National Parks Traveler 2019-2020 Annual Report, Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument: Don't Drink The Water, RVing The Parks | Ten Best Tips For National Park RVing, Musings From The Parks: Day After The Election Edition, Review | Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt’s American Wilderness, Wolf Shot And Killed At Grand Teton National Park. Friends initial goal was to stop the construction of a major airport near Everglades National Park. Special thank you to Coffey Burlington Attorneys at Law, Richard Grosso, Paul Schwiep, Christopher McVoy, Thomas Hawkins, José Francisco Barros, Juan Mullerat, Michelle Garcia, Zac Cosner and Walter Kulash. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving America’s Everglades and its interconnected ecosystems. ", Lew Miller, Pres. Water in south Florida once flowed freely from the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee and southward over low-lying lands to the estuaries of Biscayne Bay, the Ten Thousand Islands, and Florida Bay. We hired a wetlands expert to examine the projects effectiveness and articulated 20 concerns to the Army Corps of Engineers. Paid membership has declined precipitously, reportedly to around 500. On April 7, the Friends of the Everglades, the group Douglas founded 50 years ago, will unveil the Florida Historical Marker that will be placed in front of Douglas’ home. The only way to fix this is to regulate runoff from the EAA. There’ll be tough sledding ahead for the venerable NGO, but nobody’s ready to panic. Friends of the Everglades, a National Park Service partner of 40 years standing, is going through some tough times and must now regroup and rebuild. But things have not been going well for Friends lately. Quick-access resources to help you track existing harmful algae blooms and the risk of toxic discharges from Lake Okeechobee. The Judge found: “Not only does the data reveal that the improvements in West Kendall congestion would be … ‘meager,’ …they provide no support for a finding that the Plan Amendment will … improve[e] the commute time to downtown and other employment centers.”. I'm writing this in the very room where Friends of the Everglades was founded and based out of for many years. Founded in 1969, Friends of the Everglades compels government agencies to comply with existing environmental laws, encourages politicians to recognize the long consequences of their actions and spreads awareness of the importance of the Everglades to the South Florida ecosystem. Learn more at www.1000fof.org. Friends of the Everglades was founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1969. “The days of building roads through the Everglades should now over.”, observed: “This ruling is a win for Miami-Dade County residents, Everglades Restoration, our drinking water supply, and crucial habitat for birds and other wildlife. When conservationist superstar Marjory Stoneman Douglas founded Friends of the Everglades back in 1969, a main purpose being to fight a proposed It has now been made clear that no further tax or tollway funds should be wasted pursuing this ill-advised project.”, said: “As we’ve been arguing for over a year, the law judge found the facts do not support the claim that the tollway is consistent with Everglades Restoration. This shallow, slow-moving sheet of water covered almost 11,000 square miles, creating a mosaic of ponds, sloughs, sawgrass marshes, hardwood hammock, and forested uplands. The petitioners call upon the Miami-Dade County Commission, the Miami-Dade County Expressway Authority, the Governor and Cabinet and state lawmakers to drop this outdated and ill-suited approach to our modern transportation needs. The ruling, which is attached, recommends that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet issue a final order ruling that the tollway proposal violates state planning law. Miami, FL 33156, Fighting Toxic Lake Okeechobee Discharges. * The County has not demonstrated that the tollway is consistent with Everglades Restoration; it inappropriately adopted the tollway amendment despite the South Florida Water Management District determination that consistency with Everglades Restoration had not been proven. Learn more at, compels government agencies to comply with existing environmental laws, encourages politicians to recognize the long consequences of their actions and spreads awareness of the importance of the Everglades to the South Florida ecosystem. An administrative law judge has ruled against Miami-Dade County’s proposed SR-836 extension outside of Miami-Dade County’s Urban Development Boundary (UDB) intruding into the Everglades. Special thank you to Coffey Burlington Attorneys at Law, Richard Grosso, Paul Schwiep, Christopher McVoy, Thomas Hawkins, José Francisco Barros, Juan Mullerat, Michelle Garcia, Zac Cosner and Walter Kulash. Experts say it won’t. When Marjory Stoneman Douglas stepped down, she turned the Friends reins over to very capable leaders. Therefore, we expect Governor DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet to put an end to this ill-advised project. The NGO’s paid membership eventually topped out at about 4,000 and it had an operating budget of around $100,000. The organization is left with no choice but to regroup and rebuild. Encouraging public awareness and participation in environmental issues is an important aspect of the Friends mission, and promoting environmental education in the Dade County public school system has been a pet cause. Friends of the Everglades was founded in 1969 by renowned journalist, author, and environmental activist Marjory Stoneman Douglas. In still others, the Friends group provides a local source of volunteer trail and campground maintenance and staff for the winter information desk. When I took the position that including being caretaker of her home I tried to join this group (figured it was the least I could do), but my queries were never answered. We could not have done any of this work without the lawyers, experts, non-profits and support staff who all worked largely pro-bono to achieve this victory. It would be interesting to see how many other parks face a similar problem with their Friends organization. The results would be severely damaging to the ecosystem and the species it supported. Successful in that confrontation, the organization has grown to over 4,000 members, committed to the preservation of the Everglades. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Clean Water Conversation Recording Available Now. Since then Friends has remained faithful to its mission to protect, preserve, and restore the only Everglades in the world. She founded and served as president for an organization called Friends of the Everglades, initially intended to protest the construction of a proposed Big Cypress jetport in 1968. Although the captivation of the Everglades has mostly stemmed from its unique ecosystem, an alluring human story of the Everglades is deeply interwoven with its endless marshes, dense mangroves, towering palms, alligator holes, and tropical fauna. We ask the Governor and Cabinet to uphold this important ruling.”, who lives in the area near the proposed new toll road, noted: “It is important to alleviate traffic for West Kendall residents but the data does not support that this 14- mile tollway would accomplish that goal. The failure to get a new lodge at Flamingo for visitors wishing to stay overnight in the Park, after going on 5 years from Katrina, should be an embarrassment to all associated with Park, including Friends of the Everglades. Attorney Paul Schwiep, of the Coffey Burlington firm in Coconut Grove, representing the Petitioners, said: “Today’s ruling exposed the claimed transportation benefits of the tollway as being completely unsupported by the evidence. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Friends of the Everglades is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization. As anybody familiar with the organization’s hard-fought battles with the South Florida Water Management District and federal agencies can tell you, this NGO hasn’t shrunk from doing legal battle and has become very good at it. * The tollway would actually worsen traffic congestion on SR 836, and thus: “commuters will drive 13 miles, outside of the UDB, through active agricultural lands, through environmentally-sensitive lands, and through the West Wellfield, only to connect with the existing expressway operating at [a level of service] lower than it operates at today.”, * The tollway violates the County policy to “shift the travel mode” in this part of the County “from single occupancy vehicle to mass transit.”. In my 6 years of experience with a Friends group there have been a number of times when I wished there were some "friends" out there who had "been there/done that. Quick-access resources to help you track existing harmful algae blooms and the risk of toxic discharges from Lake Okeechobee. Founded in 1969, Friends of the Everglades compels government agencies to comply with existing environmental laws, encourages politicians to recognize the long consequences of their actions and spreads awareness of the importance of the Everglades to the South Florida ecosystem. With the support of many early conservationists, scientists, and other advocates, Everglades National Park was established in 1947 to conserve the natural landscape and prevent further degradation of its land, plants, and animals. Our Mission is to preserve, protect, and restore the only Everglades in the world. There’ll be tough sledding ahead for the venerable NGO, but nobody’s ready to panic. National Parks Traveler is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit media organization. I hope Miamians will consider supporting the non-profits that have made this effort possible — without each of them Miami-Dade County would be heading in the wrong direction.”. One who played an especially vital role was Miami Herald environmental reporter Juanita Greene, who took over as Friends president and later served as conservation chair. "an overall analysis that compares differences in mission, membership, successes and challenges of Friends groups across the various units of the NPS? Will the EAA Reservoir work? The decision respects the County Comprehensive Development Master Plan and ensures that we can protect lands designated for Everglades Restoration. NPS photo. In some parks the Friends groups are a source of citizen input to the NPS to ensure that park managers maintain a focus on preservation of park resoruces.
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