The Post Volume 8, Issue 49- 12/05/08

2008 Annual Public Land Acquisition & Management Conference Ensures Future Success for Florida's Land Conservation Programs

JACKSONVILLE – Wednesday was the beginning of the 2008 Public Land Acquisition and Management (PLAM) Partnership Conference in Jacksonville hosted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The 3-day conference featured a number of expert speakers, workshops and field trips that focus on the importance of successful land conservation methods and partnerships as well as implementing recent legislative changes to the state’s landmark Florida Forever program.

“With a downturn in Florida’s economy it is imperative that we explore opportunities for new partnerships to preserve environmentally sensitive lands,” said Bob Ballard, DEP’s Deputy Secretary for Land and Recreation. “By bringing together hundreds of experienced land managers, the PLAM conference provides sessions and conversations that will help us look for those new ideas and better prepare for Florida’s next 10 years of successes in land acquisition and preservation.”

Florida’s initiatives to conserve environmentally sensitive land and protect wildlife habitat are among the best in the nation. Each year, the PLAM conference offers a unique opportunity to both share and learn new ideas about land conservation and management and forge new partnerships. Throughout the three days, land managers and those who acquire conservation lands will have the opportunity to share and gain knowledge about new and emerging trends and practices.

The keynote speaker for this year’s conference was Dr. Robert Costanza, Director of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont, an expert on the ecosystem services provided by natural resource and recreation lands; and the conference concluded with Jim Fowler, four-time Emmy Award winner for Wild Kingdom. Mr. Fowler spoke about gaining support for land conservation in tight economic times.

“Our program this year is designed to explore the changes made in the newly legislated extension of Florida Forever, and provide state-of the art tools for making them happen,” said Deborah Poppell, DEP’s Director of the Division of State Lands. “Many of those changes provide great opportunities to bring new science, more finely honed decision making and increased accountability to our already successful program.”

During the 2008 Legislative Session, the Florida Legislature extended the Florida Forever program for an additional 10 years. By extending the program, Florida will be able to continue to protect valuable water resources, such as wetlands, springs and aquatic preserves; acquire habitat that is critical to the sustainability of native wildlife, like the Florida panther and Florida black bear; and at the same time continue to provide outstanding recreational platforms for Florida’s residents and visitors, such as our award-winning state parks and greenways and trails.

Some of the session topics offered at this year’s PLAM conference included:
Conservation Easement Permanence-the Link between Drafting, Stewardship and Enforcement
Valuing Ecosystem Services on Public Lands
Accountability in Land Management
Conserving Forest Ecosystems: New Questions and Directions
Local Governments and the “New” Florida Forever Program: A Roundtable Discussion
Preserving the Best of the Best: Acquisition Planning Tools Update

In addition to informative and educational sessions, the conference featured eight field trips throughout the Jacksonville region. The field trips showed first hand the success that can be achieved through partnerships in land acquisition efforts. One of the field trips was to the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM NERR), one of three NERRs in Florida. The GTM NERR is a partnership with Florida and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association that encompasses approximately 55,000 acres of salt marsh and mangrove tidal wetlands, oyster bars, estuarine lagoons, upland habitat and offshore seas in Northeast Florida. Many of the protected lands within the GTM NERR were purchased with funding from one of the states acquisition programs – CARL, P2000 or Florida Forever.

Originally established in 1999, the 10-year, $3 billion Florida Forever program is the largest land-buying initiative in the nation, conserving environmentally sensitive land, restoring water resources and preserving important cultural and historical sites. More than two million acres throughout the state have been placed in public ownership under Florida Forever and its predecessor program, Preservation 2000 (P2000). For more information on the Florida Forever program, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/lands/acquisition/FloridaForever/.

For more information about the conference programs and field trips, visit http://www.ces.fau.edu/plam2008/index.php.

« Back

DEP Grant Helps City of Marianna Construct New Wastewater Facility

Wastewater Facility

MARIANNA – The Department joined the city of Marianna officials on Thursday for an open house of the city’s new wastewater treatment plant.

In November of 2005, DEP awarded a $24.1 million grant to the City of Marianna to expand the capacity of their wastewater treatment facility and construct reclaimed water land application facilities. The grant, from DEP's Disadvantaged Small Community Grant Program, funded the construction of an influent pump station, additional biological treatment units, disinfection and residuals handling systems, an effluent pump station, a reclaimed water transmission main and spray field facilities ten miles away from the wastewater treatment facility. Additional funding was also provided by the City of Marianna and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Program.

“The project eliminates the City’s effluent discharge to one of the state’s premier waterbodies, the Chipola River,” said DEP Northwest District Director Dick Fancher. “In addition, the new spray field location avoids impacting the Jackson Blue Springs catchment area.”

Established in 2000, the Disadvantaged Small Community Grant Program provides funds to plan, design, and build wastewater management facilities. Funds can be used for installation or renovation of sewer systems, wastewater treatment plants, water reuse facilities, and effluent disposal systems. Funding for the grants comes from fees assessed on DEP’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans and additional state appropriations.

“The Department is working with local governments in disadvantaged communities to provide them with additional financial resources to upgrade wastewater facilities and protect the state’s surface and groundwater resources,” said DEP Division of Water Resource Management Director Janet Llewellyn.

To qualify for grant funding, an applicant must be an incorporated municipality with a maximum population of 7,500 and a per capita income below the state average. DEP ranks applications based on the public health and environmental benefits of the proposed project. In order to receive funding, grant recipients provide a partial match to the state funding.

Since the program began, the state has committed more than $175 million, including more than $30 million in 2007, for wastewater upgrades in smaller communities throughout the state. Since 1999, Florida has invested more than $3.5 billion to upgrade and improve water and wastewater facilities and clean up storm water pollution, funding about 2,100 projects statewide. For more information on the Disadvantaged Small Community Grant program, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wff/cwsrf/smalcwgp.htm.

Rookery Bay Introduces New Climate Change Exhibit at Environmental Learning Center

display

NAPLES – Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve unveiled a new interactive exhibit at the Environmental Learning Center on Monday featuring climate change and potential southwest Florida effects in regards to climate change.

“Climate change is a real issue facing community leaders,” said Gary Lytton, Rookery Bay Reserve Manager. “This exhibit is a small step in raising awareness and creating dialog among residents, visitors and decision-makers.”

The new, permanent exhibit provides Learning Center visitors with an overview of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and sea level rise, and how they might affect various forms of life in southwest Florida. The exhibit includes an interactive guessing game dispelling myths about climate change, a touchscreen carbon calculator which gives people an opportunity to see how their personal choices measure up on an international standard, and a demonstration of ways people can make a difference in their homes and daily lives.

“Addressing climate change may be the greatest interpretive challenge of our generation,” said Randy McCormick, Environmental Manager for the Rookery Bay Reserve.

Located on the second floor of the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, the exhibit was funded by the Department’s Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas (CAMA), designed by New York firm C&G Partners and fabricated by Jan Spoerri & Co., also of New York.

The Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for kids 6 to 12 and free for members and kids under 6. The Environmental Learning Center is located at 300 Tower Road, off Collier Boulevard between Naples and Marco Island.

The Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The reserve is one of 27 research reserves operating across the nation and one of three in the state. CAMA manages the reserve along with 41 aquatic preserves, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Coral Reef Conservation Program. CAMA’s programs and activities are designed to help Floridians better understand and conserve the state’s resources through research, education and preservation.

For more information about Rookery Bay Reserve, visit www.rookerybay.org.