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Your Monthly News & Updates
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| Summer is in full swing and so is the blazing Florida sun. Below, you will find many family- friendly outings and activities to participate in this July. Be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen, drink lots of water, and check out our tips on preventing tick bites in this issue of the Sierra Sentry! We hope to see you at a group event soon. |
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Upcoming Meetings
Both Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra Programs are enjoying a well-deserved summer break. Normal programs will resume in September.
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Combined Executive Committee and Conservation Committee Meeting
July 17th- Southeast Branch Library Meeting Room 6:30 pm
10599 Deerwood Park Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32256
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Volunteering with Us
Here's your chance to find out how you can get involved in Sierra Club.
Come to our Volunteer/New member Orientation Friday July 28th, 7:00pm at 1 Arbor Club Blvd. Ponte Vedra, near the PV library where we will provide an overview of Sierra Club and our leaders will share specifics about what they do, how you can get involved, and answer your questions about their volunteer activities.
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Legislative Update
All in all, 2017 was a good session for environmental issues - in part because we were able to pass some good bills, and because we were able to stop some bad ones. Our top priority issues did fairly well, and your calls and emails certainly helped. Next month, we hope to have the voting scores of how individual legislators voted to share with you.
Bills that passed included:
- Solar Tax Exemption for commercial properties that implements Constitutional Amendment 4 which voters adopted by a 73% majority on August 30, 2016.
- Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir which will reduce pollutant discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers, help rehydrate the Everglades, recharge the aquifer. and help address the hyper-salinity in Florida Bay that is killing the seagrass
- Pollution notification requires entities that have a 'reportable release' to notify DEP within 24 hours and requires DEP to notify the public within the following 24 hour period
Bills that failed:
- The fracking ban. And that wasn't a complete failure, only an obstacle to be overcome next session. 2018 is an election year and we'll push hard for hearings and passage in all committees and on the floor.
- The BIG disappointment--Florida Forever got ZERO dollars. The entire conservation community mobilized to get funding for land acquisition, but was unable to get any traction. The legislature's ability to ignore the express will of the voters who adopted the Water and Land Conservation Amendment in 2014 has been breathtaking in its arrogance. Sierra Club Florida and our co-litigants will continue to pursue this in court and in the halls of the Capitol.
We were able to stop a lot of bad bills as well, including:
- A bill that would have let FPL and other investor-owned utilities to invest in fracking in other states, and charge their customers for the cost plus getting a guaranteed profit on the investment regardless of whether it even produced any gas.
To see a complete picture of all enviro bills that passed vs failed, go to
our website.
We will meet with legislators in the coming weeks to discuss our priorities for the 2018 session. In addition, we will try to attend town hall meetings. Volunteers will be needed. Please call or
email
to find out how you can get involved.
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How to Prevent Tick Bites this Summer
The key to avoiding Lyme disease is to prevent getting bitten by a tick. Here are the precautions you should take, based on the recommendations of the CDC:
* Avoid high grass and leaf litter; walk in the middle of a path if you are in a forest or woods.
* When gardening in your yard or mowing your lawn, wear long pants, socks and shoes rather than shorts and sandals. You might also wear a long-sleeve shirt and a hat, as ticks can brush off deer and other wildlife and end up in the low branches of a tree, where they can drop onto you if you happen to be walking below.
* When you come in from the outdoors, check your body carefully to look for tiny ticks. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror. If you have children, examine them carefully.
* Treat your dog or cat with solutions designed to repel ticks, following the
recommendations to apply monthly. Before you bring your pet inside, comb its fur with a fine comb to reveal any ticks that could be clinging to it. Otherwise, it's easy for the pet to transfer the tick to you.
* Rather than apply insecticide to your skin or that of your child, treat clothing, shoes, boots, gloves and jackets. The CDC recommends using insecticide that contains permethrin.
If you happen to find a tick on your skin, remove it carefully by following these directions,
courtesy of the CDC:
* Do not paint it with petroleum jelly or hold a lit match close to the creature. Use a fine-tipped set of tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.
* Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; you don't want the insect's mouth parts to break off and remain in the skin.
* Thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
* If the tick is still alive, submerse it in alcohol or flush it down the toilet. Don't try to crush it with your fingers.
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Remembering a Great Environmentalist
Environmental activist and attorney Bill Brinton passed away on June 19 at the age of 64. 30 years ago Bill founded an organization that became Scenic Jacksonville. Bill led many successful campaigns to limit outdoor signs and to protect trees. In 1987, frustrated that City Council seemed unwilling to implement recommendations from a Jacksonville Community Council study that argued for limits on outdoor advertising, Bill co-founded Citizens Against Proliferation of Signs. He also led a campaign to get City Council to pass an anti-litter law. He will be greatly missed by the environmental community.
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Cumberland Island- The Shrinking Sanctuary
Mark Albertin, a documentary filmmaker in Augusta, Georgia, has made an excellent 30-minute documentary on Cumberland Island called "Cumberland Island-The Shrinking Sanctuary. The documentary will be screened by the Sierra Club in the main meeting room of the Ponte Vedra Beach Public Library, 101 Library Road, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. 32082 at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, August 22. Mark will be at the screening for a question and answer session after the screening.
The documentary will be screened around the south to create awareness and activism regarding the threats to Cumberland Island which arise from the proposed residential development of 1,000 acres on the Island.
If you want Cumberland Island to remain as a pristine national park then you can write to the Camden Board of County Commissioners at P.O. 99, Woodbine, Georgia , 31569 to request the Commissioners to deny any request for further development of Cumberland Island.
This is a documentary that you will not want to miss!
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Florida Master Naturalist Program
REGISTRATION CLOSES September 21, 2017. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Florida Master Naturalist Program Conservation Science Special Topics Course sponsored by Nassau County Extension and Duval County Extension will be offered September 26, 27, and 28, 2017.
The course is a series of three 8 hour workshops that cover biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, and conservation strategies and approaches through classroom presentations and field discussions. This course is open to everyone; environmental professionals, educators, and citizens who just want to learn more about conservation science. You do not need to be a graduate of a Florida Master Naturalist core module to participate. Classroom sessions will be held at the Yulee County Building, Cary State Forest, North Florida Land Trust properties, and White Oak Conservation.
Course instructors are Lili Kolluri, Lauren Watkins, and Carol Wyninger. Course fee begins at $155 (see web site for full pricing). Student requirements include attendance, participation, and enthusiasm! Advance registration is required. For registration and program information contact the web site
www.masternaturalist.org. For further questions contact Carol Wyninger at (904) 220-0232,
wyninger@comcast.net; or Lili Kolluri at (904) 530-6356, lkolluri@ufl.edu.
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Environmental News Briefs
A survey finds that 84% of the people in the U.S., China, India, Britain, Australia, Brazil, South Africa and Germany consider climate change "a global catastrophic risk" and are willing to make changes in their lives to cope with it.
Congressman John Rutherford has cosigned a letter to Ryan Zinke, Interior Secretary, opposing oil and gas exploration in the Atlantic Ocean, and opposing the subsequent issuance of Incidental Harassment Authorizations. He can be thanked at (202) 225-2501.
Grizzly bears in Yellowstone are to lose their endangered species status.
New French President Emmanuel Macron has invited U.S. climate scientists to work in France.
A Federal Court Judge has ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to adequately consider the environmental consequences of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
India wants to be the world's first nation of entirely electric vehicles.
The largest coal plant in New England has closed. Globally, fossil fuel power production is falling.
Ryan Zinke wants to reduce EPA by 4,000 employees.
Mayor Bloomberg commits $15 million to the Paris Agreement.
The U.S. Senate has voted to allow the killing of wolf cubs and bear cubs in their dens in Alaska.
St. Marys Earthkeepers holds rally in St. Marys to protest rezoning of parts of Cumberland Island to allow residential construction.
The Federal government has issued an order allowing the Sabal Trail pipeline to begin service even though a Sierra Club lawsuit is pending which challenges the construction of the pipeline.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe receives prestigious award plus a one million dollar investment to transition away from fossil fuels.
Senator Booker (D-NJ) has introduced a bill (S.1263) to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit oil, gas and methane related activities off the Atlantic Coast.
The Trump administration has canceled proposed limits on the number of endangered whales, dolphins and sea turtles that can be killed or injured by swordfishing nets off the U.S West Coast.
The Supreme Court has ruled importantly in a Wisconsin case that local environmental regulations restricting development along a Wild and Scenic River were not a "taking" under the U.S. Constitution.
Coal is in decline while renewables ascend--
Coal India, the world's biggest mining company and producer of the country's coal, has announced the closure of 37 mines that are financially "unviable." The government of India predicts that renewables will generate 57% of its power by 2027-a pledge far outstripping its commitment under the Paris climate change agreement.
Back in the U.S., 118 U.S Mayors endorse 100% renewable energy goals.
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Upcoming Outings
Saturday, July 15, 9:00 a.m.: Hike Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
We'll hike about three miles on beautiful, cool, live oak tree shaded trails at this historic site. Along the way, we'll look for dolphin in the Matanzas River, explore the beautiful gardens, and step on the old, original Rt A1A.
After our hike, we can go down to Captain's BBQ (5862 N Ocean Shore Blvd, Palm Coast, FL) for lunch.
Entry fee is $5 per carload ($4 for single person). Bring bug spray and water. There are plenty of restrooms at the trailhead and along the way. Children are welcome, but no pets.
Take I95 south to exit 305. Take Rt 206 east toward Crescent Beach. Turn right on A1A and go south about 10 miles. Washington Oaks is on your right. After entering the park and paying, continue to the stop sign. Turn left and drive about one mile. You'll see a sign for "Picnic Area Parking" and a Sierra Club sign. Park there and we'll meet in the picnic area. The drive takes around an hour from Jax.
RSVP on Meetup or to Outing Leader Bill Armstrong.
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Saturday, July 29, 9:00 a.m.: Kayak Deep Creek
We'll kayak on beautiful, isolated Deep Creek for about 6 miles.
We'll meet at the Deep Creek Boat Launch located at 7975 SR-207, Hastings, FL. Take I-95 south to the SR-207 exit. Go west toward Hastings for about 12 miles. Right after the intersection with SR-206, you will come to the bridge over Deep Creek. Drive over the bridge, then U-turn and cross back over. The road to the launch site is on the right (south) just over the east side of the bridge.
Bring PFD, whistle, snack, water, bug spray, sunscreen, hat. You must wear your PFD.
There are no restrooms at the put-in location. Be there early to unload and get ready.
RSVP on Meetup or to Outing Leader Bill Armstrong.
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Sunday, July 30, 2:00 p.m.: Hike The Bluffs Scenic Shoreline at BIG TALBOT ISLAND State Park
Big Talbot Island State Park presents an amazing display of driftwood along its beachfront. We will begin the hike from The Bluffs Picnic area parking lot by taking a trail/boardwalk along Heckscher Drive to a beach entry point. From there we walk south to Boneyard Beach. To return, we will reverse course on the beach for about one-half mile and then climb up nearly ten-foot sandy ascent to a wooded walking trail. You should consider the difficulty of this section before signing up for the hike. Our total hiking distance is about 3.5 miles.
The parking area provides ample parking, picnic tables, and "Port-a-Pottys." There is a $3.00 fee per car. For more information go to
https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Big-Talbot-Island
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Arrive at
1:45
for the hike that will begin at
2:00
in the afternoon to take advantage of low tides. We will return to the parking area about
4:00
. Bring your camera or phone for pictures. Pets are not allowed.
Directions: We are meeting at The Bluffs parking area on Big Talbot, about 4.1 miles north of the Little Talbot Island park entrance. Coming from Jacksonville, you will pass Little Talbot Island. Proceed about 3.5 mile. You will see a road sign for Big Talbot Island on the right. The parking area is just up the road from there, on the right. There will be a green and white Sierra Club sign at the entrance. From Jacksonville, take Florida 105 / Heckscher Drive off I-295 (East Beltway) and follow it east and then north for 14 miles to Little Talbot Island Park. Proceed as above to The Bluffs parking area on Big Talbot. The location of your turn into The Bluffs parking area is at coordinates 30.50167, - 81.45167.
BEWARE: Do not use the online street address for Big Talbot Island, as it will take you to the Ranger Station on Little Talbot Island.
RSVP on Meetup or to Outing Leader Mike DiAngelo.
RSVP for Outings on Sierra Club NE FL MeetUp Website
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"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit"
- Edward Abbey
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