Happy Summer My Sierra Club friends, Earlier this year we voted in our Calusa Group Executive Committee. There are five elected members, serving staggered two-year terms. Thank you to all who participated in the election. The ExCom then decided positions and terms:
Chair - Rhonda Roff 2026-27 Vice Chair - Solemi Hernandez 2026-27 At Large - Marsha Ellis 2026-27 Secretary - Connie Langmann 2026 Treasurer - Clifford Mitchem through June 2026
This fall’s elections will be for the two positions expiring in 2026.
If you have accounting or bookkeeping experience and a few hours per month to dedicate, we would be grateful for you to fill our open Treasurer Position! Other roles we are seeking to fill are Outings Leaders, Conservation Committee Members, Nominating/Election Committee Members and Membership Committee Members.
Please contact me for details about any of these positions.
Our ExCom meetings are, as always, on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 6pm, followed by our general meetings at 7pm. Please check the website or facebook pages for details. You may also reach us at Calusa@Florida.SierraClub.org.
So what have we been up to? Manatees, Panthers and Bears (Oh My!) have consumed a lot of our time for the past year or more, and continue to do so. But I would like to make sure you have an opportunity to act on some time-sensitive issues first.
On March 31, 2026 The Endangered Species Committee, a.k.a. the God Squad, met for only the 4th time in the history of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). They voted unanimously that the ESA shall not be an obstacle to Oil & Gas exploration and/or development in the Gulf of Mexico. In only 15 minutes! The actual meeting starts almost 35 minutes in to the recording at Endangered Species Act Meeting . Gulf species, as well as the families of the 11 crew members tragically lost, are still recovering from the effects of the Deepwater Horizon Well blowout. Any new activity will add insult to injury, particularly to the Rice’s Whale, of which there may be only 51 individuals remaining in the world, all located in our northeastern Gulf.
Rice’s Whale protection: please comment by July 6, 2026.
As Sierra Club members, we all feel the same sense of urgency regarding the upcoming elections. Below are some Candidate Forums and educational panel discussions which will help us all choose the best representatives for our collective causes.
Tuesday, July 7, 2026, 5:00 to 7:15 pm LWVLee Candidate Forums Cape Coral Mayor and Council Districts 1, 4, 6 Cape Coral Library, 921 SW 39th Terrace, Cape Coral, FL 33914 This program is not sponsored/endorsed by the Lee County Library System.
Thursday, July 9, 2026, 6-8pm LWVLee in partnership with WGCU and the News-Press Candidate Forum Lee County School Board Districts 1, 4, 5, 6 The Water School - Florida Gulf Coast University, AB-9, Room 138 A & B 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Fort Myers, FL 33965 Register here.
Saturday, July 11, 2026, 2-4pm LWVLee Candidate Forums Lee County Commission and Judicial Races Lakes Regional Library, 15290 Bass Rd. Fort Myers, Fl 33919 This program is not sponsored/endorsed by the Lee County Library System. Register here.
Southwest Florida STATE PARK PLANNING is underway. Go here to see how you can participate.
Two Open Houses are planned:
BIG CYPRESS REGION OPEN HOUSE – Lee County DATE AND TIME: Wednesday, July 15, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. MEETING LOCATION: Koreshan Historic State Park - Art Hall 3800 Corkscrew Road, Estero, Florida 33928
BIG CYPRESS REGION OPEN HOUSE – Collier County DATE AND TIME: Tuesday, July 14, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. MEETING LOCATION: Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center 300 Tower Road, Naples, Florida
Both meetings will cover the same parks: Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (June 2026) Collier-Seminole State Park (June 2026) Estero Bay Preserve State Park (June 2026) Koreshan Historic State Park (June 2026) Mound Key Archaeological State Park (June 2026) Lovers Key State Park (June 2026) Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park (June 2026)
6. Volunteer opportunities
Our Sierra Club Calusa Group is always looking for more active members! No experience necessary. Training is available and there are veteran volunteers to assist you.l Currently we are seeking:
Treasurer Outings leaders - training provided, expenses paid Membership committee and Elections committee members Conservation committee members - we have a large geographical area and need watchdogs in all four counties: Collier, Lee, Hendry and Glades.
AN EMAIL TIP! Getting too many Sierra Club emails? Don’t hit unsubscribe! Use the Manage Preferences option at the bottom of this or any other Sierra Club email to choose what you want and what you don’t want.
NOTE: We encourage you to forward this newsletter to friends, but please remove all the information below this line before doing so to protect your privacy.
