WELCOME TO SOUTH FLORIDA AUDUBON SOCIETY
Welcome to the new website for Broward County Audubon Society. This website reflects many of the changes taking place: Name change, new logo, and an updated user friendly design. Because this chapter of Audubon of Florida and National Audubon Society is growing in its outreach and services to the region, it will be known as South Florida Audubon Society. Its logo will reflect its unity with Audubon Societies nationwide.
South Florida Audubon Society, based in Broward County, fosters conservation through local, regional, national, and global environmental advocacy and activities throughout South Florida with an emphasis on birds and other wildlife and their habitats. This Home page highlights upcoming birding and special events, action alerts, and news of interest for the region which includes Broward, Martin, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Indian River Counties also known as the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.
Everglades Summit
The South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force met in Washington with Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife Tom Strickland, Secretary of FL Department of Environmental Protection Mike Sole and Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Terrance "Rock" Salt. Florida Congressman Ron Klein commented: "By convening this important meeting, the Obama Administration is making clear that preserving the Everglades is a top priority....We in Congress will continue to fight to protect and preserve the Everglades for future generations...."
Picayune Strand Restoration
South Florida Water Management District has approved the Picayune Strand and Fakahatchee Estuary Water Reservation which is under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. This project will return 55,000 acres of land that had been drained for massive housing development back to wetland habitat.
2009 Omnibus Act & Tamiami Bridge
Thanks to the recent 2009 Omnibus Act the US Army Corps of Engineers now has the go ahead to proceed with building a one mile bridge on the Tamiami Trail that will help restore some of the natural water flow. This is after years of delay when the Miccosukee Indian Tribe challenged the project and a federal Miami judge placed an injunction on it. The tribe argued that this one mile stretch was a piecemeal project that could make flooding worse in the short term and destroy native habitat nearby. They advocated for clearing vegetation from existing culverts along the trail. For further details click here.
US Army Corps of Engineers
According to an article by Paul Quinlan published in the Palm Beach Post on Friday, June 12, 2009, Colonel Al Pantano will become the new commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Florida headquarters. This is at a time when federal dollars are being made available to assist with Everglades restoration projects and repairs to Lake Okeechobee's Herbert Hoover Dike.
National Transportation Objectives
Representatives Holt, Inslee and Carnahan introduced companion legislation to the Senate bill for changes in national transportation. Letters from groups such as Audubon are being sought to help push national transportation objectives. These objectives include reductions in per capita vehicle miles, increases in public transportation usage, reductions in carbon dioxide levels emitted, addressing accessiblity, and more. Click here for details from the US Public Interest Research Group.
Everglades Foundation Congressional Fellowships
University of Miami School of Law graduates, Sara Gonzalez-Rothi, JD and R. Scott Nuzum, JD, will be fellows in Washington, D.C. for one year thanks to the Everglades Foundation and Abess Center. Gonzalez-Rothi will work in Senator Bill Nelson's Office with key Everglades Staffer Susie Perez-Quinn. Nuzum will work with the Council on Environmental Quality in developing environmental policies and initiatives. Click here for more on this foundation.
Eric Draper Declares Candidacy for Agriculture Commissioner
Eric Draper, Deputy Director of Audubon of Florida, is seeking the position of Commissioner of Agriculture. He has been politically active since 1980 and is a long time conservationist. He believes the Commissioner should be Florida's top environmental steward and wants to transform the office accordingly.
National Clean Car Standards
Audubon of Florida Applauds President Obama's plans for strengthening vehicle fuel and emissions standards that can help reduce greenhouse gases.
TogetherGreen
South Florida Audubon Society has been selected to participate in Year 2 of the TogetherGreen Projects funded by National Audubon Society and Toyota. "Those selected evidenced in their applications a more distinct and compelling connection to the criteria", the letter of award stated.
Broward County Audubon Society completed its sixth TogetherGreen event since receiving a grant from the Audubon Society/Toyota partnership for Year 1. Read more by clicking here.
On June 15, 2009 National Audubon Society sent out its first newsletter highlighting activities of TogetherGreen Projects nationwide. Click here to view it in MS Word format.
Community Passport Contest
TogetherGreen is launching a new contest that awards prizes for volunteer hours given for conservation. See details at www.togethergreen.org/
communitypassport.
Click for the latest editions of Audubon in the News and the Audubon Chapter Networker. To access Audubon of Florida News, click here.
QUICK LINKS
Green League of Broward (Tracks articles on current issues)
Global Warming Blog
Audubon Press Releases
National Audubon Society
Audubon of Florida
American Birding Association
Florida Statutes
Florida Senate
Florida House
US Senate
US House of Representatives
MEETINGS & SPECIAL EVENTS
South Florida Audubon Meetings
Save the following dates for future SFAS Meetings: 9/17/09, 10/22/09, 11/19/09, 12/17/09, 1/21/10, 2/18/10, 3/18/10, 4/15/10, 5/20/10, & 6/17/10.
10/23-24/2009 Audubon Assembly
The theme of the 2009 Audubon Assembly being held at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park (a certified green lodge) is "Conserving our Coasts as the Climate Changes". Keynote speaker is Dr. Sylvia Earle, winner of Audubon's Rachel Carson Award. For a video of Dr. Earle speaking at a TED award click here. Details will be available in July at http://www.audubonofflorida.org/.
BIRDING
Bird with South Florida Audubon
South Florida Audubon Society will renew its monthly birding field trips in September. Dates will be listed here and details will be described on our Events page. For questions about birding field trips, send an email to bcasfieldtrips@gmail.com.
Bird with Tropical Audubon Society
Tropical Audubon Society provides weekend birding field trips Fall through Spring. Visit their website for details.
Bird with Hendry-Glades Audubon
Through a partnership with the South Florida Water Management District, Hendry-Glades Audubon Society offers public escorted birding tours to Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (STA-5) south of Clewiston in eastern Hendry County. To register for a tour contact Margaret England (863) 674-0695 or send an email to her at sta5birding@embarqmail.com . Tours run from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Upcoming dates are June 20, July 11, August 15, September 19, and October 17.
Bird with Paddy
Paddy Cunningham Pascatore will be leading a birding trip to Duda Farms, Sod Farms and Holey Lands in August 15 or 22. Contact her at birdpaddy@yahoo.com for details. September 23-28 she will lead a group for Fall Migration Getaway in the Chesapeake Bay area.
Funky Nests in Funky Places
Cornell Lab of Ornithology is sponsoring a contest under its Celebrate Urban Birds Project. Find a bird nest in unusual places and then photograph it, paint it, write a story about it, or shoot a video of it. In your email type "Funky Nests" in the subject line and send to urbanbirds@cornell.edu. July 31, 2009 is the deadline for entries.
Conserving Birds in FL Mangroves
Some bird species and subspecies such as the Mangrove Cuckoo, Black-whiskered Vireo, Florida Prairie Warbler and Cuban Yellow Warbler depend on mangrove habitats. Drs. John D. Lloyd and Gary Slater of Ecostudies Institute are studying bird habitats in the mangroves in Florida. Click here to read a pdf formatted article overviewing progress on their study.
Dr. John D. Lloyd, Senior Research Ecologist has agreed to be the January 21, 2010 speaker at the South Florida Audubon Society meeting. Visit our
Events page to learn more.
Visit our Bird Science page to learn how you can be involved in studies such as this as a Citizen Scientist.
Bird Songs and Climate Changes
A study has just been completed by a collaboration of researchers at National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, and McGill University on the relationship between the complexity of bird songs and the role of locations with inconsistent climates. To see the press release for this click here.
Photo Contest: Birds in Focus
Audubon Magazine Photography Contest is scheduled from May 15 to July 15. You may submit up to ten entries of bird images in Professional, Amateur, and Youth categories. Award recipients will be announced in December and have their work displayed by Audubon and Nature's Best Photography in print and online. Prizes include vacations and a camera. Read all about it by clicking here.
Two reports are predictive of the future of birds and other wildlife if changes are not made. Click on the title of each one to access PDF formatted copies of each: (1) Bird and Climate Change Report, and (2) Wildlife 2060. If you need the Adobe Reader to view pdf files, go to our Index-Links page.
Aid Nesting Birds Statewide
Birds nesting on beaches are threatened by beach walkers, drivers, and unusually high tides during stormy weather. Closing of portions of the beach during nesting season or roping off sections of the beach are important governmental actions. Educating the public on ways to protect nests and chicks traveling between dunes to water areas is a role volunteers often play in St. Johns County.
Volunteers also have been making a big difference in survival of young Least Terns whose natural habitat was destroyed by development. Volunteers in Jacksonville walk around the Gateway Mall looking for chicks who have fallen from their roof-top nests and return them with the help of a homemade "chick-a-boom" pole.
Red Knots landed at Huguenot Memorial Park in May for refueling on their way to Arctic breeding grounds. US Fish and Wildlife leaders with committed volunteers staffed the first-ever protection effort of migrating Red Knots under the park's new management plan. A temporary buffer of cones and signs were set up at every receding tide to help knots feed undisturbed.
See details at www.audubonaction.org.