New ExCom to lead new chapter Let's gear - Sierra Club Florida

Winter 2011-2012
Inside this issue
Leadership shares views at
national meeting 2
Northwest Florida activities 2
2011 Sierra Florida Award
winners 3
Sierra Florida in action 4-5
Zero Waste for Florida 6
Everglades in new ecosystem
campaign 6
Get your map of Florida and
the Everglades 6
Sierra’s menu of ways for you
to help 7
Sierra on board to move planet
to clean energy 7
VisitSierraFloridaontheWeb 8
Ellen Peterson, 1923-2011 8
T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F S I E R R A C LU B F LO R I DA
New ExCom to lead new chapter
Bev Griffiths of the Tampa Bay
Group and Debbie Matthews and
Stephen Mahoney of the Miami
Group have been elected to the new Sierra
Florida Executive Committee. The election,
with all but one of the state’s groups present
and voting, occurred during an Oct. 1
meeting in St. Petersburg.
They replace three retiring members of
the Steering Committee and will join the
four continuing members, Craig Diamond,
Rudy Scheffer, Tom Larson and Marian
Ryan, to comprise the new Sierra Florida
Chapter Executive Committee upon
reinstatement of the chapter on Jan. 1, 2012.
This was the first election for the new
Sierra Florida Chapter as it comes out of the
suspension imposed four years ago by the
national Sierra Club. At that time, national’s
Board of Directors appointed a seven-member
steering committee to guide the ongoing
crucial functions and to rebuild the structure
and form a new chapter. Forming a new
executive committee is part of that process.
An election in the fall of 2012 will replace
the remaining four members of the Steering
Committee. For more information on the
new committee, or on the bylaws or process
of the election, visit florida.sierraclub.org/
steeringcommittee.asp.
Let’s gear up for 2012 election
Florida has been under siege this year
from those who would dismantle
our state’s hard-fought environmental
protections.
The Department of Community Affairs,
water quality and growth management are
among the many issues that
have been attacked, rolled
back or eliminated. Several
key Everglades scientists have
been fired. Congress has made
a number of serious attempts to
eviscerate our nation’s premier ecological
laws and regulations, such as the Clean
Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.
The best way to fight these attacks is to
support and elect the best green candidates
available. We already have a number of
champions willing to run for office and
there are more willing to enter the political
arena to fight back the assault on our state.
The 2012 election year ushers in not
only the important presidential race, but
also congressional, state and local races
that will determine Florida’s environmental
future. Your Sierra Club Florida Political
ELECTION
2012
Committee is hard at work preparing for the
busy election season. Our goal is to elect as
many environmental champions as possible,
and we need you to help any way you can.
First, make a commitment to vote in
the 2012 election. Next, donate your time
and/or money if you have the
resources. Consider a gift, large
or small, to your Sierra Club
Florida Political Committee.
Send contributions to the Sierra
Club Florida PAC Treasurer
Greg Kalmbach, 111 Shirley Ave., Sanford,
FL 32771-1546. State your occupation if
giving more than $100.
To donate your time or to learn more,
contact any of these committee members:
Cecilia Height, 407-657-9582, cheight@
cfl.rr.com; John Koch, 561-968-8645,
banyanjohn@att.net; Gayle Reynolds, 941-
923-5903, reynoldsdesign@comcast.net.
Your help can make a true difference in
electing candidates who want to protect
Florida’s natural areas. — Cecilia Height,
Political Committee chair
www.florida.sierraclub.org 1

Leadership shares views at national meeting
Sierra Club’s top leaders shared their views on Sierra
in light of all that is going on in America today at the
recent Council of Club Leaders meeting in San Francisco.
I represented Sierra Club Florida at the meeting, and took
away these thoughts of Executive Director Mike Brune and
Club Chairman Carl Pope:
Pope stressed that many of the current attacks on the
environment are actually creating more public support for it.
The American people see that their values and interests are
at the heart of the debate. Extremist groups and their bigmoney
supporters have influenced politicians to go after the
Environmental Protection Agency, but the EPA is more popular
now than ever with the public, who see it as safeguarding the
cleanliness of our air and water for them and their children.
Also, Sierra’s push for clean, efficient industry is in sync with
jobs and the economy. Those industries that are recovering, such
as the auto industry, are coming back because of more fuelefficient
and cleaner cars, which sell around the world.
The logjam in Washington is stifling the recovery and
preventing the country from addressing where we are as a
nation. The Sierra Club is working outside the beltway, in
local communities, to push for innovation, efficiency, and
clean, new industry and providing a way for things to happen
to move America forward.
Brune has been everywhere this year, participating in
meetings and interviews. He says that while you can’t have
rational conversations in Washington right now, we’re
making progress. Many coal plants have been shut down
(153) and there is a 60 percent growth in the solar energy
industry. He also emphasized that we have to continue
accumulating local wins in order to move forward.
Northwest Florida activities
Conservation activities: Sierra Club Florida would like to
foster conservation activities in the Panhandle (Escambia,
Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington and
Bay counties), with a focus on coastal resources, including
oil spill recovery and protecting aquatic preserves, several of
which are at risk of closure. The Natural Resources Damage
Assessment process for the BP Oil Spill is underway and
local expertise is both needed and highly valued. If you
would like to work on coastal issues in this region, contact
Craig Diamond at webmaster@florida.sierraclub.org or via
Sierra Club Pelican, PO Box 575, Tallahassee, FL 32302-0575.
Outings leader training: When we surveyed our members
in the Panhandle last year, many expressed an interest in
participating in an outings program. Outings are one of the
Club's strongest complements to its conservation agenda.
The Chapter Outings Leader will provide training to any
members in northwest Florida who would like to receive
certification to lead future outings. To learn more, contact
Rudy Scheffer at outings@florida.sierraclub.org.
The club needs to make organizational changes to address
its weaknesses. We need to improve our diversity. “If we
want to change America, we need to look like America,”
he said. His second priority is dealing with the challenges
of fundraising in the current economic atmosphere, for
which he cited a number of new approaches for campaigns
and strategies. The third priority is to make the club more
responsive to chapters and have better communications
with them, to work better as a team. A national task force is
addressing this effort.
Also during the four-day event, Pope addressed the Sierra
Club Board of Directors and said our role can be likened to
either a mountain climber or to someone trying to outrun
a tsunami. The club members seem to like the mountain
climbing analogy, where we plan and go slow and make
progress without falling. But he thinks we probably need
to react like we are in the path of a tsunami — of emerging
economies. The reality is that if these populous nations
consume resources at the same rate we do, global prices will
rise and the environment will face more threats. We must
find new, noncarbon ways for people to live.
Pope concluded that we can work like mountain
climbers, go slow, try to stop things, and in time social
forces will work in our favor; or we can get the technology
out there fast, get solutions fast, and react to the tsunami.
— Betsy Grass, Sierra Florida Steering Committee
The Pelican, Vol. 44, No. 3
Kathy Criscola, managing editor
The Pelican is published by Sierra Club Florida, 405 Inglewood Dr.,
Tallahassee FL, and mailed to Sierra Club Florida members. Annual
membership dues include $1 for the Pelican newsletter. Address
all inquiries to PO Box 575, Tallahassee FL 32302-0575 or email
editor@florida.sierraclub.org or katwalk100@aol.com
Steering Committee
Linda Bremer, Jacksonville
Craig Diamond, Tallahassee
John Swingle, Altoona
Betsy Grass, Miami
Tom Larson, Jacksonville Beach
Marian Ryan, Winter Haven
Rudy Scheffer, Safety Harbor
Communications Committee
Liz Cantarine, Bradenton, ecantarine@tampabay.rr.com
Kathy Criscola, Tallahassee, katwalk100@aol.com
Betsy Grass, Miami, betgrass@ix.netcom.com
Ron Haines, Lantana, ronaldhaines@bellsouth.net
Frances Howell-Coleman, Winter Haven, fhcoleman@gmail.com
Corbett Kroehler, Orlando, corbettkroehler@yahoo.com
Rosalie Shaffer, Bradenton, Shaffer_us@yahoo.com
Visit www.florida.sierraclub.org
2011 Sierra Club Florida Award Winners
Fine Matthews Geanangel
Brookes
Barnett
Markle The Michels Angelo Jones
Ward
Martin
T
he Sierra Club Florida annually recognizes the
work of outstanding volunteers and members of
the community across the state by bestowing the
Florida Awards. The awards comprise 12 categories of
service, and honorees are selected from nominations. The
Sierra Florida Awards Committee is pleased to announce
the 2011 awards recipients for work on the group or state
level.
Manatee Award for group service: Whitey Markle,
Suwannee-St. John’s Group, for leading the citizens group
responsible for the successful referendum amending the
Alachua County Charter to impose a nighttime curfew on
airboats, known as the Quiet Lakes referendum, a move
protecting wildlife as well as lakefront residents.
Otter Award for group outings service: Shelly Fine,
Northeast Group, whose outings leadership since 2008 has
enabled the group to attract new members, retain current
members and build environmental awareness. Her outings
are well-attended and led with environmental sensitivity.
Whooping Crane Award for group public relations and
publications: Coky Michel, Miami Group, the one to call
when public relations work needs to be done. Her fluency
in English, Spanish, French and even some German has
been invaluable in reaching the community and charming
the tourist population as well.
Gopher Tortoise Award for behind the scenes support
of a group activist: Paul Michel, Miami Group, husband
of Coky Michel (see above). Whether it is carrying
supplies, driving, bundling newsletters or staffing a table,
Paul is always there keeping things together. It is Paul who
is in charge of getting Coky to wherever she has decided
she needs to be for Sierra.
Palm Leaf Award for outstanding leadership on the
state level: Debbie Matthews, Miami Group, for her
leadership of the Group Advisory Council since it was
formed three years ago. She helped form the goals and
plans for the council’s role of helping to keep groups
healthy and operating well. She instigated and runs
monthly conference calls, finds speakers/trainers and puts
together the chapter directory.
Pelican Award for exceptional statewide conservation
work: Percy Angelo, Greater Charlotte Harbor Group,
for her work as chair of the Phosphate Mining Issue
Coordinating Committee. Her tireless work and skills have
been an asset in Sierra Club’s quest to protect Southwest
Florida from the ravages of phosphate mining.
Dolphin Award for service on a vital function of the
state Sierra Club: Charles Geanangel, Ancient Islands
Group, who stepped up to the plate three years ago to
help with a vital function — group health, through his
membership on the Group Advisory Council.
Dolphin Award for service on a vital function of the state
Sierra Club: Linda Jones, Manatee-Sarasota Group, for her
three years of service to the Group Advisory Council. She
has been a great asset in helping the groups with various
issues, including diffusing some tense situations.
Following are awards given to members of the
community for their work on behalf of the environment:
The William K. “Red” Howell Award for legal
services: Ralf Brookes, Fort Myers, who has represented
Sierra Club groups on a variety of land use issues. He
recently represented the Central Florida Group on the
Osceola Northeast Master Plan change and in Nassau
County he worked on the Crane Island issue.
Cypress Award for contributing to the public's
environmental awareness: Carlton Ward, Clearwater,
a photographer whose mission is to celebrate Florida's
natural environments and cultural legacies with the
purpose of raising ecological awareness and inspiring
protection of our vanishing heritage. His passion was born
in Florida, where eight generations of family history have
anchored his perspective.
Indigo Award for a writer/journalist who provides
balanced reports on Florida's environmental issues:
Cynthia Barnett, Gainesville, whose book, “Mirage:
Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S.”, was
named by The St. Petersburg Times as one of the top 10
books that every Floridian should read. Her most recent
work is “Blue Revolution: Unmaking America's Water
Crisis.”
Barred Owl Award for a business that makes
environmental concerns a major part of its presence in the
marketplace: Melanie Martin, Gainesville, the founder of
Mōksa Organics, Inc. The firm makes and manufactures
organic, fair trade soaps and other bath products and its
production facility minimizes its environmental impact.
2012 Nominations
The deadline for nominations for 2012 awards is May
21, and awardees will be announced in early summer.
See the full description of all the awards and download
a nomination form at florida.sierraclub.org/awards.asp.
Send the completed form to Mary-Slater Linn, flsierra@
bellsouth.net, or John Swingle, cybermerlyn@comcast.net.
2 www.florida.sierraclub.org www.florida.sierraclub.org 3

Ancient Islands Group On the Weeki Wachee Springs Run in
August, Andy Quinn led the Kayaking for Kids where the youngsters
learned kayaking skills, listened to nature talks and reveled in the
great outdoors. Photo by Frances Howell-Coleman
Sierra Florida
in action!
Members of Florida Yes, students
from colleges all over the state, got
together for a group photo after
presenting a report of their activities at
a meeting Oct. 1 of the Sierra Florida
Steering Committee and representatives
of nearly all the Florida groups at
Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. Sierra
Club is a major sponsor of powershift.
org, the umbrella organization under
which Florida Yes works. Learn more at
wearepowershift.org/category/tags/floridayes.
Photo by Ron Haines
Greater Charlotte Harbor Group Outings Leader Allain Hale,
right, eyes a big gator on Shell Creek from his smaller-than-it kayak.
We assume the gator was eyeng Allain, as well. Below, kayakers
pass by a rookery on the lower Peace River. Photos by Rick Fried
Manatee-Sarasota and Central Florida groups Members of the Manatee-Sarasota and Central
Florida groups and University of Central Florida students gathered in Orlando in August to protest at a
congressional field hearing to discuss EPA’s proposed limits for sewage, fertilizer and manure in Florida
waters. They were protesting because U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, had stacked the hearing with
representatives from polluting industries and shut out clean-water advocates. Photo by Anthony Miller
4 www.florida.sierraclub.org www.florida.sierraclub.org 5

Zero waste for Florida
Florida needs to greatly improve its recycling rate.
While our state has a goal of 75 percent, it currently
is achieving only about 28 percent. Other states, such as
Oregon, are doing much better, and some individual cities,
such as Nantucket, have achieved as much as a 90 percent
recycling rate. Here are three smart recycling goals:
• Create more than 100,000 jobs through recycling
industries.
• Save 7,000 megawatts of power, enough for 5 million homes.
• Reduce greenhouse gases and our carbon footprint.
Zero Waste is a design principle and planning approach
for the environmental management of resources. It aims
to prevent waste by design rather than manage it after
the fact. Sierra Club’s Zero Waste policy addresses not
only the quantity of waste we generate, but its toxicity,
its contribution to climate change and the important links
between waste reduction and corporate responsibility.
We generate about 4.5 pounds of municipal solid waste
per person per day in the U.S. — several times the rate of
European countries with similar standards of living. The
production (mining, manufacturing and distribution) of
goods generates an additional 70 pounds of municipal solid
waste per pound of goods produced.
Only one percent of the “stuff” we buy is still in use after six
months. If the whole world consumed resources at the rate of the
U.S., at least three planets the size of Earth would be required.
Our system of extraction, processing, transportation,
consumption and disposal is tied to core contributors of
global climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions attributed
to consumption and waste account for almost 37 percent of
total greenhouse gas emissions. The zero waste approach is
essential to reduce greenhouse gas emission.
The two most common municipal solid waste management
techniques used in the U.S., landfilling and incineration, are
disposal technologies and not consistent with the zero waste
concept.
Legislation passed in Florida in 2010 allows counties
whose waste is burned to produce electricity to claim
recycling credit. Waste-to-energy is not recycling. The energy
extracted by burning (or any form of waste-to-energy) is less
than 20 percent of what would be saved by recycling the
material. Resources are destroyed and no longer available
for producing new products, hence new materials must be
extracted to replace them.
What you can do:
• Encourage your city and county officials to join the 103
mayors worldwide who have committed to zero waste by 2040.
• Implement pay-as-you-throw fees for waste collection,
charging more for the largest 96-gallon can than for the
minimum size 20-gallon can. No charge for recycling.
• Consider container recycling incentives. Recycling 7.6
billion beverage containers is equivalent to removing nearly
300,000 cars from the road for a year. — Sierra Club Florida
Waste Minimization Committee
Everglades in new
ecosystem campaign
After many years of taking a back seat to Yellowstone
and other western U.S areas in terms of Sierra Club
resources, the Florida Everglades ecosystem has attained
full recognition and is now a priority campaign for the
club. In October, Florida staff director Frank Jackalone,
and Craig Diamond of the Florida Steering Committee,
announced the Greater Everglades Resilient Habitats Project as
a national campaign for Sierra Club.
Five campaigns will operate under this project banner,
and staff and volunteers are being recruited to work on each
of them. They will cover Everglades restoration, panther
habitat, water quality, near-coastal habitat of fisheries and
reefs, and maintaining the ban on offshore drilling and
opposing drilling in the greater Everglades. Local teams are
being formed now.
The Greater Everglades joins nine other ecosystems in
the Sierra Club’s renewed effort to protect these important
areas and the species that live in them. Other campaigns are
listed on the Web at sierraclub.org/habitat/ecosystems.
To volunteer for this important work, send an email to
cjdiamond@comcast.net, and provide a short description of
your experience, skills, availability and interest in serving.
Get your map of Florida
and the Everglades
The Sierra Club Greater Everglades Resilient Habitats
campaign is making its glossy, award-winning map/
poster available for Sierra Club members and friends for
only the cost of shipping — $5. This map features the
Florida peninsula’s rivers, lakes and natural lands, and has
color codes indicating public and private land ownership.
It was produced to focus attention on one of 10 ecosystems
vulnerable to climate change.
Covering more than the Everglades, the map reaches from
Ocala National Forest in the north to the Florida Keys in the
south and across the peninsula from Tampa Bay to Pelican
Island. The map measures 24 x 36 inches and is printed on
80-pound cover stock, using no petroleum-based inks. The
paper is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
To order, send a check for $5 payable to Sierra Club
Foundation with the words “Everglades Restoration” in the
memo line. Send to: Sierra Club South Florida Office, 2600
SW 3rd Ave., 5th Floor, Miami, FL 33129.
For more information about the Greater Everglades
Resilient Habitats campaign and map, contact
jonathan.ullman@sierraclub.org or call 305-860-9888.
— Jonathan Ullman, S. Florida/Everglades sr. field organizer
Sierra’s menu of ways for you to help!
Online readers: Sierra Club Florida’s Political Committee
needs help building our library of political reference
materials. If you blog and read blogs, if you follow
people and ideas on the Internet, if you read newspapers
and magazines, we need your help. Specifically, if
Representative A said something about the Clean Water Act,
or Representative B said something about the Enivronmental
Protection Agency or the Florida Department of Environment
Protection, we need to collect the quote or story. If you
Google and blog and read online stories from around the
state, you are seeing material we need. This political research
is very important to us, and you don’t have to leave your
computer to help. Get in touch with the Political Committee
and get started building our library of ammunition for the
2012 elections. No meetings involved. Contact Beth Connor
at bethyconnor@verizon.net.
Letter writers: Is letter writing something you enjoy
doing? Our 60mpg Campaign is looking for people to talk
up the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards in
letters to administrators and letters to the editors. We will
give you the talking points and suggested address list, and
you tell everyone that we need to make the automakers do
their part and increase fuel efficiency. Your first step is to
visit www.go60mpg.org where you can read more about the
campaign and use a quick form to tell Congress to support
new standards. Then, contact Jonathan Ullman at jonathan.
ullman@sierraclub.org or call 305-860-9888 to help us get
letters to the editors and administrators for the campaign.
Issue experts: Volunteer issue experts are needed to assist
the Florida Conservation Advisory Team. The team is tasked
with advising the chapter and recommending conservation
positions based on sound scientific and technical findings.
Experts would be called upon on an as-needed basis for
their areas of expertise. Issue experts need not be Sierra
Club members. Here are the particular areas with which we
are concerned: growth management and land use, impact
fees, transportation, infrastructure analysis, utility demand,
transfer of development rights, energy, water quality and
quantity, land conservation, air pollution, limnology,
hydrology, geology, fish biology and environmental law
(analysis of the application of statute and rule — not as a
representative attorney). Contact the acting chair of the team
at floridaconservation@gmail.com and copy the Steering
Committee liaison at linda@bremer.net.
Legislative matters: The Lobbying Advisory Committee
is looking for more volunteers to work with the Sierra Club
Florida lobbyist and staff on issues before the state legislature. The
team has weekly conference calls during the session and there is
a lot of work to be done. Please send a brief description of your
interest areas and experience to tom.larson@florida.sierraclub.org.
How to get started: Our Florida environmental issue
teams can use more hands. Contact the following appropriate
staff organizers:
Florida Red Tide/ Water Quality: Cris Costello at cris.
costello@sierraclub.org, 941-951-6084
Florida Healthy Air: Phil Compton at phil.compton@
sierraclub.org, 727-824-8813, x303
Everglades Restoration: Jon Ullman at jonathan.
ullman@sierraclub.org, 305-860-9888
Florida Panther Critical Habitat: Frank Jackalone at
frank.jackalone@sierraclub.org, 727-824-8813, x302
Go60mpg Fuel Efficiency: Jon Ullman at jonathan.
ullman@sierraclub.org, 305-860-9888
Waste Minimization: Linda Demler at linda.demler@
sierraclub.org, 727-824-8813, x301
Sierra on board to move
planet to clean energy
September 24, 2011, was the day when thousands of
people across America and around the world took
to the streets, local parks, bike trails and even public
monuments to call for the U.S. and other countries to
move beyond fossil fuels.
The global fossil fuel infrastructure is a threat to our
lands, our oceans, our communities and the air we breathe.
The Sierra Club joined 350.org in sponsoring Moving
Planet, and Sierra Club chapters brought people together
to take action against local coal plants, to call for better
transportation choices in their cities and much more.
As part of the Moving Planet, a broad coalition
of 50 San Francisco Bay Area sustainability, peace,
environmental and social justice, conservation, faith,
women's, bicycle, clean tech, and community groups
organized a massive parade down Market Street and rally
in front of City Hall. The parade featured more than 1,000
participants of all ages and backgrounds marching, biking,
parading with floats, puppets and costumes, and chanting,
"Hey hey, ho ho, fossil fuels have got to go!"
A contingent of the Sierra Club's leaders, Board of
Directors, and delegates from all 64 Chapters — including
Florida — joined the parade at the busy corner of Powell
and Market Streets. They marched at the head of the
parade wearing matching t-shirts, led by a huge banner
held by board members Robin Mann, Allison Chin,
Donna Buell and Aaron Mair.
Arriving at Civic Center Plaza, the crowd gathered in
front of a stage to hear rousing speeches from Sierra Club
Executive Director Michael Brune, 350.org founder
Bill McKibben, and environmental justice pioneer Carl
Anthony. — Betsy Grass, Florida Steering Committee
6 www.florida.sierraclub.org www.florida.sierraclub.org 7

Sierra Club Florida
The Pelican
PO Box 575
Tallahassee FL 32302-0575
Moving?
Send current mailing label and new address to:
Sierra Club
P.O. Box 421041
Palm Coast FL 32142-6417
Allow 4-6 weeks for processing.Or send changes to
address.change@sierraclub.org and include your
membership number.
Visit Sierra Florida on the Web
To keep up with the latest news and information about Sierra
Club Florida, we offer the following online resources that
cover an array of issues important to Sierra Club.
Website: Visit florida.sierraclub.org for the latest
conservation news and alerts and past issues of The Pelican.
Tallahassee Legislative Report: For up-to-date
environmental news and action alerts about the Florida
Legislature, join our Legislative News list. Go to lists.sierraclub.
org/archives/FL-FLORIDA-REPORT.html, and click Join
or Leave. You may also contact the owner of the list at FL-
FLORIDA-REPORT-Request@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG.
Outings List: For Sierra outings across the state, go to
florida.sierraclub.org/outings_browse.asp.
Blog: At sierraclubfloridanews.org, click Subscribe in a
Reader in the upper right. Follow the instructions to receive
new postings as they are published. You may also choose to
receive a daily email message with all Sierra Club Florida
News posts published in the past 24 hours. Enter your email
address in the box in the right panel.
Facebook: Visit facebook.com/sierraclubfl and click the
Like icon next to Sierra Club Florida at the top of the page.
Pelican Email Subscriptions: To help us save money and
resources, send a message to pelicansurvey@gmail.com and
ask to receive your Pelican via an emailed link to the online
version rather than a hard copy by U.S. mail.
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Ellen Peterson, 1923-2011
Longtime Sierra activist and founder of the Calusa Group,
Ellen Peterson of Estero, Fla., died Oct. 14 at age 87.
Ellen founded the Calusa Group over 30 years ago, and
remained its chairperson until her death.
She was a fierce advocate for wildlife and habitat
conservation, serving on many boards and committees,
including the Agency for Bay Management, the Environmental
Confederation of Southwest Florida, the Responsible Growth
Management Coalition, Save Our Creeks and the Everglades
Committee, as well as the Calusa Group.
Ellen was responsible for saving one of the most beautiful
places in all of Southwest Florida — Fisheating Creek. She
fought to save the Florida panther and many other listed and
endangered species. She succeeded in obtaining Outstanding
Florida Waters designations for many local rivers and streams,
providing them higher levels of protection. With the help of
several environmental groups, Ellen fought and won the battle
to stop a coal-fired power plant from going into Glades County.
Ellen received the 2008 John Kaber award from the
Everglades Coalition, the outstanding environmentalist of
2008 award from the Florida Wildlife Federation and many
other recognitions. She realized her biggest goal: the creation
of the Happehatchee Center in Estero, a place to connect
with nature and the spirit.
Born in Georgia Dec. 5, 1923, Ellen moved to Florida after
college and directed the Counseling Center at Edison College.
8 www.florida.sierraclub.org