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In this edition, you will find the latest news and information about the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and community outreach efforts throughout south Florida. As you read through this issue, you will discover more about what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District are doing to inform, involve, and engage our citizens, businesses and communities in the Everglades restoration plan and the protection of our future water supply. |
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Did you know that the Florida Everglades was once a vibrant, free-flowing river of grass that provided clean water from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay? Today, this extraordinary ecosystem is dying. Over the past half-century, the health and size of the Everglades have steadily declined. Severely impacted by drainage and development, the Everglades is suffering from a critical shortage of clean, reliable water sources. To restore and preserve south Florida's natural environment, enhance water supplies, and maintain flood protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District and numerous other federal, state, local and tribal partners, has developed a plan to save the Everglades. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) includes a series of ecological and water system improvements. During the next 30 years, the Corps, the District, and their sponsoring partners will restore water quality, quantity, timing, and distribution in what is being referred to as "the largest environmental restoration project in history." To find out more about Everglades restoration, visit our official website at www.evergladesplan.org. |
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A partnership of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Florida Water Management District and many other federal, state, local and tribal partners. |
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| May - June 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||
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This spring and summer, residents of western Palm Beach County can learn about Everglades restoration in a unique way. A CERP Information Network kiosk, utilizing a touch-screen computer, has been placed in the classroom building at Palm Beach Community College in Belle Glade and is available for students and community members. The user-friendly kiosk features a brief overview of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), followed by presentations on the history of the Everglades, restoration needs and efforts, public involvement and business opportunities, educational resources and games. PBCC at Belle Glade was chosen as a site for the kiosk because communities near the Everglades Agricultural Area and Lake Okeechobee are very much affected by activities related to Everglades restoration. Many projects are planned in the immediate area and the college serves as a workforce training site for related jobs. The touch-screen kiosk can be viewed during normal college hours and will be at the college throughout the summer. |
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This May, 50,000 Spanish-language newsletters on CERP will be distributed throughout south Florida via weekly newspapers and community organizations. Community Outreach in Action is a newspaper insert developed for minority communities with news and stories about Everglades restoration. The English version was distributed to more than 100,000 households in 16 counties of south Florida in April. Now translated into Spanish and including several new articles, the insert will be distributed in Spanish-language weekly newspapers and to community organizations. With many residents more comfortable speaking and reading in Spanish, this is one of the many outreach activities underway to ensure all residents of south Florida have the opportunity to understand and participate in CERP. For more information on Servicios Comunitarios en Acción, please contact Javier Quiñónez at 305-948-8063. |
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The conference provides a unique opportunity for small business owners and representatives to meet with buyers from federal, state and local government agencies, as well as large corporations. The Corps of Engineers purchases various materials and uses the services of outside firms for much of its work, including that to support the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The conference will help small businesses arm themselves with critical information to ensure greater success, including the process to get certified to sell goods and provide services to the Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies, and how to make a product more marketable. Representatives from many governmental agencies will be on hand to speak with attendees. The conference will be held at the Dr. Blaise F. Alfano Conference and Banquet Center, 11606 N. McKinley Drive, Tampa, Florida 33612. For additional information, contact Randy Edney, assistant deputy for small business, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, at 561-683-1577, ext. 14, or visit the conference website: sbdc.usf.edu |
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| Children enjoy hands-on CERP activities at an Earth Day event in North Miami. | A Black Gold Jubilee visitor signs up for information about CERP. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Children learn about CERP at the Fourth Annual Broward Water Matters Day. | Residents visit the CERP display at the South Florida WaterFest in Okeechobee. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| The Corps introduces elementary Everglades education curriculum at the National Science Teacher's Conference in California. | |||||||||||||||||||
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If you are interested in learning about business If you would like to request a presentation for your organization, please contact Malissa Booth at 561-683-1577, ext. 24 or Bernadette Morris at 305-948-8063, ext. 201
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A public workshop will be held in Clewiston on May 31 regarding the management of Lake Okeechobee. The purpose is to present and get public feedback on tentatively selected revisions to the current lake regulation schedule to benefit the declining health of the lake and coastal estuaries. The regulation schedule dictates actions to be taken by water managers from the Corps and the South Florida Water Management District to maintain lake levels that provide flood protection and ensure water supplies. Considered the “liquid heart of south Florida,” Lake Okeechobee is an essential ecological resource to the state and Everglades. The meeting will be held May 31 at 7 p.m. at the John Boy Auditorium, 1200 South W.C. Owen Ave., Clewiston, Florida, 33440. For additional information, visit the website of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Jacksonville District, at 
opportunities with the Corps, please contact Randy Edney at 561-683-1577, ext. 14. If you are interested in learning about business opportunities with the Water Management District, please call the Procurement Hotline at 1-800-472-5290.