ECOSWF letter in support of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Conservation Goals and Objectives
October 24, 2023
To: Laura Housh, [email protected]
RE: Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area
The Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida is an umbrella organization of groups and individuals located in Glades, Collier, Charlotte, Highlands, DeSoto, Sarasota, Lee and Hardee Counties. For decades, ECOSWF has diligently worked, sometimes resorting to litigation, to protect the flora and fauna of our region.
ECOSWF has and continues to work to protect the watersheds of Fisheating Creek; Caloosahatchee, Peace, and Myakka River watersheds and charlotte Harbor. This Conservation effort will be a tremendous asset for preserving the remaining undeveloped areas in these watersheds.
ECOSWF adds one thought for your consideration:
In the headwaters of the Myakka River, excess water leaving agricultural sights during vegetable bed preparation has killed off trees in the headwaters (Flatwood Swamp) as well as trees down the River to the Myakka River State Park. Although a Water Use Permit disallows off site impacts, the Southwest Florida Water Management District continues to issue permits allowing this destructive practice knowing there are other viable, cost effective and water conserving alternatives available.
ECOSWF would not want to have such practices allowed to continue on conservation lands that are either fee simple or held in conservation easements.
With that caveat, ECOSWF FULLY SUPPORTS the Conservation Goals and Objectives as identified by the U.S. Wildlife Service in the Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area. Now will not be soon enough to implement this important undertaking.
Respectfully,
Becky Ayech
President
Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida
October 24, 2023
To: Laura Housh, [email protected]
RE: Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area
The Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida is an umbrella organization of groups and individuals located in Glades, Collier, Charlotte, Highlands, DeSoto, Sarasota, Lee and Hardee Counties. For decades, ECOSWF has diligently worked, sometimes resorting to litigation, to protect the flora and fauna of our region.
ECOSWF has and continues to work to protect the watersheds of Fisheating Creek; Caloosahatchee, Peace, and Myakka River watersheds and charlotte Harbor. This Conservation effort will be a tremendous asset for preserving the remaining undeveloped areas in these watersheds.
ECOSWF adds one thought for your consideration:
In the headwaters of the Myakka River, excess water leaving agricultural sights during vegetable bed preparation has killed off trees in the headwaters (Flatwood Swamp) as well as trees down the River to the Myakka River State Park. Although a Water Use Permit disallows off site impacts, the Southwest Florida Water Management District continues to issue permits allowing this destructive practice knowing there are other viable, cost effective and water conserving alternatives available.
ECOSWF would not want to have such practices allowed to continue on conservation lands that are either fee simple or held in conservation easements.
With that caveat, ECOSWF FULLY SUPPORTS the Conservation Goals and Objectives as identified by the U.S. Wildlife Service in the Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area. Now will not be soon enough to implement this important undertaking.
Respectfully,
Becky Ayech
President
Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida
August 2023:
President Becky Ayech , along with Earthjustice attorney Dominique Burkhardt and other environmental activists, met with 3 representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to discuss the FDEP's air quality monitoring program or lack thereof.
The points made included lack of monitoring sites in different counties (Hardee and DeSoto do not have any sites, Sarasota and Manatee have only coastal sites, as examples); the discrepancy of the constituents monitored, the frequency of monitoring:, and the availability to find the monitoring data.
The most telling was the monitoring done for dense white populated locations while leaving the interior rural and non-white populations having no monitoring.
ECOSWF pointed out that if you don't monitor for pollution you won't find it and have to address it.
There will be a future meeting as EPA nears the completion of its review.
President Becky Ayech , along with Earthjustice attorney Dominique Burkhardt and other environmental activists, met with 3 representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to discuss the FDEP's air quality monitoring program or lack thereof.
The points made included lack of monitoring sites in different counties (Hardee and DeSoto do not have any sites, Sarasota and Manatee have only coastal sites, as examples); the discrepancy of the constituents monitored, the frequency of monitoring:, and the availability to find the monitoring data.
The most telling was the monitoring done for dense white populated locations while leaving the interior rural and non-white populations having no monitoring.
ECOSWF pointed out that if you don't monitor for pollution you won't find it and have to address it.
There will be a future meeting as EPA nears the completion of its review.
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/venice/2023/01/23/sarasota-county-preserves-25-acres-adjacent-to-myakka-state-forest/69818795007/
Sarasota County preserves 25 acres along Myakka RiverLand is adjacent to Myakka State Forest
Sarasota County preserves 25 acres along Myakka RiverLand is adjacent to Myakka State Forest
https://newatlas.com/environment/pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals-magnetic-removal/
Magnetic solution removes toxic "forever chemicals" from water in seconds
By Michael Irving
Scientists in Australia have developed an intriguing new technique for removing toxic “forever chemicals” from water. Adding a solution to contaminated water coats the pollutants and makes them magnetic, so they can easily be attracted and isolated.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals that have been in wide use around the world since the 1950s, thanks to their water- and oil-repelling properties. However, more recently PFAS chemicals have been linked to a concerning number of health problems, including increased risks of diabetes and liver cancer. Worse still, a recent study has found that their levels in rainwater almost everywhere on Earth exceed the EPA’s guidelines, and to cap it all off, these stable molecules are very hard to break down, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.”
Now, researchers at the University of Queensland have developed a technique that could help remove PFAS chemicals from water. The team designed a solution called a magnetic fluorinated polymer sorbent which, when added to contaminated water, coats the PFAS molecules. This makes them magnetic, so then it’s a relatively simple process to use a magnet to attract the pollutants and separate them from the water.
In tests with small samples of PFAS-laden water, the team found that the technique could remove over 95% of most PFAS molecules, including over 99% of GenX – a particularly problematic chemical – within 30 seconds.
Plenty of teams have investigated ways to break down PFAS, usually involving catalysts triggered by UV light or heat. Others have made use of hydrogen or supercritical water.
But the researchers on the new study say their magnetic solution has a few advantages over existing PFAS removal techniques. The solution itself can be reused up to 10 times, it can work much faster than others, and doesn’t require any extra energy to trigger the reaction.
“Our method shows it is possible to remove more of these chemicals in a way that is faster, cheaper, cleaner, and very simple,” said Dr. Cheng Zhang, co-author of the study. “Because our process does not need electricity, it can be used in remote and off-grid communities. Our team will now scale up the testing and we hope to have a commercially available product ready in the next three years.”
The research was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
Magnetic solution removes toxic "forever chemicals" from water in seconds
By Michael Irving
Scientists in Australia have developed an intriguing new technique for removing toxic “forever chemicals” from water. Adding a solution to contaminated water coats the pollutants and makes them magnetic, so they can easily be attracted and isolated.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals that have been in wide use around the world since the 1950s, thanks to their water- and oil-repelling properties. However, more recently PFAS chemicals have been linked to a concerning number of health problems, including increased risks of diabetes and liver cancer. Worse still, a recent study has found that their levels in rainwater almost everywhere on Earth exceed the EPA’s guidelines, and to cap it all off, these stable molecules are very hard to break down, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.”
Now, researchers at the University of Queensland have developed a technique that could help remove PFAS chemicals from water. The team designed a solution called a magnetic fluorinated polymer sorbent which, when added to contaminated water, coats the PFAS molecules. This makes them magnetic, so then it’s a relatively simple process to use a magnet to attract the pollutants and separate them from the water.
In tests with small samples of PFAS-laden water, the team found that the technique could remove over 95% of most PFAS molecules, including over 99% of GenX – a particularly problematic chemical – within 30 seconds.
Plenty of teams have investigated ways to break down PFAS, usually involving catalysts triggered by UV light or heat. Others have made use of hydrogen or supercritical water.
But the researchers on the new study say their magnetic solution has a few advantages over existing PFAS removal techniques. The solution itself can be reused up to 10 times, it can work much faster than others, and doesn’t require any extra energy to trigger the reaction.
“Our method shows it is possible to remove more of these chemicals in a way that is faster, cheaper, cleaner, and very simple,” said Dr. Cheng Zhang, co-author of the study. “Because our process does not need electricity, it can be used in remote and off-grid communities. Our team will now scale up the testing and we hope to have a commercially available product ready in the next three years.”
The research was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
January 2023 - President's Letter
By Arnette Sherman, President
During 2022 the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey admitted 80 Bald Eagles for treatment; 32 of those admitted were nestlings, pre-fledge, or fledgling- aged birds. Twenty-three were released into the wild. One thousand Bald Eagle nests are being monitored. I monitor two of them, and there is activity at both nests.
Our Christmas Bird Count was held December 17th with Dr. David Stock still handling it, as he has for many years. We do appreciate what he contributes, and thank all those who participated. A lot of my area had very high water still from the hurricane, and that did make a difference on the birds that I saw. I did see one Roseate Spoonbill fly over me at Lake Beresford to my surprise. The total number of species reported was 106 and the total number of individuals was 7703. These numbers are down from past years I am sorry to say.
The recent boat trip on the Blue Heron River Tours had 25 people, and it was a cold day but worth it as we saw lots of Limpkins and other birds.🦅 We are planning another trip in the spring. I will post some photos.
Our last meeting featured Tom Scotti with Ahopha Wildlife Rescue. He does amazing work rescuing wildlife, and we donated $1,000 to his non-profit. You can call him at 386-233-1054 to rescue birds or other critters. We thank him for all his hard work.
We will have a booth at Blue Spring State Park with Lyonia Preserve for the Manatee Festival at Valentine Park in Orange City on January 28th and 29th, 9 to 5 pm You can take a bus into the park to see the manatees. Recently they have had over 300 manatees come into the spring run. www.themanatee festival.com. I took some photos that I will be posting of the manatees. You can also adopt a manatee, and it makes a nice gift.
We hope to see you at the festival and check out their website and also www.savethemanatee.org. We are lucky to live so close to their winter gathering place.
Arnette Sherman, PresidentPresident's LetterBy Arnette Sherman, President
By Arnette Sherman, President
During 2022 the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey admitted 80 Bald Eagles for treatment; 32 of those admitted were nestlings, pre-fledge, or fledgling- aged birds. Twenty-three were released into the wild. One thousand Bald Eagle nests are being monitored. I monitor two of them, and there is activity at both nests.
Our Christmas Bird Count was held December 17th with Dr. David Stock still handling it, as he has for many years. We do appreciate what he contributes, and thank all those who participated. A lot of my area had very high water still from the hurricane, and that did make a difference on the birds that I saw. I did see one Roseate Spoonbill fly over me at Lake Beresford to my surprise. The total number of species reported was 106 and the total number of individuals was 7703. These numbers are down from past years I am sorry to say.
The recent boat trip on the Blue Heron River Tours had 25 people, and it was a cold day but worth it as we saw lots of Limpkins and other birds.🦅 We are planning another trip in the spring. I will post some photos.
Our last meeting featured Tom Scotti with Ahopha Wildlife Rescue. He does amazing work rescuing wildlife, and we donated $1,000 to his non-profit. You can call him at 386-233-1054 to rescue birds or other critters. We thank him for all his hard work.
We will have a booth at Blue Spring State Park with Lyonia Preserve for the Manatee Festival at Valentine Park in Orange City on January 28th and 29th, 9 to 5 pm You can take a bus into the park to see the manatees. Recently they have had over 300 manatees come into the spring run. www.themanatee festival.com. I took some photos that I will be posting of the manatees. You can also adopt a manatee, and it makes a nice gift.
We hope to see you at the festival and check out their website and also www.savethemanatee.org. We are lucky to live so close to their winter gathering place.
Arnette Sherman, PresidentPresident's LetterBy Arnette Sherman, President
After hurricane, Florida beach town proposes a development moratorium
New Smyrna Beach’s thoughtful pause is a contrast to other storm-ravaged towns rebuilding as fast as they can read more
New Smyrna Beach’s thoughtful pause is a contrast to other storm-ravaged towns rebuilding as fast as they can read more
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Read the Spring 2022 issue of the Gopher Tortoise Council
Letter from a Co-Chair Save the Date and Other GTC Announcements Time to Shell-ebrate: Recognizing Gopher Tortoise Day Around the Southeast GTC Opposes Plans to Allow Construction Through Split Oak Forest Wildlife And Environmental Area Celebrating Snakes in the Spring Recent Research Here are just two of ECOSWF's member organizations that are working hard to protect Florida's fragile environment.
In May the Florida Native Plant Society held its 41st Annual Meeting conference entitled "Gateway to Florida's Biodiversity". Topics included landscaping, plant identification, grant projects from students, and lots more. The Coastal Wildlife Club has a wonderful website that provides information on nesting, beach protection and information on the species that nest on our local beaches. Linda Wilson, ECOSWF Treasurer and member of both of the above organizations. |
Mosaic Workshops
The next workshop topic will be reclamation and radiation, Oct. 18. Here is a link appropriate to the subject. https://classactionsreporter.com/mosaic-co-phosphate-mining-contamination-of-florida-land-class-action/ ------------------------ Englewood Sun - July 28, 2022 (link to full story) Mosaic workshop includes words, song By DANIEL SUTPHIN, STAFF WRITER ARCADIA — An 11-year-old Arcadia girl received a standing ovation Wednesday during a Mosaic phosphate mining workshop in DeSoto County. Email: [email protected] EPA warns that even tiny amounts of chemicals found in drinking water pose risks
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