debris accounted for 92% of those encounters.
It is estimated that 8 million metric tonsof plastic enter the ocean each year.
Using reusable grocery bags instead of single-use bags.
Here are our recommendations:
Better option - reusable bags made of natural fiber like cotton. These bags are endlessly reusable and washable in your washing machine
Best option - reusable bags made of 100% organic cotton and made in the USA. Endlesslly reusable and washable in your washing machine
The Broward Group of Sierra Club presents: Climate Change in Florida, Impacts & Public Perceptions
JOHN MORALES – NBC 6 NEWS
January 4, 2024 promptly at 7pm on Zoom
Register for this Zoom meeting HERE
John Morales is an atmospheric and environmental scientist with a long tenure as a widely respected broadcast meteorologist. He will discuss public perceptions about climate change in Florida and the U.S., what we know about climate change, impacts in Florida, challenges & opportunity.
Demonstrating eminence both as a scientist and a communicator, Mr. Morales was elected Honorary Member of the AMS—their highest distinction—and inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Silver Circle for excellence in broadcasting.
He founded and is currently the lead certified consulting meteorologist at ClimaData Corporation, a boutique firm specializing in forensic meteorology and weather consulting.
BROWARD GROUP GENERAL MEETING
SAVE THE DATE!
On February 1, 2024 promptly at 7pm virtually
DR. JENNIFER JURADO BROWARD COUNTY DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND CHIEF RESILIENCE OFFICER, RESILIENT ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT
TOPIC - Planning for Resilience in Broward County On February 1, 2024 promptly at 7pm virtually
Dr. Jurado’s presentation will provide an update on county-wide and regional resilience initiatives, with a focus on planning for flood and heat risk with a focus on the development of Broward Community Resilience Plan.
This exciting event is a great way to meet with our state Senators and Representatives in person in Tallahassee and make sure they understand what we need:
CLEAN WATER, CLEAN AIR, AND CLEAN ENERGY! Join us on January 23 & 24, 2024 Tues. Jan 23: Ride to Tallahassee & Lobby Training Wed. Jan 24: Advocacy Day @ the Capitol, then home late.
Reclaiming Florida’s Future for All, is an opportunity to come together for a day of impactful discussions and meaningful action.
Participants collaborate, learn, and contribute to the shaping of a better Future for Florida.
Need more info? Click here Ready to be part of this inspiring day? Register here.
After registration you will be contacted with additional details as they develop.
We're looking forward to having you with us in Tallahassee!
Share Your Pictures
Calling all photographers--young, old, amateur and professional. Send us your original, outdoors pictures and we’ll share them on the Loxahatchee Group Facebook and Instagram pages. Bonus points for those photos that relate to the Club’s motto: Enjoy, Explore and Protect.
Photo Release Terms and Conditions: You permit Sierra Club to use your original photo(s) for any purpose, including advertisement, while referencing you as the original owner of the photo(s) at all times when used for any reason by Sierra Club.
You can also view the Group Directory and reach out to our group leaders. We would love you to join our committees, such as Conservation; Political; Equity, Inclusion, and Justice; or Communications.
We are excited to announce our new YouTube Channel. Check us out--watch and share!
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