Canto Library Photo by Lisa Weatherbee for The Luupe, theluupe.com
Linda Smithe, Executive Committee Chair
Greetings,
I have spoken often about the importance of our members. This includes our future members, our next generation of environmental leaders. The Loxahatchee Group is planning to launch a Junior Team this fall for passionate high school students ages 13-18 who want to get involved in local environmental advocacy, education, and action. The Broward Group started a Junior Team a few years ago. They have exceeded the Broward leadership’s expectations, and they are willing to help us start our own Junior Team.
As adults we have an obligation to help these students. We need a mentor, maybe two, to guide them in their journey to advocacy. We are in many ways responsible for the world our young people will inherit. The least we can do is share what we know.
As a mentor you don’t have to worry about computer or speaking skills. They will have that part covered!
Please step up and help our Junior Team get started.
Also, this month I am so proud of the accomplishments of our current members!!! Check out the Member Highlights’ section this month. And this is just what folks have told us about.
In addition to actions showcased in Member Highlights, I know many hundreds of petitions have been signed and numerous internet letters have been sent to Federal, State, and Local elected officials.
We need to keep the pressure on.
Thank you to everyone for your continued advocacy.
New Members Welcome!!!
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Learn ‘top secret’ tips and tricks to successfully create a healthy native garden that not only looks great but also provides birds and other pollinators with critical food and a place to raise their young! This evidence-based workshop will be fast-paced, fun, and make you feel like you are first on the ‘scene’ with one of the best modern conservation solutions.
Speaker Carly Batts, the owner and operator of B the Change Native Plants and Landscape Designs, will lead us in a fun and interactive workshop, complete with a short garden tour and native plant sale. Carly is the immediate past president of the Martin County Chapter of the Native Plant Society and, most recently, she won an “Emerging Leader Under 30” Award from the Florida Native Plant Society for her work with native plants and environmentally innovative solutions in the urban landscape.
Following her presentation, Carly will guide us on a brief tour of the native gardens surrounding the Jupiter Inlet District Offices.
A selection of native plants will be available for purchase before and after the presentation.
Where: Delevoe Memorial Park, 2520 N.W. 6th St, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Doors Open: 2:00 PM
Event: 2:30-5:00 PM
Trash is an important topic for South Florida. Currently, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties are considering options for disposing of our trash: landfill, incineration or zero waste. These decisions will affect our waste stream for many generations to come so it is important that we are engaged in the decision process.
Sierra Club Zero Waste Policy opposes any form of combustion of waste due to the dangerous pollutants and carcinogens that would be spewed into the air. Additionally, the amount of energy produced by incineration is relatively insignificant, but produces a significant mountain of ash as a residual part of the process.
Loxahatchee, Miami, & Broward Groups are working together to present a panel of local experts to discuss this critically important topic.
Distinguished Moderator:
Louis Aguirre, WPLG Local 10's Environmental Advocate - His signature campaign, Don’t Trash Our Treasure, has become a cornerstone of environmental awareness in South Florida. He has hosted community town halls and moderated expert panels, helping bridge the gap between science, policy, and the public.
Panel Includes:
Marcelo Balladares, Organizing Representative Everglades - Marcelo has helped lead Sierra Club's "Don't Incinerate, Innovate!" campaign in Miami Dade.
Mayor Wayne Messam, City of Miramar - successfully led the effort to eliminate the Airport West site as a proposed location for what would have been the nation’s largest waste incinerator.
Richard Ramcharitar, Executive Director of Broward Clean Air - Broward Clean Air is the main local partner and co-host of the Zero Waste Week Global Zero Waste Forum.
Dr. Philip Stoddard, Professor of Biology at Florida International University 1992-2024, and Mayor of South Miami from 2010-2020.
Anagha Iyer, high school senior and the Broward Sierra Group Junior Team Chair.
Jupiter Light House Outstanding Natural Area, July 23, 2025:
Sabrina Carle, 5th from left, helped with other Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resource Management (ERM) volunteers to remove weeds and add mulch to a pollinator garden. The group also enjoyed a tour of the lighthouse!
Delaware Scrub Natural Area, July 24, 2025, Jupiter, FL:
Linda Smithe and spouse Brian Ducharme volunteered to help ERM remove 250 pounds of vines and ‘rehome’ 300 air plants. More photos are on the Environmental Resources Management Facebook and Instagram pages. Thanks to everyone for helping to preserve and protect this Palm Beach County natural treasure.
Galaxy Sand Pine Scrub Preserve in Boynton Beach, August 2, 2025.
Sabrina Carle, standing far left with green shirt and hat. Linda Smithe, just right of her in white shirt and Sierra Club black hat among 30 volunteers at the Institute for Regional Conservation Reviving Urban Nature.
Sabrina and Linda joined 30 volunteers at the Institute for Regional Conservation Reviving Urban Nature, Volunteer Day. Volunteers removed nonnative vegetation and installed native plants to support the biodiversity of this unique Galaxy Sand Pine Scrub habitat! This event is part of an ongoing restoration project with the City of Boynton Beach. Invasive plants were removed to make room for assisted natural regeneration. They successfully installed 200 native plants. A few of the species installed were Whitemouth dayflower, Partridge pea, Feay’s Palafox and Chapman’s Oak.
Special thanks go to the City of Boynton Beach and Chris Lockhart, Habitat Specialist, for their assistance with this project.
Jupiter Ridge Clean-up: August 7, 2025
Zara Brenner, 4th from left joined ERM volunteers and staff removed 560 pounds of trash during the volunteer event at Jupiter Ridge Natural Area.
Indivisible Protest July 27, 2025:
Sabrina Carle, in hat, was hanging out with like-minded folks from Indivisible as they protested for-profit GEO prison company, etc. The favorable response from passers-by was overwhelming!!
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Sun Sentinel July 27: Make Milani Park Happen by Sondra Levin
Supporters of a beachfront park in Highland Beach, are calling on the Palm Beach County Commission to move forward on the Milani Park project, which has a history of almost 40 years.
People fear that the park could be forgotten because some newer commissioners may not know the background of this project.
A longtime Sierra Club member who has spoken numerous times in support of the park expressed concern that if county leaders fail to keep the park on track, the county could lose a rare, valuable opportunity for park space and beach access.
Supporters emphasize that the site is in an area of the county with less beach access than other parts of the county, and the park will help fill this need. They also point out that our beaches advance the county’s tourism economy.
Palm Beach County has invested $6.5 million in the project. In 1987, it paid $3.9 million to buy 5.6 acres of land from the Milani family with the condition that the county would build a park and name it after a family member.
Many meetings have been held, and county staff has worked with the town of Highland Beach on the project.
The park site consists of land on both sides of State Road A1A, just north of Spanish River Boulevard. It entails removing invasive trees, planting native trees and constructing a boardwalk, a crosswalk across A1A, a pedestrian-activated light, restrooms and parking lot.
Palm Beach Post August 7: Rock mine project Deserves Opposition by Kiele Mader
Ever since I can remember, communities in Martin County and across South Florida have demanded an end to the toxic discharges from Lake Okeechobee. We’ve seen firsthand how toxic algae blooms harm wildlife, and how scorching summers fuel the conditions that make these blooms worse. The EAA Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area are finally being built to help solve this re-occurring crisis. But now, that progress is under threat.
The proposed Southland Rock Mine, a 34-year project, doesn’t only risk worsening the lake discharges, but also threatens the future of Everglades restoration. On May 22, Palm Beach County commissioners approved the project, ignoring overwhelming opposition and moving forward without waiting for a scientific review from the South Florida Water Management District. Blasting and excavation next to the reservoir site could jeopardize decades of progress and billions in public investment.
As a young environmentalist, I speak for the next generation who will inherit the consequences. This mine only benefits Big Sugar and shows a clear disregard for one of the world’s most unique ecosystems.
Sun-Sentinel August 11: Stop the Bear Hunt by Drew Martin
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission is preparing to allow bear hunting.
The last hunt, several years ago, was a failure. Bears ineligible to be hunted were killed, including lactating female mothers and bears below minimum weight requirements. Cubs died when they were separated from their mothers and could no longer be fed.
Hunting offers no benefit to solving bear-human conflicts because it focuses on bears in the wild that are no threat to humans. Baiting bears with dogs and traps is cruel. Black bears are not a food source for humans and only provide a trophy.
Bear biologists have not provided scientific evidence to support a hunt.
For those who enjoy wildlife, bears are important to our ecosystem. We ask that the hunt vote be defeated or postponed. Please contact Gov. Ron DeSantis or the FWC to ask that a bear hunt is not approved.
SPEAKING UP
Richard Stowe was quoted in The Palm Beach Post August 11:
Museum Plans Spur Protesters, By Elisabeth Gaffney, Special to The Post,
LAKE WORTH BEACH — More than 70 residents stood outside Lake Worth Beach City Hall before the scheduled Aug. 5 City Commission meeting, protesting against the Weiner Museum of Decorative Arts (WMODA), a $60 million mixed-use downtown development project.
“The project obliterates all the qualities of the (Old Town) historic district,” said Richard Stowe, who moved to Lake Worth Beach in 2012 and formerly served on the Tree and Landscape Board.
UPDATES IN COURT ACTION:
Bear Hunt Gets Approved, But Lawsuit Filed
Court Ruling Against Alligator Alcatraz
Stop the Bear Hunt Rally in Palm Beach Gardens
Bear Hunt
Loxahatchee Group members Gail Ladd and Maria Pizano-Balatovis participated in a “Stop the Bear Hunt Rally” on Saturday, August 9.The local rally in Palm Beach Gardens was one of many state-wide protests against a proposed black bear hunt, which faced a hearing by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission (FWC). Protesters raised colorful signs and banners opposing the threat to bears if the FWC voted to reinstate the hunts at their August 13 meeting. Cars passing by the protest honked horns and gave thumbs-up in support.
Sierra Club members from throughout the state, including Maria, continued the effort by attending the FWC hearing in person. They were among the over 160 speakers who were each allotted one minute to make their case.
Approximately 80% of Floridians oppose the bear hunt and particularly the methods that will be sanctioned for it, such as hounding, baiting and archery. These cruel methods impose unnecessary suffering to the bear population.
Despite overwhelming public opposition, the five Commissioners present at the hearing all voted in favor of the hunt. The hunt will start Dec. 6 and run for 23 days.
Two days after the vote, Bear Warriors United filed suit against the FWC, arguing that the new bear hunt rule "is not grounded on any scientifically based recommendation and is set at the whims of the executive director or designees," rather than the agency's seven, constitutionally-appointed commissioners.
Alligator Alcatraz
Meanwhile, a federal judge has put a stop to further expansion of the immigration detention center built in the Florida Everglades, ordering that its operations wind down within two months.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami wrote in her 82-page order that Florida officials never sufficiently explained why an immigration detention center needed to be located in the middle of sensitive wetlands cherished by environmentalists and outdoors people.
She also said that state and federal authorities never undertook an environmental review as required by federal law before Florida officials hastily built the detention camp, which they championed as a model for President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
That failure adversely affected the “recreational, conservational, and aesthetic interests” of the environmental groups and Miccosukee Tribe which brought the lawsuit, she said.
Friends of the Everglades has launched a Fund Raising Campaign for the legal challenge. An anonymous donor will match every gift up to $50,000.
Our own Jessica Namath has been amplifying the fight against the detention center from its inception. For weeks, she has kept a vigil across the road from the Alligator Alcatraz sign. As an administrator of the Facebook page Floridians for Public Lands, she posts videos of heavy construction trucks, buses, and ambulances going in and out of the heavily guarded facility. Thank you, Jessica, for keeping us informed about the extent of this travesty against humanity and Florida’s cherished environment.
September Outings
Saturday, September 6, 8:30 PM – Evening Turtle Hatchling Walk in Pompano Beach. Casual walk along the beach to learn about turtle nesting and possibly encounter a nest with active hatchlings. Leader: Jordan Holaday 732-912-1800. Register
Saturday, September 13, 8:00 AM – Morning Bird Migration Walk in Fort Lauderdale. Casual walk in the historic Evergreen Cemetery to observe birds in the mature tree canopy. Leader: Jordan Holaday, 732-912-1800. Register
Saturday, September 27, 8:00 AM – Morning Bird Migration Walk in Plantation. Leisurely walk along the one-mile Plantation Preserve linear trail to observe migrating birds. Leader Jordan Holaday, Jordan Holaday, 732-912-1800. Register
Saturday, October 11, 8:00 AM – Morning Bird Migration Walk near Weston. Leisurely walk in Markham Park near the Everglades to observe migrating birds. Leader: Jordan Holaday, 732-912-1800. Register
Saturday, October 11, 9:00 AM – Family Friendly Wildflower Walk near Homestead. Leisurely walk on the Long Pine Key Nature Trail in Everglades National Park near the Homestead entrance. Leader: Kaatje Bernabei, 305-298-0277. Register
Help Guide the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders!
By Kiele Madder, Student Leader
The Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group is planning to launch a Junior Team this fall for passionate high school students ages 13-18 who want to get involved in local environmental advocacy, education, and action.
We’re seeking dedicated adult Sierra Club members to serve as mentors to provide guidance, encouragement, and support as these young students learn how to make an impact.
Mentorship can be as simple as attending monthly meetings, offering project advice, tracking service hours, and ensuring Sierra Club rules are being followed.
We’re also looking for motivated high school students who might want to spearhead this effort and help shape the direction of the Junior Team. If you know a high school student who’s passionate about environmental advocacy and conservation, we’d love to connect with them!
If you're interested in mentoring or know a student who might be a great fit, please reach out to Linda Smithe.
EPA Moves to Roll Back Endangerment Finding, Threatening Climate Action
Scientists and environmental advocates say the move further endangers our planet and clean air
The Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump is following through on a plan that will revoke its primary authority to control the greenhouse gas emissions that endanger human health and welfare.
Last month, Congress passed a bill that eliminated the 30% solar investment tax credit and made it harder for Americans to go solar. Now is a critical moment to speak up and show we’re paying attention.
Whether you’re thanking a lawmaker for standing with solar or expressing your deep disappointment, calling your members of Congress helps build our power in the long term.
SUN supporters like you have already been making calls to Congress. This pressure is important. But to truly hold our elected officials accountable, we need to keep it up—and grow our numbers.
Once you’re ready, fill out the form to make your call. After you submit, you will receive a phone call, connecting you to your legislator. Once you finish, you can stay on the line and press * to talk to another one of your legislators!
Even if you’ve already called once, calling again sends a clear message: We’re watching, we care, and we’re not going away.
Let’s keep the momentum going and show Congress that their constituents are paying attention.
Thank you for taking action,
Annie Wolf
VP, Community Impact
Solar United Neighbors Action
Sierra Club Broward Group General Meeting
In Person or Virtual
Cat Uden
When: Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, 6:45pm-8:15pm
Where: Veterans Park, 7600 NW 50th St, Lauderhill, FL, or via ZOOM
Where: Veterans Park, 7600 NW 50th St, Lauderhill, FL, or via Zoom. YOU MUST REGISTER HERE. Specify how you want to attend. If you choose virtual, the Zoom link will be sent to you.
Speaker: Catherine “Cat” Uden, Oceana’s Senior Field Representative
Topic: Oceana’s priority campaigns to protect our oceans.
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About Turtle Tracks
Turtle Tracks is the monthly newsletter of the Sierra Club Florida Loxahatchee Group. It contains environmental news and activities of interest to Sierra Club members and supporters in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties. Contributions from readers are welcomed. Please review our submission guidelines.
