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Date:
September 27, 2006 6:51:00 PM EDT
Cc:
colleen.castile@dep.state.fl.us, "Bob G. (Deputy Secretary)
Ballard" <bob.g.ballard@dep.state.fl.us>,
janet.Klemm@dep.state.fl.us,
greg.knecht@dep.state.fl.us,
george.getsinger@noaa.gov,
roger.b.griffis@noaa.gov,
jim.bohnsack@noaa.gov,
hooks.craig@epa.gov,
cynthia_bohn@fws.gov,
keith.mille@fwc.state.fl.us,
jeb.bush@myflorida.com,
stanfieldk@dfs.state.fl.us,
perezk@eog.state.fl.us,
diana_sawaya-crane@oag.state.fl.us,
miedema.ron@epa.gov, jeff <sfdhjeff@aol.com>,
audra.livergood@noaa.gov, Christopher Boykin <Christopher.Boykin@dep.state.fl.us>,
hodel@nova.edu,
fisher.william@epa.gov, Rob Ruzicka <Rob.Ruzicka@dep.state.fl.us>,
Peter W Swarzenski <pswarzen@usgs.gov>,
Diego Lirman <dlirman@rsmas.miami.edu>,
soloviev@ocean.nova.edu,
dgriffin@usgs.gov,
elipp@uga.edu,
esther.peters@tetratech-ffx.com,
eshinn@marine.usf.edu,
jporter@uga.edu,
John.Proni@noaa.gov,
boyerj@fiu.edu, Judith Lang/Lynton Land <JandL@rivnet.net>,
Brian LaPointe <Lapointe@HBOI.edu>,
margaret.w.miller@noaa.gov,
riskmj@mcmaster.ca,
pswart@rsmas.miami.edu, Phil Dustan <dustanp@cofc.edu>,
Dick Dodge <dodge@nova.edu>,
Steven.Wolfe@dep.state.fl.us,
Paul@sms.si.edu, Vladimir Kosmynin <Vladimir.Kosmynin@dep.state.fl.us>,
Harvey.richard@epa.gov,
cmiller@coastaleco-group.com, Chantal Collier <Chantal.Collier@dep.state.fl.us>,
lgeselbracht@tnc.org,
Linda.Horne@dep.state.fl.us, Kenneth Banks <Kbanks@broward.org>,
Mcmanus.fred@epa.gov,
ncraig@broward.org,
Marissa.Steketee@dep.state.fl.us,
dcrean@sfwmd.gov,
Jamie.Monty@dep.state.fl.us,
jeff.beal@myfwc.com,
ngassman@broward.org,
rbraun@co.palm-beach.fl.us, Cry of the Water <reefteam4@yahoo.com>,
Tina.Udouj@MyFWC.com,
scott.turgeon@fl.usda.gov, Cry of the Water <reefteam2@yahoo.com>,
DeeVon Quirolo <deevon@bellsouth.net>,
Craig Quirolo <cquirolo@bellsouth.net>,
Etichscuba@aol.com,
lbrand@rsmas.miami.edu, Brian LaPointe <LaPointe@hboi.edu>,
"Dr. James M Cervino" <cnidaria@earthlink.net>,
Ray Hayes <hayes.ray@gmail.com>,
Brent Plater <bplater@biologicaldiversity.org>
Subject:
Stonewalling? of
the Official request on Outstanding Florida Waters Petition?
Dear Mr. Shaw,
For years Cry of the Water, the
Global Coral Reef Alliance, and a very widespread coalition of
divers, fishermen, scientists,? and environmentally concerned
citizens have been begging the State of Florida to protect the
best reefs left in the State, in Broward County. Amazingly,
these beautiful reefs have no legal protection whatsoever, are
not even designated as reef habitat, and have no management plan
for their protection!
We have repeatedly formally
requested the US Coral Reef Task Force to obey the law under
which they were constituted and require all their member
agencies at Federal, State, and County level to stop approving
projects that will degrade, damage, and destroy coral reefs. We
have been stonewalled at every step, and the Task Force has told
us privately that it is beyond their competence to even ask
their own members to follow the law that set up the task force!?
For a few million dollars of
taxpayers money to dredging companies and incompetent
consultants they will destroy marine resources that provide more
than a billion dollars a year in economic benefits to the people
of Broward County alone. Allowing this amounts to a shameful
fraud and coverup of their total abdication of responsibility
under the law.??
We urge you to save the last and
best before it is too late. The window of opportunity is rapidly
closing while EPA denies that sewage causes algae blooms that
kill corals, the Army Corps of Engineers denies that sediment
kills corals, and NOAA denies that global warming kills corals.
Once deliberate official inaction and denial kills our
reefs?they will be gone forever.?
Future generations will bitterly
blame those in power who allowed these unique natural treasures
to be destroyed through willful neglect.? If you do not act NOW
it will be too late!
Best wishes,
Tom
Thomas J. Goreau,
PhD
President
Global Coral Reef Alliance
37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA
02139
617-864-4226
On Sep 27, 2006, at 5:54 PM, Cry of
the Water wrote:
Dear Mr. Shaw
This is an official
request for a written response regarding our petition
for Outstanding Florida Waters.?
In May of 2003 we sent
in our petition for Outstanding Florida Waters to Janet
Klemm in Tallahassee.? We have also provided the agency
with video and photos showing the rich marine life in
this area.? It is the only place in the State of Florida
where you can swim from the beach with a mask and
snorkel and see massive centuries old corals among
fields of Threatened Staghorn coral.? We believe through
the photos and back up material we have sent you that we
have properly documented this.? It has been over three
years and we have not received an official response as
to the status of our petition.?
We do not feel that the
proper Rulemaking procedure pursuant to Chapter 120, F.S.
has been followed.?
We were told in a phone
conversation last month with a lawyer from FDEP
Council?s office that the ?Policy Makers in Tallahassee?
had chosen not to process our petition.?
This raised the
questions
1. Who are the Policy
Makers?
2. Why was our petition
not processed since this area is truly some of Florida?s
most Outstanding Waters?
3.
Was
proper Rulemaking procedures followed?
4.
What is
the official current status of our request?
?
We look forward to your
timely response because we are preparing our
presentation for the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meeting
in October in the
Virgin Islands.? We
would like to be accurate in what we tell the Task Force
in regard to our
petition.? We have a letter from FDEP stating that if we
misrepresent any information, Cry of the Water?s
membership in SEFCRI will be terminated.?
Please see attached
information and back up information on Cry of the
Water?s and the Broward County web sites:
-
May 05, 2003 Petition
for Outstanding Florida Waters to Janet Klemm
-
May
10, 2003 Scientists and Divers urgently petition State
of Florida
-
Southeast Florida
Socio-economic Study of the Reef at
http://www.co.broward.fl.us/cgi-bin/AT-anchor.pl?economic%20study%20of%20the%20reef&/usr/lpp/internet/server_root/pub/bio/socioeconomic.htm#economic%20study%20of%20the%20reef1
-
Cry of the Water and
Global Coral Reef Alliance report ?Reef Protection in
Broward County, Florida? at
http://www.cryofthewater.org/report081301a.htm
-
Photos from report at
http://www.cryofthewater.org/pix_1.htm
Thank you
Dan Clark
Cry of the Water
P.O. Box 8143
Coral Springs,
FL? 33075
954-753-9737
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