Welcome to our first eNewsletter. We will be publishing our newsletters by email starting with this March newsletter, and the newsletter will be monthly. We plan to mail only our election issue.
FUN and FUN-Raising for the Sierra Club Florida PAC
Join Us and Our Friends in the Suncoast Group
Thursday, March 21 from 6-9 PM at The Factory St Petersburg. Join us for art, music, food and fun while raising funds to support our efforts in this critical election year. We are working to ensure Florida has elected officials that care about protecting our environment and ensuring all can enjoy the wonderful natural beauty of the Suncoast area.
Admission includes:
Music by "The Young Lions", courtesy Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation
A special performance of Dane Myer's song CHANGE by the St Pete Academy Prep Choir, courtesy SeaUsRise as part of the "Boston to Boston" world choir event.
Silent Auction
Gourmet bites grazing table
Cash Bar with one free drink ticket included
Canvas of the Wild Display
Fishes Wishes Display
Access to art exhibits in The Factory location:
Fairgrounds St Pete - an immersive experience honoring all that's cool, kitschy and authentic Florida.
The next ECOFEST will be on Saturday, April 20th at MOSI! This is the official Earth Day for Tampa Bay!
Tampa Bay Sierra Club will have a table at this event. It is a great opportunity to learn about our group the many other organizations that will be present. Plenty of things to do.
Susannah Randolph and her visions for the Florida Chapter
Program: 7:00 pm
Socialize: 6:45 pm
Our meeting purpose is to introduce our members to the new Florida Chapter Director of the Sierra Club, Susannah Randolf, and to offer Sierra Club members an opportunity for a question and answer session with her.
Susannah first joined the Sierra Club in 2017 as Senior Representative for the Beyond Coal campaign in Florida. During her tenure she built the most diverse campaign team in the country to reignite the efforts to move Florida beyond coal and fossil fuels.
Prior to joining Sierra Club, Susannah served as Florida Political Director for ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), and Executive Director of Florida Watch Action. In addition to advocating for voter enfranchisement and anti-poverty policies, her extensive social justice and equity work has focused on uniting and mobilizing Floridians against politicians’ anti-middle-class agendas, resulting in statewide successes such as “Awake the State” and award winning “Pink Slip Rick” campaigns.
Nature Walk at Lettuce Lake Park, a Hillsborough County Regional Conservation Park
March 2, 10:00 am
Leaders: Beverly White and Shirley Denton
Full information can be found on the registration page.
Lettuce Lake is one of Hillsborough County's Regional Parks. It is known for its boardwalk which provides wonderful opportunities for seeing birds, alligators, and turtles. It is particularly important to Hillsborough County in that it is one of the first parks created here to simultaneously provide recreation such as picnicking, and opportunities to enjoy and preserve nature.
It is a particularly good park to visit during the winter as many times you will get better views of birds and other wildlife than typically seen at other times of the year. We plan to walk the boardwalk enjoying the day, the birds, and any aquatic creatures that show themselves to us.
We are pleased that this will be an outings leader certification event for a new outings leader. Join us to meet her.
No pets. Minors must be accompanied by a parental adult.
Find additional information and register at the link below.
Full information can be found on the registration page.
The Sierra Club Tampa Bay Group conducts two cleanups a year at this site which is preserved as a bird sanctuary at the request of Sierra and the local Audubon Society.
Tampa Bay Sierra Club and Tampa Audubon Society volunteers partner to clean up the Sanctuary, a mangrove forest in a residential neighborhood, along Old Tampa Bay, which serves as critical habitat for many wading birds and marine life such as horseshoe crabs and juvenile fish. Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful (an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful) also sponsored the event.
Paddle on the Little Manatee River and learn about the water and marshes of the zone where fresh and brackish water mingle.
March 10, 9:00 am
Leaders: Sid Flannery and Shirley Denton
Full information can be found on the registration page.
Join us as we paddle on the lower Little Manatee River. Our trip will be guided by Sid Flannery, river and estuarine specialist and Sierra Club member. He will be accompanied by a certified outings leader. Our goal is to visit the marshes and learn about their hydrology and ecology, and the delicate balance required to keep a healthy flora and fauna in a world that shifts with seasons, rainfall, winds, and tides. We will likely also see wading birds and maybe manatees or dolphins. The paddle is about 3.75 miles long, and the water is slow-moving.
You must have your own boat. Both canoes and kayaks are welcome. We must have a minimum of 6 boats for the shuttle.
This is the third in a sequence of events designed to increase your hiking skills and walking stamina.
March 30, 9:00 am
Leader: Ed Shindle
Full information can be found on the registration page.
The Jefferson Equestrian Area is more than horse trails. It is very enjoyable hiking through oak forests, past cypress swamps and creeks, and walking along the side of the Bypass Canal. Deer can sometimes be seen.
Learn about the canal, area history, enjoy nature and make friends. This is also an opportunity to improve your hiking skills and maintain or increase your stamina.
The distance is less than 6 miles along mostly trails. Be sure you can go that far at a walk. There will be hog ruts and possibly mud holes.
Registration is required for all outings. Unless otherwise noted, outings are free though there may be site entry fees. Liability waivers are required, and anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parental guardian. No pets.
This year we are working with the 5th. grade students at Academy Prep of Tampa, St Pete, and Lakeland and high school students at Leto, and Riverview High Schools, in addition to the Young Men's Leadership Corp from Plant and Berkley High Schools.
If you are interested in becoming a leader or volunteering, please contact one of the leaders.
The Conservation Committee works to protect Hillsborough County’s environment for the people and wildlife of the Tampa Bay region. If you would like to get more involved, have an issue you would to see addressed, or want to know what is happening, please join us for our monthly meetings.
For more information or to volunteer, please email Nancy Stevens.
Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month at 6:30 pm via Zoom. Contact Nancy Stevens for the Zoom link.
There is a Florida Sierra Club campaign to prevent extension of the preemption of local ordinances. The Sierra Club (Michael McGrath) is looking for recommendations for businesses who would sign a petition in support.
Clean Drinking Water (SIX)
We are watching and will let you know what we learn
Tampa has announced a new technology to clean drinking water and is promoting its ability to assist in removal of harmful forever chemicals (called PFAS). The team members that worked on PURE met with the new water department director and water engineering project coordinator to discuss questions.
Climate Change
Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change
We want to support this national effort
You can work on this with the Conservation Committee
Are you thinking about going solar for your home? Sierra Club is joining with Solar United Neighbors, Hillsborough County, the League of Women Voters and other public interest partners to help people save money on their utility bills. If you have a newer roof unobstructed by shade from trees, check it out—there is no obligation.
Learn about rooftop solar energy and how to get the best rates and equipment from an installer. Think of the coop as a way for you and your neighbors to leverage bulk-purchasing power to get discounted pricing and a quality installation. Sign up to join & learn more.
Mark your calendar for the first Solar 101 presentation March 5, noon. Check here for a Zoom link.
Going solar is not just about saving money, it’s about doing our part to fight climate change.
Conservation Lands
Florida Wildlife Corridor
Seminar Series
Put these on your calendar
Sponsored by 1000 Friends of Florida
Grant Gelhardt, Chair, Florida Conservation Committee
Save these dates and register for these free seminars (all are noon to pm). All presentations will be led by experts. See the full list of presenters on the 1000 Friends of Florida website.
What is landscape-scale conservation and why is it important? How has the Florida Wildlife Corridor evolved from decades of GIS-based analysis and why should we be concerned about protecting it? What role does agricultural land play in the corridor, and what are some of the threats and opportunities? What impact will climate change and associated population migration have on the corridor?
“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood …” noted urban designer Daniel Burnham once famously stated. Learn about two Florida communities that have or are establishing “big plans” to protect critical natural resources while promoting vibrant communities. The discussions will include interlinking community centers with regional conservations lands, and comprehensive plant and development rights issues. Challenges, including significant growth pressure, will also be covered.
Florida’s communities have numerous land conservation options at their disposal. Presenters will provide frank evaluations of the strengths and weaknesses of some of these options. The importance of “following the land” in planning, sector planning, urban development boundaries, transfer of development rights programs, appropriate siting and design of conservation subdivisions, and a primer on county ballot measures to fund conservation land acquisition in Florida will be covered.
For decades, Florida has led the nation in land conservation initiatives. This includes science-based regional landscape conservation including wildlife corridors, comprehensive GIS conservation priority analyses and databases, and significant state funding to protect conservation and agricultural land. But there is always room for more in the “tent” of conservation and need for additional tools and strategies to achieve conservation goals while fostering sustainable communities.
This final seminar will focus on reaching out to new constituents. The discussion will include the effect of land use choices on the bottom line for local governments and taxpayers alike. The discussion will include economic considerations for land conservation. and how to engage landowners, elected officials, the development community and others in the movement to conserve the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program has had decades of success litigating in courtrooms from local municipalities all the way to the Supreme Court thanks to your support. Increasingly, courtroom battles are the new frontline to end our country’s dependency on fossil fuels and expand clean energy. A recent ruling upholding the suspension of oil and gas activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is just one example of the effectiveness of using strategic litigation in concert with grassroots organizing and policy advocacy.
Join Sierra Club leaders on Wednesday, March 6 to hear about the most critical legal battles to bring about a cleaner, greener future for our communities.
Federal Court Strikes Down EPA Approval of Florida Wetlands Program
Celebrate an environmental "win"
Sierra Club was one of 6 environmental groups who took this to court
Grant Gelhardt
Judge finds EPA and USFWS failed to comply with Endangered Species Act
Washington, D.C. - A federal court ruled in favor of environmental groups today, determining that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) violated federal law when they greenlit Florida’s takeover of the Clean Water Act wetlands permitting program.
Finding that the agencies created an end-run around the Endangered Species Act, the court struck down Florida’s program for reviewing the impacts that wetland permits have on imperiled species. Under the court’s new order, EPA, Florida, and those seeking permits to impact wetlands must use Endangered Species Act provisions to ensure that threatened and endangered species are protected in Clean Water Act permitting.
“Today’s ruling sends a clear signal that Congress meant what it said when it passed the Endangered Species Act," said Earthjustice attorney Christina I. Reichert. “No state can be allowed to take over a federal program as important as the Clean Water Act’s wetlands permitting program by making an end-run around the Endangered Species Act.”
Seven environmental groups, represented by Earthjustice, sued the EPA in January 2021 in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the transfer of federal wetland permitting authority to Florida, warning that the handover from the Trump administration to Florida’s DeSantis administration would “degrade and ruin Florida’s natural landscape, all in violation of federal environmental laws.” The organizations that filed the suit are the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the Florida Wildlife Federation, Miami Waterkeeper, and St. Johns Riverkeeper.
The court’s ruling today resolves part of the lawsuit that concerns the federal agencies’ failure to comply with the Endangered Species Act. The remainder of the suit, which concerns violations of the Clean Water Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, is still ongoing.
More
Help Wanted
Graphic designer - will help create handouts for tabling events and posters. Contact Shirley Denton.
Social media - will assist our Social Media coordinator and may do things such as posting to Instagram, LinkedIn, MeetUp, Facebook. Contact Shirley Denton.
Outings leaders - will be trained to lead outings. This includes a 2-year certification (free) in basic first aid. Contact Ed Shindle.
ICO leaders will be trained to lead ICO trips. This includes a 2-year certification (free) in basic first aid. Contact Rocky Milburn
Tabling volunteers. No experience required. Contact Michael Newitt.
Be Unsubscribe Savvy
We have become aware that many people had some strange encounters with Sierra Club emails -- in the form of getting annoying numbers of emails from national Sierra. I know I got them. I did what any sensible person would do, I hit Unsubscribe.
I learned much more recently that I was not getting Florida and Tampa Bay Group emails. I want those. You should want those. Neither sends large numbers of emails, and I hope you want our local news.
This leads to the real challenge. If you are one of these people, you did not get this email to read this. So if you did get this and know someone who should have gotten it but did not (as in one of our Tampa Bay Group members), please pass this cure on to them.
Have them call member support and ask that they set their email preferences to allow local Tampa Bay Group and Florida Chapter emails.
Member Support: 415-977-5653
Another problem that can occur is having emails go to spam. Take a look at the sender's email address and add it to your safe senders list.
Needless to say, don't use "Unsubscribe" - call member support and tell them what you want -- Florida Chapter and Tampa Bay Group emails only.
