June 2008 Newsletter Marti Daltry, President

Special Events & Meetings

CRCA meeting 6:30pm July 9 Bridge St Coffee House, LaBelle

Visit the CRCA web site to submit your special recipe to the Caloosahatchee Cookbook.

Riverwatch has a trailer and 4 canoes for special membership events.

For more river news visit the CRCA web site at crca.caloosahatchee.org Also, you can renew your membership online Algae Bloom Upstream of Franklin Lock in Early June Cassani on Blooms Seeking Input on Alternatives John Cassani, a founding member of Forest Michael of Transystems will CRCA, shared his opinion on the recent discuss ideas for C-43 water storage at News Press article on the algae blooms the July 9 CRCA meeting in LaBelle in the Caloosahatchee River. He points after presenting these concepts at a out that the problem is worse than many July 3 Water Resources Advisory realize, given their limited historical Committee (WRAC) meeting in West perspective. People tend to adjust to Palm Beach. Transystems will also degraded conditions and gradually present ideas to the Hendry County consider them normal. Commission on July 22. [Input [Letter to Editor] Request] [Riverwatch Ideas] 125 Water Summit Delegates Land Swaps for Plan 6? The Century Commission will convene With the acquistion of all US Sugar a state water summit Sep 25-26 to holdings, the state will have the ability recommend steps for a long-term water to create the land swaps needed to conservation, use and supply plan for consolidate properties for the Plan 6 environmental, agricultural & public flowway system. These land swaps consumption purposes. While anyone would preserve agricultural lands in can attend, 125 delegates will be named Hendry County thus mitigating the by the steering committee to vote on the negative economic effects of the buy- various recommendations. [Invitation] out. [Crist PR] [Map] [Sugar PR] [Steering Committee Members] Glades Co. Emphasis on Dike Draft Report Released At a May 28 meeting with Chairman RWA completed the Hendry County Oberstar of the U.S. House land use study with an eye towards Infrastructure Committee, Glades County integrating agriculture, ecosystems, Commissioner Russell Echols and U.S. and development. It proposes a broad Rep. Tim Mahoney emphasized the need set of recommendations designed to to accelerate Corps repairs to the guide planning towards balance. The Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake O. report will identify areas critical to ag Current budgets would take 15 years to production as a first step towards a complete. [Echols Comments] TDR program. [Report] [Appendix]

1600 Miles in a Canoe in 1882 Caloosahatchee Protection Plan In 1881-82 Kirk Monroe wrote a Janet Starnes of SFWMD is leading the journal during his harrowing journey in effort to develop alternatives for water the sailing canoe "Psyche" 1600 miles quality goals in the Caloosahatchee through waters. Page 15 (77) watershed. Four alternatives will be starts the Caloosahatchee leg that considered with a draft plan scheduled continues to Lake O and the Kissimmee. for release in October 2008. [Agenda] [Story] [Details]

Trichodesmium Bloom CRCA-Riverwatch Cookbook Sanibel Captiva Conservation Caloosahatchee Cookbook invites you Foundation along with the City have to share some of your favorite recipes, verified and are tracking a including picnic & boating favorites. Your Trichodesmium erythraeum bloom in the culinary secrets will be included in the area, Beach, Gulf and Bay. They are fundraising cookbook. The sooner you evaluating next steps. submit, the better your chances of being [Details] [Bloom Microscopic View] included. [Form]

Nelson on Energy & Water Congressmen Discuss River Hosted by Gulf Citrus Growers in U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney hosted Reps. LaBelle on May 29, Senator Jim Oberstar & Connie Mack for a talked water & energy. Citizens raised Caloosahatchee River restoration the need for WRDA projects including discussion in LaBelle on Wed, May 28 the C-43 reservoir and Lake O dike. talking about funding needs for the C-43 Nelson discussed offshore oil drilling, West Reservoir and then touring Lake O pointing out the primary need for & the Herbert Hoover Dike enroute to alternative energy and the failure of oil discussions about the St. Lucie River. companies to exploit existing leases. [News-Press] [PalmBeachPost] [Caloosa Belle] Aftermath of Lake Fires Downward Slide Fires on the edges of Lake Despite the green reputation of Gov. Okeechobee earlier this spring raged , pollution enforcement in FL along the western shore. Fires release continues to decline, according to an nutrients through the ash left in their analysis of the latest state statistics wake. As summer rains commence and released by Public Employees for lake levels rise, the ash will enter the Environmental Responsibility (PEER). water column creating the potential to [Details] magnify algae blooms. [Photo] [News- Press] [Sun-Sentinel] Creeks Dedication Best Water BOCC in Florida Local citizens, county officials and In 2006 Lee County requested the environmental reps dedicated the creation of an ordinance to reduce the Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve at a excessive nutrients flowing into our ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 20. rivers and the Gulf. Eventually, the Conservation 20/20 senior supervisor strongest ordinance in FL was adopted Cathy Olson emphasized that this was on May 13, 2008 after key staff of the their first project with trails, canoe Natural Resources Dept (Roland launches, picnic facilities, parking and Ottolini, Karen Bickford, and Kurt more. [N. Ft. Myers Neighbor] Harclerode) drafted & redrafted its provisions. [News-Press] DEP Water Budget Cut Pea Soup River In addition to suffering dramatic The water contrast upstream and budget cuts, the TMDL funds of the DEP downstream of Franklin Lock is Watershed Resources Management dramatic. The algae bloom is so thick Division have been held back this year. that boats leave trails in the water. Flow All this in a time when TMDL issues are at Townsend Canal is vigorous, which is critical throughout the state. where the bloom starts. [nbc-2.com] [DEP V1-I2] [Budget News] [DEP [Photo Gallery] V1-I1]