The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District
July 2003
Restoring Biscayne Bay
Welcome to
CERP Report
n this edition, we will
provide you with the
latest news and information
about the Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration
Plan (CERP) and our
community outreach efforts
throughout south Florida.
As you read through this
issue, you'll discover more
about what the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers and
the South Florida Water
Management District are
doing to inform, involve, and
engage our citizens,
businesses and communities
in the Everglades restoration
plan and the protection of our
future water supply.
I
ith its freshwater springs, rich
fisheries, and oyster beds, Biscayne
Bay was a beckoning harbor for
16th century Europeans who explored the
coasts of the New World. Although much has
changed since the early days of exploration
along Florida’s coasts, today the bay remains
an internationally recognized resource.
Relying on water that flows directly
from the Everglades, Biscayne Bay is part of
a large south Florida ecosystem in need of
restoration. The restoration of Biscayne Bay
and the 284-square-mile Biscayne National
Park, located in Miami-Dade County along
Florida’s southeastern tip, is included as a
part of the Comprehensive Everglades
Restoration Plan (CERP). The Biscayne Bay
Coastal Wetlands project will restore the
health of the bay by reconnecting natural
W
wetlands within the bay, and by restoring
the historic overland water flows that were
lost through drainage and other practices
related to development.
To learn more about plans to protect
Biscayne Bay and Biscayne National Park,
please visit our website at
www.evergladesplan.org, and attend the
upcoming public workshop to be held this
summer, sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers and South Florida Water
Management District.
Keeping Recreation in Mind
uring the Memorial Day weekend, Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) outreach team
members participated for the second time in a fishing
tournament sponsored by SAFER (South Florida
Anglers For Everglades Restoration).
SAFER is a stakeholder group
representing more than 30 bass
fishing clubs from throughout
south Florida, whose members
are concerned about the effects of
CERP projects on recreational
fishing. The tournament drew 81 boat
entries with approximately 200 people, who enjoyed
a day of fishing at Everglades Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale,
located at the eastern edge of Everglades National Park.
D
w w w. e ve rg l a d e s p l a n . o rg
The Corps and the District recognize the importance of
the abundant recreational opportunities provided by our south
Florida environment. That is why CERP includes a Master
Recreation Plan. This recreation plan will take a
system-wide approach to identify,
evaluate, and address the impacts
of CERP implementation on
existing recreational uses
within the south Florida
ecosystem. It will also identify
and evaluate potential new
recreation, public use, and public
educational opportunities. Information about the
Master Recreation Plan can be found on our website at
www.evergladesplan.org.
Environmental Moments
About CERP
id you know that the Florida
Everglades was once a
vibrant, free-flowing river of
grass that provided clean water
from Lake Okeechobee to Florida
Bay? Today, this extraordinary
ecosystem is dying. Over the past
half-century, the health and size of
the Everglades have steadily
declined. Severely impacted by
drainage and development, the
Everglades is suffering from a
critical shortage of clean, reliable,
water sources.
To restore and preserve south
Florida's natural environment,
enhance water supplies, and
maintain flood protection, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
in partnership with the South
Florida Water Management
District and numerous other
federal, state, local, and tribal
partners, has developed a plan to
save the Everglades.
The Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan
(CERP) specifies a series of
ecological and water system
improvements. During the next 30
years, the Corps, the District, and
their sponsoring partners will
restore water quality, quantity,
timing, and distribution in what is
being referred to as "the largest
environmental restoration project in
history."
To find out more about
Everglades restoration, visit our
website at www.evergladesplan.org
CERP outreach team members Brice McKoy (far
left) and Mike Voich (far right) discuss benefits of
Everglades restoration for the Loxahatchee River,
following a presentation sponsored by the
Loxahatchee River Historical Society in Jupiter.
D
Class of 2003 Haitian-American high school
graduates from throughout Palm Beach County
enjoy an event in their honor sponsored by the
Haitian American Coalition for Education (HACE).
Graduates learn about career opportunities
including those related to CERP implementation
and project monitoring.
Let's Meet and Greet
If you are interested in learning
about business opportunities
with the Corps, please contact
Randy Edney at
561-683-1577, ext. 14.
If you are interested in learning
about business opportunities
with the District, please call the
Procurement Hotline at
1-800-472-5290.
If you would like to request a
presentation for your organization,
please contact Malissa Booth at
561-683-1577, ext. 24 or
Bernadette Morris at
305-948-8063, ext. 201.
Out and About: Outreach In Action!
The CERP outreach team is always out and about in south Florida and hopes to meet you at
one of the following activities and events:
• July 9-11
FLERA (Florida Local Environmental Resource Agencies)
Annual Conference, Jupiter (Palm Beach County)
• July 12-15
NAACP Conference Commerce & Industry Show
Miami Beach (Miami-Dade County)
• July 17-19
FMSDC (Florida Minority Supplier Development Council)
Conference and Trade Fair, Orlando (Orange County)
• July 26
Africando Arts and Culture Folklife Festival,
Miami (Miami-Dade County)
If you are organizing an event and would like for the CERP outreach team to attend, please
contact Bernadette Morris at 305-948-8063.
The Journey to Restore
America’s Everglades
A partnership of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Florida Water
Management District and many other federal, state, local, and tribal partners.
CERP Report is an unofficial publication authorized under the provisions of AR 360-1 and published monthly by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville
District, P. O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019, telephone (561) 683-1577, ext. 15, fax (561) 683-2418.
Comments regarding this report are encouraged and may be sent to the above address or to [email protected]