THE PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO CONSERVING AND PROTECTING FLORIDA’S MARINE RESOURCES SUMMER 2018 The Issue: Water Quality and Habitat Around the State: Reef Projects on the Rise A Tribute to Karl Wickstrom SEA WATCH • SUMMER 2018 1 2 SEA WATCH • SUMMER 2018 SUMMER 2018 features The Latest on Water Quality and Habitat | 6 A Look Around the State | 10 Honoring Karl Wickstrom | 26 departments top comments ..........................................4 advocacy news .........................................5 around the state ..................................... 10 STAR news ............................................. 20 habitat horizon ....................................... 28 meet the artist ....................................... 34 picture it .............................................. 42 FWC .................................................... 46 CCA banquet schedule .............................. 48 PEFC – Program for the Endorsements of Forest Certification Recycled 10%. FSC Certified. The Forest Stewardship Council. THE PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO CONSERVING AND PROTECTING FLORIDA’S MARINE RESOURCES contentsSea Watch is published three times a Managing Editor CCA FLORIDA Ted Forsgren Jeffrey Dobbertien year by CCA Florida, a nonprofit state Teresa Donaldson STAFF Special Advisor Regional Director affiliate of the Coastal Conservation Advocacy Association. Editor Brian Gorski Miriam Askin Ted Forsgren Executive Director Adam Miller Administrative Director Editorial/business inquiries and Senior Regional Director Creative Director Dan Askin Mark Hoffman information requests: Dan Askin,P.O. Debbie Dewell Chief Operating Officer Nick Pectol Accounting Manager Box 568886, Orlando, Florida, 32856-8886 Great Minds, Inc. Regional Director 407-854-7002 850-386-7401 Trip Aukeman Leiza Fitzgerald Director of Advocacy Zack Batley STAR Director POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Regional Director Printer CCA Florida, P.O. Box 568886, Orlando, Durraprint, Frank Gidus Andrea Gillespie Tallahassee Director of Habitat & Amy Kuehnert STAR Assistant Director Florida, 32856-8886 Environmental Restoration Regional Director 407-854-7002 • ccaflorida.org Teresa Donaldson Amanda Krpan Director of Regional Director Cover by Eric Estrada Communications 2 SEA WATCH • SUMMER 2018 SEA WATCH • SUMMER 2018 3 Brian Gorski Executive Director CCA Florida Around the State Ron Crowder Chairman As an organization, we are nearing 20,000 members statewide, and we couldn’t be more excited. Your passion starting point continues to drive our efforts, and I am amazed by the number and quality of projects and events you’ve helped to lead this season to share CCA’s conservation and advocacy messages. A Stronger Voice With greater membership comes a stronger voice to address some of our state’s most pressing issues, including water This summer has been one of incred- quality and habitat. ible highs and lows and unbelievably busy We are expanding our habitat initiatives throughout the for CCA Florida from our staff to our vol- state, and members from every chapter are leading our ef- unteer leadership and members. While I’m forts to bring positive and meaningful change to our state’s thrilled with the successes we’ve seen as a resources. From waterway clean-ups to offshore and near- result of our collective efforts, we all have shore reef development, we are doing more than ever. been horrified by the damaging effects of In this edition of Sea Watch, you’ll find a new section, water quality issues and red tide. Around The State, which offers a glimpse into the work being led by our members with the support of our staff. Thank you With so many issues plaguing our state, for stepping up. It’s making a difference. And I can’t wait to specifically related to water quality, we are see what you do next. working diligently to do all that we can to help. This includes increasing our leadership of projects that help enhance water qual- ity from the bottom up, such as oyster reef restorations, vegetation plantings, coastal Looking For clean-ups and much more. And while our hands are busy doing A Guide? what we can in the water, our voice is even stronger and it’s powerful. Each of us indi- Log on to vidually, as well as a collective CCA mem- bership, must keep the pressure on our ccaflorida.org elected leadership. We must keep them focused and dedicated to addressing these and choose issues by accelerating authorization and funding of the projects that will help with from our recovery. regionalized In this edition of Sea Watch, you’ll find directory of Florida guides more on what CCA Florida is doing to help, and how you can make a difference. who support CCA’s conservation initiatives. advocacy news advocacy 4 top comments SEA WATCH • SUMMER 2018 U.S. House Passes 2018 Water Resources Development Act With projects as large as Everglades restora- Engineers still has to approve a Post- Authorization tion the devil really is in the details. Congress took Change for the reservoir. The proposed reservoir one critical step in the process on June 6, when the is but one of many projects that should help pro- House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed vide relief to the northern estuaries and the Ever- the 2018 Water Resources and Development Act glades system. We encourage you to reach out to (WRDA). The vote was 408 to 2. This legislation your Congressmen and Senators and voice your is important for Florida since it includes authoriza- strong support for getting this critical legislation tion for a large water storage reservoir south of passed in to law. Lake Okeechobee on state-owned lands. Florida had previously passed its own legislation authoriz- ing the reservoir during its 2017 legislative session. Water Resource legislation is usually tackled by Congress every couple of years, although the pattern of recent water bills has been somewhat irregular. These legislative acts typically authorize multiple Army Corps of Engineer infrastructure projects around the country, and also serve ad- ditional purposes for maintenance, upgrades, and improvements for existing water-related assets. The U.S. Senate now has to consider its own WRDA legislation, which is currently moving through appropriate Senate committees. Should the Senate pass its bill, the next step would be for the House and Senate to conference to work out any differences between each body’s version of the legislation. Should an acceptable bill emerge from the conference committee, the House and Senate would vote again on the final legislation and, if ap- proved by both, it would then go to the President for signature. Authorization in these legislative actions is one important step. The final require- FISHERIES NEWS ment would be for Congress to appropriate funds We’re pleased that an Atlantic Red for the projects contained in WRDA. Parallel ap- Snapper season for 2018 was announced propriation steps are on-going at this time in the back in July, as were anglers along the east House and Senate. coast. Over two three-day weekends, Au- Lastly, since the original intended use of the gust 10-12 and August 17-19, recreational state lands in question (as prescribed in the Com- prehensive Everglades Restoration Plan) was for a anglers hit the water to ejoy the fishery. different type of water storage, the Army Corps of advocacy news advocacy 4 SEA WATCH • SUMMER 2018 SEA WATCH • SUMMER 2018 5 ccaflorida.org ISSUE: WATER QUALITY AND HABITAT The current state of water quality on 3 CCA Florida supports other Central Everglades Planning Pro- Florida’s coasts and in several estuaries is cess (CEPP) projects, including additional bridging of Tamiami disturbing. Trail (now under construction), and curtain wall construction in South Miami-Dade County. Water quality is a high priority for CCA Florida, and we are doing everything we CCA Florida also supports currently planned storage and can to help through our advocacy efforts 4 treatment facilities north of Lake Okeechobee, to help insure as well as habitat restoration. water flowing into the Lake from the north is no longer con- taminated with damaging nutrients. Join us in the fight to save our state’s resources. Contact your elected leadership and tell them to prioritize the CCA Florida supported the passage of the Water Resources authorization and funding of projects that 5 Development Acts of 2016 and 2018, which authorize several will help with recovery. key South Florida water infrastructure projects. Here’s a comprehensive and timely review CCA Florida supports the C-111 projects in South Miami- of those projects and our efforts. 6 Dade. 1 CCA Florida supports the funding and completion of all Com- CCA Florida was one of few groups who supported South prehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP) Foundation 7 Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) efforts to in- projects, such as Kissimmee River restoration and the recon- crease water flows into Taylor Slough. This series of projects, struction and improvements of the Herbert Hoover Dike, now completed, will provide benefits to portions of Florida which are necessary elements for systemic Everglades water Bay. This involved building connections to existing canals, improvement. building canal plugs, the reconstruction of a C-31 West canal levee, and other component projects. 2 CCA Florida supports authorization and funding of projects in- volving water storage, treatment, and conveyance south, east, CCA Florida continues to encourage and promote better and west of Lake Okeechobee. This includes the Indian River 8 communication