www.CentralFloridaSierra.org

The Sierra Club is the nation's oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization, with over 700,000 members nationwide. These individuals are using grassroots activism and community action to protect America's environment, for our families, for our future.

We are part of the Florida Chapter of the National Sierra Club. Our group, the Central Florida Sierra Club, comprises over 2,100 members in Orange, Seminole, Lake and Osceola Counties. Our goal is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth. We now invite you to explore and enjoy our web presence. Thanks for visiting!

~ John Swingle, Executive Committee Chairman

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July Outings: Kayaking, biking & camping

Join us for a fun outing in July, and help beat the summer heat! All participants must RSVP and sign a standard liability waiver. Non-members are welcome! Our outings this month include:

July 11: Kayak/Canoe Rock Springs Run
July 12: Bike to Blue Springs S.P. and swim
July 18: Camping at Sebastian Inlet S.P. and Sea Turtle beach walk (note: this has changed slightly from what was published in the newsletter: see description below)

July 15 Program: Planting & Growing Native Florida Wildflowers

Presented by Terry Zinn, Florida Wildflower Cooperative and the Florida Wildflower Foundation. Test your Florida wildflower knowledge as Terry Zinn shows us pictures of more than 30 species of wildflowers and grasses that are available from seed. He will also be discussing the corresponding
unique characteristics of these species that determines their various harvesting and processing methods used to prepare the seed for sale. Did you know that state of Florida has quality requirements for seed? Even the very ecology of wildflowers and grasses is vital to successfully planting and growing them whether in your yard, a commercial site, public rights of way, or a restoration site.

Whether you are new to Florida or a native yourself, this presentation can help you understand even more about our beautiful Florida wildflowers and grasses.

All programs are held at Harry P. Leu Gardens. 1920 N Forest Avenue, Orlando Florida.

Door opens at 6:15 PM with light snacks and socializing. Programs are from 7:00 – 8:45 PM.
A brief discussion of environmental issues preceeds the program. Admission is free and the public is welcome! For more information contact Jackie at 407-637-2461.

July/August Sierran newsletter now available!

The July/August 2009 issue of the Central Florida Sierran is now available online. In this issue:

World's largest solar plant being built in Florida
Helpful hints for interpreting "green" product labels
Call for assistance with our Political Committee- the next election season is coming up fast!
Local Inner-City Outings student wins grant to participate in Sierra Service Learning trip
Upcoming Outings and Programs
...and more!

To see the issue, click here .

SJRWMD/Proposes Rules to Amend or Release Conservation Easements

40C-1: Organization and Procedure

The St. Johns River Water Management District (District) proposes to develop rules to address requests to the District to amend or release a conservation easement previously conveyed to the District for mitigation or in compliance with other regulatory requirements.

Water Supply Planning/Series of Public Meetings

St. Johns River Water Management District

News Release

nr09-030

Jeff Cole,Communications and Governmental Affairs Director (386) 329-4497

CONTACT:

Area 4:Ed Garland (321) 676-6612(Office) or (321) 863-0055 (Cellular)

Series of public meetings to focus on water supply planning

PALATKA, Fla., May 6, 2009 - The St. Johns River Water Management District will hold three public meetings to initiate the 2010 water supply planning process.

The meetings are open to all interested parties and the District encourages participation. The District will use these meetings to review the draft Water Supply Assessment (WSA) 2008 and discuss with participants the 2010 District water supply planning process.

The draft WSA 2008 projects water use through the year 2030 and identifies areas where current and anticipated sources of water and conservation efforts will not be adequate to meet projected needs and sustain the water resources and related natural systems. These areas are called priority water resource caution areas (PWRCAs). PWRCAs focus the District's planning efforts during the 2010 water supply planning process.

Approximately 97 percent of the District's 18-county region has been identified in the draft WSA 2008 as PWRCAs or potential PWRCAs. Through the planning process, the potential PWRCAs will be refined to determine whether they are indeed areas of concern or can be reduced in scope.

June 17th Program: Building Biology-living spaces in harmony with nature

Presented by Diana Schultz, Building Biologist and Certified Bau-Biologie and Ecology Consultant. Studies show that modern buildings often expose us to harmful chemicals and create stressful environments due to their energy-efficient, ightly built structures both at the office and at home. If we follow the lessons in Nature, the way a bird builds a nest, for example, we can create breathable, peaceful and supportive living spaces in harmony with nature. What is good for the human body can be naturally good for the environment. Schultz will show us all how to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals and create peaceful, comfortable built envoronments. With this important information we have choices, so we won’t find ourselves saying, “If I only knew …”.

All programs are held at Harry P. Leu Gardens. 1920 N Forest Avenue, Orlando Florida.

May 20th Program: Recycling in a Closed Loop

There are materials that we used to wish we could recycle, but didn’t think were possible to recycle. One particularly annoying example is Styrofoam, which takes up a lot of space in landfills and is accidentally ingested by aquatic seabirds. Alyse Cohen, from Blue Earth Solutions, will be taking the audience step by step through a demonstration of the new Styrofoam recycling process at Blue Earth Solutions. You can participate! Bring in your Styrofoam, also known as EPS Foam, and watch how it, too, can be recycled in a closed- loop, environmentally sound manner.

All programs are held at Harry P. Leu Gardens. 1920 N Forest Avenue, Orlando Florida.

May-June 2009 newsletter now online!

Our May-June 2009 edition of the Central Florida Sierran is now online. Take a look at it today!

Inside:

Inner City Outings Report: Black Bear Wilderness Area
2009 group goals
Recycling or incineration: Is burning trash really "green" energy?
Wildlife corridors & Innovation Way: Conservation update and some concerns
Upcoming Outings and Programs
...and more!

To download it, click here.

What panthers need most: central counties' corridors

Originally appeared on News-Journal Online

April 26, 2009

What panthers need most: central counties' corridors

By REBECCA EAGAN
FLORIDA VOICE
In a recent letter to the Orlando Sentinel, Conservancy of Southwest Florida's Andrew McElwaine warns that the Florida panther will die without smarter policies that secure key habitat. Still harboring large vertebrate landscapes, central counties have a stewardship onus they can't rightly disown. In fact, the very open space Orange County targets for the Innovation Way tech corridor (32,000+ acres) was for many years on the state's CARL acquisition A-list, so valuable is its ecology, habitat and strategic link in the vast connective chain reaching from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Johns River. This region's biological importance merits a strong plan to protect the Upper Econlockhatchee Mosaic and provide safe movement by wildlife. This was promised to us with Innovation Way.

June Outings: Biking, Hiking and Kayaking

...and here are our June outings. All participants must RSVP and sign a standard liability waiver. Non-members are welcome!

Saturday, June 6th: Bike South Lake Trail

June 13-14th: Kayak and Camping (location TBD)

Saturday, June 27th: Hike St. Francis Trail near Deland

(click below for more info)

May Outings: Hiking and Kayaking

We have three fun outings planned in May. All participants must RSVP and sign a standard liability waiver. Non-members are welcome!

Saturday, May 9th: Hike Three Lakes Trail Loop

Saturday, May 16th: Kayak/Canoe Upper Econ River