Estuaries are enjoyed by many A

Estuaries are enjoyed by manyA fourth of all recreational boating activity in the U.S. occurs in Florida and a fi fth of the population arerecreational anglers. Some enjoy the estuaries themselves and others enjoy the bounty created as a result of the estuaries. This year, the CHNEP will ask boaters and anglers to identify and help solve the issues they believe threaten the health of the natural environment. Contact Maran Hilgendorf (see page 2) if you’d like to participate. Aaron Adams submitted this photograph for the CHNEP 2007 calendar.

Fall 2009: Volume 13, Issue 3

Dr. Lisa B. Beever, Director

Program update

Printed on recycled paper.

Harbor HappeningsFall 2009: Volume 13, Issue 3

The CHNEP publishes this free quarterly newsletter to provide information about the environmental “happenings” in the CHNEP study area. News items, photographs and letters are welcome and may be submitted to the CHNEP editor by mail or email. Deadlines are February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1. The newsletter is typically distributed in January, April, July and September.

The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily refl ect the views of the CHNEP or its cooperating agencies and associations. The men-tion of trade names or commercial products does not constitute, in any way, an endorsement or recommendation for use.

Request a free subscription by contacting the editor.EDITOR/DESIGNER: Maran Hilgendorf, [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS: Aaran Adams, Lisa Beever, Robert Cameron, Betsy Clayton, Geoff Coe, Liz Donley, Robyn Felix, Bob Ferraris, Bryan Fluech, Whitney Gray, Michelle Hankey, Joy Hazell, Maran Hilgendorf, Paul Holmes, Katie Laakkonen, Greg Margerum, Johnna Martinez, Demetra McBride, Chrystal Murray, Judy Ott, Nina Powers, Mary Rawl, Nadine Slimak, Betty Staugler, Philip Stevens, Janice Sylvain, Gaila Triggs, Angela VanEmmerick, Chelle Koster Walton

CHNEP is a partnership that protects the natural environmentfrom Venice to Bonita Springs to

Winter Haven.

Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program1926 Victoria Ave. • Fort Myers FL 33901-3414

239/338-2556 • Toll-Free 866/835-5785 • Fax 239/338-2560

www.CHNEP.org

Dr. Lisa B. Beever, [email protected] | ext 235

Liz Donley, Contracts & Grants [email protected] | ext 234

Maran Hilgendorf, Communications [email protected] | ext 240

Judy Ott, Program [email protected] | ext 230

Fish are an iconic symbol of the estuary. A tarpon is featured on our logo. Muggy (Mugil cephalus) the mullet is the featured animal for estuaries in the Adventures in the Charlotte Harbor Watershed children’s book. As you have seen in a previous issue, I enjoyed meeting Offi cer Snook at the Char-lotte Harbor Nature Festival in 2008. Having an understanding of the health, diversity and abundance of fi sh in our estuaries is a key to understanding the health of the estuary itself.

In Charlotte Harbor, we are very fortunate to have long-term scientifi c monitoring of fi sh. The Fisheries-Independent Monitoring (FIM) program was established in Charlotte Harbor in 1989 by the Florida Marine Re-search Institute (FMRI). Although FMRI is now the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) and is now housed in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commis-sion, data collection has been consistent. From time to time, collection areas have been expanded and special studies have been conducted in places such as Estero Bay and Lemon Bay. This provides a rich source of data that spans two decades in some areas!

I recently had the pleasure of performing statistical analysis on the data compiled from 1989 through 2008. Thank you to Phil Stevens with FWRI for providing me the data and supporting information! To evaluate fi sh community structure, we controlled for the type of gear and the unit effort (fi sh per 100 square meters); therefore, the analysis was limited to 1996 to present.

Fish Abundance 2004-2007(fi sh per 100

square meters)

Average fi sh abundance by bay segment is shown on the map. From 1989–1994, fi sh data were collected in Charlotte Harbor A, B and C as well as Myakka (M) and Peace (P). Then in 1994, Pine Island Sound (D) is added, though the type of gear that we are using in this analysis was not started until November 2003. By 2003, data collection was expanded to include Pine Island (E), Matlacha Pass (G) and Caloosahatchee (H). In 1996, new gear was added to expand the search for fi sh.

Since 1996, both fish di-versity and abundance has declined at a statistically signifi cant level. Abundance and diversity tend to run counter to one another. Plac-es of high abundance tend to be places of low diversity.

As shown on the map, Pine Island Sound has relatively high fi sh abun-dance between 2004 and 2007. Fish abun-dance is also high around inlets. Those areas that have lower diversity and abundance, such as the lower rivers, are still very impor-tant nursery habitat. In fact, the low diversity and abundance is what allows the little guys to better avoid being eaten.

I would be interested to hear from anglers. Is what I have shown consistent with your experience? I am also interested in getting additional data sets from area scientists. For me, a day with data is like a day of sunshine!

A larger version of this map and graphics are available at www.CHNEP.org.

2 CHNEP Harbor Happenings Fall 2009, 13(3):2009

— Estuaries Day, Every Day —

CHNEP offers up-close look at estuaries

A horseshoe crab was netted for a closer inspection.

Wade into the shallow waters for a closer look at the creatures buried beneath the sand, clustered within an oyster shell, swimming among the seagrass blades or hidden in a tangle of mangrove prop roots. The CHNEP is pleased to sponsor the wading trips listed below. More wading programs are listed at www.CHNEP.org.

Cedar Point Park/Lemon Bay in Englewood at 9 A.M. Wednesday • Oct. 28 • Nov. 25 • Dec. 30. Call CHEC Cedar Point Environmental Park at 941/475-0769.

Ponce de Leon Park in Punta Gorda at 9:30 A.M. Wednesday • Nov. 4 • Nov. 18 • Dec. 2 • Dec. 16 • Dec. 30. Call CHEC Alligator Creek Site at 941/575-5435.

Pine Island Sound on Pine Island at 9:30 A.M. • Friday, Oct. 9. Call Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves at 941/575-5861.

Estero Bay at Big Carlos Pass at 11 A.M. • Thursday, Nov. 19. Call Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve at 239/463-3420.

Great events are held throughout the year, so this year we encourage you to spend the National Estuaries Day learning more about your favorite estuary, river or stream — or join in on the many events listed throughout the newsletter.

• Please join us on Saturday, November 21, at the Charlotte Harbor Nature Festival (see page 3)!

• Enjoy discounted admission at Mote Marine Laboratory (see page 15).

• The maps where you can go to learn more about the environment are ready for review at www.CHNEP.org. The maps include places such

as nature centers, science centers and environmental parks. The winter issue of Harbor Happenings will include a special pull-out section and an online version will also be available that will include additional information.

• The CHNEP will develop a one-day celebration but a date has not yet been confi rmed. We anticipate it will be similar to Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s Estuary Academy, which includes short lectures and hands-on workshops.

The Lakes Education/Action Drive (LE/AD) will hold its annual workshop on water quality issues in Polk County at the USF Campus in Lakeland (3433 Winter Lake Road) on October 13, from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. This workshop will provide information about the restora-tion and preservation of ecological processes. Other topics to be addressed include how we ease the competition between people and the environment for water supply (hydrological sustainability), how to guarantee future water quality (water quality sustainability) and how to get agencies to realize “it’s all connected” (ecological sustainability).

The registration fee is $25 and the deadline to register is September 30. Lunch will be provided to registered participants. For more information or to register, contact LE/AD at 863/221-5323.

Ecological Sustainability of Lakes and Streams in Polk County: The Eco Trio

The fourth annual Sustainable Communities Workshop will focus on the energy-water nexus. Individuals, neighborhood organizations, businesses and government agencies will gather to learn and share:

• Sustainable community solutions that address water and energy demands.

• Water and energy conservation techniques for homes, businesses and land use.

• The relationship of water/building choices to energy. • Water, energy, land use and climate change.

The workshop will be held on Tuesday, November 3, from 8 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. at the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida Event and Confer-ence Center (4740 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota). The registration fee of $30 includes continental breakfast, lunch and afternoon break snack. Additional details and the registration form are at www.scgov.net/SustainableCommunities.

Organizing sponsors include Sarasota County, the Charlotte Harbor and Sarasota Bay national estuary programs, SCOPE, and the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Coalition.

Sustainable Communities: Energy-Water Nexus

TAC/Science Forum October 14Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) October 21Management October 30Policy November 16Charlotte Harbor Nature Festival November 21

Meetings scheduled in 2010 will be listed in the next issue of Harbor Happenings and are posted at www.CHNEP.org.

CHNEP Meetings and Events – 2009These dates are tentative. Confi rm dates and obtain locations and agendas at www.CHNEP.org. Additional meetings and events are also posted on this website, as are grant deadlines. All meet-ings are open but the public is encouraged to join the Citizens Advisory Committee. Membership is open to anyone interested in protecting the natural environment bounded by Venice, Bonita Springs and Winter Haven.



The fourth annual Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival is set to showcase kayaking and eco-events along Lee County’s waterways from October 23 through November 1.

The ten-day festival offers a buffet of speakers and instruction, cultural and eco- festivals, competitive races and tournaments, paddlers’ get-togethers and green activities. Events are at public parks and archaeological sites as well as resorts and campgrounds along the Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail, a 190-mile marked-and-meandering saltwater trail that spans the coast from Bonita to Bokeelia and inland to Alva.

Meet the man who circumnavigated Florida’s coast, kayaking from Alabama to Georgia along the Sunshine State, including segments of the Great Calusa Blueway. Have your friends come from out of town and stay in hotels that offer special packages to travelers with paddle craft, including ready-at-sunrise box lunches and access to ice machines and hoses.

Take a staycation and book yourself into a campground right along the trail at a site that includes a guided tour with the Florida Paddling Trail Association to historic Mound Key, an island once inhabited by the Calusa king. Attend the Calusa Costume Ball dressed as a conquistador or sea wench, and then hear ghost stories on a moon-light hike, courtesy of Calusa Ghost Tours.

Festival attendees also can get competitive. A photo contest, two canoe/kayak races and a catch-and-release fi shing tournament are planned — some have cash prizes. Visitors can give back to the community by joining in Monofi lament Madness, a countywide waterway marine debris cleanup. Buy a Blueway Wrist Band and

This year, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Ding” Darling Days, J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island is adding a special day devoted to the legacy of conservation art be-gun by refuge namesake Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling — Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist and the original Duck Stamp artist.

Conservation Through Art Day will bring the weeklong “Ding” Days 2009 to a close at the refuge on Saturday, October 24. Highlights of the afternoon include presentations and signings by the 2009–2010 Federal Duck Stamp artist, Federal Junior Duck Stamp artist, and Florida Junior Duck Stamp contest winner.

Throughout the day, admission to Wildlife Drive is free, plus Tarpon Bay Explorers, the refuge’s offi cial recreation concession, will be providing free narrated tram tours. A wildlife cartoonist, a children’s author, and two children’s art instructors will conduct small-group seminars and demonstrations.

Family Fun Day on Sunday, October 18, kicks off the week of festivities with free activities such as narrated refuge tram tours, live wildlife presentations, hot dogs, nature crafts for kids, a touch tank, butterfl y house and more.

Throughout the week, festival attendees can hook up to free biking and birding tours, take advantage of discounted kayaking and nature boat excursions, and sit in on free nature deck talks at Tarpon Bay Explorers.

These events are possible with the sponsor support from manypartners, including the CHNEP.

For a full schedule of “Ding” Darling Days events and a list of spon-sors, log on to www.dingdarlingdays.com.

Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival

enjoy extra value at many of southwest Florida’s attractions, res-taurants, galleries and marine/outfi tter locations.

The festival features daily activities, with emphasis on the weekends. Many activities are free.

A few details are provided on page 6. Complete festival details are available at www.CalusaBluewayPaddlingFestival.com. For trail information, check out www.CalsuaBlueway.com or call 239/433-3855 or 239/432-2163.

New art event adds to ‘Ding’ Days excitement

Celebrate “Ding” Darling Days 20th anniversary

Continued on page 6

CHNEP Harbor Happenings Fall 2009, 13(3):2009 5

Fun, active ways to learn about watersheds

To help create public awareness about watersheds, the Sarasota County Commission has declared October 12 through 18 as “Wa-tershed Awareness Week.” Watershed-related fun, nature-based activities that teach awareness and good stewardship of watersheds are scheduled throughout the week. Member organizations of the Science and Environment Council of Sarasota County (SEC) will host and co-sponsor the events with the Manasota Basin Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The SEC is a collaboration of nonprofi t and government organizations that operate or support conservation and science-based facilities with environmental missions. SEC’s mission is to promote and advocate science, conservation and environmental issues.

The public is invited to attend the events listed below. Additional programs are listed on the website at www.CHNEP.org.

Monday, October 12Sarasota County Government What is Wild: Myakka, the Wild and Scenic River, 9–10:30 A.M. Take a guided nature walk along the My-akka and learn about this “wild and scenic river.” Meet at Sleeping Turtles Preserve. Call 941/861-5000 for reservations.

Saturday, October 17Friends of Myakka River State Park Cleanup of the Wild & Scenic Myakka River. Walk, kayak or canoe along the river and under bridges while helping to keep the Myakka River litter-free and beautiful. Contact Mary Jelks at 941/366-0446 for more information.

Sarasota County Government Celebrating Ten Years of Preserving Environmental Land, 9 A.M.–1 P.M. Three guided nature walks (see below for times), picnic lunch (brown bag — BYO), displays, live music and ecotourism vendors. Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, 7001 Forbes Tr., Venice. Register online at www.scgov.net, click on Calen-dar of Events, or call 941/861-5000 and ask for Natural Resources.Things Under Foot, 9:30–10:15 A.M. at Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, Forbes Trail. This nature walk focuses on inverts and fungi.Fall Blooming Wildfl owers Walk, 10:30–11:15 A.M. at Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, leaving from Forbes Trail entrance.Cultural History Nature Walk, 11:30 A.M. – 12:15 P.M. at Deer Prairie Creek Preserve, Forbes Trail.

Wednesday, October 21Oscar Scherer State Park Guided Nature Walk, 9 A.M. Meet at the South Creek picnic area in the park. First come, fi rst served; limit 20 participants. $4/car entry fee. Call 941/483-5956 for additional information.

Thursday, October 22Oscar Scherer State Park Watershed Canoe Trip, 9 A.M. Take a leisurely guided canoe trip through the park while you learn about our watersheds. Meet at the South Creek picnic area in the park. Two-person canoes available for rent for $5 or bring your own canoe. $4/car entry fee at gate and $10 registration fee. To register, call 941/361-6590 or go to www.ace-sarasota.com.


Check out some of the offerings at the Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival along Lee County’s waterfront communities.

Saturday, October 24 and October 31Explore cultural sites: Pick a Saturday and learn about theseafaring people for whom the blueway is named. Mound House on Fort Myers Beach and Randell Research Center at Pineland celebrate the Calusas and will be hubs for the festival’s two weekends with speakers, food, activities and eco-fun.

Sunday, October 25Monofi lament Madness: Rid the blueway of nasty discarded fi shingline and join in Keep Lee County Beautiful’s annual waterway cleanup. Return to one of three sites to tally your trash and enjoy a free lunch.

Geocaching: Use a GPS for a modern-day treasure hunt at a Cape Coral-based waterfront event. The Resort at Marina Village/Tarpon Point is waiting for you.

Paddlers’ packages and lodging: Certifi ed green hotels are onboard. Packages abound with extras such as drinks-for-two, access to fresh-water hoses, a guided tour of a historic site, a laminated nautical chart as a welcome gift and more. Tell a friend to come from out of town, or treat yourself. The Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival is part of Islands FallFest. Check it out at www.fortmyers-sanibel.com.

Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival OfferingsContinued from page 5

Birds are good businessNationwide, birding is big business. In 2006, 48 million people observed birds around home and on trips.

In 2006, wildlife viewing activi-ties generated more than $3 bil-lion in Florida. Florida is second in the nation, behind California, in the amount of retail sales generated by non-consumptive bird use, which supports more than 19,000 jobs.

Birders devote much time, effort and money to their hobby and they contribute signifi cantly to local economies by spending

money on everything from gaso-line to hotel rooms.

A 1993–94 study found that birding in the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary area of southwest Florida had an economic impact of $9.4 million on the local communities.

It is estimated that non-consumptive bird use generates $477 million in retail sales in Florida every year.

SOURCE: Great Florida Birding Trail website.

Greg Margerum submitted this pho-tograph of a Florida scrub for the CHNEP 2009 calendar.


The Monofi lament Recovery and RecyclingProgram (MRRP) is expanding in Lee County. MRRP is a statewide effort to educate the public on the problems caused by discarded monofilament fishing line. Through a network of recycling bins and drop-off locations, the program aims to decrease the amount of fi shing line entering the environment and increase the amount of monofi lament line being recycled.

The program works when anglers place unwanted line in monofi lament recycling bins. Be sure to remove hooks, leaders and any bait before placing line into the bins. Volunteers empty the line from bins and clean it. Cleaned line is taken to designated indoor monofi lament recycling bins at local tackle shops/businesses. Collected line is sent to Iowa where it is melted down and recycled into new fi shing products.

Thanks to the efforts of Councilman Richard Ferreira of Bonita Springs, the City of Cape Coral staff and the Lee County Bird Patrol, approximately 30 additional bins will be added to area boat ramps and shoreline fi shing spots. If you’re interested in volunteering to monitor a bin already in place or sponsoring a new bin, please contact Joy Hazell with Lee County Sea Grant (239/533-7518, [email protected]).

CHNEP has supported this program in Lee and Charlotte counties.

The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) is pleased to offer small “micro” grants up to $250 to assist others in their efforts to help implement the Com-prehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), a 20-year plan to protect the natural environment from Venice to Bonita Springs to Winter Haven.

More than 300 projects have been completed with micro-grant support since 2002.

These small grants have helped forge partnerships and increase awareness with those who may not otherwise learn about the CHNEP, its partnerships throughout the watershed, and the CCMP, which includes stewardship of our natural resources, fi sh and wildlife habitat, water quality and water fl ow. The grants also help establish and maintain environmental education efforts with orga-nizations, educational centers, government agencies and others, an activity that the CH-NEP Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) ranked as a high-priority action item to help fulfi ll the CCMP. These grants help further partnerships with Florida residents, organi-zations, businesses, government agencies, schools, colleges and universities.

Guidance and an online application form are at www.CHNEP.org, as well as a listing of completed projects. While all projects help implement the CCMP, they are varied in their purpose and scope. These grants are available year round.

The projects described on this page were all supported with a micro-grant from CHNEP.

Do you have an idea on how to protect the natural environment?With “micro” grants, CHNEP has supported more than 300 projects

Monofi lament collected and recycledJoy Hazell, Florida Sea Grant - Lee County

On Saturday, September 12, in spite of bad weather, 114 volunteers in 33 teamssnorkeled to fi nd bay scallops in Gasparilla Sound and lower Lemon Bay – and found 94.

This project helps monitor and document the health and status of the bay scallop population.Charlotte County UF/IFAS Sea Grant Extension modeled this fi rst-ever search in this region after the Great Bay Scallop Search that has been conducted in Tampa Bay since 1993. The CHNEP is pleased to have sponsored this project with a micro-grant.

In 2008, Sarasota County and Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) developed and implemented a volunteer scallop seeding program. Learn more about this in the spring 2009 issue of Harbor Happenings, which is posted as a PDF fi le at www.CHNEP.org.

Bay scallops, Argopecten irradians, disappeared from southwest Florida waters decades ago due to degraded water quality and declines in seagrass coverage. Water quality and seagrass beds have improved to levels that will once again support these fragile creatures.

Great Bay & Sound Scallop Search

Photographs by Bryan Fluech, Florida Sea Grant.

Katie Laakkonen submitted this photograph of a scallop for the CHNEP 2006 calendar.


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In ancient times, forests were the “stra-tegic interest” of the then-known world. Early civilizations, such as the Babylonian Empire, used timber for fi re, in agriculture and cooking, for defenses and shelter, and to make weapons, carts, chariots and boats. Trees individually were the focus of tremen-dous symbolism in several mythologies and religions, including Norse and Celtic my-thology, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism religions and Egyptian and Mayan cultures.

The Babylonian emperor Hammurabi is credited with the fi rst full written code of laws (1790 B.C.), the surviving remains of which are displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Hammurabi’s Code includes a tree protection law which, depending upon the gravity of the offense, used punishments from fi nes, to fl ogging, to imprisonment, and even death. But as this Empire grew and its population migrated into the urban center, housing, infrastructure, defense and transportation needs ballooned. Without any knowledge or interest in smart harvesting of timber and reforestation, the Babylonians stripped their land of its forests and then of its remaining trees. During the eclipse of this great civilization, which is credited with timeless achievements in mathematics, astronomy, art, architecture, language and government, wood became so sparse that new housing structures were built without doors, and leaders stored wood in the royal treasury. Worse, deforestation deprived the topsoil of its buffer in the rainy season. Deep erosion ensued and rainfall eventually wore down the underlying limestone base, releas-ing the saline content of the rock. Between erosion, fl oods and saltwater intrusion, crops failed en masse and the Empire faded into the stuff of history.

Regrettably, succeeding civilizations did not learn from this example of laying waste to natural resources and failing to use, recycle and sustainably replenish them. As a result, Greece — once blanketed in dense conifer-ous forests — is marked today by rock, scrub and errant mountain tree populations. Julius Caesar, entering Macedonia in victory, im-mediately imposed Roman law, including a ban on cutting trees without a permit. But in the twilight of that Empire, the Romans

Riddle: When is a tree not a tree?Demetra J. McBride, Sarasota County Environmental Services

waged more remote and costly campaigns to acquire timber resources. Eventually, the meager supply reduced the Empire to clay currency because it did not have enough tim-ber resources to supply the intense smelting temperatures needed to press metal coinage, and Rome became a barter society that faded into legend.

These are brief but telling lessons that cau-tion us to take time and to place importance on how we can continue to grow, develop and thrive — sustainably — by employing our natural resources to work for us. The term is “ecosystems services” and they are profound. A mature, healthy urban shade tree (e.g., live oak) can intercept on aver-age 400–700 gallons of rainfall per year, buffering and directing a portion back into ground soil and processing the remainder through evaporation and photosynthesis back into the atmosphere. That same tree is capable of capturing 37–60 pounds of carbon each year, entombing roughly half and converting the remainder into oxygen that’s released into the atmosphere. More impressively, if that tree shades a structure which, in Florida’s hot climate, consumes electricity, the tree has the potential to pre-vent up to four times that direct amount of carbon by cooling the structure and reduc-ing its energy consumption. This same tree intercepts particulate pollution, which is a serious danger to public health as well as ozone. A Columbia University study found that neighborhoods planted with these trees along their streets have reduced childhood asthma rates (down by 25 percent); and those streets are also safer streets, with up to 40 percent less traffi c accidents (Dumbaugh study, Texas A&M University Graduate School for Traffi c Engineering). Those street trees promote walkable, more recreational communities and reduce rates of skin cancer and eye diseases associated with solar glare.

If we take advantage of green infrastructure and the ecosystems services it provides (not simply those mentioned here but substan-tially more), growth does not have to be a cycle of depletion, waste and deterioration. Our urban forest operates and functions on multiple levels as an effi cient trans-utility — at a fraction of the cost of man-built

Tree City USA®Tree City USA communities have made the commitment to invest in their trees.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in coopera-tion with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. Tree City communities have a designated tree board, advocacy group or department in charge of tree management, an enforced tree ordinance, a work plan with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita and an annual Arbor Day celebration. The Tree City USA Growth Award is given to certifi ed communities that has increased their investment in trees.

Within the seven counties that participate in the CHNEP, as of 2007, the following are communities certifi ed as Tree City USA. Those indicated with an asterisk are also Tree City USA Growth Award recipients.

• Cape Coral * • Fort Myers *• Fort Myers Beach • Haines City• Lakeland * • North Port• Punta Gorda * • Sanibel• Sarasota County * • Winter Haven *

SOURCES: www.fufc.org/tree_city.html and www.arborday.org/programs/treeCityUSA/

Brief but telling lessons caution us to take time and to place importance on how we can continue to grow, develop and thrive — sustainably — by employing our natural resources to work for us.

systems. So when you see an urban shade tree, be challenged to see not just a tree but an air conditioner, a stormwater system, a pollution fi lter, a traffi c-calming device, and preventative medicine and health care — as well as a beautiful tree.

The author highly recommends Jared Dia-mond’s novel COLLAPSE, How Societies Chose to Fail or Succeed (2005). Sometimes, to take a great step forward, it’s important to take a long look back.


The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) held a reservoir work-shop on April 13–14, 2009, to identify the hydrologic and environmental benefi ts and impacts of surface water reservoirs within the watershed. Reservoirs are natural and man-made places that store and regulate the fl ow of water for a variety of purposes, such as managing the timing of water fl ow and providing water for human consumption.

In 2008, the Citizens Advisory Committee expressed their concern about the number of potential reservoirs and their impact to the environment and asked the CHNEP to ad-dress this through a workshop. A document was developed to help participants come to the workshop with an understanding of res-ervoir ecology, reservoir habitat in Florida, water supply plans and more. The workshop provided a forum for information exchange and interaction among and between scien-tists and citizens. Experts gave 25 presenta-tions, a keynote presentation was made by Cynthia Barnett, author of Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S., and a team of peer review experts helped guide the facilitated discussions held dur-ing the workshop. An estimated 140 people attended and others participated live on the Internet through Elluminate®, a program made available by Sea Grant/IFAS.

The results of the peer review conclusions and participant observations indicate the complexity of additional research and ac-tions that are needed to assure a sustainable balance between human and natural resource water needs as they relate to future reservoirs within the CHNEP watershed.

The CHNEP is in the process of prioritizing the specifi c actions identifi ed by the par-ticipants. If you would like to recommend a prioritization of these actions, please visit the website www.CHNEP.org for additional guidance. Specifi c actions identifi ed are:

• Clarify defi nitions of reservoirs and other related water storage practices.

• Complete an inventory of the numbers, types and locations of current, proposed and possible reservoirs and related water storage facilities.

Reservoirs: Concerns identifi ed, next actions are being prioritized

• Complete a study to evaluate the natural water stor-age capacity of the watershed.

• Coordinate agency efforts to consider reservoirs from a watershed per-spective (rather than a location-by-location approach) when planning, sit-ing, assessing and permitting of new reser-voirs and other hydrologic alterations.

• Increase consideration of environmental factors, particularly the effects of reser-voirs on the freshwater fl ow regime and water budget of the receiving streams and estuaries, when planning, siting, assessing and permitting of new reservoirs and other hydrologic alterations.

• Increase consideration of cumulative impacts on demographic, economic, political, legal, public safety concerns when planning and permitting water stor-age activities and hydrologic alterations.

• Include National Environmental Policy Act requirements when planning, siting, assessing and permitting of new reservoirs and other hydrologic alterations.

• Increase consideration of cost-benefit analysis and economic costs when plan-ning, siting, assessing and permitting of new reservoirs and other hydrologic alterations, including emphasis on the economic value of natural water storage and conservation.

• Identify and develop the scientific support for sensitive indicators of ecosys-tem change at several spatial and temporal scales and use them to monitor and assess the downstream effects of structural and operational changes to the hydrologic system.

• Initiate aggressive water conservation programs; include water conservation in water budget analyses and when plan-ning, siting, assessing and permitting new reservoirs and hydrologic alterations.

• Further explore the “eco-reservoirs” con-cept.

• Enhance interagency coordination of reservoir management using new technol-ogies, improved models and more moni-toring data and, in some cases, conducting special studies to assess performance.

• Identify primary water users to engage them in watershed-wide conservation discussions.

• Engage staff from different levels of agen-cies in discussions furthering sustainable water management within the CHNEP as it ties multiple water-related consider-ations together, including minimum fl ows and levels (MFLs), water use permits, wildlife management considerations, etc.

• Give greater consideration to climate change and its effects.

• Assure unbiased technical reviews of fi ndings regarding reservoirs, possibly using a National Research Council Panel approach.

• Agree that reservoirs can provide eco-system benefi ts and meet human needs if properly sited, designed and managed.

The pre-conference document, presentations and report are posted as PDF fi les and a recording is available at www.CHNEP.org.

Seven partners sponsored the workshop, including PBS&J ($1,500), CF Industries ($1,500), Scheda Ecological ($500) and, at $100 each, Lemon Bay Conservancy, Coastal Wildlife Club, Friends of the Char-lotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves and the Sierra Club-Greater Charlotte Harbor Chapter.

Harns Marsh in Lee County. Photograph provided by the East (Lee) County Water Control District.


The Environmental Voice of Southwest Florida, also known as Eco-Voice.org, com-bines the simplicity of a Yahoo messaging list with the power of a website.

The objective of Eco-Voice is to provide a practical method of communication among environmentalists in southwest Florida. As of September 2009, any member of Eco-Voice can send an email message to more than 3,800 other environmentalists in south-west Florida, and the message is displayed on the website for everyone else to read.

While Eco-Voice members have a common cause of saving the local environment, they belong to many different organizations, each

Eco-VoiceCommunication tool to help protect the natural environment of southwest Florida

Florida Master NaturalistsThe Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) is an adult education program to promote awareness, understanding and respect of Florida’s natural world among Florida’s citizens and visitors.

Developed by the University of Florida (UF) and provided by participating organizations, FMNP training benefi ts those interested in learning more about Florida’s environment, seeking educational contact hours or wishing to increase their knowledge for use in educa-tion programs as volunteers, employees and ecotourism guides. Instructors teach about Florida’s environment using science-based information and interpretive techniques that prepare students to share their knowledge with others.

FMNP graduates share their knowledge and foster principles of sustainability, con-nectivity and biodiversity to assist others in understanding and respecting Florida’s natural world as a community to which we all belong.

FMNP core modules cover freshwater wet-lands, coastal systems and upland habitats. Special topic programs include environ-mental interpretation, conservation science and, as of spring 2010, wildlife monitoring and habitat evaluation. A listing of courses offered throughout the state is provided on the CHNEP’s website.

SOURCE: www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl .edu/

with its own rules, objectives and methods of communication. Eco-Voice allows the exchange of information between members — freely and without restriction.

Eco-Voice allows us to speak with a very strong voice and can be a powerful com-munication tool.

To make Eco-Voice more useful, several local organizations, including the CHNEP, have joined to develop www.eco-voice.org, a website that will operate in conjunction with the email list. The website has an ur-gent action facility that allows members to sign-on to letters to policymakers and also communicate with them on an individual

basis. An interactive event calendar and map display enables one to easily track environmental events in and around south-west Florida. The picture library has images available copyright free for others to use. The literature section showcases local writers’ literary efforts.

Last year, the Everglades Coalition members presented Eco-Voice with the Kabler Award for environmental communication.

Membership is free! If you are interested in the environment of southwest Florida, you may join Eco-Voice by sending an email message to [email protected].

Florida has new fi shing licenseFlorida’s new shoreline fi shing license requirement took effect August 1. Resident anglers who fi sh for saltwater species from shore or a structure affi xed to shore must have a $9 shoreline fi shing license or a $17 regular saltwater fi shing license.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission suggests the $17 regular saltwater fi shing license may be the best option for most resident anglers unless they are certain they will fi sh only from shore or a structure affi xed to shore all year.

By creating the shoreline fi shing license, the Florida Legislature arranged for Florida anglers to be exempt from a more expensive federal angler registration requirement that will take effect in 2011.

FWC asks anglers to help gather reef fi sh dataBiologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) request angler assistance with a research project focusing on red snapper and other reef fi sh on Florida’s gulf coast. This project will provide fi sheries researchers and managers with much of the catch-and-release survival information they need for assessing reef fi sh stocks.

Reef fi sh include a variety of snapper and grouper species commonly targeted by recreational anglers. Anglers can contribute to reef fi sh research by participating in angler surveys. They also can help by reporting tagged fi sh to the Angler Tag Return Hotline at 800/367-4461.

More information about fi shing license requirements and the reef fish proj-ect is available at MyFWC.com, click on “Newsroom” and “Media Resources.”

SOURCE: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conser-vation Commission

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Compact fluorescent light bulbs and hybrid cars have become part of the national conversation on behavior changes that can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. There is another change that you can make at home to reduce emissions, air and water pollution, save money and time, and help support our local green economy. Landscaping for cli-mate change is one of those solutions that will help offset the emissions footprint of our everyday activities. When we can reduce the unintended impacts of our landscaping and gardening practices, we are preserving the vitality of our communities for genera-tions to come.

Conventional landscapes can require energy-intensive, polluting and often expensive maintenance practices that may heighten the demand for irrigation, fertilizer, pesti-cides and frequent mowing. Consider the following regarding emissions associated with mowing and fertilizing: According to the EPA, a push mower emits as much pollution in an hour as 11 cars; a riding mower as much as 34 cars. According to the DOE Energy Information Agency, annual U.S. nitrous oxide emissions began rising sharply from 2003–2006, largely as a result of increases in the application of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

Climate-friendly landscaping practices not only reduce the demand for nonrenewable resources but also improve our air and water quality. In Florida, approximately 50 percent of the total water use is outside the home in the yard. Climate-friendly landscaping not only reduces pollution, it can conserve pre-cious drinking water. Landscaping designed to eliminate or minimize demand on potable water is always important but especially during the drought conditions we are ex-periencing in southwest Florida. Beyond buildings and transportation, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our own yards.

Sarasota County is committed to lead by example, promote public participation and work in community partnership to improve quality of life, economic vitality and protect the natural systems that support life, funda-mentally shifting the role that governance can play in building a sustainable com-munity.

Landscaping for Climate Change: Making a Difference Today for Tomorrow Nina Powers, Sarasota County Sustainable Sarasota

Consider the follow-ing ten guidelines for climate-friendly landscaping:1. Minimize Mowing: Lawns require carbon- and nitrogen-intensive maintenance. If you must mow, use electric or man-ual equipment or biodiesel fuel.

2. Incorporate Native Plants: Native plants are adapted to local conditions and need less carbon- and nitrogen-intensive maintenance.

3. Reduce Hardened Surfaces: Driveways and sidewalks absorb and radiate heat in ad-dition to increasing stormwater runoff.

4. Conserve Energy by Conserving Water: It takes energy to pump, fi lter and distribute water, so reduce demand and capture and reuse rainwater with rain barrels, cisterns, rain gardens and green roofs.

5. Minimize/Eliminate Fertilizer and Pesticide Use: Reduce emissions associ-ated with the use of synthetic chemicals in your yard.

6. Reuse Yard Waste: Recycle carbon and nitrogen back into your yard and increase soil fertility naturally.

7. Increase Tree Canopy: Keep mature trees and plant new trees to decrease your carbon footprint.

8. Create Biodiversity: Trees and plants are better carbon sinks than mowed lawns and they increase wildlife benefi ts.

9. Naturalize the Shoreline: Create low-maintenance landscape buffers along all shorelines and use native vegetation instead of seawalls to buffer against storm surge and rising sea levels.

10. Engage Your Neighborhood: One personcan make a difference but more people can make an even bigger difference. Be an ambassador for climate-friendly landscaping!

For more information about landscaping for climate change, contact Sarasota County (941/861-5000, www.scgov.net/sustain-ability).

A new law signed by Gov. Charlie Crist promotes the installation of Florida-friendly landscaping. The law states that homeownersassociations (HOAs) may not prohibit a homeowner from applying Florida-friendly landscaping to their property or create any requirement or limitation in confl ict with state law.

Florida-friendly landscaping emphasizes nine easy-to-accomplish principles that, when practiced, can have a signifi cant posi-tive impact on yards and the environment.

“Because homeowners can no longer be prohibited from following Florida-friendly landscaping practices, they will have more freedom to choose the type of plants and turf that are right for their properties,” said Sylvia Durell, Florida-friendly landscaping project manager. “This is a great opportunity for homeowners to get to know their yard’s sun, soil and moisture conditions and put the right plant in the right place.”

The law, which went into effect July 1, 2009, also states that HOAs may not fi ne homeowners for brown lawns when the homeowner is abiding by water shortage rules that restrict residents to watering their lawns one day per week.

Contact your local utility or visit www.WaterMatters.org/drought/ for additional information about water restrictions, water conservation and the drought.

To learn more about Florida-friendly land-scaping, visit www.WaterMatters.org/yards or www.FloridaYards.org.

Law allows all residents to install Florida-friendly landscaping

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Billy’s Creek is an urban waterway fl owingthrough downtown Fort Myers, into the tidal portion of the Caloosahatchee, which is within the study area of the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP). Billy’s Creek is a mangrove-arched waterway, po-tentially unique in all of Florida because it penetrates a city. Parts of the shoreline and most of the watershed of Billy’s Creek have been altered by development. Its watershed includes mixed urban land uses, with the majority being residential. Billy’s Creek empties into the Caloosahatchee River after it fl ows under Palm Beach Boulevard. The upper reaches of Billy’s Creek cross I-75.

The sources of pollution to Billy’s Creek are predominantly from nonpoint-source inputs. Nonpoint sources are those that are diffused and wash into the creek through storm water or shallow ground water. The urban wa-tershed contributes stormwater runoff that generally includes lawn clippings, vegetative debris, sediments, fertilizers, pet waste, oil and other pollutants from roads. The Billy’s Creek watershed may also be contributing septic system leachate and graywater (laun-dry water). In addition, Billy’s Creek has a problem with urban debris and trash being directly dumped into the creek or washed into the creek during storm events.

Progress is being made in the efforts to address Billy’s Creek’s water quality problems. One effort that will likely have a positive impact on Billy’s Creek is the Stormwater Master Plan for the City of Fort Myers, which is currently being funded. There is also a Billy’s Creek fi lter marsh

that will be constructed to remove pollutants from the creek. This project is currently in the con-struction phase. Cleanup events to remove trash from Billy’s Creek are also organized periodically.

Billy’s Creek is one segment of the Great Calusa Blueway Phase III, a National Park Service-designated National Recreational Trail. The Billy’s Creek segment has an active nonprofi t volunteer group, Friends of Billy’s Creek, that works on educational and grant opportunities.

Approximately $5 million in funds to date have been awarded for projects on the creek related to restoration, recreation, water qual-ity and watershed planning. The creek has a list of 14 partners, including the CHNEP, working toward common goals, including:

• Design and construction of two water-cleansing fi lter marshes along the creek designed to take polluted storm water and return it to the creek as clean water.

• Purchase of conservation lands along the creek and the ongoing effort to start a land trust.

• Community planning component to address socioeconomic, historic and cultural signifi cance.

• Development of a watershed plan and greenway/blueway plan.

• Implementation of a stormwater utility plan to address water quality issues.

• Public awareness, including press and events.

It takes a community to save a creek!Mary Rawl, Friends of Billy’s Creek

• Ongoing GIS and mapping efforts.

• Watershed education in the schools.

• Exotic removal efforts.

According to Jerry Miller, president of the Friends of Billy’s Creek, “Every week I see more people enjoying Billy’s Creek. It is a navigable waterway that is on the western side of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. It is a hidden paradise in the City of Fort Myers. Come and experience for yourself the history, natural canopy shade and wild-life — and you never know what else you might see!”

For more information, please contact [email protected] or 239/849-0964.

Photograph at Shady Oaks on Billy’s Creek by Mary Rawl.

Are you working in yourneighborhood to improve the

natural environment? Let others know about it by sending in an article for Harbor Happenings.

(See page 2 for details onsending articles to

Maran Hilgendorf.)


necessary. The CHNEP will provide the training and materials, though volunteers will need to have their own water transpor-tation. Background information about the study methods is available on the CHNEP website. We will be organizing volunteers and team leaders beginning in October.

The shoreline survey provided accurate shore-line vegetation condition information. This information helps resource managers make decisions that restore and maintain estuary shorelines that support diverse fi shery and invertebrate populations. Survey information helps implement the Comprehensive Conser-vation and Management Plan (CCMP), the CHNEP’s plan to protect the environment.

The data are being used in a study of wetland conditions and changes within the water-shed conducted by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council and the CHNEP. This study is funded by the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency and the CHNEP. The results of the Watershed Analysis of Permitted Coastal Wetland Impacts and Mitigation Methods Within the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program Study Area will be available in 2010. This study will include information from both the 2007 and 2010 shoreline studies.

If you would like to volunteer for the shore-line survey or would like more information about the project, please contact CHNEP

✁

In 2007, more than 100 citizen kayakers and boaters and scientists completed the fi rst comprehensive mapping of the Charlotte and Lee county portion of the estuarine shoreline of the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP) study area. The volunteers collected more than 5,000 impor-tant pieces of information about how much shoreline was natural vegetation, nonnative vegetation or “hardened” with seawalls or riprap. They also estimated hurricane dam-age to the vegetation.

The 2007 shoreline survey combined on-site fi eld visits by volunteers with aerial pho-tography interpreted by scientists at Photo Science. Photo Science compared this data to aerial photo data and then incorporated it into the Tidal Charlotte Harbor Shoreline Condition Map report, which was published in November 2008 and is available on the CHNEP website. The report includes photo-interpretation of the entire 2,200-mile shore-line within the CHNEP study area.

With volunteer help, the CHNEP plans on updating the shoreline survey by spring of 2010. It will be interesting to see how the vegetation has recovered since Hurricane Charley and how human activities have changed in the last three years.

We need a rejuvenated corps of volunteer kayakers and boaters to help conduct the shoreline survey update. No experience is

Remapping the Condition of the Shoreline — You Can HelpVolunteers Needed to Update Shoreline Survey

Program Scientist Judy Ott ([email protected], 866/835-5785, ext. 230).

The report is summarized in the winter 2009 issue of Harbor Happenings; the volunteer aspects were included in the winter 2007 issue. All issues of the newsletter are avail-able as PDF fi les on the website at www.CHNEP.org.

Jessica, a student at St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral, studies a freshwa-ter canal water sample to measure salin-ity. The hydrometers were purchased as part of a CHNEP micro-grant. Photo by Michelle Hankey.


Harbor HappeningsCharlotte Harbor National Estuary Program

1926 Victoria Ave

Fort Myers FL 33901-3414

Not receiving Harbor Happenings in the mail? Request a free subscription. Visit the website at www.CHNEP.org for details.

Please let us know of any address corrections by sending an email to [email protected].

Harbor Happenings en Español: Cada publicación de Harbor Happenings será traducida al español y publicada en el website del

Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program www.CHNEP.org. Por favor anime a sus amigos que hablan español a darle un vistazo.

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage

PAIDManasota, FLPermit #104

By combining the beauty of the natural environment with public involvement, the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CH-NEP) has been able to create calendars since 2005. The images used throughout the calendars could have been captured at any time in any medium (photography, oil, illustration, etc.) by the young or old, professional or amateur. Residents and visitors are asked to submit up to three (3) digitized entries for consideration for possible inclusion in each calendar. The public is then asked to complete an online survey to select images they wish to see in each calendar. The resulting calendars capture the beauty of the natural environment and involve the public in every step of the process.

The popularity of the process and the calendars grows each year. For the 2010 calendar, 160 people submitted 433 images — 50 percent more than last year! The number of people who selected images doubled to 795!

Thanks to everyone who submitted images, selected images, con-tributed fi nancially or who provided their suggestions and opinions by completing a survey.

As a subscriber to Harbor Happenings, you can expect to receive your calendar in the mail in early November. Several partners,

including libraries, government offi ces and nature centers, will have a small supply available for pick up.

The locations of where the calendar will be available, the opinion survey, and guidance on how to make a donation and contribute images for the 2011 calen-dar will be online in October at www.CHNEP.org.

CHNEP Calendar: Expect another beautiful calendar because of your generosity

The images on this page are those that received the greatest number of votes from the public. Robert Cameron submitted the photograph of the roseate spoonbills (above). Geoff Coe submitted the photo-graph of the black-necked stilts (left). Bob Ferraris submitted the photograph of the barred owls (below).

Estuaries are enjoyed by many A

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