Allie Preston, Author at Friends of the Everglades

Hulu presents a tribute to Friends founder, Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Last week we told you about a new monument being built in honor of Friends of the Everglades founder Marjory Stoneman Douglas. This week, we're thrilled to share the first episode of a complementary animated mini-series produced by Hulu that tells the stories of the women that inspired the monuments. This episode, dedicated to Marjory, chronicles her life as a writer, conservationist, and "professional nuisance" as she battled powerful industries and public perception to preserve and protect the vital Everglades ecosystem. In the end, she knew that one voice was not enough. Marjory made sure to preserve the legacy of environmental advocacy she pioneered, founding Friends of the Everglades in 1969 and inspiring thousands to step up as voices of [...]

Allie Preston2021-09-02T16:19:15-04:00September 2nd, 2021|Marjory Stoneman Douglas|

Tell the Army Corps: Any toxic algae is too much toxic algae.

Lake Okeechobee cyanobacteria bloom 8-30-21. Photo by Ralph Arwood. First shared on Facebook by the Calusa Waterkeeper. Last week the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave us some “homework.” At the end of an Aug. 25 meeting on the proposed new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual — LOSOM — the Corps asked participants to think about how much blue-green algae is too much. Specifically, the Corps asked what “indicators” might signify that poor water quality or algae blooms on Lake Okeechobee are “significant enough” to allow water managers to consider taking action? And if so, what should water managers do to reduce the risk to public health and the environment? The answers should be obvious to anyone who [...]

Allie Preston2021-08-31T10:32:11-04:00August 31st, 2021|LOSOM|

Exciting news to celebrate Women’s Equality Day!

Here's to the "women who did not let what people imagined they were limit who they became." — Saya Woolfalk This Women’s Equality Day, we have news to share. Of roughly 5,200 monuments in this country, fewer than 400 are dedicated to women. That imbalance inspired the video-streaming company Hulu to create three new public monuments — including one dedicated to Friends of the Everglades founder Marjory Stoneman Douglas. We are ecstatic. Hulu’s monuments will honor the contributions of three American women who dramatically shaped our culture through their commitments to inspire lasting and impactful change. In addition to the monument honoring Majory Stoneman Douglas, Hulu is creating monuments to Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Coretta Scott King. Artist mock-up [...]

Allie Preston2021-08-26T11:32:24-04:00August 26th, 2021|Marjory Stoneman Douglas|

VIDEO: What’s going on with red tide?

We have a system that helps us identify impaired water bodies. We have established targets for necessary pollution reduction to bring water bodies back to health. But the state of Florida is failing to crack down on polluters by adequately enforcing these rules. The results are catastrophic. Just look to the prolonged red tide event happening right now on the west coast for proof. We'd like to extend a big thanks to Jacki Lopez of Center for Biological Diversity, Justin Bloom of Suncoast Waterkeeper, and our own Gil Smart for sharing their insight and knowledge with us as we talked red tide during today's Clean Water Conversation. If you missed the event today, you can find the full recording below. And as recommended during [...]

Allie Preston2021-08-25T14:01:45-04:00August 25th, 2021|All Posts, Clean Water Conversations, Toxic Algae, Wildlife Habitat|

Miami-Dade County should deny application to expand Urban Development Boundary

As a member of the Hold the Line Coalition, Friends of the Everglades signed on to the following letter urging Miami-Dade County Commissioners to "deny and do not transmit" an application filed by the Aligned Real Estate Holdings LLC and South Dade Industrial Partners LLC that would allow for the building of a 794-acre industrial complex on agricultural property that sits outside of the county's Urban Development Boundary. The development not only represents unnecessary threats to Biscayne Bay and Everglades National Park, but also could create additional pressure to bring cargo jets to the nearby Homestead Air Reserve Base. The County's own Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources' Planning staff wisely recommends that this application be denied. We could not [...]

Allie Preston2021-08-25T10:57:07-04:00August 25th, 2021|Friends of the Everglades Statements, Homestead Air Reserve Base|

We need your help to stop an 800-acre development on farmland in Homestead

There's a swath of farmland in Homestead that represents some of the last remaining green space in Miami-Dade County. It's not far from Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys. It sits outside the county's Urban Development Boundary. Yet developers want to build a 794-acre industrial complex on the agricultural property — posing a needless threat to Biscayne Bay and, potentially, Everglades restoration efforts. The proposal also could create additional pressure to bring cargo jets to the nearby Homestead Air Reserve Base, a dangerous idea. Luckily, the county's own staff has wisely recommended the Board of County Commissioners deny this development application. We need commissioners to follow that advice. If you're a resident of Miami-Dade County, we're making it easy for [...]

Allie Preston2021-08-17T11:52:53-04:00August 17th, 2021|Action Alerts, Homestead Air Reserve Base|

Everglades Illustrated: The northern estuaries are stronger together

See the three southern outlets from Lake Okeechobee circled in red? Each of them represents an opportunity to remove harm from the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries. This week the Army Corps of Engineers announced its goals for improving the foundation of a new plan that will govern releases from Lake Okeechobee for the next decade, called LOSOM. The “optimization” goals presented were the result of thousands of public comments submitted to the Corps by stakeholders across the state — including Friends of the Everglades supporters. The Corps aims to strike more regional balance throughout a system that has long catered to the powerful agricultural industry south of Lake Okeechobee. Though we viewed the foundational plan selected as an encouraging [...]

Allie Preston2021-08-10T12:06:18-04:00August 10th, 2021|Everglades Illustrated, LOSOM|

United we stand for a better Lake O plan

More than 1,100 Friends of the Everglades like you sent messages to the Army Corps of Engineers in recent weeks, asking for specific improvements to the new Lake Okeechobee plan that’s being developed. Today, we saw where the Army Corps took our advice, and where we still have work to do. During a virtual meeting, Corps officials unveiled new details of the preferred alternative for the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual, or LOSOM — the “playbook” for managing the lake in the decade to come. Col. Andrew Kelly, who is leading the effort, articulated goals for how the plan, previously known as “Alternative CC,” will be optimized and deliver benefits to all stakeholders. Friends of the Everglades previously made [...]

Allie Preston2021-08-09T16:29:01-04:00August 9th, 2021|LOSOM|

Your moment of Everglades Zen: Successful restoration looks like this

We know the bad-news reel gets old. It’s good to stop and remember what we’re working so hard to protect. Here’s your dose of Everglades zen. Take a look at the 11-second video above. Posted to Twitter by Shannon Estenoz, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Park, it offers a glimpse of the completed restoration of the Kissimmee River from a channelized canal back to historic, winding oxbows. Twenty-two years after construction began, the project represents progress our founder, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, would be proud of. She spoke vehemently about the disastrous impacts that removing the serpentine curves of the Everglades’ headwaters would have on the entire flowing ecosystem from the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes to [...]

Allie Preston2021-08-03T15:44:10-04:00August 3rd, 2021|All Posts, Everglades Restoration, Everglades Zen|

Relief on the horizon?

Is relief from harmful discharges and toxic blue-green algae finally in sight for the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries? In meetings around the state this week, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials heard praise and criticism of Plan “CC,” the proposal chosen as the framework for the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM). Plan CC could cut discharges to the St. Lucie by 60 percent, and send more water south to the Everglades and Florida Bay. But it needs work. It must do more to protect the Caloosahatchee and send more dry-season flows to the Everglades and Florida Bay. And you can email the Corps today asking for modifications that prioritize public health and environmental protection across the Greater [...]

Allie Preston2021-07-30T10:01:52-04:00July 30th, 2021|LOSOM|

About Allie Preston