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Help us make this The Last Burn Season

We know a picture’s worth a thousand words, and this year Friends of the Everglades has worked to visually chronicle the story of sugarcane burning in Florida. The images, seen here in the carousel above, are alarming. May marked the final days of the 2021-2022 burn season, which began in October. For the last eight months, large plumes of smoke regularly darkened the sky over Glades communities. Smoke and black ash became the regular backdrop for community and family events, encroaching on barbecues, wedding receptions, playgrounds, and roadways adjacent to burning fields. Mounting evidence from ProPublica and The Palm Beach Post’s investigative reporting, and [...]

2022-06-01T13:30:17-04:00May 31st, 2022|Action Alerts, All Posts, Sugarcane Burning|
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VIDEO: Let’s make this the Last Burn Season

Colin Walkes painted a stark picture for us today, asking each of us to think what it's like to celebrate a wedding in our backyards as plumes of smoke billow in the background and black ash rains down to rest on a loved one's white dress. Though it may seem unimaginable to some, smoke as a backdrop to daily life is a familiar reality for residents of the Glades communities south of Lake Okeechobee that can last up to eight months of each year. Courageous local leaders have inspired a movement for justice to bring an end to sugarcane burning in favor of safer, sustainable, burn-free harvesting. We are grateful to Colin Walkes, Robert Mitchell and Patrick Ferguson for leading [...]

2022-05-26T14:45:03-04:00May 26th, 2022|Action Alerts, Clean Water Conversations, Sugarcane Burning|
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The South Dade industrial complex is a litmus test for Miami-Dade commissioners

  Today, Miami-Dade County commissioners will cast a final vote on a developers’ proposal to add almost 800 acres of rural land off Florida’s Turnpike to the Urban Development Boundary. Friends of the Everglades executive director Eve Samples traveled to Miami to deliver the following comments in opposition to the industrial complex which threatens valuable green space and Biscayne Bay restoration efforts. Chairman and Commissioners, I’m Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. We were founded in 1969 to fend off a dangerous development that threatened the Everglades ecosystem. Back then, it was the Everglades Jetport. Today, it is the South Dade industrial complex. This vote is a litmus test. The outcome will reflect whether your voiced support [...]

2022-06-01T13:30:32-04:00May 19th, 2022|All Posts, Hold the Line|
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Everglades Coalition Asks DeSantis to Veto SB 2508

This week, the Everglades Coalition sent a letter to Gov. DeSantis requesting that he veto SB 2508. Sixty-one organizations make up the coalition devoted to restoration, preservation, and protection of the Greater Everglades. The letter applauds DeSantis's early opposition to the nefarious introduction of SB 2508 and strongly urges him to reject the remaining threats left in the bill, which would preserve the status quo that has led to toxic algae blooms in Florida. This united front from Florida's leading voices in Everglades restoration represents a critical mass of opposition to what has been recognized as one the worst environmental bills to emerge from Tallahassee. Private citizens can add their voice to the fight by clicking here to send DeSantis [...]

2022-06-01T13:30:43-04:00May 13th, 2022|All Posts, SB 2508|
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Save the Deep-sea Oculina Coral reefs from trawling

Friends of the Everglades joined 37 organization in signing a letter asking NOAA to oppose the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s proposed Amendment 10 to the Coral, Coral Reefs, and Hard Bottom Fishery Management Plan which would allow shrimp trawlers to destroy the last deep-sea Oculina reefs off Florida. As the letter states, The Oculina Bank off the east coast of central Florida is the only known place in the world where deep-sea Oculina varicosa form reef structures. This one-of-a-kind ecosystem supports marine life throughout the region well beyond the reef itself. A single 12-inch coral can host up to 2,000 animals, including small fish, crabs, shrimp, and mollusks—many of which are food for higher trophic levels. Oculina Bank is [...]

2022-06-01T13:31:02-04:00May 10th, 2022|All Posts, Friends of the Everglades Statements, Wildlife Habitat|
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Everglades Illustrated: Stormwater Treatment Areas — Your tax dollars at work

Take a look at the graph above, showing data collected by the South Florida Water Management District and consider the following: There are roughly 60,000 acres of taxpayer-funded stormwater treatment areas (STAs) south of Lake Okeechobee. These man-made wetlands are designed to store and treat water before it reaches the southern Everglades. For each of the last 10 water years depicted above, the yellow portion of the bars represent the volume of water sent to the STAs directly from Lake Okeechobee. The much larger blue portion represents runoff sent to those same STAs by sources including indistrial sugarcane farms in the Everglades Agricultural Area. So what’s the problem? Coastal communities downstream of Lake Okeechobee are familiar with the horror that [...]

2022-05-11T10:03:26-04:00May 10th, 2022|Everglades Illustrated|
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Miami-Dade County: Take Action Today to Stop the South Dade Logistics and Tech Center

Miami-Dade County residents: We need your help. The 800-acre South Dade Logistics & Technology District application will come before Miami-Dade County Commissioners for a vote on May 19, 2022. Industrial development is not appropriate on this land, which is designated Coastal High Hazard Area, considered among the least-suitable for development in Miami-Dade. There are a few things you can do to help us take action today: 1. Use the button below to contact your County Commissioners with a pre-formatted letter. Tell them to vote NO on the District 8 Application for the South Dade Logistics and Technology District. 2. Attend the County Commission meeting, Thursday, May 19, at 9 a.m., where the project will receive a final vote. This meeting will [...]

2022-06-01T13:31:19-04:00May 9th, 2022|Action Alerts, Hold the Line|
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Miami-Dade County should reject application to expand the Urban Development Boundary

Friends of the Everglades joined Tropical Audubon Society, Everglades Law Center, Audubon Florida, and National Parks Conservation Association  in sending a letter to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commission to express our concerns and strong opposition regarding the application to expand the Urban Development Boundary (UDB) to create the South Dade Logistics and Technology District. Three areas of particular concern include: The SDLTD proposal lacks detailed analyses and would create unacceptable risks to wetlands, flood protection, floodplain management and our regional water supply. The promised economic benefits of the SDLTD amendment application are not real and the costs are greatly understated. The proposal is dramatically inconsistent with the Miami-Dade Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP) and its long-held planning policies. The [...]

2022-06-01T13:31:51-04:00May 5th, 2022|All Posts, Hold the Line|
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Your moment of Everglades zen: Evan Wexler brings Friends of the Everglades 2021 annual report to life

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. Each year, Friends of the Everglades puts together an annual report to document our accomplishments and support from the previous year. It’s an essential tool for conveying impact and helping supporters understand the value of their contributions. There is one piece of the project that is particularly fulfilling — choosing the images that help bring it to life. Because the Everglades is a remote and wild destination, it isn’t uncommon for supporters to admit to us that they haven’t actually spent a ton of time out there in this unique ecosystem. That’s where images come [...]

2022-05-02T15:41:36-04:00May 3rd, 2022|All Posts, Everglades Zen, Friends of the Everglades Statements|
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