Sunset Safari

Annual Trail Spruce-Up

Connecting Classrooms with Nature

Everglades Headwaters NWR needs your support

The Marshall Foundation fully supports this endeavor; this is the same Project briefed by Charlie Pelizza at our Fall 2010 Board Meeting. This is a much needed addition to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), worth billions of dollars to the FL economy, and the means for more water storage and water quality treatment north of Lake Okeechobee.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) also requests your support at Scoping Meetings and during the Comment Period. Nancy, Josette, Pauline Stacy, and John had a conference call with NWRA. They are asking all to take some serious action to overcome some of the negative inputs received thus far.

Two Scoping meetings remain:

Feb 9 in Okeechoobee, 6 - 9 PM

Feb 10 in Vero Beach, 6- 9PM

There is a perception problem because people who showed up at the two previous scoping meetings were about 3:1 against; written comments are coming in at about the same ratio.

Comment period runs through Feb 28, 2011. Please make written comments, even if you can not show up for the scoping meetings. E-MAIL: EvergladesHeadwatersProposal@fws.gov

Additional information, meeting locations, and contact numbers can be found at http://www.fws.gov/southeast/greatereverglades/

A positive news report can be found at

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/turning-ranches-into-one-big-refuge-1218687.html

The Proposed Everglades Headwaters NWR needs your support. Feel free to forward this to an interested party.

Thanks for weighing in on this important increase in spatial extent of natural area, the first stated goal/objective of CERP.

John Arthur Marshall

Back To Nature 2011--Annual Trail Spruce-Up

And since we mentioned it...don't forget about Everglades Day on February 12

The Last Egret

here is a promotional video for The Adventures of Charlie Pierce: The Last Egret. The book, by local author Harvey Oyer III, is being read by every 4th grader in Palm Beach County. It ties together with an exhibit at the Palm Beach County Historical Society and with Marshall Foundation field trips to the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. The Palm Beach County School District's T.E.N. (The Education Network) has created a 1/2 hour documentary to go along with the book.

Watch the video!

Year of the Everglades-10th Annual Cypress Harvest

Show your support for National Wildlife Refuges

This from our friends at the National Wildlife Refuge Association...

America’s Great Outdoors initiative in an effort to start a national dialogue about the great places across our nation to get outside and how the federal government and private citizens can help protect these places for future generations. After months of collecting input from Americans, the President will announce how he plans to conserve our great outdoors this Fall.
Refuges need YOUR help to make sure they are key part of any Presidential announcement -- don’t let the National Wildlife Refuge System remain America’s best kept SECRET!

Please go to America’s Great Outdoors website and cast your vote for the National Wildlife Refuge System – we need AT LEAST 4000 votes!

The National Wildlife Refuge System ought to be a cornerstone of this Initiative. As committed refuge supporters you’ve experienced the wonders of refuges and you know how important creating and conserving refuges are to preserving our natural legacy. So please cast your vote now and tell the President how valuable refuges are to the American public.

If you haven’t already registered with the website, click here to register. After you’ve completed the process, follow the instructions below.

If you have already registered with the America’s Great Outdoors website, please click on this link to go to Conserving America’s Wildlife Heritage: Strengthening our National Wildlife Refuge System There’s a box on the left with an orange border that shows the vote total so far. Click on the GREEN “Promote” text to cast your vote and leave a comment about your refuge if you wish.

We need to make sure the Refuge System is no longer America’s best-kept secret. Thank you for speaking up for wildlife and the refuges they call home!

Regards,

Joan Patterson

Director of Grassroots Outreach

National Wildlife Refuge Association

And here is a shot of our favorite Refuge:

Annual Cypress Seed Harvest--October 30th

mark your calendars

Upcoming Refuge Event

On July 18th @ 2pm--Author/Photographer Joel M Curzon will be presenting a slide show and discussion based on his award winning book, Light Fading – Reflections on the Imperiled Everglades

Guest Blogger--Adrienne Smith

To keep you all updated on the Summer Intern Program, we have asked the interns to serve as guest bloggers from time to time. Here is a re-cap week two,of the SIP courtesy of Adrienne Smith:
We spent the first week of June at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. We went on an airboat trip around the Refuge with Nick Aumen and Rolf Olson. It was interesting to notice the change in the types of plants from the canal to the inner region of the marsh. We also saw a snail kite! The snail kite was certainly a highlight of the day.
We also met with Lisa Jameson and Grant Gifford from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lisa discussed the various invasive species that are problems in the Refuge and Grant talked about the use of fire as a land management tool. Dylan, in particular, was fascinated with the “fire-blowing” technique that can be used in fire application.
We toured the Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment (LILA) with Dr. Tom Dreschel and Eric Cline of the South Florida Water Management. I loved the idea of having an “artificial wetland” that resembles the original Florida Everglades landscape for research experiments. What a great idea!

In addition to talking with different people within the Refuge, we went on the canoe trail and explored the Visitor Center. Luckily, none of us tipped the canoe! That was quite a relief. The exhibits were wonderful! Ed and I particularly enjoyed the exhibit with the boy and his father discussing the different sounds one would hear at the Refuge. It sounded as if we were actually in the middle of the Refuge!
We ended the week with a mentoring session from Dr. Brian LaPointe of FAU’s Harbor Branch located in Fort Pierce. Brian talked about the influence that nutrients from the Everglades have on algal blooms on coral reefs. The restoration of the Everglades will certainly help the reduction in algal blooms.

Sunset Safari photos

Refuge Public Service Announcement--see the video!

Year of the Everglades--Sunset Safari

To celebrate the Year of the Everglades, join us at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, March 27 for a Sunset Safari and VIP tour. Tickets are limited and are now available. Call 561-805-8733 for more information or click on the PDF version of the flier: https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0ByNSF8Tq3eb5YzJlMWVlMjgtMGI2Yy00OGNhLTk4MmYtOTkzNGYwZTM1NTJj&hl=en

Everglades Day--February 6

Join us for a wonderful event at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge: