EVERGLADES COORDINATING COUNCIL
22951 SW 190 Avenue - Miami. Florida 33170
"TO COORDINATE THE
CONSERVATION EFFORTS OF SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTSMEN'S CLUBS'
The Everglades Coordinating
Council (ECC) is an umbrella organization for almost every sportsmen's/conservation
clubs in South Florida. Our membership is concentrated in the South Florida
Water Management District (SFWMD) and we have enjoyed these lands/waters since
the 1940's. We have been involved with the Everglade's restoration issues
before it was popular. Our members worked to save the Everglades and create the
laws to protect them from drainage and development. We worked to draw attention
the Kissimmee River ditch issues and the pollution of Lake Okeechobee.
We had representation on the
Commission that participated in the development of the current restoration
plan. We continue to be involved in these issues. Our representative expressed
serious concerns with the restudy plan and pointed out many problems. Many of
these concerns and problems were corrected. There still remains one big problem
that has not been corrected and must be corrected for the ECC to continue its
support of the current restoration plan. This restoration plan must
significantly improve the environmental quality of the Water Conservation Areas
(WCA2 & 3). At the present time these areas are not being restored, but are
being used to hold water for other parts of the ecosystem. This action is wrong
because there is more natural Everglades habitat north of US 41 then south of
US 41. This is wrong because if the Everglades north of US 41 are not restored
it will not be long before the Everglades National Park is degraded by the
water management practices that has almost completely destroyed the Water
Conservation Areas.
We strongly encourage the US
Congress to insist that the US Corps of Engineers and South Florida Water
Management District restoration plan be able to classify Water Conservation
Areas 3A & 313 as "GREEN" and Water Conservation Area 213 as
"YELLOW' on their Environmental Quality Control Improvement Chart. If not
then Congress should not approve any funding for such a plan that will not
restore the Water Conservation Areas. If these improvements are not made we
will have to reconsider supporting the restoration plan. Without these
improvements in their current plan the majority of the Everglades ecosystem
will not be restored but will be completely destroyed.
To help with this process we have
attached a number of documents and photographs that show the results of what
happens with mismanagement of Florida's waters.
I will take this opportunity to
endorse Mr. Tom Shirley whom supplied a lot of the letters, documents, and
actual real time photographs. Tom has spent most of his lifetime in the Water
Conservation Areas of South Florida and can be considered an expert in the
opinion of the ECC. He has become extremely active during these past two years
because he knows first hand what is happening in the Everglades. Please take
the time to read his enclosed input about the existing problems and his
recommendations to make the right decision. The most important document in our
report is Tom's seasonal water depth chart. This chart shows the proper water
depth to be maintained on a monthly basis to insure a healthy Everglades
ecosystem. This is the key to restoring life or bringing final death to the
Everglades.
Your decision to authorize and
fund the properly developed Everglades Restoration plan as we have so
recommended will probably be the final decision to protect what is left of the
Everglades ecosystem. So we
encourage you to show the utmost leadership in this extremely important State
and National issue.
We are looking for strong leadership on this issue
from all elected officials in
Washington DC. We hope you will ensure the proper plan is
approved and funded to restore the remaining Greater Everglades' ecosystem and
not just selected portions of the Everglades. Respectfully, Wayne Jenkins President Everglades Coordinating Council
