News from Calusa Sierra

A Sierra Calusa Group Message
from Ellen Peterson, Chair 
 

 September 1, 2010

IIS THIS REALLY DEMOCRACY?

 
IMPORTANT NEWS  ABOUT FISHEATING CREEK

 
READ AND WEEP 
20 YEAR FIGHT ENDING????
WE CAN'T QUIT NOW 

(Time line early July) WE ALMOST GOT THE TEN YEAR OLD MANDATED CLEARING OF THE TUSSOCK (THAT MAT OF VEGETATION ABOUT 2-3 FT. THAT FLOATS ON THE SURFACE OF THE FLOWING CHANNEL) REMOVED -work was started using a machine called a cookie cutter that grinds up the mat without touching the bottom ..three feet below the work-  AND WERE PLANNING A CELEBRATION FOR THE LONG  AWAITED FIRST TRIP TO LAKE :O"    )                          (Time Line late July)  Fish and Wildlife CONSERVATION Commision  reported work was progressing  but needed to stop because  water was low
                                                        BUT ALAS   AND ALACK...
               Apparently the long time nemesis  Lykes  joined with Audubon and others had obtained an emergency stop work order  and over night flew in (by helicopter) large I Beams and other supplies to construct a weir thereby  placing the first man made obstruction in the last remaining natural river in the state..  One has to wonder why they didn't construct this dam between the two concrete walls on either bank located at a further downstream bridge over the river. 
 They spent no little time in trying to demean  SAVE OUR CREEKS, the long time proponent and defender of the creek by using. the excuse that the creek was being drained by dredging  (blatently untrue since  the machine doesn't reach the bottom -a fact that we believe they knew.)

Now we learn that the Stop work Order was issued in the first week of July????  (Hmmmmm)

More than two weeks before we learned of it.

SOC was caught unaware by all this having just begun to recover from the (costly} fight protecting the Creek headwaters in Highlands  county from the Eagle military training base.  Possibly they forgot  the old adage "There is no rest.for......"(timeline   Middle of August).

Save Our Creeks Quickly organized a trip down creek  to look at the damage.  It was observed that the water was above the usually observed water line on the cypress  showing no evidence of excessive drainage.  The ten+ miles from Palmdale was uneventfully beautiful.  When we reached the beginning of the Marsh (called Head of the Bushes) Dale Williams (one of the first crew (in the 90's to check the location of the creek channel) and Dr, Win Everham, environmental scientest from FGCU) checked the thickness (depth) of the tussock .It was the anticipated 2 to 3 feet depth. When they walked onto the surface they immediately fell through reaching the bottom of the creek  3 to 4 feet below the tussock..flowing freely. They also observed that the willows growing in or on the tussock were easily removed or dislodged by simply pulling them up by hand. Climbing a tree to look out over the expansive marsh Dr. Everham  suggested that the cookie cuter was the way to go if the dreamed off canoe channel was to be realized.
Returning through the majesty and beauty during the several hours it took the group  agreed that the fight to keep this wonderland available to the public is well worth the hours, days, months and years it has been and will take.
Read on if you will to learn about the future plans YOUR Water Managers have for this area and the CALOOSAHATCHEE.

THE PRESENT -THE  PLAN- AND THE PREDICTION

IMAGINE A MAP OF FLORIDA
 

This  canoe channel through the paradise that is Fisheating when OPEN will  provide 50  miles of the most beautiful  experience of nature to be found in Florida and (I think) probably in the whole of the U.S.  Public ownership and ACCESS for boating, canoeing, fishing, camping, hiking, bird watching . (Yes, you may camp anywhere on the creek)
 was won through a ten year battle w/ Lykes resulting in the determination that the Creek is Navigible.
 Florida's atty. general at the time headed up the fight. His office was represented by David Guest assisted by a young legal assistant Monica Reimer  (both are lawyers with Earth Justice now)

The settlement gives the public the right to boat, fish, canoe and camp anywhere on the creek corridor. The corridor consists of 19,000 acres surrounding  the creek and sets up an access point at the (1)Highway 31, Venus Bridge, Robbins, (2) Ingrams Crossing (17 miles up stream from the campground), (3) Burnt Bridge (eight miles upstream ). Both Ingrams and Burnt bridge are only accessible if escorted by the campground concessionaire, (4) Palmdale  Campground and (5) Palmdale Main Street (which is an old Hiway 27 roadside ditch) and (6) Lakeport access which is below Cowbone Marsh.  The only stoppages at this time are the tussok obstruction in this 50+ miles, are at the Head of the Bushes at the top of the Marsh and Robbins Bridge, where a load of dirt has been deposited to block the put-in.

The settlement agreement is managed by the FWCC, (supposedly)  overseen by a committee made up of  thirteen  members: four from Lykes, two from Save our Creeks, two from the Environmental Confederation of SW Florida, one from Audubon, and one citizen appointed by the Governor.
The Department of Environmental Protection appointed staff member has not attended any meeting for a great while (lack of travel funds they say).
It is the opinion of one of the members that the committee has accomplished little more than listen to a yearly report from FWCC, the managing agency. Generally tie votes on controversial issues have resulted in no action.

Still Looking at  the Map!!!!

We have learned from a usually reliable source that the plan by our Water Managers is to raise the water level in Cowbone Marsh to 4+ or- foot level...Install a pumping station to pump the water into Niccodemus Slough ( at present still pristine). This area has been changing hands between Lykes and the Water Management District for several years for considerable sums. The last time was that WMD sold it to Lykes for $10 (this seems unreal and should be checked). Niccodemus will be completely diked as a reservoir with pumping stations to move the water from Cowbone to Niccodemus, and from there the water will be sent to the Caloosahatchee.

At present Fisheating is the second largest provider of water to Lake Okeechobee.
ONE MIGHT SUGGEST THAT IF THE PRETEND PURPOSE FOR THIS MASSIVE EXPENDITURE IS TO CLEAN THE WATER, WOULDN'T  CLEANING IT AT THE SOURCE BE MORE PRACTICAL?

That answer might just be...Not if the plan is to use Fisheating for the drainage ditch for the massive developments, such as J.D Alexanders Bluehead Ranch (new town) and his planned HEARTLAND EXPRESS.  You do know about the middle of the state modern six lane Newroad that will attract most of the businesses away from such towns as Sebring and Lake Placid.

What can we do

Call Charlie Christ and ask him if he is really going to let this happen on his watch??
                                                  850 488 4441

Are we reverting to a blatent control and coercion in our society?
 

COERCION??
 

Mobilization plan a recipe for workplace coercion
 
 Hometown Democracy persident Lesley Blackner today issued this statement after recent media coverage about an "Industry Mobilization Plan" being undertaken by the pwerful opponents to Amendment 4, or Hometown Democracy:
"It is bad enough that major Florida employers are squandering millions of dollars to oppose giving voters a seat at the the table, money that could instead go into growing their businesses and hiring new employees. Now, they have devised a plan to have those same employers lean on their workers to join their pro-overbuilding campaign and even provide lists of employees names to the anti-Amendment 4 campaign team.
 
"This is a recipe for coercion in the workplace. It is a  full-court press that no Florida worker trying to keep his or her job will be able to resist and make a fully informed decision. Such politicking activity would be against the law in public agencies. It is merely unethical and disappointing in the private sector. We hope that  employees who feel wrongly pressured by this plan will report any wrongdoing to ouir website, www.floridahometowndemocracy.com."
 
The Industry Mobilization Plan supplies a smaple CEO letter that boldfaces the boss's "personal" request. What worker could turn this down? Here is an excerpt from that sample letter: I'd like to personally ask you to take a moment to visit www.noamendment4.com and fill out the Industry Advocat form. Your information will be kept private and used only to educate you, your friends, family members and colleagues on Amendment 4.
 
The outrageous plan goes further, even asking employers to mail in "detailed" lists of emplyoyees to the opposition campaign, as shows in this e-mail to business leaders from Florida Chamber exec Adam Babington:
 
1. Encourage your employees and colleagues to register as an "Advocate" in opposition to Amendment 4. A high level of participation is critical in defeating Amendment 4 which will hurt Florida's working families. Visit  noamendmentg4.com to register.
 
2. Even easier, provide the "Vote No on 4" campaign with a detailed list of your interested employees, organization members, friends and family. [highlighting added]. This data will be handled with the greatest sensitivity and confidentiality and will not be shared with others. It will be used only to communicate the messages of "Vote No on 4".
 
Amendment 4 is the result of years of effort by Florida Hometown Democracy, a grass-roots, non-partisan citizen's initiative organized to put the voter-empowering amendment no the Nov. 2 ballot. The amendment would give voters the final say over large-scale development projects that want to change a community's comprehensive land-use plan. Yes on 4's.
 
website address is www.floridahometowndemocracy.com
 

 Ellen Peterson, Calusa Group Chair 
 

 
phone: 239-992-5455