The East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, through funding by 
Seminole County, Florida Office of Greenways and Trails, the U.S. 
Forest Service and the Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation, will 
be expanding our economic impact of trails analysis and study into 
Seminole County.

From September through November 19th, staff and volunteers will be 
conducting face to face surveys at trail heads and along sections of 
the Flagler Trail, Cross Seminole Trail, Seminole Wekiva Trail, and 
the Sanford Riverwalk.

The trail user survey will also be available on line at:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SeminoleTrailUserSurvey

YOU ARE INVITED

The Sierra Club Central Florida Group will be presenting Ms. Barnett with the Sierra Club Indigo Journalist Award for the books and articles Cynthia has written concerning the water crisis  in Florida. Cynthia has been a reporter and editor at newspapers and magazines for twenty-five years. She is senior writer at Florida Trend magazine, where she covers investigative, environmental and business stories.

Blue Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis

October 5, 2011

An Evening with Cynthia Barnett
 
Book Launch – Reading and Signing
 
Barry University School of Law
 
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
 
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
 
The Center for Earth Jurisprudence will host the launch of renowned author and environmental journalist Cynthia Barnett’s new book, Blue Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 from 6-8 p.m. at the Barry Law School, 6441 East Colonial Drive, Orlando.
 
In addition, the Central Florida chapter of the Sierra Club will be honoring Ms. Barnett with their Indigo award for her outstanding advocacy on environmental issues.
 
Please join us to meet with the author for this wonderful evening. Ms. Barnett will  present on the foundations of a water ethic and read seletions of from her new book. Books will be available for purchase and signing during the reception.
 

Thank you to everyone who helped with the Sierra Club press conference in front of Rep. John Mica's office in Maitland on July 21.  We sent a stong and clear message that Florida's want clean water and we support the Federal Clean Water Act.  We told Mica that we want to see the law maintained and not to gut it in Washington.

Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64542273@N08/sets/72157627257393834/

Sample Clean Water Letters to the Editor for download (as Word .doc files): 

Sample Clean Water LTEs 4

Sample Clean Water LTEs 5

http://centralfloridasierra.org/
URGENT: FLORIDA BLACK BEAR ALERT
Join the Sierra Club Central Florida Group in voicing your opposition to the
Florida Wildlife Commissions' plan to delist the threatened Florida Black
Bear. Also oppose any future plans for trophy hunting or chasing the Florida
Black Bear. The FWC Commission is meeting in St. Augustine on June 8th at 8:30
am to consider this item on their agenda.  Go to the following link to send Your
message: 
http://myfwc.com/contact/staff-contacts/senior-staff/commissioners/
 
The Florida Black Bear is an important part of Florida's ecosystems. Black
bears need a variety of habitats over a large geographic area. The State of
Florida has no contiguous statewide wildlife corridors to provide for the
long-term protection of this important umbrella species. Florida Bears share
living space with a variety of other protected, threatened and endangered
animals. Habitat fragmentation and habitat loss from urban sprawl is
creating greater human interactions and increased bear mortality. Recent
changes to Florida's growth management regulations potentially prevail over a
meaningful species management plan.

Orlando ICO outing to Juniper Springs National Forest for a hike and swim.

The outing went well.  "The agency representative is a bird watcher and the kids would point out birds for her. One kid even brought a phone to school to show her photos of a bird (cardinal)."

Join Mark Rizzo and Beth Jackson, Green PLACE Program, to learn about the importance of ecological corridors and how to maintain them through proper land management.    Workshop will include a field trip to the Pine Lily Preserve, a 409 acre preserve owned and operated by the Orange County Environmental Protection Division.

Our May-June 2011 edition of the Sierran is available!

Click here to view it:

http://www.centralfloridasierra.org/uploads/2011_05_sierran.pdf

In this issue, we focus on water:

• A water ethic for Florida
• Hydrological restoration & Florida's forests
• Yard crimes and lake victims?
• Water, women, and children
• Hazardous waste and water
• Call to action: stop offshore oil drilling
• Transportation news
• Upcoming outings, programs, and much more!

Saturday June 18th: Sierra Club Garage Sale in College Park from 8 am - 1 pm at 804 Rugby ST. Orlando, FL 32804. Clean out your garage and donate your items to your local Sierra Club! Got an old bike you want to donate? Backpacks you never use? Any items of value you want to get rid of, donate to the Central Florida Sierra Club garage sale! To arrange donation/pick-up call Mary-Slater at 407-481-4398 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sat & Sun June 25 - 26th: Overnight trip to St. Augustine. We plan to ride bikes through the old city and explore the sights on Saturday. On Sunday, we will check out the state parks in the area and go hiking. It is too hot to camp so we will book some rooms for Saturday night. St. Augustine is the oldest city in the USA! We’ll ride past many historic sites of the city. First on the route is the old fortress, Castillo de San Marcos. The existing structure was built of coquina rock, which consists of bits of shell and limestone. We will continue along the Matanzas River and cross the Bridge of Lions. Cycling allows you to fully absorb this picturesque landscape. Contact Mary-Slater for details: 407-481-4398 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard liability waiver. To read the waiver prior to the outing, contact the Outings Department at 415-977-5528 or visit us online at www. sierraclub.org/outings/chapter/forms/

Sierra Club is a Florida Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST37115. CA Seller of Travel CST 2087766-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. 

Sat & Sun May 7 - 8th: Backpacking at Hidden Pond, Ocala National Forest. Call for meeting time and location. We’ll do one last backpack before it gets too hot. We will hike about 6 miles to the campsite and back out the next day. One of the most popular stops or backpackers along the Florida Trail, Hidden Pond is a designated camping area in the middle of the Juniper Prairie Wilderness with ccess to a spring-fed pond. It sits between two bodies of water, providing cool evening breezes. There are numerous sites all around he Hidden Pond area and along the Florida Trail to setup a tent. Bear are commonly seen along the trail. This is a Fla. Trail Outings. Leader: Rodney Posey (Call after 5:00 pm) 321-436-2349 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sunday May 15th: Cady Way Bike Ride: Meet at 9:00 am in the trail head parking lot, next to Fashion Square Mall, and we’ll ride ut to Oviedo and back again. The trail passes through a wide range of environments from highly urban in nature to golf courses and ooded sections, creating an exciting trail experience. We’ll stop for ice cream in Ovideo, so bring a few dollars in your pocket. This is  6.5 miles each way, so you can meet us on the trail if it suits you better. Leader: Mary-Slater at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 407-481-4398.

Monday May 30th: Kayak Rainbow River in Dunnellon just 90 minutes from Orlando. We will meet at the outfitter at 10:00 am at the onfluence of the Rainbow River and the Withlacoochee River. We will kayak two of the finest rivers in Florida! We will be shuttled to
the Rainbow River KP Hole and paddle to Rainbow River State Park then back downstream to the outfitter. This will be a 7.5 mile total. Paddle the crystal clear spring waters and drift peacefully back to our car on the Withlacoochee River. Bring lunch, but make sure the're in non-disposable containers. Officials patrol the river and they can fine you for having disposable containers in your boat! Don’t have Gatorade bottles, Doritos bags, etc. Sigg waterbottles, tupperwear containers, etc. are OK. Kayaks are available for rent from
the outfitter: $28.89. There is a $3 fee per person at the put-in. Leader: Mary-Slater at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 407-481-4398. You
must RSVP to reserve a boat.

Participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard liability waiver. To read the waiver prior to the outing, contact the Outings Department at 415-977-5528 or visit us online at www. sierraclub.org/outings/chapter/forms/.
Sierra Club is a Florida Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST37115. CA Seller of Travel CST 2087766-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California.