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Dear LCCC Members
Well, here we are in the Holidays! Thanksgiving is past and Christmas is on its way. Can't believe it! And the Millennium -- Wow! What can I say?
I just finished reading a book which many of you may have read years ago. "A Land Remembered", by Pulitzer-prize winner Patrick Smith. Though it is fiction, it is based in Florida and goes back to the early 1800's in our state., We started despoiling the land way back then, though acreage was so open and the population so small that our actions did not take the toll they do today and they will in the future, if we do not exert some control. A book worth reading.
We haven't heard a peep lately out of the sand or peat mining interests, but we do they have objected to some of the recommendations the EAR committees have made regarding mining amendments to be made to Lake County's Comprehensive Plan. You may recall we are in the midst of the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) process. There is a public hearing on December 14 before the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) on both the findings and the recommendations of those committees. A number of our members worked hard serving on those committees during the past two year, and I believe we should support them by showing up at the December 14th hearing. At the hearing all recommendations regarding changes to the Comp. Plan will be considered, not just those on mining.
Also on December 14th, the BCC will be considering a shoreline protection ordinance for the preservation of our lakes and waterways. Nancy Fullerton, one of our members and President of "Save-Our-Lakes" based in Clermont, recently warned our County Commissioners that a recent state act passed by our state legislators opened the door to uncontrolled dredging and mechanical harvesting of our lake shorelines. An mergency ordinance presented to the BCC at its last two meetings, introduced to close the door temporarily until a permanent ordinance could be drawn up, was voted down on each occasion by Commissioners Poole and Hanson. Such an emergency ordinance requires a super-majority to pass. We should be on hand on December 14th when the permanent ordinance will be considered.
Most of you have probably read in the newspaper about the controversies swirling around Lake Griffin. Under the Water 2020 Supply Plan of the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) , there is a plan to withdraw up to 14-million gallons of water per day to supply surrounding areas with drinking water. There are also plans afoot to do a draw-down in the year 2001 to handle some of the pollution problems of the lake. In addition, SJRWMD has received a permit request from the City of Leesburg to supply the new Panda merchant electrical plant out near Okahumka that is being planned. This would withdraw between 1.8 and 3.3 million gallons of water per day out of Lake Griffin in addition to more groundwater withdrawal. I wonder if any water, polluted or not, will be left in the lake after the SJRWMD gets through tinkering with it and promising a million gallons here and a million gallons there to whomever stops by to ask.
There is a second Legislative Delegation meeting to be ehld on December 16th. Again, it is important that LCCC members attend. it is scheduled from Noon to 5:00PM. At the first Legislative Delegation meeting in october, Senator Cowin and Rep. Randy Johnson tried hard to pass a resolution making the Lake County Water Authority an elected body as opposed to an appointed one. I am sure that will be on their agenda at this coming meeting. We need members there to oppose this change. LCCC took the position several years ago that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". The Lake County Water Authority is not broken and it don't need no fixin'. It has performed admirably and there is no public outcry for change.
Anyone interested in making their voice heard on stormwater management should attend the Stormwater Summit at the Ag. Building on Friday, December 17 at 8:00AM to Noon. All parties concerned will meet and pool ideas.
Don't forget that dues are due. And, don't forget the Holiday Evergreen party on December 28th. Members, please bring finger-food to share and guests are welcome. Sorry some of you missed the owl program in October. People loved it. The November program was most informative. We didn't know Lake County's Solid Waste Department and DEP had a turn-in -your-old-mercury-thermometer program. We'll participate in it next year to help prevent mercury pollution. Enough for now! See you at the Evergreen Holiday celebration.
Ruth Gray, LCCC president
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On The Agenda
Tuesday, December 14 9:00AM, 11:00AM
Board of County Commissioners Meeting
BCC Chambers, County Administration Building, Tavares
Shoreline Protection Ordinance (9AM) & EAR Public Hearing (11AM)
Thursday, December 16 Noon to 5:00PM
Legislative Delegation Meeting.
BCC Chambers, County Administration Building, Tavares
Friday, December 17 8:00AM to Noon
Stormwater Summit
Agricultural Center Auditorium; 30205 SR 19, S of Tavares
Tuesday, December 28, 1999 7:30PM
Annual LCCC Evergreen Holiday Gathering
Mote-Morris house in Leesburg
Thursday, January 20 7:30PM
Regular LCCC Monthly Meeting
Eustis Women's Club, Eustis
Guest speaker: David White, from Florida Defenders of the Environment who will speak on the Ocklawaha River restoration and removing the Rodman Dam.
Saturday, February 26 11:30AM to Noon
Trout Lake Nature Center
Hwy 44, North of Eustis
LCCC Annual Meeting and Luncheon
Guest Speaker, Mike Archer
, Columnist for the Lake Sentinel
The Eustis Women's Club is in the 200 block of Center Stree between MacDonald & Clifford. Take Clifford east (i.e. away from the lake). If you are on Grove St., turn right onto Clifford and go 2 blocks to Center. If you are on Bay St., turn left onto Clifford and go 4 blocks to Center St. The building is on the corner at Clifford and Center. Parking in the rear or in the library lot nearby off MacDonald St.
LCCC Water Issues Committee Report
reported by the Chairman
(note: many links in the article below are external links; use your browser's "back" button to return to this
page)
At the most recent Water Issues Committee meeting, the group discussed a wide array of topics ranging from the St Johns Water Management District's proposed Water 2020 Supply Plan to the wonderful hors d'oeuvres served by Mrs. Branham. I felt that it was the consensus of the group that the latter of the two was preferable. However, after pulling everyone away from the marvelous buffet, we were able to get down to business.
In general, the group was very supportive of the District's Water 2020 Plan because it should provide the data necessary for the district to limit impacts to wetlands and lakes. However, we must remain cautious because some potentially risky portions of the plan still allow the water supply uitilities to impact wetlands and then mitigate afterward.
Two other important topics were discussed during the meeting. These topics included the proposed restoration plan by the Lake Griffin Task Force and the progression of the Lake Apopka North Shore Restoration. These are two programs that will continue to be sources of discussion at our meetings for many years.
One of our final topics involved the proposed Schoolhouse Lake Peat Mine. If permitted, the mine would have destroyed 130.5 acres of naturally occurring wetlands that were observed to have 7 protected species including wood storks, little blue herons, snowy egret, white ibis, sandhill cranes, water sundews, and royal fern. The site also has several sandhill crane nests. Currently, the consultant has requested that the plan be temporarily tabled until they can provide some revisions. We'll have to keep a watchful eye out for this one in the future!
Any LCCC member who is interested in participating in our smorgasbord or Water Issues Committee meeting is welcome. Just contact us at any LCCC meeting. We will notify you of the next meeting place and time.
Update: Water Issues Committee members and the LCCC Board have reviewed the Consumptive Use Permit application by the City of Leesburg to withdraw both groundwater and surface water from Lake Griffin for the proposed Panda power generating plant. President Ruth Gray has written a comments letter to the SJRWMD on the permit application
Home Builders Association Developers Council
Reported by Cathy Benton
Cathy Benton has been appointed by President Ruth Gray to be the liaison to the Home Builders Association from LCCC. At an October meeting with the HBA Developers Council, Cathy was asked to give a summary of the concerns that our group has with development impacts. She prefaced her remarks with a statement of the purposes of LCCC and then gave the following report:
"Our membership is composed of several hundred private citizens, community leaders and public officials whose concern is that we not lose the natural beauty that drew so many of us to
Florida in the first place. Upon inquiring at our regular September meeting, I received the following comments from our members:
"Don't level the hills! Florida is flat enough already and everyone loves a scenic view of hills
or the view from a hilltop. Incorporate hills into your plan or just leave them alone.
"Respect the county Comprehensive Plan. Don't buy land that's zone for agriculture or
rural residential and then petition to have it changed to high-density residential or commercial. Not only are you likely to run into environmental concerns, but frequently the neighbors already
living in the area will mount opposition to uses that are inconsistent with the rural lifestyle they have chosen.
"Consider how community services such as schools, hospitals and police will be provided to a new development.
"Don't fill wetlands or tamper with natural shoreline vegetation. These natural features help
purify rainwater before it's returned to our struggling lakes. Also, wetlands proved important wildlife habitat.
"Leave the trees! A massive oak or pine tree took at least 100 years to grow and is a treasured part of the landscape. Try to incorporate existing trees into landscape design
wherever possible and take care not to damage the roots of trees.
"Clustering of homes allows for more common open space in a community and requires
less irrigation and fertilizer to maintain the landscape. Consider vegetative walls rather than brick walls to surround a community. And plan to use retention ponds to provide water for
irrigation, especially of golf courses, rather than tapping into our precious groundwater resources.
"Water conservation will affect all Floridians in the next 20 years. Plan for it now by planting
landscapes that require less water. Conserving water now will actually allow for more growth in the future."
At the end of her report, Cathy handed out copies of the September LCCC Newsletter. She said her report was well received and several Developers Council members spoke with her after the meeting.
Lake County's Legislative Delegation
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To see what the legislature is up to day by day, wathc "Capitol Update" at 6:00PM, Mon - Fri on WMFE, Channel 24. The web address for the Florida Legislature is http://www.leg.state.fl.us For information on a specific bill call the Legislature Information hotline at (800) 342-1827 or (850) 488-4371 or search the database at the web site.
Thanks to the generosity of our members the Environmental Education Committee was able to award nineteen Enviro-Grants. Over 1200 students will be involved. Projects approved include recycling, butterfly, flower and vegetable gardening, nature trails, birding and environmental projects such as studying scrub habitat, native freshwater habitat, worm farming and aquatic ecosystems.
Seventeen different schools represented 11 elementary, 4 middle, and 2 high schools. Twenty-eight teachers and one principal applied. With $1,200 in grand money budgeted, 8 grants of
$100, 10 grants of $50 and 1 of $75 were awarded. The balance of $175 was donated by two generous members of the committee.
Reported by Blandine Galbreath,
Environmental Education, Chairman
Seven members of LCCC enjoyed a field trip to see the Lake
Griffin Flow-Way, Carol Lippincott, Casey Fitzgerald and Jeff Cole all of the SJRWMD staff conducted the tour. With a background of exuberant bird song filling the air, Carol explained the mechanics of
the system. Clearly, the wildlife is appreciating the newly flooded marshes. The following is a news release by Jeff Cole which sums up the substance of the tour and explains the graphic on page 5
which accompanies the article. (Click on the image to view a larger of the Flow-way map.)
"A 1,200 acre filter began operating in November as part of the SJRWMD's work to improve the water quality in Lake County's Lake Griffin, In about six months, when this treatment system - known as a flow-way - is fully operational, the water pumped out of the system will contain a much lower amount of phosphorus than the lake now contains.
Located along the northeast shore of the lake in the District's Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area, the flow-way, composed of native vegetation, removes suspended particles and
associated nutrients from the lake. Water flows into the marsh from the lake, is slowly filtered by the vegetation through the flow-way, and then is pumped back into the lake
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"This marks a significant step forward in the restoration of Lake Griffin and the entire Ocklawaha River system," said District Executive Director Henry Dean. "We cleared a major hurdle when
we brought the farming areas into public ownership, which allowed us to halt the phosphorus-rich discharges from the farms into Lake Griffin, The flow-way will provide the additional long
-term water quality benefits that the lake sorely needs,"
The District constructed the flow-way after purchasing 6,500 acres of former farms along the northeast shore of Lake Griffin between 1991 and 1993 for $12.6 million. The flow-way was
tested for two years before water in the flow-way was lowered in late 1997 for additional construction and to allow marsh plants to become established through natural germination and
plantings. Fifteen-thousand wetland plants were planted in the
flow-way with the help of contractors, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the District's Watershed Action Volunteers,
Water flow was started slowly in November and will be gradually increased, Four gated culverts along the northeast shore of Lake Griffin allow lake water to flow into the flow-way and five pumps discharge the filtered water into Haines Creek, which flows into Lake Griffin. At full operation, the flaw-way will filter the entire volume of the lake about every seven months, removing approximately 30% of the phosphorus from the lake during that period. Continuous operation of the flow-way, combined with construction of an additional 500-acre flow-way on the south side of Haines Creek, is expect to result in significant improvements in lake Griffin water quality within a decade.
Nutrients and sediments in water discharged from the flow-way are being monitored weekly. Fish in the flow-way and water discharged from the flow-way are being tested to assure that
pesticide residues from former farm operations remain buried in sediments. In addition, a contractor will regularly observe the health of wildlife in the flow-way. As water quality in the lake
improves, fish and wildlife habitat will also begin to recover. The flow-way already provides diverse habitat for wildlife. Since 1997, numerous wading birds and waterfowl, including more
than 1,000 endangered wood storks and more than 500 white pelicans, have fed in the flow-way and adjacent marshes.
The Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area is open to the public with parking off CR 452 and Emeralda Island Road, north of Lisbon. The birding is excellent, especially as the northern species are coming in for the winter. Another SJRWMD conservation is at Sunny hill, Hwy 42, just east of the Ocklawaha River bridge. It is open for hiking and biking along the river levee. The Blue House has Sunday Open House 1-4PM with WAV’s to offer information on the restoration and recreation opportunities.
In October, two LCCC members attended the national Watchable Wildlife Conference in Fort Myers. Carolynn Littleton had a beautiful and popular exhibit for the Coccolobo chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and Nadine Foley had an exhibit for the Trout Lake Nature Center. The converence was attended by more than 500 people from 45 states and most Canadian provinces. Most of them stopped by the exhibits to talk at one time or another!
The sessions and workshops were informative and very interesting. And, if there ever was any doubt as to the growing importance of eco-tourism, this gathering dispelled it. From the keynote address by author Sara Stein, "Noah's Garden", to the stirring songs by Dale Crider accompanied by the lush photography depicting Florida scenes by James Valentine, the conferees were inspired and rededicated to the preservation and restoration of the environment for both aesthetic and economic reasons.
Regular County Government Meeting Days
The Board of County Commissioners meets at 9AM on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Tuesdays of the month. Zoning hearings are on the 4th.
The Planning and Zoning Board mmets at 9AM on the 1st Wednesday of the month.
Lake County Water Authority meets at 4:30PM on the 3rd Wednesday of the month.
The Environmental Protection Advisory Board meets at 2PM on the 4th Thursday of the month.
The BCC, P&Z, LCWA all hold their meeting in the BCC chambers, 2nd floor of the County Administration Building, 315 W Main St. Tavares.
The EPAB meets in Room 233 of the Lake County Administration Building.
The public is invited to all regular County government meetings.
Click HEREto see the current and (tentative) upcoming agendas for the Board of County Commissioners
LCCC member Dick Stokes died in late November. Dick devoted his life to conservation and preservation. Born in Lake County, her served with the National Park Service for 31 years. During his assignment at Everglades Nation Park, he conceived and began the movement to save the American alligator from extinction. After retirement, he returned to Lake County to Live . He was very helpful when LCCC reorganized in the 1980's and served on the Board for several years. LCCC members will miss his wise counsel and we extend our sympathy to his wife, Lillian, and their family.
The first Black Bear Festival was held on October 2nd in Umatilla and it was a smash success. Jim Fowler and the black bear were the highlight. But, with educational exhibits, trips in the Ocala National Forest, music, authors and book signings and fun for all ages, the consensus was to do it again. LCCC had an exhibit about black bears and their habitat requirements. Members talked with dozens of people during the day and made new friends for LCCC. Thanks to everyone who helped at the exhibit.
The Lake County area chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society is forming and will formally apply for chapter status in February 2000. The next meeting will be January 16 at 2:00PM at the Good Life Emporium room in the Lake Square Mall. The guest speaker with be LCCC member Tamara Race on "Florida Native Plant Conservation". Tamara is the curator of endangered plants at the Bok Tower Gardens.
The LCCC Annual Meeting and luncheon will be held on Saturday, February 26, 2000 at the Trout Lake Nature Center north of Eustis. Check-in and social will be at 11:30AM and lunch will be at noon. The buffet lunch will be catered by Old Crow BBQ with sliced beef, pork, and turkey; sauce, baked beans, cole slaw, rolls, peach cobbler, iced tea, and coffee. The cost of the luncheon is $8.00, plus $1.00 for room rent. The reservation form is included below and can be printed off, filled out and sent to the LCCC Treasurer with a check for $9.00. Send your reservation in before February 18, 2000.
The annual meeting will feature guest speaker Mike Archer, columnist for The Lake Sentinel. In the business part of the meeting, there will be brief committee reports and the election of two at -large Board members. As always, we welcome guests, so bring a friend to our annual event.
After the meeting, plan to enjoy a satroll down the trail and boardwalk to Trout Lake. You may also view the mounted wildlife collection in Newell Hall. Trout Lake Nature Center is located 1/4
mile east of SR 19 on Hwy 44. For further information, contact the webmaster.
Annual Meeting Reservation Form
Name(s) __________________________________________________________________ Phone ________________________
Address _____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________
Total Number of Luncheons _________________________________ X $9.00 = Total Enclosed _____________________________
Please send the Reservation by February 18, 2000 to:
LCCC Treasurer
1118 Old Mt Dora Rd
Eustis, FL 32726
Dues Are Due!!!!
LCCC Membership Chairman, Gena Swartz, says, "Let's all be Y2K compatible and pay our dues on time!" If you don't have, or can't find, your membership renewal form, it is available below. Please use the renewal form to renew your membership. If you're not currently a member and wish to join, please contact the webmaster so a membership application can be mailed to you. To be eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting, your renewal application and dues must be received by January 31, 2000.
Membership Renewal Application
Name(s) __________________________________________________________________________ Date _____________________
Address _____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________
City _____________________________________________ State _________ Zip Code __________________
Phone ___________________________________________ E-mail _________________________________________
Membership Categories and Dues are:
Student --------------------- $2.00 Life --------------------------------- $250.00
Regular --------------------$10.00 Organizations/Groups ----------- $10.00
Sustaining --------------- $25.00 Contribution ------------------------ ______
Total Enclosed: __________
Please send application, dues, and any additional contribution to:
LCCC Treasurer
1118 Old Mt. Dora Rd
Eustis, FL 32726
This is an on-line transcription of the quarterly newsletter of the
Lake County Conservation Council
1118 Old Mt. Dora Road
Eustis, FL 32726
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Lake County,
FL
