A newsletter on community outreach initiatives for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District.
Welcome to CERP Report CERP Kiosk Placed in South Florida Library for Hispanic Heritage Month About CERP Out and About School Year Opens with New Online Everglades Education Resources and Outreach New Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Starts in January Environmental Moments Let's Meet and Greet 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. A partnership of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Florida Water Management District and many other federal, state, local and tribal partners. Be sure to meet up with the CERP Outreach Team at one of these key events throughout the south Florida community or visit www.evergladesplan.org for additional information on public meetings: Hispanic Heritage Month Observances John F. Kennedy Library Hialeah, Fla. September 15 through the month of October 2007 Florida Association of Science Teachers Conference Orlando, Fla. October 25 to 27 Please join the CERP Outreach Team in welcoming Elizabeth “Beth” Myers, Deputy for Small Business. If you are interested in learning about the business opportunities with the Corps, please contact Ms. Myers at 904-232-1150. Interested persons can also reach Ms. Myers via email at elizabeth.r.myers@saj02.usace. army.mil. To learn about business opportunities with the South Florida Water Management District, please contact the Procurement Hotline at 1-800-472-5290. To request a presentation for a group or organization, please contact Erica Robbins at 561-472-8893 or Bernadette Morris at 305-948-8063, ext. 201. People interested in learning about the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan can leave their name and mailing address on the toll-free line at 1-877-CERP-USA.		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. Hispanic residents are a growing and influential voice in Florida and the nation. According to a recent U.S. Census report, 20 percent of the state’s population, and 15 percent of the nation’s, is now comprised of residents who are of Hispanic descent. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) is the world’s largest environmental restoration effort. It will cover 16 counties of south and central Florida and have implications far beyond the state borders— around the nation and world with its ecological benefits. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District and its state partner, the South Florida Water Management District, are working to ensure everyone is included in the Everglades restoration plan. Many programs are under way to ensure those of Hispanic origin are aware of and can participate in the plan to restore the Everglades. This includes the translation of materials to Spanish, placement of Spanish-language materials on the official web site, holding meetings in Hispanic communities in south and central Florida, providing bilingual speakers and staff at CERP meetings, and the distribution of creative products such as clever novelas which imitate popular Spanish-language soap operas. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month which starts Sept. 15, the Corps of Engineers will place a CERP kiosk in a public library in south Florida for the month. The kiosk will be available for visitors during regular library hours at the John F. Kennedy Library, 190 West 49th St., Hialeah, Fla. The lively touch-screen kiosks are in English and Spanish languages and are fun for adults and children. For more information on the kiosk placement, call 305-948-8063. Reaching young people with the Everglades message is one of the most important ways to ensure the ecosystem will remain healthy in the future. Children who grow up with an environmental ethic often understand the complexities of protecting and restoring water and natural systems as adults. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a strong Everglades environmental education program under way and is continuing the momentum this fall as the school year begins. New online resources are available for both children and adults. This spring, an electronic sign-up form for educational materials for teachers was added, which has proved to be very popular. An Everglades coloring book and mobile were also placed online this summer. From Oct. 25 to 27, the Corps of Engineers will participate in the annual Florida Association of Science Teachers (FAST) conference in Orlando to raise awareness about the elementary education program: “The Journey of Wayne Drop to the Everglades.” Now in its third year, this Corps-sponsored education program includes storybooks, lesson plans, and other resources. More than 1,000 Florida science teachers are expected to attend. For more information and downloadable products, visit www.evergladesplan.org and click on “Learn & Teach.” Lake Okeechobee is one of the nation’s most important ecological resources. It is the largest lake in the southeast United States, provides important wildlife habitat, and stores water for south Florida’s natural ecosystem and its people and farms. Lake Okeechobee is a completely managed water body, though. It is surrounded by a dike and all outflows are controlled by water managers. Inflows are largely a result of natural rainfall. In the past, water levels have been higher than is often good for the lake and the surrounding Herbert Hoover Dike. High water levels drown out natural shoreline vegetation—essential for wildlife and a clean lake—and put added pressure on the 70-year-old dike. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is poised to begin a new regulation schedule in early 2008, which will reduce the lake’s average levels. The high, middle and low ranges all will be somewhat lower. A main reason for the change is public safety—protection of the dike and increased water storage capacity—but the lower water levels provide many positive ecological benefits, too. Four public meetings were held in August 2007 to present the revised Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Study, with many people attending and commenting throughout the process. For additional information, visit: www.saj.usace.army.mil/pao/hotTopics/hot_topics_LO_HHD.htm. Ground was broken on Aug. 2 in Homestead to mark the start of the next phase of work on the C-111 South Dade County project, which will ultimately improve freshwater flows to the Everglades. Children created a journey of the Everglades animals onto Noah’s Ark at the Hope Lutheran Church and Summer Camp in Pompano Beach in July.
CERP Report is an unofficial publication authorized under the provisions of AR 360-1 and published by the: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019.Telephone: 904-232-2234 Fax: 904-232-2237. Comments regarding this report are encouraged and may be sent to Nanciann Regalado.