Governor Crist Vetoes
Fishing Tournament Facility
Florida Governor Charlie Crist recently vetoed a two state budget items that would have funded a fishing tournament facility at Buckman Lock and cleared the Ocklawaha River for fast-moving boat traffic. Both projects would have placed manatees at great risk. Thanks for your help! Your calls and letters let the governor know that you support restoration of the Ocklawaha River.
Let's keep the momentum going! Please follow-up with another call, letter, or e-mail to thank Governor Crist for vetoing these projects and urge him to move forward with the Ocklawaha River Restoration project. The Buckman Lock and Rodman Dam structures are the greatest cause of manatee deaths in the area. Restoration of the Ocklawaha River would benefit manatees and other wildlife as well as Florida's springs.
Webmail: http://www.flgov.com/contact_form
E-mail: Charlie.Crist@myflorida.com
Phone: 850-488-7146
Fax: 850-487-0801
Mail:
Governor Charlie Crist
The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
When you contact the governor, please remind him that a drawdown of the reservoir for aquatic weed control is planned for this fall and winter. Be proactive and make these points:
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It would cost nothing to make the drawdown permanent and the perfect opportunity to enact the first stage in the restoration process;
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A permanent drawdown would give the de-watered portion of the floodplain time to grow instead of being re-flooded in the spring;
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It would give the Florida Department of Environmental Protection time to do the data collection necessary to adequately address water quality issues;
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It would expose most of the federal lands in the Ocala National Forest that are flooded by the reservoir;
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Invite him to attend the Rally for the Rivers February 15-17, 2008 and join the volunteer People's Restoration organization to plant a tree.
If the governor makes the upcoming drawdown the first step in the U.S. Forest Service's recommended restoration plan, recovery of the Ocklawaha River will be well underway by the end of his first term in office! Please let him know we share his desire to restore the Ocklawaha River.
For more information on the Rally for the Rivers event, contact Karen Ahlers, President of the Putnam County Environmental Council at 352-475-1936 or go to www.pcecweb.org
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