We all benefit by becoming good stewards of the environment.
Join us as we gather together to learn how caring for ourselves can also help the planet.
We will hear indepth from several local community advocates who are working to:
- close a harmful landfill,
- protect sensitive wetlands from destructive mining,
- and stop development of a 36-hole golf course on important wildlife habitat.
This is a hybrid meeting where those who join virtually will be required to sign up through Zoom to receive the meeting information.
Last year, there was discussion about a large-scale development on more than 4,000 acres known as the Lee Property. Much of this land, which is west of Haile and east of the City of Newberry, is in a designated Strategic Ecosystem called Hickory Sink. It is an important aquifer recharge area and has environmentally sensitive features.
The proposal would modify 580 acres of the property to Institutional Use. If approved, the University of FL would build a 36-hole golf course along with a 200,000 sq ft facility along with 30 cabins to house elite golfers.
We don’t need another golf course, and certainly not in this exceptionally important area that is home to many imperiled plants and animals.
A stakeholder workshop is scheduled Monday Oct 2 at 5:30pm to inform the public about the modified plan, answer questions and seek comments.
It is vitally important for us to attend the workshop on Monday October 2, 2023 at 5:30pm at the Terwilliger Elementary School, 3999 SW 122nd St, Gainesville, FL 32608.
It's essential to let Alachua County and University of FL know that we care about this land, and that we need to preserve this land now, and for generations to come.
You can make a difference in the world.
Talk to your friends and family about Sierra Club.
Volunteering is a great way to meet people and learn more about our activities and programs.
Saturday, October 7, 2023 Paddling on the Ocklawahawith Lars Anderson
We will explore the fascinating and often quirky lore of the plants and animals living along this wild, scenic river. Today the river is a world of egrets, herons, gators and other wildlings, but an Indian mound and a steamboat landing attest to a colorful human history.
Tour a Regenerative Farm in a Longleaf Pines forest in Jasper, FL. One important aspect of their philosophy is leaving space for nature. Over half of the acreage is kept as a wildlife habitat.
It will be a day-long outing, leaving Gainesville at 7:30 am. The tour is open to 12 people maximum.
Friday, November 17, 2023 Hike at the Orange Lake Outlook (OLO)
off 441 between Micanopy and McIntosh
Jeffrey Forbes, development director at Alachua Conservation Trust, will talk with us about this historic and beautiful property recently acquired by ACT. The OLO is an incredible wildlife corridor.
Sunday, November 19, 2023 Anastasia State Park in St Augustine
We will rent the Sea Turtle Pavilion, close to the beach. Details to follow.
Friday, December 8, 2023 Alachua County Levada Brown Recycling Center
Have you ever wondered what happens to those milk jugs, newspaper, tin cans and plastic containers you throw into the blue and orange bins? Find out where these recycled materials go once they leave your home! Are we really able to recycle all that we put into the bins? How is our hazardous waste handled?
Leaders: David Hastings and County staff from the recycling center
Join us preceding the Regular bi-weekly meeting of the Energy and Climate Action Team to learn of Sierra Club's efforts to address the Climate Emergency
SSJ Executive Committee (ExCom) consists of seven members, and five of these seats are up for election this year.
Oct 2nd- Nominations Due
Oct 23rd- Petition Candidate deadline (additional candidates can petition to be on the ballot by providing signatures of at least 25 members)
Nov 13th- Voting begins
Dec 18th- Voting ends
Jan 2024 - Newly elected SSJ Executive Committee members term begins
Submissions for nominations have now closed, petition candidates please contact the NomCom members at ftimothymartin@yahoo.com.
Boulware Springs Photo Credit: City of Gainesville Florence Landfill Photo Credit: Suzmiche Morris
TIME TO DUMP THE DUMP
By Suzmiche Morris
Florence has operated a construction and demolition (C&D) landfill in Southeast Gainesville neighborhood for nearly 30 years. The previous operator was shut down due to numerous toxic waste violations and complaints from neighbors. The site has now been in operation for over 50 years. That's older than the average lifespan of a landfill. It’s also unusually close to a neighborhood—as little as 400 feet from homes, some of which rely on well water.
This SE Gainesville Neighborhood is home to Boulware Springs City Park, featuring a fresh water artesian spring just 1,500 feet downstream of the groundwater flow path from the landfill. This spring feeds into Payne’s Prairie Preserve, a 21,000-acre state park that is Florida's first state preserve.
Southeast Gainesville is a predominantly Black and working-class area that has been stuck with harmful local land use decisions for too long. This dump should be closed. Instead, they want to double the height of the operation.
The previous Alachua County Commission approved the height expansion for Florence in 2019, and the state FDEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) issued an intent to permit the height expansion in July of 2023. Several SE Gainesville Residents filed a petition for an administrative hearing to challenge the FDEP's decision. This challenge requires expert testimony, and it's optimal to have an attorney. Both of which cost money.
The current Alachua County Commissioners will be voting on the renewal of Florence's 5-year SUP (special use permit) on January 22, 2024. Closing and restoring the landfill site would right a historic wrong and make the property a better neighbor to the surrounding community.
A BRADFORD COUNTY CLUSTERMUCK:
Comp Plan, Commissioners and Chemours Mining
By Carol Mosely
After a seven-year struggle to put a phosphate mining plan to rest, Bradford County is trying to update (hopefully upgrade) the Comprehensive Plan on mining. We've been trying to get this done since 2019, but we're continually stymied by mining issues. This time it is Chemours that is tossing monkey wrenches in the gears.
Chemours mines along the trail ridge between Bradford and Clay counties. They mainly produce titanium dioxide from the minerals obtained, which is used to make things white. Chemours was spun off from Dupont to take on the liability. Chemours is an international entity that manufactures a multitude of chemicals, including PFAS, “forever chemicals.” They are strapped with hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits and settlements over contamination of rivers and water supplies. Though not produced here, the TT (titanium dioxide) division was recently absorbed into the FC (fluorocarbon) division with all these lawsuits. Is this an issue of financial stability?
Now, they have a seat at the table in deciding the regulations to include in our Comp Plan. They don't like the language suggested by the NCF Regional Planning Council (PC), which says no mining in wetlands and surface waters. Chemours says they can't make money if they can't mine the wetlands. And by the way, according to the clerk's office, we're not making tax income from mining.
So, a couple of workshops were held that included Chemours, the PC and a couple of active community members, including me. We couldn't get beyond the “no mining in wetlands and surface waters” and some of the proposed buffer zones. Chemours requested a private meeting with Mr. Koons of the planning council. We don't know if that has taken place. But, we do know they've been busy.
Our county manager and county commission chair were taken on a tour of the facility and a “restored” wetland. And we got word of a Chemours plan to hire a consulting company out of Baton Rouge that is “currently organizing a Community Advisory Panel (C.A.P.) located in Starke, FL with surrounding counties residents (Baker, Bradford, Clay & Duval) that will gather on a monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly basis with representatives of Chemours Mineral Wells Mine."
Note that the counties included are not the two counties with which we share a river, Alachua and Union, and not in our watershed. No one knows what Chemours Mineral Wells Mine is. But, I did ask to be put on the CAP as a community member. I await my rejection letter.
Meanwhile, the Bradford County Commission has decided to rethink their contract with the Regional Planning Council. The county manager is out looking for other options for them to consider. We don't know what this means for future workshops on updating the Comp Plan. We do know there is a BOCC meeting on October 3rd and, though not on the agenda, we'll have lots of questions, and concerns, to present.
At the risk of showing my age, in my head I keep hearing Oliver Hardy tell Stan Laurel, “This is another nice mess you've gotten us into, Stanley.” Let's see how the BOCC untwists themselves from this knot.
Carol Mosley is a member of the Sierra Club Suwannee-St. Johns Group and is a recipient of the 2022 Panther Award.
GRU Takeover Update: Will GRU stand for Gas-Rich Utility?
By David Hastings
Gainesville Regional Utility (GRU), the city's municipal utility, is under attack. For years state legislators have attempted to take over control of GRU. This time, they are engaged in a hostile takeover.
To begin, a brief background: In Florida, most utilities are owned by private investors; the profits from selling electricity, gas, and water go back to these investors. By contrast, some communities including Gainesville, have public power utilities. Like public schools and libraries, these are owned by the community and run as a division of local government. Profits go back into the local community.
This spring, legislation was passed (HB 1645) which transfers control of Gainesville Regional Utility (GRU) from the city commission to a board appointed by the governor. The bill blatantly disregards Gainesville’s citizens, who voted by a 60% majority to defeat a nearly identical measure in 2018.
Since the passage of this legislation, three lawsuits have been filed, one by the City of Gainesville, another from citizens’ group Gainesville Residents United, and a third by a former Florida judge.
A Leon County circuit court judge recently heard the City’s lawsuit. On September 29, she ruled against the City on all counts stating that the city does not have standing. This is clearly a blow to democracy. We now have a vague and poorly drafted bill which creates an unconstitutional board, run by appointees selected by the Governor. This has never happened before anywhere in the nation. The two other lawsuits are in Federal court with a slower timeline.
Sierra Club SSJ is concerned with issues of democracy and how important climate goals for Gainesville will likely be ignored by the state as they gain control of GRU. Sierra Club played a critical role in helping the City Commission establish net zero carbon emissions by 2045. Florida Governor DeSantis appointed three people to the new GRU board. Two of these appointees have no experience or background in utilities, as required by the legislation.
The third has decades of experience in the oil and gas industry, which is in conflict for the transition away from fossil fuels. All three live outside city limits, which violates the legislation that requires that four of the five appointees must live in Gainesville. This action is a hostile take-over of our local utility.
There was no indication that GRU was in financial distress, based on excellent investment grade bond ratings. This is an attack on our city and moves us away from the transition to clean energy. The new Authority will have no oversight by citizens or locally elected officials and is prohibited from considering social, political, or ideological policies, including addressing the climate crisis.
Our Energy and Climate Action Team is actively monitoring developments and is working on next steps after the GRU Takeover Bill. We are also working on the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with GRU to plan our future energy resources. Renewable energy or fossil gas?
Join us by attending the New Member Orientation on October 9 at 4:30 PM at Arise Wellness (1150 NW 8th Ave, in Gainesville). For more info, please register and join us!
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