Meet the Filmmaker: Gopher Games - Thursday, Mar. 2 at Quaker House in Gainesville
Hello ,
On Thursday, March 2 at 6:30 PM learn from film maker Brent Fannin about the upcoming release of his short film with our Meet the Filmmaker: Gopher Games at Quaker Meeting House, 702 NW 38th St, Gainesville, FL 32607. This will be a hybrid event so if you are joining virtually, you will receive the Zoom link via email once your registration is verified to avoid disruptions. Please register early here.
The gopher tortoise, Florida’s state tortoise, has one of the oldest known populations; it was born from a group of tortoises that lived here 60 million years ago. The tortoise is a keystone species, which means that an extinction would result in measurable changes to its ecosystem.
We will also have the opportunity to hear from Chase Pirtle, local naturalist with the Ashton Biological Preserve.
On Feb. 4, the 2023 Strategy meeting held at the Millhopper Library was a creative brainstorming session where we formed consensus on four primary goals for the Suwannee-St Johns Group.
1. Establish our Conservation Committee
2. Build Coalition to Combat Sprawl
3. Create an Energy Committee
4. Develop Leadership Pipeline and Ladder of Engagement for Volunteers
Much more will be shared on each of these objectives as we make progress through the year. Read on for more on our first item, establishing our Conservation Committee.
Hi, I am Joanne Tremblay, a new member to the group. I have been managing the website and social media for the past several months. I like what I do and do not feel comfortable leading a committee. I volunteered to make an effort to launch the group which is why I am writing to you.
I need your help to get the conservation committee launched. The Sierra Club is committed to directing our efforts to underserved communities. I need ideas of where to look. I am a hermit and don't venture outside my comfort zone very much so your insight can help immeasurably. What communities should we include, where can they be found, and who might serve as a bridge.
I hope you can help. Email me soon with your recommendations.
Joanne Tremblay
ssjsierra@gmail.com
Photo Credit: Maryvonne Devensky
By Maryvonne Devensky
Last Sunday a few of SSJ Sierra Club members walked from Ring Park on 23rd avenue to Loblolly Park on 34th street. It is about a 3 hour walk, and the path follows Hogtown Creek on many occasions. The weather was not too hot and we enjoyed being in nature, knowing that we were right in the middle of Gainesville. Anyone wanting to do this hike, take water with you, wear good shoes and a hat as the sun is hot already at this time of the year.
Next outing in March is a Service Outing at Morningside Nature Center in East Gainesville on Friday, March 3, from 9:00 am until we are done. We will paint markings on trees along the hiking trails as many people, including myself can get lost along the trails… The staff at Morningside will work with us and they are happy that Sierra Club members want to help with this important task.
Please sign up here to register. Remember to wear good shoes, and comfortable clothing as you will be doing some work along the trails. Bring water and a bag lunch. If needed, contact me at maryvonne.deven@gmail.com
Appeal court says state must do more to clean Florida’s polluted springs
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Environmentalists working to reduce nitrate pollution in Florida’s freshwater springs declared victory Wednesday after the First District Court of Appeal ruled the Florida Department of Environmental Protection must take more action to clean the springs across the state. "This is the biggest legal win for Florida’s environment in recent memory," Ryan Smart, executive director of the Florida Springs Council, said. "This decision will have major implications on the Outstanding Florida Springs."
Wednesday’s ruling says DEP must be more specific in its BMAPs, or Basin Management Action Plans, on how it will reduce nitrate pollution in some of the state's springs and waterways. Pollution from nitrates is currently one of the biggest threats to the state’s freshwater springs. "What the First DCA ruled was that the Department of Environmental Protection did not follow the law when creating the Basin Management Action plans for four Outstanding Florida Springs," said Smart. "The law requires them to allocate the pollutant load, which is a fancy way of saying you have to say who's responsible for achieving the reductions necessary to hit the water quality goal."
The legal battle against FDEP began in 2019, when environmental groups challenged the agency in court over its BMAP plans, claiming they were ineffective. However, a judge ruled in DEP’s favor. Wednesday’s decision reverses the previous ruling. "This allows us to hold polluters accountable," Smart said.
DEP has stated its BMAPs are effective. 10 Investigates reached out to FDEP for comment on this ruling and is waiting to hear back. A spokesperson previously told 10 Investigates: "The state of Florida has made an unprecedented financial commitment to springs restoration, funding $300 million over the last four years specifically for springs restoration. This record funding has enabled the department to assist local governments and other stakeholders to identify and construct projects that are imperative to achieving restoration goals. Much has been done to date; however, there is more work to be done for springs restoration and long-term protection, particularly with agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs). The department will continue to work diligently alongside the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to increase BMP compliance and enhance our understanding of application rates across the state and impacts to waterways."
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a big win for Springs Protection in Florida. Watch this space for more on this in the upcoming months as we monitor Florida Water Districts' compliance to the court order.
Action Alert!
Weyerhaeuser
We are still waiting for the City of Gainesville to hold its second and final vote on whether to rezone the rural 1800-acre Weyerhaeuser-owned property on the north side of town.
The Sierra Club strongly opposes this plan and asks everyone to monitor our website and the City Commission agenda so people can attend the meeting. Late last year the previous City Commission voted 4-3 to approve, but since then three of the yes votes have been replaced by new commissioners.
We can beat back this horrible example of poor growth management and sprawl at the expense of rural lands in our community, but we need your help.
Please attend the meeting once it gets announced, and if you haven’t already, send an email to the City Commission letting them know you oppose this plan.
Email: citycomm@gainesvillefl.gov.
Petition to Help Save UF Trees & Housing
Despite three years of complaints from students, faculty, and alumni, the University of Florida is continuing to move forward with its plans to close and demolish 44 brick buildings and hundreds of trees encompassing the entirety of Maguire Village and University Village South (UVS) along SW 34th St.
This tragedy has been compounded by the UF Housing Department's lack of transparency and respect for the students living there (who are scheduled to be evicted at the end of this semester), which includes not providing documents, lying to committees, and disrespecting students' rights. The current population of those left at the village has been reduced to just a couple dozen, leaving over 300 beautiful, usable apartments left to languish while over 800 students remain on the waitlist for this sought-after graduate housing.
Indeed, UF's own studies show that Maguire Village and UVS are the highest-rated places to live at UF (undergrad dorms included), and furthermore, are a unique treasure considering almost no other school in Florida has a place quite like it dedicated to graduate students and their families.
As former Director of International Student Services at UF Debra Anderson recently wrote in a letter: "Removing graduate housing communities that have functioned to serve as homes away from home, in an environmentally inviting space, and convenient to campus, for over 50+ years and largely consisting of 70% international graduate students, which served as a reprieve and interactive space for students/families, seems short-sighted, at the least."
We are hoping more letters like this to UF, along with group support including Student Government and Faculty Senate Resolutions, can help change UF's mind before it is too late.
What can you do to help?
1.) Sign and share our Petition to immediately reopen Maguire Village and UVS, found here: https://www.change.org/saveufgradhousing
2.) Contact UF's Board of Trustees and your local state representatives and ask them to reverse the decision to destroy these historic places.
3.) Consider volunteering with the campaign -- we are in need of organizers, graphic artists, social media liaisons, researchers, and any other help else you can provide; simply email SaveUFGradHousing@gmail.com or visit our website at www.saveufgradhousing.com to volunteer or learn more.
Thank you!
Petition Stop FL Dept of Transportation Widening SR-40 in Ocala National Forest
The Ocala National Forest is home to the largest population of the Florida Black Bear in the state.
On Feb. 23, the Florida Dept. of Transportation had a public presentation of the proposal to widen the 2-lane highway into a 200-foot expanse with two lanes in each direction.
While the current plans presented will accommodate for wildlife corridors and fencing, there was no cited traffic study provided indicating the need for this expansion. Local residents are concerned with the amount of disruption this will present to wildlife and environment, as the widening of the highway undoubtably will bring more trucks along this roadway as a major thoroughfare between Ocala and Ormand Beach.
Please sign the petition here to oppose this expansion into the "Crown Jewel" of North Central Florida.
Questions and concerns on this proposed roadway expansion can be directed to the project manager at: Kathleen.Enot@dot.state.fl.us
Demand Hearing regarding Expansion of Landfill in East Gainesville
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has shared an intent to issue the owner of the landfill, Florence Recycling and Disposal, a permit to increase the amount of construction and demolition debris that it receives.
The residents of this historically African-American community are concerned about any potential impact to their neighborhood and have requested an administrative hearing, to stop this approval.
A recent news story written by WUFT states, "The Majority Black East Gainesville, like communities of color worldwide, has been used as the city’s dumping ground for as long as living residents remember."
Robert Bullard, credited as the "Father of Environmental Justice", as he studied the long-standing pattern of dumping waste in Black neighborhoods termed this practice as "path of least resistance". It’s just one example of environmental racism, which Bullard said combines with public policies and industry practices to provide benefits for white people while shifting industry costs to people of color.
Please join them by writing a letter to the FL Department of Environmental Protection demanding they grant a public hearing for this community, so their grievances are heard. The petition is available online here.
Photo Credit: Jon Brainard
Update from Dunnellon Community Garden
The Dunnellon community garden is gearing up for spring. Here you see a young man who is being mentored getting the hose ready to water. The yellow cassias bloomed in December. Frederick Rockwell is a gardener who takes care of beds and mentors. If you are interesting in mentoring or making a donation. Please contact Jonathan Brainard at 407-491-8158.
Editor's Note: The Dunnellon Community Garden, originated through the SSJ Tri-County Working Group, brings youth in the Boys and Girls Club together to learn how to grow food sustainably. It is through the dedication of Jon Brainard and many other volunteers that this work continues. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of these young people.
LiDAR, Traces and Land Development
PART II
By Joanne Tremblay
My interest in LiDAR use is based on our ever growing need to consider traces when evaluating for development. LiDAR plots out the hidden traces of water’s paths downstream. Traces are historically dry stream valleys that flood during high rain events. I contacted Troy Roberts, Communications and Outreach Manager with the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) with questions regarding LiDAR and its uses in identifying wetlands and traces.
What is the history of LiDAR with the SRWMD?When was it adopted, why and how much did it cost the taxpayers?
The District began utilizing LiDAR in 2007 due its enhanced precision and accuracy compared to topography data sources previously utilized. Before this, its first use in the state of Florida was by state Emergency Management and USGS to evaluate hurricane evacuation routes.
How does the SRWMD use LiDAR and what other organizations use it and for what purposes?
Aside from aerial imagery, its data is utilized for targeting flood zones around major rivers to better predict potential flooding; this is an area where the District works in conjunction with FEMA. It is also utilized for land management practices, permitting, flood mapping, and hydrological data.
How accurate is LiDAR in mapping hydrological traces underground? Is LiDAR the best technology we currently have for topography measurements? Is there another preferred measurement technology that meets the same purpose?
For topography, USGS and the state have specific standards that must be met with mapping purposes. Based on those standards, and for topography delineation, the District believes this is the best information available.
LiDAR only maps surface features, and only maps underground features to the extent that they follow the surface topography.
Do these maps provide any legal standing when developments go against LiDAR evidence?
If LiDAR is used in a permitting decision, it must be confirmed using survey elevations with accuracy attested to by a licensed land surveyor.
Can someone request a LiDAR and how?
Yes, and there is a website where residents can go through FDEP, USGS, NOAA, and other sources, and download the data.
A complete collection of LiDAR can be found at the Florida Geographic Data Library (FGDL) and tutorials are available because this is a complex digital file with multiple layers. Here is a link: https://www.floridagio.gov/pages/lidar-resources
I find LiDAR poetic in how they resemble circulatory systems. Ultimately, they can reveal how our Earth’s circulatory system works and we all know that blockages create circulatory failures.
It's time again for Reclaiming Florida's Future for All where we let our legislators know that we deserve a just transition to clean energy!
On 3/22, we will be joining forces with citizens throughout Florida to meet with our legislators to educate them on renewable energy, environmental protections and retaining local control over our communities. We have training for participants and other fun activities planned leading up to the event as well.
We will be driving up in a van. Meet up location TBD.
Register now to participate in our Legislative Lobby Day here.
This event encompasses an appreciation of the Santa Fe River through music, friendship, food and fun. The 11th annual Singer/Songwriter Contest will be held Sunday, March 26th, 2023 from 1:00-7:00pm at Rum 138, located at 2070 Southwest County Road 138, Fort White, Florida. Music lovers will enjoy, celebrate, and learn about this special spring-fed river through the contestants’ talented compositions and performances.
Other fun activities include a silent auction that features an exciting list of items that are donated by our area’s accomplished artists, businesses, and individuals, food from local vendors, beverages from local breweries, a pop-up t-shirt printer offering this year’s RiverFest t-shirts for sale, a real live mermaid, and a 50/50 raffle.
In addition to the song-writing contest on Sunday, Our Santa Fe River is hosting two Plant Walks and a Paddle on the river. Visit their website for more information.
All proceeds benefit Our Santa Fe River, a Florida 501(c) 3 organization that serves to protect the waters and lands supporting the aquifer, springs and rivers within the watershed of the Santa Fe River by promoting public awareness pertaining to the ecology, quality, and quantity of the waters and lands immediately adjacent to and supporting the Santa Fe River, including its springs and underlying aquifer.
You can now direct donations through Cash App to support the Sierra Club Suwannee-St. Johns Group by using our CashTag$:
$SSJSierra
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