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In 1993, before the passage of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, the Everglades Foundation was created as a public non-profit organization to stop the damage being done to the Everglades.
The Everglades Foundation is dedicated to a restored Everglades, creating relevant and creative solutions to complex restoration issues without burdening taxpayers.
The Foundation's Board of Directors and its small, professional staff of scientists, researchers, policy analysts, and communications and legal specialists recognized the relevance of inspiring Floridians to understand the need for the restoration of the state's historic River of Grass--and to energize public interest in the natural and economic benefits of a healthy Everglades system.
With the landmark adoption of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) at the onset of the new millennium, the Everglades Foundation was hopeful. CERP was approved in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000 and includes more than 60 elements, will take more than 30 years to construct, and is currently anticipated to cost an estimated $10.9 billion. The Government Accountability Office now estimates that because final designs are still not complete and land costs are expected to rise, the restoration of the South Florida Ecosystem may cost up to $19.7 billion.
We are gravely concerned. Eight years later the federal government has not contributed anything toward the project, while the state has only constructed a few small projects and has one major reservoir under construction.
With the passage of the 2007 Water Resources Development Act in November, there is a new opportunity to fund the construction of the first three CERP projects--Indian River Lagoon in Martin and St. Lucie Counties; Picayune Strand in Collier County; and, the Site One Impoundment on the Broward and Palm Beach County line. But a budget bill is still required from Congress since WRDA provides no funding for the projects.
And things are not much better on the state side of the 50-50 partnership with pending tax cuts on the horizon and a significant reduction in state revenues threatening agency budget's and their ability to borrow using the Certificates of Participation (COP) bonds that were originally planned.
The Everglades CAN be saved...
But this will not happen unless those of us who care join together to make our voices heard and to ensure our tax dollars are spent wisely.
The Everglades Foundation exists to help citizens do just that.
Restoring America's Everglades is still our sole mission.
No distractions. No competing priorities. No doubts about the importance of the outcome.
Everglades Foundation Strategies
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