Audubon of Florida
Conservation Programs

A Summary for OVAS Members

This page summarizes the Audubon of Florida conservation program for the convenience of OVAS members. The reader is highly encouraged to visit AOF's official site.

Audubon of Florida passed the following 26 resolutions at its 2001 Assembly. All resolutions had a long list of "where as" paragraphes and a "Therefore be it resolved" statement with many items to be resolved. This list of resolutions, although long, is a condenced version. It is hoped that the editing did not materially remove any of the resoultion mandates.

APALACHICOLA RIVER
Urge the United States Congress to change the channel authorization of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River System so that the navigation channel will no longer be federally maintained south of the Jim Woodruff Dam.

ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Oppose the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling and shall urge Florida's congressional delegation to vote in opposition to any legislation that would open the Refuge to such drilling.

CLIMATE CHANGE
Urge the development of a Florida Global Warming Action Plan that sets specific greenhouse gas emission reduction goals as a component of a comprehensive clean energy plan and identifies strategies to minimize risks posed by rising seas and other warming effects. Support the implementation of a Sustainable Portfolio Standard and a Public Benefits Fund to ensure that Florida harnesses sustainable energy generation and energy efficiency technologies.

CONSERVATION EDUCATION
Propose new public policy for educating Florida's diverse citizenry about their relationship to Florida's natural heritage and ensuring that the majority of residents have the knowledge necessary to practice conservation citizenship. This policy should direct capital and program funds to support nature and science centers, distribution of conservation education materials and ensure that residents and visitors have the opportunity to learn about Florida's natural heritage through direct experiences with nature.

ECONLOCKHATCHEE RIVER
Identify the parcels within the Upper Econ Mosiac with the highest value for conservation and preservation of natural systems and water resources. Work with conservation agencies to bring about the purchase of these land parcels to restore and maintain the natural communities and water resources.

EVERGLADES ECOSYSTEM
Implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan to accomplish 50% restoration by 2010. Work for full funding. Implement the Modified Water Deliveries Project to ensure protection of critical natural systems, water resources and maximizing spatial extent of natural areas. Support completion of the Southwest Florida Feasibility Study projects in southwest Florida. Work to achieve water column phosphorus concentrations to 40 ppb and minimizing pesticide concentrations. Develop a water level regulation schedule that fosters a healthy marsh community and ensures the protection of the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Estuaries.

FIRE MANAGEMENT
Promote land management practices for public and private lands, including prescribed burns optimized to restore and maintain native, fire-adapted plant communities.

FLORIDA PANTHER PROTECTION AND RECOVERY
Support recovery and protection of the Florida panther through reintroduction of the species to at least two other separate locations in the southeast United States, public education efforts, incentives for land partnerships with private landowners aimed at protecting and improving habitat and increased use of fences, underpasses, and speed zones to reduce injury and death from vehicle collisions. Implement the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge Management Plan, including a 370,000-acre expansion of the refuge.

FLORIDA SCRUB-JAY RECOVERY
Implement a plan for recovery of the Florida Scrub-Jay and scrub habitats through purchase and science-based management of scrub habitats. Support research of the West Nile Virus disease and its potential to affect Florida Scrub-Jay populations. Provide expertise on burn vs. mechanically treat scrub on public lands at appropriate seasons; Monitor Florida Scrub-Jay populations and encourage enforcement of Habitat Conservation Plans within counties containing Florida Scrub-Jay populations.

FLORIDA WATER RESOURCES
Advocate a revision of current water district policies and procedures to reflect that wildlife and natural systems are legitimate existing legal users of water, and that sufficient water shall be allocated to natural systems in order to ensure their long-term health and abundance prior to allocation for other uses. Support the water districts' land acquisition and land management programs to conserve and restore natural ecosystems. The districts should be urged to implement a policy that requires review of actions that might harm the environment and that the burden of proof for safety of an action falls on those who propose it.

GROWTH MANAGEMENT
Advocate changes in Florida's Growth Management Laws that will focus the state's role in growth management upon the protection of significant ecosystems, habitats, and natural resources, will minimize urban sprawl, will create incentives to direct growth away from important habitat, will provide mechanisms for rural land owners to resist urban development, will improve citizen participation in the decision-making growth management issues, will require governments to better inform citizens about changes that affect environmental resources and will identify and map critical environmental habitats and lands critical to protected species.

INDIAN RIVER LAGOON WATER QUALITY
Support the CERP Indian River Lagoon Project (including C-44 Basin storage, C-23, C-24 Storage and C-25 north and south fork storage), the Indian River Lagoon Feasibility Study, and the Natural Lands and Wetlands Restoration Project. Support fertilizers that leach fewer amounts of nutrients into water bodies and aquifers. Work with agencies and organizations to promote further studies on the toxic algae within our lakes and estuaries.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE
Campaign to restore Lake Okeechobee and its watershed and to protect areas downstream of the lake. Success will be measured by water quality improvements through removal of nutrients and controlling the introduction of such nutrients by the establishment of enforceable standards, reduction in exotic species, restoration of native plants and wildlife, and management of water levels consistent with the natural functions of the lake, its marshes, and its outflows.

LAKE WALES RIDGE ECOSYSTEM
Recognize the ecological uniqueness and critical conservation status of the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem and be actively involved in creation and support of conservation education, public outreach, and legislative initiatives that promote the appreciation, significance, preservation, and long-term stewardship of the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem.

NORTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT
Urge the Northwest Florida Water Management District to assume the same responsibilities for managing and protecting water resources as those of the other water management districts; employ more science, including biologists and ecologists; increase management for wildlife habitat and diversity and improve its management and accountability to the public.

OCKLAWAHA RIVER RESTORATION
Call upon the state of Florida, St. Johns River Water Management District, and the U.S. Forest Service to drain the reservoir, remove Rodman Dam, and restore the floodplain forest along the Ocklawaha River. Work for immediate restoration and oppose activities such as park designations and extended research.

OIL AND GAS DRILLING
Remain opposed to any drilling off the coast and adjacent to Florida or in such environmentally sensitive areas as the Big Cypress Swamp. Support efforts by government agencies to encourage the development of alternative energy sources, specifically including solar and hydrogen power. Ask our Congressional delegation to return outstabding oil and gas leases to the public domain.

PHOSPHATE MINING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Develop a position paper on phosphate mining in Florida during 2002 which shall document Audubon of Florida's position regarding limiting phosphate mining effects on nature; Including qualitative guidelines, limitations and recommendations to agencies and elected officials regarding future phosphate mining in Florida.

PINHOOK SWAMP - OSCEOLA - GREATER OKEFENOKEE ECOSYSTEM
Urge the U.S. Forest Service to continue to make the Pinhook a priority purchase area through the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, Preservation 2000 fund, Florida Forever fund, CARL fund, and Save Our River fund.

PROTECTED SPECIES
Support efforts to change the state's regulations regarding state-listed plant species and amend the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's endangered, threatened, and species of special concern lists to reflect current scientific knowledge, to expand the listed plant and animal species, to make protection of imperiled species a long-term objective and to commit to the development of independent science required to inform and guide agency decisions.

ROADLESS AREA CONSERVATION RULE
Call for final adoption of the Roadless Conservation Rule without further review or delay.

RURAL LAND PROTECTION
Continue to work toward a rural land protection policy that dedicates funds for public purchase of conservation easements from willing owners of rural lands for sustainable timber management and forest health, for incentives to landowners for maintaining wildlife and wetland benefits and for rights to limit development.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA LAND USE
Urge the strengthening of the comprehensive plans of Collier, Lee, Charlotte, and Hendry counties to protect water resources and contain growth within set land-use boundaries, to prevent dredge and fill activities in inappropriate areas and to address secondary and cumulative impacts associated with piecemeal permitting and to encourage the use of "smart growth" initiatives with citizen involvement.

TRANSPORTATION POLICY
Investigate the Revolving Toll Trust Fund procedures that produce undesirable outcomes, seek legislation to stop unnecessary project studies, take steps to secure reforms to assure that highway planning studies deal with realistic, more immediate forecasts of need and oppose the Port St. Lucie bridge proposal and extension of the Suncoast Parkway (north), and the Wildwood-Lebanon Station extension of the Florida Turnpike;

WHOOPING CRANE RECOVERY
Continue as a partner in the Whooping Crane Recovery Effort and support the establishment of the nonessential experimental Whooping Crane Wisconsin-Florida flock; work to increase public awareness and support for Whooping Crane recovery through educational programs.

YELLOW RIVER DAM
Oppose the construction of a dam on the Yellow River and the damming of any remaining free-flowing rivers or streams in the state.

Page Created 12/24/01