As I pen this today on Sept. 26, 2026, a Bass Pro Shops ad pops up on my screen to tell me that it is National Hunting and Fishing Day. Fabulous!
Sierra Club groups all over Florida are celebrating by having saved the lives of so many Florida Black Bears! Let's call it The Public Trust Doctrine in action. We all know this and last year's bear hunts in Florida lack scientific justification.
The abundance estimates are from 2014, except for the Osceola National Forest in the North Bear Management Unit, for which new data revealed a 66% decrease last year. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted to allow 172 tags last year and, with no new data, increased that by 25% to 215 this year. The public lottery was for 193, and private landowners were allocated 22 tags.
This after surveys showed between 75-88% of Floridians oppose the bear hunt. Astute wildlife advocates know the bears belong to all of us if they belong to anyone at all, just as the Public Trust Doctrine codifies for the air, lands, wildlife, and waters.
We recognize that apex predators are no longer present in many areas of the country, and hunting by humans reduces the strain on overpopulated prey species, like deer. Florida Black Bears have not been demonstrated to be overpopulated. They also have biological mechanisms to regulate their own fecundity - delayed implantation of embryos being one.
So why does the FWC allow this hunt? The answer is in the word "allow". Some people just want to hunt bears, and, those of us who have attended their quarterly meetings over the past decade have witnessed the demands of hunters, hunting guides, and trophy hunting clubs. The Commissioners bend over backwards to appease those at the Big Boys' table and instruct staff biologists to accommodate them. It is truly a thinly veiled "Tragedy of the Commons" to witness.
Another common misconception is that human-bear conflicts are due to overpopulation. Even the FWC states otherwise, "Human-bear conflicts will still need to be managed independently—hunting doesn’t accomplish that. Educating the public on preventative steps like securing attractants on their property or using bear-resistant trash cans will remain vital to reducing conflicts."
Put another way, by a like-minded group in NJ, "Any excuse for bear hunting is pure garbage."
Governor DeSantis and his family must be very confused. On one hand they held a press conference at Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Palm Beach County this year where he signed two anti-cruelty bills into law. On the other hand, his FWC appointees have included hounding for bears to begin in 2027 with hound training already started this year. Bear-dog hunting is rife with controversy, including severe mistreatment of the hounds, heat and other stress on both dogs and bears, separation of mother bears from their cubs, harm to nontarget prey, and, in horrific cases, bears and hounds mutilating each other.
Valerie Vande Panne's substack today could not have been more well timed. She very soberly reflects upon the hunting culture in which she was raised, then compares it with the very different motivations and practices of a certain subset of men of yore, and some monstrous iterations.
Please stay vigilant against this hunt! Know that there are candidates (e.g. Jolly/Graham) ready to completely reform the FWC and restore our environmental protections on the local, state and federal levels who deserve your vote.
Stay tuned and vote!
Thanks for all you do,
Rhonda Roff, Chair Sierra Club Calusa Group
Our Waters, Our Voices — What Comes Next?
What a day!
Our Waters, Our Vote: Southwest Florida Water Summit 2026, co-hosted by the Sierra Club Calusa Group and the League of Women Voters of Lee County, brought together people and organizations from across Southwest Florida who share a commitment to protecting our waters.
A special thank you to our speakers, volunteers, and the 29 organizations that sponsored the Summit. Their support helped make this important community conversation possible.
The program book includes questions to ask candidates on pages 22-37.
But the Summit was about more than learning. It was about what we do next.
Right now, EPA is accepting public comments on proposed changes that could further limit which waters receive federal protection under the Clean Water Act. The deadline is October 9.
This is our opportunity to take what we learned at the Summit and put it into action.
And remember: our voices matter beyond the comment period. Learn where candidates stand on clean water, vote, and hold our elected officials accountable.
Start a Ripple. Build a Wave.
We came together for our water. Now let’s speak up for it.
Nominations Open for Exec Committee
Dear Sierra Club member,
The Sierra Club Calusa Group is preparing for our upcoming Executive Committee (ExCom) elections, and we’re seeking passionate, dedicated leaders to join us. Serving on the ExCom is a meaningful opportunity to help guide our group’s work on climate action, conservation, and environmental justice in Southwest Florida (Lee, Collier, Glades and Hendry counties).
We are looking for individuals who bring: ● A commitment to Sierra Club’s mission, values, and grassroots organizing. ● Diverse perspectives and lived experiences that strengthen our collective leadership. ● Experience in areas like fundraising, communications, community engagement, or policy advocacy. ● A willingness to collaborate and help shape the chapter’s strategic direction.
If you or someone you know would be a great fit, please let us know by October 13, 2026.
How to Apply or Nominate Someone: Please reach out with candidates directly to our Nominating Committee. If you are interested in applying please nominate yourself.:
● Contact: Mary Kay Robbins-Kralapp at mkkralapp@gmail.com ○ Please include as much info on the nomination as possible including: ■ Name of nominee, email and phone number ■ Chapter/Group affiliation (if applicable) ■ Whether it’s a self-nomination or you are nominating someone ■ A few sentences about the nominee's connection to the Sierra Club or environmental work or any relevant leadership, organizing, or professional experience ■ What skills, perspectives, or priorities the nominee would bring ■ Any Sierra Club volunteer roles the nominee has held
Thank you for helping us build a strong, representative leadership team for the year ahead. Your voice and leadership can make a lasting impact on our movement for a just and livable planet.
In solidarity,
Rhonda Roff, Chair Sierra Club Calusa Group
GIFT FOR NEW CALUSA GROUP MEMBERS
Choose between two of Sierra Club’s famous and beautiful 2027 calendars directly from the Calusa Group. All you have to do is JOIN HERE.
After you join, please email us at Calusa@Florida.SierraClub.org and tell us which calendar you would like and we will send it to you in the mail. Thank you for all you do!
Wilderness Wall Calendar Engagement Calendar
H.R. 9017: A Shortcut Florida’s Wetlands and Wildlife Can’t Afford
It has a reassuring name: the “Restore Florida Water Independence Act of 2026.” But H.R. 9017 isn't about making Florida’s waters cleaner.
Introduced by Southwest Florida Congressman Byron Donalds, the bill seeks to restore Florida’s role in issuing federal Clean Water Act Section 404 permits — permits required for certain dredging and filling of wetlands and other protected waters.
More importantly, it would have Congress declare legally sufficient the controversial endangered-species review used the last time Florida administered the program — an analysis federal courts found did not meet requirements of the Endangered Species Act.
At a September 16 congressional hearing, Amber Crooks, Senior Environmental Policy Advisor for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, summed up her concern plainly: “H.R. 9017 attempts to take a shortcut.”
That may sound like an obscure fight over permitting. It isn't. At its heart, this debate is about what happens when development, wetlands and endangered wildlife all occupy the same piece of ground.
What Is H.R. 9017?
In 2020, Florida became only the third state to take over much of the federal Section 404 wetlands permitting program normally administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Environmental organizations, including Sierra Club and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, challenged the transfer in federal court.
A central issue was a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion intended to address how the state-run program would affect approximately 160 federally protected species, including the Florida panther and Florida bonneted bat.
Federal courts found problems with that endangered-species review, and Florida’s authority to administer the program was vacated.
H.R. 9017 would not require a new Biological Opinion correcting those problems. Instead, Congress would declare the old one sufficient for EPA’s approval of Florida’s program and say that no additional Endangered Species Act consultation is required for that EPA action.
Florida can seek authority to run the program again.
So why not fix the problems first?
Florida Has Done This Before. What Happened?
That may be the most important question. At the September 16 hearing, Crooks asked Congress to look at what happened while Florida actually ran the program.
She described a case in which Florida failed to include a permit condition that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said was necessary to protect endangered species.
She also described a Southwest Florida case involving the threatened crested caracara and endangered Florida bonneted bat. Federal wildlife officials warned that Florida bonneted bats would be harmed, yet the permit was issued without determining how many bats could be harmed or killed or establishing a limit on that harm.
These aren't predictions about what might happen.
They happened while Florida was running the program.
If problems were identified the last time Florida administered Section 404, why should Congress declare the old endangered-species review sufficient instead of requiring those problems to be fixed?
And That Brings Us to the Florida Panther
For Southwest Florida, this is where an issue in Washington becomes very local. As Crooks told Congress: “Florida’s endangered species deserve the same protections as those in any other state.”
The remaining core habitat of the endangered Florida panther is here in South Florida — and it is under tremendous development pressure.
Development doesn't just remove individual acres of habitat. New communities bring roads, traffic and infrastructure that can fragment the larger landscape panthers need to survive.
Crooks warned Congress about large developments, roads and mines affecting thousands of acres of panther habitat.
She also rejected the idea that protecting these lands means opposing all development: “We are not ‘anti-development,’ we steward smart growth.”
Look at Southeast Lee County
Right now, Lee County is considering major amendments to its Southeast Lee County Community Plan that could allow more intensive development in portions of the Density Reduction/Groundwater Resource area.
This isn't an area where panthers might theoretically appear. Panthers actually use this landscape.
So consider what is happening at the same time.
Here at home, we are debating more intensive development in an area used by Florida panthers.
In Washington, members of Florida’s congressional delegation are supporting legislation that would validate the endangered-species review used when Florida previously administered federal wetlands permits.
The two decisions are separate. H.R. 9017 does not approve development in Southeast Lee County, and stopping the bill would not stop development there.
But together they raise an important question:
As development pressure on the remaining habitat of the Florida panther increases, should we be strengthening the safeguards protecting that habitat — or finding ways around them?
When wetlands, development and panther habitat overlap, local land-use rules, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act provide different layers of review and protection.
That is why H.R. 9017 isn't just a Washington story.
It is a Southwest Florida story.
Take Action on H.R. 9017
H.R. 9017 has not become law.
Congressman Byron Donalds introduced the bill, and eight other members of Florida’s congressional delegation have signed on as cosponsors.
If you are concerned about H.R. 9017, contact them.
Ask why Congress should declare the old endangered-species review sufficient instead of requiring the problems identified with it to be corrected.
Tell them Florida’s wetlands and endangered wildlife deserve the full protection of federal law.
It doesn't need to be complicated: “I am concerned about H.R. 9017. Florida has already administered the federal Section 404 wetlands program, and serious problems with endangered-species protections were identified. Please protect Florida’s wetlands and wildlife and oppose H.R. 9017.”
Florida can seek authority to administer the program again.
Lee County is considering major changes to the rules that guide how and where our communities grow — and two very different proposals deserve our attention.
One involves the Southeast Lee County Community Plan, where proposed changes could reshape future development in one of the county’s most environmentally important remaining landscapes. The other is a much broader effort affecting 17 community plans across unincorporated Lee County.
Both raise important questions about growth, conservation and the role of the public in shaping the future of their communities.
But right now, Southeast Lee is the more pressing issue.
Southeast Lee: We Saw What Was Happening — and We Responded
The Southeast Lee amendments would change the planning framework for an area that still contains important wildlife habitat, wetlands, agricultural lands and natural systems — while allowing a substantially different pattern of future development.
After Lee County Commissioners voted to transmit the amendments to state reviewing agencies, Sierra Club Calusa Group responded, asking three agencies to examine what could be lost before the County moves toward adoption.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC): Southeast Lee lies within the remaining range of the endangered Florida panther and within FWC’s South Bear Management Unit. We asked FWC to examine the cumulative effects of the proposed changes on panthers, black bears and other wildlife — including habitat fragmentation, loss of connectivity, increased traffic and wildlife-vehicle collisions. Read Sierra Club Calusa Group’s letter to FWC.
South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD): We asked the District to examine what increased development could mean for the area’s wetlands, natural flowways, flood storage, groundwater recharge and regional water supply — natural systems that benefit communities well beyond Southeast Lee. Read Sierra Club Calusa Group’s letter to SFWMD.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP): We asked DEP to examine whether additional development and its cumulative pollution pressures are compatible with efforts already underway to restore impaired waters, protect wetlands and improve water quality. Read Sierra Club Calusa Group’s letter to DEP.
The common message was simple: these landscape-scale questions should be answered before substantially greater development is authorized — not later, one development and one permit at a time.
Pencil It In: Tentatively October 21
The Southeast Lee amendments are expected to return to the Lee County Commission for an adoption hearing. Lee County currently lists October 21 as the tentative hearing date. Lee County current status page.
Pencil it in now — but watch for confirmation. If the hearing goes forward that day, it will be an important opportunity for the public to show up and be heard before commissioners decide whether these changes become part of the Lee Plan.
Sierra Club Calusa Group will share the final hearing date and details when they are confirmed.
And Southeast Lee Isn’t the Only Lee Plan Change
At the same time, Lee County has been considering sweeping changes affecting 17 Community Land Use Plans across unincorporated Lee County. Community organizations and civic groups from Alva to Captiva have joined together as The Lee Communities Coalition in response to those proposed changes. Below is their message to Lee County residents:
Protecting Lee County’s Community Plans From The Lee Communities Coalition
In April 2025, Lee County Commissioners directed staff to review the Lee County Comprehensive Plan and Land Development code to reduce redundancies and make them more efficient. Instead, in August 2026, staff proposed sweeping changes to The Lee Plan and the LDC — all without public input and totally disregarding unique community characteristics.
In fact, 17 Community Land Use Plans in unincorporated Lee County were deleted altogether. While some of the land use rules moved to different places, some the requirements that communities have relied on for years have been eliminated.
One key item taken away was a requirement that developers hold public meetings in the communities where they are proposing to develop. This removes a key opportunity for the public to have a say in how, when and where development takes place in their communities.
Community organizations and civic groups from Alva to Captiva have banded together to organize opposition to these changes under the umbrella banner of The Lee Communities Coalition, a group created specifically in response to these wholesale changes opposed by residents.
Learn more about the communities’ concerns and review analyses of these changes on the Coalition’s website: LeeCommunities.com
Call to Action!
The Coalition has been having success: Due to public opposition, the BOCC has twice delayed their vote to proceed with the changes. But there is more work to be done and we’re asking for your help!
Please email all county commissioners: Ask them to delay any changes to the Lee Plan or the Land Development Code until the formal review process — already scheduled for 2028 — takes place. Explain why you think the Community Plans should be preserved, why this whole process should be slowed down, and why public input matters and should be taken into account!
You can find talking points and other background materials at LeeCommunities.com.
Lee County Commissioner Contact Information:
Kevin Ruane, District 1: dist1@leegov.com Cecil Pendergrass, District 2: dist2@leegov.com David Mulicka, District 3: dist3@leegov.com Brian Hamman, District 4: dist4@leegov.com Trish Petrosky, District 5: dist5@leegov.com Communities directly impacted are: Alva, Bayshore, Boca Grande, Buckingham, Caloosahatchee Shores, Captiva, Pine Island and Matlacha, Lehigh Acres, North Captiva, North Fort Myers, North Olga, Northeast Lee County, Olga, Page Park, San Carlos Island, Southeast Lee County and Tice. Thank you, The Lee Communities Coalition
“Cleaner Water Faster”? Cape Coral Begins a New Restoration Plan
Manatee by Keith Ramos
Cape Coral is beginning a $2.6 million North Cape Coral Water Quality and Drainage Alternative Restoration Plan aimed at addressing nutrient-related water-quality problems in North Cape Coral's creeks and canals and nearby Matlacha Pass.
The City will hold a public kickoff meeting on Wednesday, October 14 at 5 p.m. at the Cape Coral Public Works Operations Center, 815 Nicholas Parkway East. Residents will have an opportunity to learn about the project, ask questions and provide input.
There is a lot to like about the goal the City has set for the project. Its presentation puts it simply: “Cleaner Water Faster.”
The project will investigate pollution sources, quantify pollutant loads, determine how much those loads need to be reduced, examine flooding and identify projects that could improve both water quality and flood protection.
But there is another part of the project name worth understanding: Alternative Restoration Plan.
What Does “Alternative Restoration” Mean?
When a waterbody does not meet water-quality standards, it can be designated as impaired. One of the traditional next steps is development of a Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL, which establishes how much of a particular pollutant a waterbody can receive while still meeting water-quality standards. An Alternative Restoration Plan offers another path toward restoring impaired waters.
Florida uses two types of Alternative Restoration Plans: a 4b Reasonable Assurance Plan and a 4e Pollutant Reduction Plan. Under a 4b plan, pollution-control measures must provide reasonable assurance that water-quality standards will be restored, and the waterbody is not placed in Category 5 as needing a TMDL. Under a 4e plan, the water remains on the federal impaired-waters list while restoration activities proceed, and TMDL development can be deferred while progress is evaluated.
The City's materials currently describe the North Cape project simply as an Alternative Restoration Plan. They do not yet say whether the City intends to pursue a 4b plan, a 4e plan, or which waters and impairments may ultimately be included.
That distinction matters—and it is something worth asking about now.
Matlacha Pass Has Been Waiting
Although this project covers the broader North Cape drainage basin, Matlacha Pass is an important part of the story.
Water flowing through North Cape Coral reaches surrounding coastal waters, including Matlacha Pass. And Matlacha Pass has been struggling with nutrient pollution for a long time.
FDEP verified Matlacha Pass as impaired for total nitrogen in 2015. Concern over how long restoration has taken is not new. In 2017, the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program asked FDEP to increase the priority for development of a TMDL for Matlacha Pass and several other waters.
Eight years later, there was still no nutrient TMDL for Matlacha Pass. In January 2026, Calusa Waterkeeper formally asked FDEP to prioritize development of a nutrient TMDL for Matlacha Pass, pointing to its long-standing impairment and the importance of restoring this protected estuary. Now Cape Coral is developing a broader Alternative Restoration Plan that includes Matlacha Pass.
That doesn't mean an Alternative Restoration Plan is a bad approach. If it identifies the sources of pollution, gets effective projects underway and produces cleaner water sooner, that would be a welcome result.
But after so many years of impairment, an important question deserves an answer:
What will this Alternative Restoration Plan mean for the long-awaited nutrient TMDL for Matlacha Pass?
A Plan Is the Beginning. Cleaner Water Is the Goal.
Ultimately, the important question isn't simply what the restoration plan is called. It is whether it produces results.
The City's project will identify and verify pollution sources, calculate pollutant loads, determine the reductions needed, identify sensitive water-quality and habitat areas, evaluate flooding risks and develop projects intended to improve water quality and flood protection.
The work is expected to continue through 2028, when a final Alternative Restoration Plan is scheduled to be completed.
That makes some questions especially important.
What are the water-quality targets? How much pollution needs to be reduced? Which projects will achieve those reductions? When will those projects be implemented? And how will we know whether conditions in the water are actually improving?
Those questions matter whether the final approach is a 4b plan, a 4e plan or another restoration path.
A restoration plan should ultimately be measured by what happens in the water.
Why Pay Attention Now?
Because the plan hasn't been written yet.
Over the next two years, the project team will study pollution sources, calculate loads and necessary reductions, identify priority areas and potential restoration projects, establish short- and long-term goals, and ultimately develop the Alternative Restoration Plan.
And public participation is specifically included in that process.
That means the October meeting isn't simply an opportunity to hear about a finished plan. It is an opportunity to ask questions while the plan is still being shaped.
Among them: Is Cape Coral considering a 4b Reasonable Assurance Plan, a 4e Pollutant Reduction Plan, or has that decision not yet been made? Will the Alternative Restoration Plan replace or defer development of a nutrient TMDL for Matlacha Pass? Which impaired waters and pollutants will be included? What measurable pollution reductions will be required? How will progress be measured and reported to the public? What happens if the restoration projects do not achieve the expected improvements? How will the public continue to be involved as the plan develops?
Come to the October 14 Meeting
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 — 5 p.m. Cape Coral Public Works Operations Center 815 Nicholas Parkway East, Cape Coral
The City says residents will be able to hear from City staff and the project team, ask questions and provide feedback.
“Cleaner Water Faster” is a goal we can all support. Now is the time to understand how Cape Coral plans to get there, what success will look like, and how we will know when we have achieved it.
Come to the meeting. Ask questions. Be part of the process from the beginning.
We advocate, attend meetings, write letters and speak up for clean water and wildlife. But there is another powerful way to make a difference: get environmental voters to the polls.
The Environmental Voter Project (EVP) is a nonpartisan nonprofit that identifies people who care deeply about climate and the environment but don't consistently vote—and works to turn them into regular voters. EVP estimates that 11.2 million registered environmental voters sat out the 2024 general election.
In Florida, EVP has identified 488,509 voters to reach in 2026.
BIRDING TOURS by our friends at Hendry-Glades Audubon!
The Sierra Club Calusa Group area includes Hendry and Glades Counties, with their abundance of natural wonders. For any birders or wannabe birders, please do not miss the opportunities Hendry-Glades Audubon Society offers for driving tours at Stormwater Treatment Areas 5&6 and the C-139 Flow Equalization Basin!
The Hendry Board of County Commissioners thought it could not afford the legal fees if it did not upzone to PUD from Ag2; however, it was an empty threat by the applicant as the County had no obligation to allow this hugely incompatible use.
Montura Ranches and other local residents, including from the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, were able to finally get the County to admit that this project was not allowed under the current zoning in the Hendry County Comprehensive Plan, and thus there would be no valid Bert Harris Act claim to accommodate.
Calusa Group Chair, Rhonda Roff, spoke against the rezone, but more meaningfully as a local resident. See her comment at 1hr 18min.
One of the best ways we can strengthen Southwest Florida's conservation community is by sharing opportunities to get involved. If your organization has an upcoming meeting, volunteer project, cleanup, nature walk, educational program, or other environmental event, please send us the details. We'll consider it for inclusion in the next Sierra Club Calusa Group newsletter and help connect more people with the important work you're doing.
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