Space Coast Audubon Society

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Calling All Young Birders: Birding Scavenger Hunt

In conjunction with the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville on Saturday, January 25th, Space Coast Audubon Society & Young Birders of Brevard will be presenting a birding scavenger hunt.

Stop by the Space Coast Audubon Society booth, pick up a bird checklist and search for bird photos randomly placed at assorted booths throughout the exhibit hall. Have fun and see how many birds you can locate and identify. Check off the bird and write the booth number on your list and return your completed checklist to the Space Coast Audubon Society booth. Each family will receive a gift for their participation. Limit to 20 families.

MI Refuge CBC Info By Ned Steel

First, a big thank you to Nancy Corona & the Refuge staff for making another smooth CBC possible. With much of our Count Circle being within the NASA Security Area, it would be impossible to conduct this count without help-providing us with badged drivers, government vehicles, access to otherwise closed areas & coordination with NASA & Refuge Security etc. It’s a pleasure to work with Nancy & all the other Refuge staff.

We observed 154 species, which is about average for recent MI Refuge counts.

Some notable bird sightings on our Count this year: (I don’t have a writeup on the Stilts yet-only one team reported this)

Cinnamon Teal
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
White-winged Dove
Wilson’s Phalarope
Common Goldeneye
Greater Scaup
Long-billed Dowitcher
Black-necked Stilt
Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Thanks to all!

Interesting Wildlife and Conservation Links

Monday, January 6, 2014

Important Meeting Announcement

Join Space Coast Audubon Society January 17th for: Owls of North America

WHO: Space Coast Audubon Society (SCAS)
WHERE: Rockledge Presbyterian Church, 921 Rockledge Dr, Rockledge, FL.
WHEN: January 17, 2014 at 7:30 pm

Our meeting this month will be unique as we will be featuring dual presenters that will include live owls. Susan Boorse & Sam Fried will be presenting "Owls of North America". Owls are some of the most mysterious and little seen family of birds in North America. The owls hold our fascination, as they have for thousands of years. Learn about all 19 species that inhabit our continent and listen to their eerie calls.

Susan Boorse is an Environmental Program Supervisor for Brevard County Parks & Recreation at Rotary Park Nature Center on Merritt Island. Her love of owls started as a teenager and has blossomed into the majority of her programming. Susan obtained State and Federal Permits that enabled her to have and use live owls in her presentations. Dora an Eastern Screech-Owl and Boots a Great Horned Owl are both rehab birds and are not releasable back into the wild. They are on display, most times, at Rotary Park Nature Center whenever Susan is there.

Sam Fried has just recently moved to the Space Coast and will soon become involved with Space Coast Audubon. Sam has had numerous photographs and featured articles published in a variety of birding and golf magazines as well as the Insight Guide on Birding in North America for the Discovery Channel. He is the founder of Flights of Fancy Adventures offering small group, low cost, trips throughout the Americas and now Africa. He is past president of Hartford Audubon Society.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Everglades Birding Festival, January 16-20, 2014

By Jim Eager

You are invited to join Paddy Cunningham, Jim Eager and David Simpson for the 2014 Everglades Birding Festival, January 16-20, 2014. We will be looking for South Florida specialties, wintering species and some awesome birding venues.

Check out the website at www.evergladesbirdingfestival.com for registration information as well as the schedule which includes programs and field trips. Contact Paddy Cunningham at birdpaddy@yahoo.com or 954-926-5458. The festival is headquartered at the LaQuinta Hotel, 8101 Peters Rd, Plantation, FL 33324, 954-476-6047. Hope to see you there.

Orlando Wetlands Festival

Come and enjoy the Orlando Wetlands Festival on Saturday, February 15, 2014, from 9am-3pm at Fort Christmas Park. The Orlando Wetlands Festival is an opportunity to celebrate the City of Orlando’s Wetlands Park, the City’s 1,650 acre wetland oasis. The event is sponsored by: City of Orlando, Atkins, Orange Audubon Society, and Orange County Parks & Recreation.

On February 15, 2014, come and experience this unique wetland treatment system with the entire family. Event co-sponsor, Orange Audubon Society, will lead guided bird-watching excursions. The Florida Native Plant Society will lead native plant identification hikes; while, the Florida Trail Association will be providing wilderness hikes. Guided photo hikes will also be available and led by nature and wildlife photographers.

Guided bus tours will travel along the wetland berms, giving riders a chance to experience firsthand, the City’s incredible water reclamation project. Hay rides will also tour the wetlands.

In addition to the guided tours, there will be bird-banding and mist-netting demonstrations as well as live folk music. This year, renowned comedian and magician Brian Staron will be performing. Featured in the wildlife shows, many different live animals will be present such as alligators, snakes, bald eagles, and many others. Also, the City’s Families, Parks & Recreation Department will be giving away free backyard trees in celebration of Arbor Day. Better Homes & Gardens radio talk show host, Tom Maccubbin, will be on hand to answer your horticulture questions.

There will be interactive children’s activities (like Out-On-A-Limb kids tree climbing), a bounce house and much more! So bring the whole family and invite your friends to this fun, free educational festival. Bring your cameras, and prepare for an adventure in the wilderness. Please leave your pets at home; there are wild animals. Food will be available for purchase. Free admission and free door prizes! For more information: call Orlando Wetlands Park 407.568.1706.

Event Website: http://www.cityoforlando.net/public_works/wetlands/festival/index.htm

The Friends of the Orlando Wetlands have a website which provides updated information on activities at the park http://www.orlandowetlands.org and are also on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoWetlands.

Directions to Fort Christmas Park:
From Orlando, take S.R. 50 East to Christmas, Florida. Turn left onto C.R. 420 (Ft. Christmas Rd.), continue north 1.8 miles. Fort Christmas Park will be on your left. Free parking will be located on your right across from the Park. The address is 1300 North Fort Christmas Road, Christmas, FL 32709.

Win Binoculars in Contest About Feathers!

Cornell Lab of Ornithology News Release

Rumpled or resplendent, how a bird’s feathers are displayed can be an indication of how its day is going. The Celebrate Urban Birds citizen-science project is looking for entries to its “Fascinating Feathers” challenge—entries may be photos, artwork, videos, poems, or stories and must be submitted to www.CelebrateUrbanBirds.org by January 15, 2014.

Some birds, like the Black-capped Chickadee shown above, have an abnormal amount of white in their feathers. Photo by Luke Berg. Birds with tufts or crests can raise or lower them at will, indicating everything from interest to irritation. Their feathers may be ruffled by the wind or because they see another bird trespassing on their territory. They may spread their wings or tails. And birds spend a lot of time preening to keep their feathers clean and can twist themselves into some strange positions.

"Consider the ordinary city pigeon," says project leader Karen Purcell. "This gray and white bird may be quite boring to some, but a closer look reveals stunning iridescent purple and green feathers on its neck and upper chest. That’s the goal of this challenge: to get people of all ages outside looking at birds more carefully and finding beauty in even the most common birds."

To learn more about the Fascinating Feathers challenge and contest rules, visit www.CelebrateUrbanBirds.org. Winners will be posted on the Celebrate Urban Birds website. Prizes include Pennington bird feeders, Opticron binoculars, bird sound CDs, and much more.

Celebrate Urban Birds is a free citizen-science project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Participants collect information about birds in cities and get communities involved in nature through science, gardening, and the arts.

Audubon Restoration Work in the Gulf Gets $5 Million Boost

Reprinted from the Audubon Chapter Leader Update

Last week, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Gulf Coast states announced $113 million in funding for environmental restoration projects from NFWF’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, created as part of the criminal settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice, BP and Transocean. The money is intended to restore natural resources that were harmed by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Of those funds, Audubon Florida is receiving $3.2 million to create a comprehensive Panhandle coastal bird conservation program, while Audubon Mississippi will receive a $1.6 million grant to do coastal bird stewardship, and an additional $200,000 as part of a $2.6 million coastal stream and habitat program that is being done in conjunction with The Nature Conservancy, for a total of $5 million in funding for Audubon projects in the Gulf. In addition, in Louisiana, $40.4 million is going toward a diversion project on the Mississippi River, a longstanding goal that begins to restore the natural flow of America’s river.

A strong endorsement of our work along the Gulf Coast, this is a great new beginning – and it’s also really great news for birds.

Audubon and Pew: Florida’s Coastal Birds Could Face Threat to Food Supply

From Audubon Florida

Already pressured by a steady loss of habitat, many of Florida's imperiled and iconic coastal waterbirds are vulnerable to declines in small fish that are necessary for their survival, according to a report by Audubon Florida and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

"Fins and Feathers: Why little fish are a big deal to Florida's coastal waterbirds" (http://fl.audubonaction.org/site/R?i=0HoW2NScQhEWIe-97JtZhw) examines the crucial link between birds and the diverse array of small fish that are a critical food source. Declines in the populations of these fish, known alternatively as forage fish, prey fish or baitfish, could threaten imperiled birds such as Brown Pelicans, Roseate Spoonbills, Black Skimmers and Reddish Egrets, according to the report.

"In Florida, our environment is directly linked to our quality of life and our economy," said Julie Wraithmell, Audubon Florida's Director of Wildlife Conservation. "This report shows how important baitfish are to Florida's coastal birds, environment, communities and economy. Fisheries policy must consider the ecological and economic vitality that hinges on these smallest of fish."

Few regulations limit the amount of forage fish such as sardines and herring that are hauled out of Florida's coastal waters each year. Fishery managers can help conserve Florida's forage fish and its natural resources by accounting for the needs of predators such as seabirds when setting fishing rules in Florida's coastal waters. Bird conservation efforts historically have focused on other threats such as habitat loss, with less emphasis on ensuring prey abundance and availability. With many birds already pressured by a steady loss of habitat, this report reveals a new and critical conservation gap at a time when leaders can act before it's too late.

In light of the report's analysis, Audubon Florida and Pew encourage the state to:

Account for the forage needs of coastal waterbirds before expanding current forage fisheries or allowing the development of new forage fisheries.
Ensure sufficient abundance, variety, and sizes of forage fish species to meet the needs of coastal waterbirds and other marine wildlife when setting management limits on forage fisheries.
Identify and map foraging areas for nesting coastal waterbirds and areas subject to forage fisheries; analyze potential overlap of these areas and activities; and consider conservation and management options to avoid or minimize potential conflicts.
Protect forage fish habitat such as mangrove and seagrasses, as well as water quantity and quality in the estuaries.

Coastal development in Florida directly harms seagrass beds, mangrove forests and salt marshes, all of which serve as critical nursery habitat for forage fish. Similarly, changes in the quantity, quality and timing of freshwater that flows into estuaries threaten to degrade and diminish the quality of these important places for fish. At the same time, habitat loss and coastal development also pose risks to many of Florida's bird populations.

For additional information, including details on specific species, see the full report here: http://bit.ly/FinsandFeathers (16mb)

Crow Kills

Author Unknown, emailed to Dee Simpson by her in-laws

Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts.

However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints appeared on the bird's beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.

MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills.

The Ornithological Behaviorist very quickly concluded the cause: when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger. They discovered that while all the lookout crows could shout "Cah", not a single one could shout "Truck."

Audubon's State of the Everglades Report Now Available

Audubon's Fall/Winter Report on the State of the Everglades is now available for download! Click here to download your copy of our comprehensive biannual report on the River of Grass: http://fl.audubonaction.org/site/R?i=WFPgDbRw641f9fcA1sJYYQ

The year’s tragic conditions in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries exemplified the need for urgency in restoring the Everglades. Projects that allow more water to flow south will reduce the occurrence of toxic algae blooms and associated wildlife impacts.

Audubon recommended specific actions to respond to this environmental disaster and many have already been advanced by state and federal decision-makers. Your participation made a difference!

Take a moment to check out our latest report for a comprehensive and concise examination of these recent successes and other progress in the fight to restore the River of Grass.

Birds at Your Feeder Provide Clues to Scientists: Help needed to track disease affecting House Finches

Cornell Lab of Ornithology Press Release

House Finches may be found at feeders across much of North America and if you see these little birds, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology would like to know about it. Scientists specifically want to know if the birds you see appear healthy or if they have redness and swelling around the eyes—signs of a bacterial disease (Mycoplasma gallisepticum) that first appeared in 1994 and is now found in House Finch populations from coast to coast.

The eyes of this female House Finch are swollen by disease. Photo by Dan Fleming. This special push to track both sick and healthy House Finches is being carried out through the Cornell Lab’s Project FeederWatch, an annual winter survey of feeder birds that runs from November through April. New participants are invited to sign up to help at www.FeederWatch.org. Making the correct ID is important, so there's additional help provided in distinguishing among similar species, such as the Purple Finch and Cassin's Finch.

"House finches are providing a unique window into disease dynamics," says Wesley Hochachka, Assistant Director of Bird Populations Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "We want to understand how this disease is spreading, if cases are more or less severe than they used to be, and how the birds’ immune systems are adapting to fight this threat." Though this disease does not affect people, understanding how it's transmitted provides insight into how human diseases are spread.

House Finch eye disease first appeared in the eastern United States and arrived in parts of the West in 2003. There is evidence suggesting that western bacteria could cause more severe disease now than in the past.

"Collecting reports from western states is especially important because the disease is still spreading there," says FeederWatch project leader Emma Greig. "We hope to encourage participation in states such as Utah, Colorado, and Nevada, because the data they provide are extremely valuable."

To learn more about FeederWatch and to sign up, visit www.FeederWatch.org or call the Cornell Lab toll-free at (866) 989-2473. In return for the $15 fee ($12 for Cornell Lab members), participants receive the FeederWatcher Handbook and Instructions with tips on how to attract birds to your feeders, an identification poster of common feeder birds, and a calendar. Participants also receive Winter Bird Highlights, an annual summary of FeederWatch findings, plus the Cornell Lab's quarterly newsletter. This year participants will also receive a coupon for 75-cents off a product from sponsor Bob's Red Mill. One thousand new FeederWatchers will receive an additional coupon for a free Bob's Red Mill product (up to $7.99 value).

Project FeederWatch is a joint research and education project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.

First Prosecution of Wind Company for Killing Birds

Reprinted from American Bird Conservancy Updates

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement on the prosecution of Duke Energy’s wind developments in Wyoming in connection with the deaths of 14 Golden Eagles and 149 other protected birds, amounting to $1 million in fines and mitigation actions. This is the first prosecution of a wind company in connection with bird mortality.

“This is a welcome action by DOJ and one that we have long anticipated,” said Dr. George Fenwick, President of American Bird Conservancy (ABC), a longtime advocate for stronger federal management of the wind industry. “Wind energy is not ‘green’ if it is killing hundreds of thousands of birds. We are pro-wind and pro-alternative energy, but development needs to be Bird Smart. The unfortunate reality is that the flagrant violations of the law seen in this case are widespread.” See http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/131122.html for more information.

Bird Links of Interest on the Web

Review: Bird Sense: What it’s Like to be a Bird, by Tim Birkhead

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Join Space Coast Audubon Society for our November 15th Meeting “See You Out There”

By Jim Eager, Space Coast Audubon Society Publicity Chair

WHERE: Rockledge Presbyterian Church, 921 Rockledge Dr, Rockledge, FL.
WHEN: November 15, 2013 at 7:30 pm

Tom Dunkerton of Thomas J. Dunkerton Photography will be our speaker and will be presenting See "You Out There"

Tom is a birding and photography fixture locally here along the Space Coast in Brevard County and around Florida. Anyone who goes to Merritt Island NWR on a regular basis has undoubtedly crossed paths with Tom. Throughout his childhood, Tom was always involved in the arts and nature. Growing up in New York he had the best of both worlds. Having always been a casual birder, upon moving to Florida in 1995, birding became a more serious hobby.

Tom started photographing birds and wildlife in 2003 as it seemed a natural progression, to couple photography with birding. He has worked as a seasonal field research technician for the Florida Scrub-jay Program on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a Merritt Island National Wildlife refuge volunteer, and has had many images published in various local and national publications. As a member of the Nikon Pro Staff since 2007 Tom has represented Nikon at various birding events around the country promoting and showcasing Nikon sports optics. And, I’m sure he has answered his share of photography questions as his photography equipment of choice is also Nikon.

In addition, to leading field trips, he hosts digiscoping and photography seminars. At the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival he conducts a digiscoping workshop entitled, “It’s a Beautiful Thing”.

Come and join us for an incredible photographic journey into the world of one of the region’s premier nature photographers. We are looking forward to another great turnout.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

September Migration by Helen Cruickshank

Submitted by Jim Eager

This is a short story written by Helen Cruickshank, who as many of you know teamed with husband, Allan, and between them were legends in the field of ornithology, photography, lecturing and field trip leading not only in and around Cocoa, but throughout Florida and North America. Their contributions were immense.

Helen died in March 1994 at the age of 92. In 1988, just before the first issue of that year's The Limpkin, the chapter newsletter for Indian River Audubon, Bob Brown asked Helen if she would consider writing a monthly article for publication. She agreed. The year after her death Indian River Audubon published "The Nature of Helen", a collection of her essays.

Of the approximately 9,000 species of birds in the world more than half make annual migrations. Some species may only drop from a high alpine meadow to the valley below and reverse that brief journey in the spring. Others span the vast seas or the continents. The Arctic Tern is regarded the world champion of migrants. Some nest on open ground within 400 miles of the North Pole and some spend our winter on the Antarctic Sea which is enjoying its summer days.

Scientists speculate that billions of individual birds make annual migrations. By fall much of the fine spring plumage of birds has changed. Peterson's "Guide" even has a section called "Confusing Fall Warblers" to warn us to use caution in identifying birds then. The number of fall migrants is much greater than in spring for the host of adult birds is swollen by young of the year that have survived the dangers of youth long enough to leave their birth place. To me there is an exciting sense of adventure and romance in fall migration for the birds are moving toward strange places I would love to see and they will associate with beautiful and wonderful birds I know only from books.

Though Purple Martin migration begins in July it does not peak until September. In some parts of the country the martins form tremendous flocks. Strangely, this largest and most loved of our swallows often faces great danger when a flock settles in town for the night. Some people are so infuriated by their twittering and numbers men have been known to blast them with shot guns. Many of the martins that successfully complete their dangerous migration will spend our winter scattered widely over the northern half of South America.

Like many insect-eaters, Common Nighthawks feed as they travel and in September flocks of a hundred or more in erratic flight move steadily south over Brevard County. Some of them will travel all the way to Argentina where they may catch insects put to flight by rheas or screamers or long-tailed meadowlarks that have a bright red breast.

Periodic flocks of Chimney Swifts move south over Brevard in September. Their roosting habits are spectacular. Late one afternoon in Tallahassee I watched a loose flock draw together in a compact mass and from it a thin stem of whirling birds began to drop and this grew longer and longer like the funnel of a tornado. Then suddenly the tip of the rope-like group plunged into a tall chimney in the middle of the city. In moments the entire flock had vanished. At dawn the next day they continued on their way, many to spend our winter in the upper part of the Amazon. Would some of them see a cock-of-the-rock? Or even that parakeet so recently discovered by Robert Ridgely that its description has not yet been published?

On some September days I see Black Terns moving steadily down the Indian River. They are cosmopolitan birds occurring in suitable habitat around the world. In imagination they can take us to African lakes such as Nakuru where a million flamingos feed or to the shores of Patagonia where penguins congregate or the coast of Chile where condors drop from great heights to feed on carrion cast ashore by the Pacific.

These are common birds known to all of us. Except for the martin, their voices are not very pleasing. Their plumage is prosaic. Yet what wonderful lives they live! Fall migration, lacking in brilliance of breeding birds, is quite as exciting as the arrival of birds in spring.

St. Augustine Trip Report

Written by David Simpson, photos by Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Dee and I spent the weekend in St. Augustine. We wanted to show Peregrine falcons to some friends of ours from Gainesville. Saturday morning, we hit the hawk watch, a week after the watch ended, at the north bach access of Guana River State Park. The platform on top of the dune is a great spot to watch for hawk migration while also keeping an eye on the lake. Winds were out of the southwest, probably the worst you could ask for on a fall hawk watch on the east coast of Florida. A Merlin flew directly over us in the parking lot, giving us a comparison to what we were looking for. On the platform we spied a distant Peregrine falcon which stayed far off for most of the time we were there. Eventually, another Peregrine came right off the ocean, over our heads, giving us nice looks.

Later that evening, after finding some good ice cream in St. Augustine Beach, we headed to Vilano Beach to walk the beaches near Porpoise Point. The tide was rising and the birds on the point across the inlet at Anastasia State Park were retreating and looking for higher beaches. On our side of the water, we found a nice flock of gulls, terns, and eventually skimmers. Most of the gulls were Laughing gulls as would be expected. About 20 Lesser black-backed gulls were across the way at the park. Other gulls were represented by singles, one Great black-backed, one Herring, one Ring-billed, and one FRANKLIN's. The Franklin's was a first year bird. Dee took some shots of the bird, or at least the portion of the flock where the bird was. Lighting was a bit iffy at this late hour, and we have not looked at the pics to see what we got.

Sunday morning promised to be better for hawk watching. It lied. We saw nothing from the hawk watch. Ducks were in better supply. Blue-winged teal and Northern shoveler were cruising the lake at Six Mile Landing and near the tower. Four Northern pintail came in for a landing near the tower. Six Mile Landing had several birds around including two Swainson's thrushes and several Painted buntings along with several wintering birds including my FOTS Yellow-rumped warbler.

We also ran into James Wheat on both days at the platform. James helped to point out several of the birds we saw.

New Book: The Unfeathered Bird

Reprinted from The Unfeathered Bird web site (http://www.unfeatheredbird.com)

There is more to a bird than simply feathers. And just because birds evolved from a single flying ancestor, doesn’t mean they are structurally all the same. With over 300 stunning drawings representing 200 species, The Unfeathered Bird is the most richly illustrated book on bird anatomy ever produced and offers a refreshingly original insight into what goes on beneath the surface. Each exquisite drawing is made from an actual specimen and reproduced in sumptuous large format. The birds are shown in lifelike positions and engaged in behavior typical of the species: a fish’s-eye view of a swimming loon skeleton, the musculature of a porpoising penguin, and an unfeathered sparrowhawk plucking its prey. Jargon free and easily accessible to any reader, the lively text relates birds’ anatomy with their lifestyle and evolution, examining such questions as, why penguins are bigger than auks, whether harrier hawks really have double-jointed legs, and the difference between wing claws and wing spurs. A landmark in popular ornithological literature, The Unfeathered Bird is a must for anyone with an appreciation of birds, bird art, or both.

Lagoon Coalition News - Upcoming Events

Inspirational Free Evening of Song and Story to Save the Lagoon

Saving the Indian River Lagoon is a major issue in both Brevard and Indian River Counties, and on Saturday, November 9, at 7 p.m., two major participants in the fight will entertain with songs and stories at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach. The event – “Healing Our World and Ourselves” – is free, no tickets or reservations required, but donations will be gratefully accepted.

Shyla Nelson, an internationally acclaimed speaker, classical singer, voice trainer, author, environmental advocate and founder of "One Earth. One Voice," will provide the music. Sr. Pat Siemen, Professor at Barry University Law School, and Director of the Center for Earth Jurisprudence – working to save Florida's Springs and all Earth's treasures by giving the Earth a voice – will engage with stories.

This two-hour event is prelude to a February symposium focused on how climate disruption is related to our legal system, food system, water system, rights system, faith practices and our denial system. The two-day symposium, with 16 inspiring speakers, will be held at UUFVB on February 21 and 22.

The UU Fellowship, offering a liberal religion on the Treasure Coast, has easy parking and is handicapped accessible. It is located at 1590 27th Avenue on the southeast corner of 27th Avenue and 16th Street. For more information, call 772-778-5880.

Citizens’ Clean Water Summit

Date: November 16, 2013
Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: University of Central Florida - Fairwinds Alumni Center, 12676 Gemini Blvd. North, Orlando, FL 32816

Here is the idea: Bring representatives of the many water quality advocacy organizations from around the state together in one place for a day of planning.

The ultimate goal: Send summit attendees back to their respective organizations with the tools and contacts to organize coordinated regional and statewide action.

We aim to get leaders, like you, from each of 150 different organizations to accomplish the following:

Build solidarity between the state’s independent regional water movements
Create a framework for continued collaboration and mobilization
Plan a progression of concerted activities to bring the full force of the clean water movement directly to decision makers

The Citizens’ Clean Water Summit is a collaborative effort – the Planning Team, growing every day, is comprised of activists from Sierra Club, St. Johns Riverkeeper, Florida Wildlife Federation, Center for Earth Jurisprudence, IDEAS for Us, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Earthjustice, Mother Ocean, Clean Water Action, Florida Defenders of the Environment, Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute Inc., Indian Riverkeeper, League of Women Voters of Florida, Marine Resources Council, Pelican Island Audubon Society, Putnam County Environmental Council, REEF RELIEF, Wakulla Springs Alliance and more.

Please don’t miss this opportunity – we need your group’s participation!

You must register through our Eventbrite link in order to attend: https://www.eventbrite.com/event/8755330429/?ref=estw

DEADLINE to register: Close of business on 11/7/13.

For more info contact:
Macy Zander: 260-450-4946 macy.zander@sierraclub.org
Cris Costello: 941-914-0421 cris.costello@sierraclub.org

$10 includes lunch and admission to the event. Seats are limited so reserve now!

Parking is free at parking garage H (adjacent to the Alumni Center). View parking map at http://goo.gl/maps/dXhBH

Coffee, tea and networking will begin at 8:30 a.m.