June 14, 2017 - Governor and Cabinet Approve 6,000-Acre Florida Forever Acquisition~Acquisition will protect threatened plant and animal habitat and ultimately benefit the Peace River ~
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott and the Cabinet members approved the acquisition of a conservation easement of more than 6,000 acres within the Old Town Creek Watershed Florida Forever project. This project will preserve a large landscape and watershed area that is home to several natural communities and plant and animal species that depend on them. This project includes the headwaters of Bee Branch and Old Town Creek that feed into Charlie Creek, which ultimately feeds into the Peace River.
“DEP is excited to complete important acquisitions like this one,” said DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein. “This project will help protect water and natural resources for future generations.”
The project was ranked number 27 in the Florida Forever Less-Than-Fee projects category. The property is adjacent to the Saddle Blanket Lakes Scrub Preserve, public conservation land owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, and is in close proximity to the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape and the Everglades Headwater National Wildlife Refuge. Additionally, the property is located within the 2013 Florida Ecological Greenways Network.
“The Nature Conservancy is proud to support the acquisition of the Old Town Creek Conservation Easement,” said Temperince Morgan, executive director, The Nature Conservancy in Florida. “This project supports a variety of threatened and endangered plants and animals, and ultimately helps protect the water quality in the Peace River.”
“We are excited to see the Department bring these types of good ecosystem protection projects to the Cabinet for approval,” said Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon Florida. “This acquisition will help protect the headwaters of important Peace River tributaries, conserve flatwoods and floodplain and protect water resources.”
A conservation easement is a restriction placed on a piece of property to protect lands for future generations, while allowing owners to continue to live on and use their land. Through this conservation easement, the state of Florida will protect the land and water resources found within the Old Town Creek Watershed project, while also maintaining the historic homestead on the site.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott and the Cabinet members approved the acquisition of a conservation easement of more than 6,000 acres within the Old Town Creek Watershed Florida Forever project. This project will preserve a large landscape and watershed area that is home to several natural communities and plant and animal species that depend on them. This project includes the headwaters of Bee Branch and Old Town Creek that feed into Charlie Creek, which ultimately feeds into the Peace River.
“DEP is excited to complete important acquisitions like this one,” said DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein. “This project will help protect water and natural resources for future generations.”
The project was ranked number 27 in the Florida Forever Less-Than-Fee projects category. The property is adjacent to the Saddle Blanket Lakes Scrub Preserve, public conservation land owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, and is in close proximity to the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape and the Everglades Headwater National Wildlife Refuge. Additionally, the property is located within the 2013 Florida Ecological Greenways Network.
“The Nature Conservancy is proud to support the acquisition of the Old Town Creek Conservation Easement,” said Temperince Morgan, executive director, The Nature Conservancy in Florida. “This project supports a variety of threatened and endangered plants and animals, and ultimately helps protect the water quality in the Peace River.”
“We are excited to see the Department bring these types of good ecosystem protection projects to the Cabinet for approval,” said Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon Florida. “This acquisition will help protect the headwaters of important Peace River tributaries, conserve flatwoods and floodplain and protect water resources.”
A conservation easement is a restriction placed on a piece of property to protect lands for future generations, while allowing owners to continue to live on and use their land. Through this conservation easement, the state of Florida will protect the land and water resources found within the Old Town Creek Watershed project, while also maintaining the historic homestead on the site.
News Updates provided by Julie Hauserman, a longtime Florida writer who lives in Tallahassee.She has twice been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, in 1991 for her stories about pollution in Florida's Fenholloway River, and in 2001 for her stories about arsenic leaking out of pressure-treated lumber all over America. She won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Awards' top environmental prize for her work on the arsenic stories.
6-15-2017 In today’s media report, Earthjustice lawyers score a win in the Standing Rock pipeline case, the FL Cabinet approves some conservation land-buys, including Blue Springs camping resort along the Santa Fe River, Mosaic Fertilizer is taking longer than expected to fill in its giant sinkhole, Gov. Rick Scott signs the pollution spill notification bill into law, the League of Women Voters files a petition with the Florida Supreme Court to make sure Gov. Scott can’t make ‘midnight appointments’ on judgeships before leaving office, the Orlando Sentinel has a strong editorial about recent decisions allowing more pumping at Florida springs, The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranks FPL and Duke Energy near the bottom of U.S. states in providing energy efficiency options for customers, Boca Raton beaches closed due to contamination, the Okeechobee News reports that the WMD pumped massive amounts of polluted water INTO Lake Okeechobee from the C-44 canal - approximately 15 billion gallons between June 1 and June 13, the Sabal Trail pipeline starts operating, Creative Loafing Tampa reports that St. Pete wants to ban plastic bags (in defiance of the state law prohibiting local governments from doing so,) and dozens of insurance companies say in court filings that they're not obligated to help pay for Duke Energy Corp.'s multi-billion dollar coal ash cleanups because Duke knew about but did nothing to reduce the toxic threat, the former environmental justice advisor to the EPA has a column in UK’s The Guardian about how EPA proposed cuts will affect the most vulnerable communities.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-ed-stop-draining-florida-springs-20170613-story.html
http://okeechobeenews.net/lake-okeechobee/water-flowing-lake-c-44/
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2017/06/league-petitions-supreme-court-warns-of-constitutional-crisis-prompted-by-rick-scotts-midnight-appoi.html
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/filling-sinkhole-taking-longer-than-expected-mosaic-says/2327294
http://floridapolitics.com/archives/240088-rick-scott-signs-pollution-notification-bill-law
http://www.wptv.com/news/region-s-palm-beach-county/boca-raton/poor-water-quality-at-two-boca-raton-beaches-palm-beach-county-health-department-says
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/sabal-trail-pipeline-begins-natural-gas-service-to-florida-9421046
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-florida-electric-utilities-failing-20170614-story.html
http://www.cltampa.com/news-views/environment/article/20864683/in-florida-its-illegal-to-ban-plastic-bags-but-st-pete-could-do-it-anyway
https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/news/2016/08/statement-on-protests/
http://wfae.org/post/insurers-say-they-dont-have-pay-coal-ash-claims-blaming-duke-energy
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/15/trumps-planned-epa-cuts-americas-most-vulnerable
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-ed-stop-draining-florida-springs-20170613-story.html
http://okeechobeenews.net/lake-okeechobee/water-flowing-lake-c-44/
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2017/06/league-petitions-supreme-court-warns-of-constitutional-crisis-prompted-by-rick-scotts-midnight-appoi.html
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/filling-sinkhole-taking-longer-than-expected-mosaic-says/2327294
http://floridapolitics.com/archives/240088-rick-scott-signs-pollution-notification-bill-law
http://www.wptv.com/news/region-s-palm-beach-county/boca-raton/poor-water-quality-at-two-boca-raton-beaches-palm-beach-county-health-department-says
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/sabal-trail-pipeline-begins-natural-gas-service-to-florida-9421046
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-florida-electric-utilities-failing-20170614-story.html
http://www.cltampa.com/news-views/environment/article/20864683/in-florida-its-illegal-to-ban-plastic-bags-but-st-pete-could-do-it-anyway
https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/news/2016/08/statement-on-protests/
http://wfae.org/post/insurers-say-they-dont-have-pay-coal-ash-claims-blaming-duke-energy
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/15/trumps-planned-epa-cuts-americas-most-vulnerable
