Photo by Linda Smithe Photo by Erin Paulson Photography
Dear Riley,
CHAIR CHAT
FL Chapter Lobby Days in Tallahassee
Greetings,
What an educational, inspirational and fun packed 4-day weekend of environmental advocacy!
No, the drive to Tallahassee was not the highlight! But it was a treat to have my husband carpool with me and attend many of the events. Andre Rajoo had the right idea. He flew with his grandfather in his private plane, which used a lot less fuel than my vehicle!
Friday night attendees had dinner and a campfire complete with s’mores.
Saturday morning, we got to work: writing postcards, listening to an inspirational speaker, staff and campaign reports. Regional Director Susanah Randolf and the staff kept the day moving along and fun. There was a hike, look out for ticks! That night we had dinner followed by a dance party.
Sunday morning, we were off to special events, including a paddle trip or a pontoon boat ride at Wakulla Springs. I chose the pontoon boat ride with 40 other Sierra Club members. We were serenaded by the singing park ranger, Collin Johnson. Seriously check him out on YouTube
Singing Ranger Collin Johnson Photo by Erin Paulsen Photography
After the river trip we gathered for a group picnic and then back to the Miccosukee Co-Op where Chapter Political and Legislative Director, Javier Estevez presented a tutorial for the Lobby Days, javier.estevez@sierraclub.org We enjoyed a dinner of leftovers (Sierra Club never wastes good food!) and more music!
Monday morning, we met at the War Room, RM 212 in the Senate Building, and picked up information packets to distribute. Andre and I met with two elected officials and the legislative aide of a third. We also dropped off packets to six other elected officials’ desks, passing out “Save Our Parks” bumper stickers as we went. If you hurry, you might still be able to get one: https://savefloridaparks.com .
Sierra Club Lobbying Days was such a success that I must believe it will be repeated in 2026. I highly recommend the trip!
Looking ahead to May:
The Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group will continue working to stop the new $1.5 Billion Trash Incinerator. Do we really want our area to have the largest, most expensive, toxic trash burning facility in the United States? Check out the report by Mike Ewall, Energy Justice: “It’s Not Green”. To access an online copy of this report, go to: www.energyjustice.net/fl/pbcincin.pdf.
WHEN: Saturday, May 31, 2025 Doors open at 2:00 (Please Sign In) Program 2:30-4:30 PM
WHERE: Mandel Public Library Auditorium 411 Clematis St, West Palm Beach, FL 33401.
Learn about the controversial practice of sugarcane burning and its impact on air quality, health, and the environment. Discover the untold stories of the resilient people living in Belle Glade, the unique "muck" soil that powers an industry, and the fight for cleaner, greener alternatives.
Join us for a special screening of the Emmy-nominated, NBC 6 South Florida-produced documentary "Bittersweet Muck" at the Mandel Public Library Auditorium followed by a Q & A panel discussion with experts.
The panel will feature: Sasha Jones, Emmy Winning Investigative Journalist Colin Walkes, Former Mayor of the City of Pahokee and member of the Stop The Burn - Go Green Campaign leadership team Howard Kessler, MD. President of the Physicians for Social Responsibility Florida Chapter Patrick Ferguson, Sierra Club Florida Chapter Senior Organizing Representative on the Stop The Burn-Go Green Campaign.
Members of Lake Worth for All and Loxahatchee Sierra Club Rally at City Hall on March 28, 2025
By Panagioti Tsolkas
Lake Worth Beach has long been a hotbed of environmental activism in Palm Beach County, serving as a former meeting place for the Loxahatchee Group and home to several former and current ExCom members.
Our small city is leading the way in standing up to overdevelopment in South Florida. This time we are challenging New York developer Arthur Wiener’s plan for a 5-story 110-unit development on public land in the heart of the historic, low-rise downtown. All of this comes with the cost of a calculated $19 million in taxpayer support for Wiener.
The plan also comes with requirement that the city build a “public” parking garage that will include spaces reserved for the residents of the new building.
Wiener also plans to avoid the affordable housing requirements in the city with the current pro-developer City Commission and CRA boards’ invitation. Sierra Club policy states that “housing affordability is a matter of basic justice, equity, security, health, and economic opportunity for all.”
This project is packaged as a public benefit because it’s being tied to a 33,000-square-foot museum known as WMODA (Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts), which will showcase Wiener’s personal Dale Chihuly blown glass collection. Of great concern is that nothing in the current development agreement requires the site to stay as a museum, leaving it open to a “real estate flip.”
Twenty years ago, Sierra Club helped Lake Worth pass a historic charter amendment requiring that the sale of public land go to the ballot. Using this, we protected Old Bridge Park, now home to the local green market and what became the Jewell Cove Natural Area. The use of public land located within the Historic area of downtown Lake Worth also deserves a public vote.
Lake Worth voters need your support. You can learn more and donate at: take action
Panagioti Tsolkas is an organizer with Lake Worth for All, a former Loxahatchee ExCom member and co-chair of the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition.
New Trash Incinerator is a Bad Idea!
Study Commissioned by Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group
Principal Author: Mike Ewall Energy Justice Network, 215-436-9511 mike@energyjustice.net
In 2024, Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority (SWA) revealed plans to build a $1.5 billion new incinerator to replace an aging incinerator referred to as REF 1.
This first incinerator came online in 1989 and burns refuse-derived fuel (RDF). RDF is trash that undergoes minimal processing before burning. REF 1 processes a total of 2,650 tons of trash per day. The minimal processing done prior to the burning removes metals and debris that doesn’t burn well, such as rocks and broken glass.
SWA’s second incinerator is “mass burn,” meaning that it burns waste without any processing. Built adjacent to REF 1, it came online in 2015. It has the capacity to burn 3,000 tons of waste per day with its three burners. The plant is the only new trash incinerator built in the U.S. since 1995. It is the only trash incinerator built under stricter standards that require modern pollution controls for nitrogen oxides (NOx). Nitrogen oxide is the pollutant known for creating ground-level ozone (smog), which triggers asthma attacks. This newer incinerator is known as REF 2.
This study, commissioned by the Loxahatchee Group finds that a new 3,000 or 4,000 ton/day trash incinerator in Palm Beach County would be the largest industrial waste incinerator and one of the largest industrial air polluters in the county. In fact, it would be among the county’s top five industrial air emitters of ammonia, cadmium, dioxins/furans, hydrochloric acid, mercury, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide and greenhouse gases.
The Loxahatchee Group of the Sierra Club is governed by a nine-member Executive Committee (ExCom). Members are elected to staggered, two-year terms, so every fall we have an election to fill the upcoming vacancies.
This year there will be four vacancies to fill. We also need a Nominating Committee to find candidates.
If you are interested in serving either on the Nominating Committee or ExCom, or have questions about the responsibilities, let me know.
If you know of someone you think we should contact about serving, let me know.
Maybe you have been to a few of our meetings and are wondering what you can do to help. We cannot read your mind. Let us know you would like to get involved.
Nominations will close Mid-September
Ballots emailed and (snail mailed to members for whom we have no email address) at the end of October.
Election closes Midnight November 30, 2025.
New ExCom Members will be announced and installed during December ExCom Meeting.
Reminder this year we will be electronically voting for your Executive Committee. Please be sure to update your membership information to include your current email address.
Left to Right: Tania Galloni, Bonnie Malloy Christina Reichart
The Everglades Coalition’s 2025 Conservationists of the Year
The Things You Learn
Photo and article by Richard Stowe
I met Earth Justice attorney Alisa Coe at the 39th Annual Everglades Coalition Conference (EVCO) in Bonita Springs in January 2024. She was part of a panel discussion on the Supreme Court’s unnerving decision in May 2023, SACKETT ET UX. v. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ET AL. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-454_4g15.pdf That decision raised great concerns about the protection of wetlands and water quality.
A year later at the 40th EVCO, I stepped outside the Miccosukee Casino & Resort and greeted two women, who I thought were probably conference attendees. In the shadows and stray light, they introduced themselves as Alisa Coe and Bonnie Malloy! The next day, Alisa presented Earth Justice attorneys Bonnie, Tania Galloni, and Christina Reichart as Everglades Coalition’s 2025 Conservationists of the Year. In a three-year “landmark victory” ending in February 2024 (now on appeal), the Federal Judge rejected EPA’s transferal of wetlands permitting authority from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the State of Florida based on violations of the Endangered Species Act.
Alisa confirmed my vague notion that there is a connection between Sierra Club and Earth Justice. It turns out the beginnings of Earth Justice date back to 1950, when Sierra Club wilderness expeditions leader, David Brower, allowed 13-year-old Phil Berry to join a “6-week burro excursion.” Inspired by Brower, Sierra Club’s first Executive Director (1952), Berry earned a J.D. at Stanford Law School and went on to become president of the Sierra Club Legal Committee in 1966. He then recruited law school classmate Fred Fisher and friend Don Harris to found Earth Justice. https://earthjustice.org/
You never know who you might inspire through volunteer participation with the Sierra Club, be it during an Inspiring Connections Outdoors outing, an adult outing, attendance at a local municipal meeting or simply tabling at one of our events. Check our volunteer opportunities on our website
SO MANY MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
Here's what some of our members have been up to in the past month. Send a note to Linda Smithe, destinationloop@gmail.com about what you've been doing, and you could be featured in the next Turtle Tracks.
PALM BEACH COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Sierra Club members are active! Linda Smithe, Brian Ducharme and Zara Brenner were among the volunteers and staff who removed 1,900 pounds of trash as part of the Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management (PBCERM) cleanup event at Jupiter Ridge Natural Area in March. We met the group at the entrance on US 1. From there we were taken by truck to the intracoastal where we boarded a boat to move further along the coast so that we could clean among the mangroves. Great fun and rewarding!
You can sign up for fun and rewarding activities! Don’t wait the events are less frequent when it’s hot! PBCERM
Palm Beach Post Letter to the Editor
William Louda's letter to the editor of The Palm Beach Post was published on April 6, 2025
Preserving our wild areas also protects endangered species
Florida’s state, as well as national parks were purchased and/or set aside by and for the people. That is, all of the people, certainly not Realtors and developers. These are the lands that are needed for recreation in the open natural area. That should not include golf, pickleball, tennis or any activity which decreases natural habitat. Above all, our natural parks are habitat for wildlife, many species either already endangered or on the brink of being endangered.
As a professor of Environmental Chemistry (at Florida Atlantic University) studying harmful algal blooms and nutrient pollution, I fully understand the need for increased wild areas as they do not pollute and often aid in nutrient removal, thus protecting our surface waters.
J. William Louda, Boca Raton
MILANI PARK SITE PLAN
Commissioner Woodward Milani Park Site Plan
Milani Park Meeting Update: Kay Gates Speaks up!
On April 2, Kay Gates spoke at Commissioner Woodward’s Town Hall meeting at the South County Civic Center. The purpose of the meeting was to present preliminary designs for the Cam D. Milani Park and get public feedback. Milani Park is a project Palm Beach County has been trying to complete for over 25 years. One might ask, “Why so long?”. The protracted delay is due to litigation from residents of neighboring Highland Beach who fear the park will attract “undesirables” that might wander onto their private beaches. The meeting on April 2 was packed with Highland Beach residents.
After years of litigation, the County recently reached a Stipulated Settlement Agreement and Addendum (SSAA) with the City of Highland Beach. The SSAA includes 43 conditions that must be met in the design of the park. The County is following the stipulations and eager to complete the project.
Jeff Huber, architect and landscape architect of the Brooks and Scarpa design team, presented a plan that included preserving and conserving the maritime hardwood hammock currently on part of the location, eradication of invasive species throughout, and plantings of native and Florida-friendly species.
The park footprint is bisected by A1A in Boca Raton. As stipulated in the SSAA, the western section will include 100 parking spaces on the south and a wetlands area to the north. The east section will have a raised boardwalk that meanders through a low impact area down to the beach. Restrooms and a lifeguard building will be erected in an already disturbed area at the northwest corner of the beach side.
Public comments were allowed after the presentation. Overwhelmingly, the comments were made by Highland Beach residents who cited various reasons that the County should NOT go forward with the planned park. Kay Gates, long time Sierra Club activist, stood and thanked the County representatives for finally proceeding with the much-needed park and praised the County for their excellent work.
As one can imagine, the Highland Beach residents were NOT pleased with Kay’s comments. Another meeting may be planned - we will let you know. Kay could use the support of our Sierra Club members as she stands up for sensible, sustainable development.
LOBBY DAY 2025
Photo on left: Andre Rajoo, Sen. Bernard Aide Devonique Taylor, Linda Smithe Center Photo: Andre Rajoo, Rep Gerwig, Linda Smithe Photo on right: Linda Smithe, Rep Tendrich, Andre Rajoo
Lobby Day 2025 - Andre Rajoo and Linda Smithe
As outlined in Chair Chat, April 14 was Sierra Club Lobby Day and Andre Rajoo met with Representative Debra Tendrich-District 89, Representative Anne Gerwig-District 93, and Legislative Aide Devonique Taylor for Senator Mack Bernard-District 24.
MAY OUTINGS
THREE TO CHOOSE FROM!
Friday May 9, 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Hike at Pondhawk Natural Area, Boca Raton
This will be an easy and leisurely 2 mile hike exploring scrub and flatwoods habitats in the northern portion of Palm Beach County’s Pondhawk Natural Area, 1501 Spanish River Boulevard, Boca Raton FL 33431 and an adjacent freshwater lake. We will walk a paved trail and an uneven sandy trail. Leader: Michelle Dunaway spotspotcat@comcast.netDetails and reservations
Sunday May 25, 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Hike at Pondhawk Natural Area, Boca Raton
This will be an easy and leisurely 2 mile hike exploring scrub and flatwoods habitats in the northern portion of Palm Beach County’s Pondhawk Natural Area, 1501 Spanish River Boulevard, Boca Raton FL 33431 and an adjacent freshwater lake. We will walk a paved trail and an uneven sandy trail. Michelle Dunaway spotspotcat@comcast.netDetails and reservations
Friday, May 30 thru Sunday, June 1
Tent Camping at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
Tent camping weekend near cars at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, northwest of Okeechobee. The camping site has bathrooms and showers. Most group meals are included. Several optional hikes will explore this 54,000-acre nature preserve.
By Richard Stowe, Executive Committee and Energy Chair
Author, world-renowned botanist and Pine Rockland preservationist, Roger L. Hammer led the Miami-Dade and Loxahatchee Groups on the Long Key Pine loop trail in Everglades National Park early in the morning on April 5th. The walkers enjoyed both Roger’s extensive knowledge and his personal stories.
While standing in front of a group of Florida native Coontie plants, he told us the story of the re-emergence of the Florida Atala Butterfly (edited for brevity):
“If you ever dig up the big tuberous root of a Coontie and eat it raw, it will kill you, but the Seminoles learned how to make starch out of it. If you have ever eaten Keebler’s animal crackers, the original ones, then you’ve eaten Coontie flour. Then there’s the Florida Atala butterfly. In 1965, the Atala was listed as “presumed extinct,” but in 1979 while I was walking around on Virginia Key, I found some Coonties covered in these red larvae with yellow spots and I wondered what is that? So, I picked them off the weeds, brought them home and raised them….and, to my amazement, they were the presumed extinct Atala butterfly! That discovery made national news!
I continued raising the Atala once I realized what they were. Then I relocated the larvae to places like here, illegally of course, (audience laughter) and various State Parks and County Parks, anywhere there were native Coontie plants. Eventually, I put them into Fairchild Tropical Garden, much to their dismay because Coonties are Cycads (and Fairchild has a lot of non-native Coonties). One thing I discovered is they’ll not only eat the native Coontie, they’ll eat Zamia’s from all over the world! Fairchild started calling me, ‘Roger come get these damn butterflies out of here.’ So, I would go collect 50, 80, 100 caterpillars and take them and move them elsewhere. The Atala butterfly population just exploded.”
Photos Left to right: Agency Volunteers Cleaning out the Area Outings leader Michelle Dunaway Sabrina Carle Deep in the woods
All Photos by Lisa Hanley
Another Year of Preserving the Preserve
by Lisa Hanley, Outings Leader
The final service outing of the season, held at Galaxy Sand Pine Preserve in Boynton Beach on March 27, was a resounding success and a wonderful end to this year’s season.
Over twenty people committed to restoring gopher tortoise habitat in the preserve participated in clearing three sections of invasive plants that crowd out plants preferred by gopher tortoises. We have positively identified two tortoises on the site and there may be more! One of our goals is to provide enough gopher tortoise forage area to quality the Preserve as a waif recipient site. Galaxy Sand Pine Preserve
The Loxahatchee Group has been working in the Preserve since 2013, helping to secure grants to remove large trees (that shade out the ground cover forage that gopher tortoises depend on), supplying hundreds of volunteer hours, and leading groups of Galaxy Elementary School students on field trips through the Preserve.
We extend our thanks to our dedicated volunteers from Loxahatchee Group, City of Boynton Beach, Galaxy Elementary School, the Native Plant Society, The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission field staff, Arthur R Marshall Wildlife Refuge employees and Friends Of, and so many more. We hope everyone has a good summer, wherever your travels take you, and we look forward to seeing you in November, when service outings resume.
Get a Free Simple Will
And Leave a Legacy to Our Loxahatchee Group
By Gary M. Landau, Esq.
When they draft their wills, many people decide to leave some of their assets to charity. And what better charity than our Loxahatchee Group, where your money can continue defending our natural environment and environmental justice even after you're gone.
My Law Office of Gary M. Landau will draft your simple will for free if you leave a bequest to the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group of $5,000 or more.
As a member of the Loxahatchee group’s Executive Committee and the co-chair of the political committee, I understand the importance of continually funding all the great work the group does in our community.
Our law office, located in Coral Springs, has served the residents of South Florida for more than 25 years. We specialize in wills and living trusts as well as real estate transactions and closings.
To make an appointment to discuss how your legacy can include protecting our natural world via a free simple will, contact my office at 954-979-6566. Learn more about estate planning: our office website
Broward Sierra Group JUNE General Meeting
Scarlet Lanzas
TOPIC: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with an emphasis on SDG 12 Sustainable Consumption, Recycling and Upcycling – Zero Waste
DATE AND TIME: Thursday, June 5, 2025; 6:30 PM
LOCATION: Veterans Park 7600 NW 50th St., Lauderhill, FL 33351
Scarlet Lanzas will give a brief introduction to the UN Sustainable Development Goals Framework along with a model to put it into action. “Building A Sustainable Future Together” is a program that will transform waste management, reduce landfill use, and build a future where materials like glass are reimagined as valuable resources. The goal is to flip the script by leveraging unique business models of reusing waste as an economic incentive to build a circular economy to maximize the benefits for all.
Among her accomplishments, Scarlett founded Accountable Impact, a nonprofit organization activating local and global networks to accelerate and localize the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in South Florida. At the United Nations World Food Program, she worked in international development programs and humanitarian food assistance in emergency operations, relief, and recovery operations. She co-founded Social Impact Movement, a Miami nonprofit organization and a catalyst for change for youth activism on the SDGs.
Sign-up Instructions:
Please indicate when you register if you will attend in person, or via Zoom. If via Zoom, you will receive the Zoom link shortly after you register. Please make sure it does not go into your junk/spam folder. If in person, we look forward to seeing you at Veterans Park. Register
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. Please keep on subscribing to My Chapter, the first option, so you continue to receive Turtle Tracks, our local newsletter. The rest of the email options? Decide for yourself. If you have any questions, contact Ron Haines at ronaldhaines@bellsouth.net.
