Port Everglades Expansion

A great big "Thank You" to all who voiced their opinions to the Broward County Commission about the Port Everglades expansion. The Commission voted to sever the proposed turning notch from the Master Plan, so it looks as if the mangrove swamp and the ecosystem that it supports are safe for a while.

It wasn't easy, but thanks to a prior court order that granted an easement to the State of Florida trading the last expansion for the sanctity of the remaining mangroves, the mangroves are supposedly protected in perpetuity. The Commission and the Port management team, however, were trying to negotiate with the state to have the order rescinded based on the premise that the Port would mitigate the damages by developing West Lake Park as a wildlife area. It is already a wildlife area in that it is undeveloped property, and a little bit of landscaping won't make that much difference.

The bulk of the property in question is privately held, and to date, the County Commission has only purchased 11/16 acres. I suppose that if they invoke emminent domain, they will have to offer fair market value, but as it now stands, they are practically stealing what they can.

There was also an attempt to satisfy mitigation through the acquisition of Deerfield Island, but it too, is already a wildlife park, and is some thirty miles from the construction area.

The project now is to save the 15 or more acres of our coral reef that will be destroyed through the widening and deepening of the Port entry channel. Deepening an existing channel is bad enough, in that the existing sea life will be moderated, but the only reason to widen the channel is to have room to allow 2 of the new larger class ships to pass within the channel. Proper scheduling of arrivals and departures will preclude this possibility, and the destruction of the reef is totally unnecessary.

So again, my thanks to each and every one of you for your efforts, but our work is not over until we can put a stop to wanton destruction of the environment. Lets not give up.

A Great Day for the Manatees

I am including an email I received from the Save The Manatee Club that proves that we can present a voice that will be heard if we come together and let people know what we desire.


With Your Help, We Did It!

Hi Grant, Incredible news!! We just learned today that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) deferred the manatee's status change from Endangered to Threatened. They also directed their staff to undertake a review of the flawed state classification system for ALL imperiled species. These are two major victories for manatees that we've achieved with your help!

Citing the need for a better method to estimate the manatee population and the record 417 manatee deaths in 2006, Governor Charlie Crist asked the FWC to reject the status change and the Commissioners complied. ''We need to protect these gentle creatures,'' said Governor Crist in a recent interview with the The Miami Herald.

The governor's stand was courageous and your outpouring of support gave him the encouragement he needed. In fact, the FWC reported that the governor's office received over 28,000 messages on manatees and the majority of them were in favor of keeping manatees designated as Endangered. With your help, we have accomplished a huge triumph for manatees!

Now we're asking you to make an extra donation. Manatees have a new window of opportunity and, with your assistance, we will have the resources to tackle some goals vital to their protection in the upcoming year:

• Obtain the revision of Florida's flawed imperiled species classification system so manatees and all of the state's imperiled species can be fairly reviewed, classified properly, and receive the protections they need.
• Ensure that the manatee management plan, which the Commission approved today, is fully funded and implemented.
• Increase efforts to conserve natural warm water springs and develop plans to prevent catastophic manatee die-offs should power plants go offline.
• Fight for more law enforcement positions so Florida's waterways will be safer for manatees and people.
• Expand our role in manatee rescue and rehabilitation efforts and prevent needless deaths of sick and injured manatees.

We are gearing up for a challenging year in 2008, and we need your help to accomplish these goals. The state downlisting issue has spanned six long years but, with your help, we have achieved a triumphant day for manatees. This success has been a long time coming, and we should all take a moment to celebrate. My sincerest thanks for your strong support and for sending us your generous contribution today so we can continue to safeguard the manatee's future.

Best wishes and happy holidays,

Patrick Rose, Aquatic Biologist Executive Director

P.S. Please make a tax-deductible donation today using our secure web site or call us at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646).

Please also take a couple of minutes to thank Governor Charlie Crist and the FWC Commission for their strong support of manatees:

Governor Charlie Crist PL-05 The Capitol Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001 Phone: 850-488-7146 Fax: 850-487-0801 E-mail: Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 620 South Meridian Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600 Phone: 850-487-3796 Fax: 850-921-5786 E-mail: Commissioners@MyFWC.com

Click here to read highlights of our 2007 activities and accomplishments (pdf).

Contact us at education@savethemanatee.org

Sign up for our free Paddle Tales E-Newsletter: www.savethemanatee.org/enews_signup.htm

Our postal address is: 500 N. Maitland Ave.Maitland, Florida 32751United States
About SMCSave the Manatee Club is a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 by former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham and singer Jimmy Buffett. To learn more about manatees and our work, go to www.savethemanatee.org

Join Us!Adopt-A-Manatee and join Save the Manatee Club. Your contribution will support our work to help protect endangered manatees and their habitat. For more information, go to www.savethemanatee.org/adoptpag.htm

Pass It AlongHelp spread the word about manatees! Please forward this email to your family and friends.

Questions?If you have additional questions, please email us at education@savethemanatee.org

Petition to stop Run_away Expansion

On Decimber 1, I posted a petition on thepetitionsite.com to try to put a stop to the totally unneccessary expansions of Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale International Airport. I am looking for at least 50000 signatures, but the more the better.

We really need to let the Broward County Commission and the money-grabbers behind these expansions know that the environment is more important to us than their dreams of untold wealth.

Please visit thepetitionsite.com and sign the petition. The wildlife around Fort Lauderdale will thank you.