Greater Naples Leadership Masters class XIX

Environment Day January 7, 2014

Session Day Materials - Table of Contents

A. Goals & Objectives

B. Agenda

C. Biographies

D. Volunteer Opportunities

E. Locations and Directions

F. Boat 1 Passenger List

G. Boat 2 Passenger List

(please click on a heading to be directed to that section in the document)

Dress Code: Casual clothing, comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen and rain gear depending upon weather forecast. Those going on the Rookery Bay boat must wear proper footwear because your shoes wil l get wet.

Venues: First Venue: Rookery Bay Reserve Second Venue: Naples Botanical Gardens

Session Leaders: Patti Forkan (Chair), Patrice Magrath, Tom McMeekin, Mina Merkel

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Goals

• Make GNL Class XIX aware of the principal environmental issues of Southwest Florida/Collier County and better understand the balance of competing objectives of preserving the environment and living in the area

Objectives

• Hig h l ig ht the mult i tude of volunteer opp or tunit ies in numerous env ironmenta l organizations in the region

Environment Day Agenda

7:45 Arrive at Rookery Bay Coffee/Tea/Juice available (see section E for address and directions)

8:00 Welcome • Rick Jennewine, Class Chair

8:05 Overview of the Day • Patti Forkan, Chair Environment Day

8:10 Welcome and Introduction to Rookery Bay

• Brooke Carney, Rookery Bay Coastal Training Program Coordinator 8:20 The Waters of the Everglades

• Nicholas Penniman, Board of Directors, The Everglades Foundation and Author of “Nature’s Steward”

8:45 Water Politics and Polic y • Jennifer Hecker, Director of Natural Resources, Conservancy of SW

Florida 9:05 Questions and Answers, faci litated by Patti Forkan

9:15 Explanation of Boat Trip • Gary Lytton, Rookery Bay Environmental Administrator

(see section F for Boat 1 Passenger List) (see section G for Boat 2 Passenger List)

9:17 Comfort Break and Carpool to SIR Field Station Dock

9:45 Board Conservancy and Rookery Bay boats for estuary exploration

12:00 Return to Rookery Bay ELC

12:30 Working lunch with Volunteer Representatives from groups such as: Naples Botanical Gardens, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Master Gardener Extension, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Rookery Bay Reserve

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1:15 Depart in cars to Naples Botanical Gardens (see section E for address and directions)

2:00 Welcome and Introduction to Challenges and Solutions: Land Use Session

• Patrice Magrath, Member Environment Day Team

2:05 Welcome to Naples Botanical Gardens • Brian Holley, Executive Director of Naples Botanical Gardens

2:10 Challenges and Solutions: Land Use

• Bob Mulhere, Director of Planning, Hole Montes, Inc.

2:25 Challenges and Solutions: Land Use • Brad Cornell, Audobon of West Everglades

2:40 Questions and Answers, faci litated by Patrice Magrath

2:55 Comfort Break

3:10 Introduction to Challenges and Solutions: Fresh Water Wetlands Facilitated Discussion

• Mina Merkel, Member Environment Day Team

3:15 Challenges and Solutions: Fresh Water Wetlands • Mike Bauer, City of Naples

3:30 Challenges and Solutions: Land Use • Chad Washburn, NBG Director of Conservation and Education

3:45 Questions and Answers, faci litated by Mina Merkel

3:55 Solid Waste Management and Recycling in Collier County , Introduced by Tom McMeekin, Member, Environment Day Team

• Daniel Rodriguez, Director, Collier County Solid Waste Dept. 4:20 Summary of Day

• Patti Forkan, Chair, Environment Day

4:30 Conclusion and Announcements • John Lyngaas, Class Program Chair

4:40 Preview of Education Day

5:00 Social Gathering at Beulher Auditorium, Naples Botanical Gardens with spouses/signif icant others.

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Biographies

Brooke Carney Rookery Bay Coastal Training Program Coordinator

Brooke Carney has served as Coastal Training Coordinator of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Naples, Florida since 2014 and f irst joined the Reserve in 2008. The Coastal Training program is focused on connecting relevant coastal science to a variety of professional groups through training and technical assistance. The Coastal Training program works with local natural resource managers, elected off icials, law enforcement entit ies, the tourism industry, the landscaping industry, and the business community to inform coastal decisions focused on water quality, watershed management, coastal stewardship, estuarine ecology, and a wide variety of other coastal topics.

Carney holds a Masters in Biology from the University of Alaska as well as a Masters of Public Administration and Bachelor of Science in Biology from Georgia Southern University. Her research includes studying intertidal food web ecology in south central Alaska, barrier island plant ecology on the coast of Georgia, and assessment of natural resource management programs for county governments.

Gar y Lytton Rookery Bay Environmental Administrator

Gary Lytton has served as Director of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Naples, Florida since 1990. He is responsible for administration and supervision of the 110,000-acre Reserve, working with over thirty on-site employees involved in research, education, and coastal stewardship. Current priority effort at the Reserve include watershed restoration, technical training for local off icials and research and monitoring. The Reserve’s Environmental Learning Center promotes public awareness and involvement in coastal stewardship. He also serves as the state’s Regional Administrator for Aquatic Preserves in South Florida, supervising f ield off ices and staff in Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and Estero Bay.

Lytton received his academic training in Biology and Marine Science at Virginia Polytechnic and State University, and at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he was involved in f ield and laboratory studies investigating the effects of thermal eff luents on f ish populations in Tampa Bay.

Lytton has been the recipient of a number of prestigious environmental awards, including NOAA’s First Annual Award of Excellence in Estuarine Reserve Management in 1992, Florida’s Resource Manager of the Year Award in 1993, and the Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Colleague Award in 1994. On Earth Day 2000, Vice President Al Gore honored Lytton as one of the nation’s “Environmental Heroes.” In 2004, President George Bush visited the Reserve and recognized the work of Lytton and staff during a nationally televised speech.

He has served as President of the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, a national non-profit organization representing the interests of managers and staff at twenty-eight National Research Reserves across the country. He is a graduate of Leadership Collier Class of 2003.

A naples resident since 1986, Lytton has two daughters.

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Nicholas G. Penniman Board of Directors, The Everglades Foundation

Nicholas G. Penniman IV retired in 1999 as publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and senior vice president of newspaper operations for Pulitzer Publishing Company responsible for twenty-three daily newspapers from Hawaii to Vermont. He spent 38 years in the daily newspaper business and is l isted in Who’s Who in America.

He is a graduate of Princeton University (Religion), and did graduate work at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania (Finance) and at Washington University in St. Louis where he received an M.A. in American Culture Studies in 1999.

Penniman has been deeply involved in environmental advocacy work; he currently serves as a board member of The Everglades Foundation, as past chair of American Rivers (Washington, D.C.) and as past chair of The Conservancy of Southwest Florida (Naples, FL). He is past chairman of the Washington University Interdisciplinary Environmental Law Clinic, past chairman of Forest Park Forever (St. Louis), and served a four-year term (2005-2009) as a member of the Collier County Environmental Advisory Commission overseeing aspects of the county’s Growth Management Plan and Land Development Code. He is a registered Florida Master Naturalist .

Jennifer Hecker Director of Natural Resource Policy, Conservancy of Southwest Florida

Jenni fer He cker has worke d as a p ol ic y profess iona l t he p ast e ig ht ye ars . Her responsibilit ies involve directing the Conservancy’s water, l isted species, Everglades and environmental lands policy and lobbying, as well as legal and legislative affairs. Her educational background includes an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies and a graduate degree in Tropical Biology and Conservation. Prior to joining the Conservancy, she was a Project Ecologist for Wilson-Miller and an Environmental Specialist for Hil lsborough County’s Environmental Lands Acquisit ion and Management Program. Ms. Hecker is also a 2008 Leadership Collier alumna and currently serves on the boards of the national Great Waters Coalit ion, Florida Coastal and Oceans Coalit ion, Southwest Florida Watershed Council, Estero Bay Agency for Bay Management, Friends of Big Cypress and Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed Trust.

Brian Holley Executive Director, Naples Botanical Garden

Brian Holley became Executive Director of Naples Botanical Garden on June 1, 2005. His role at Naples Botanical Garden is to create a world-class garden that combines beauty, conservation, research and education to serve our community’s residents and visitors. He assembled an extraordinary team of designers from both the US and abroad to design and develop the now completed gardens. The Miami Herald cal led the Naples Botanical Garden design team a “Dream Team” and remarked that assembling this team is “a great coup for the young garden.”

In addition to developing a tropical garden paradise that includes a Children’s Garden, Brazilian Garden, Caribbean Garden, River of Grass, Asian Garden, Florida Garden (with an Enabling Garden, Idea Garden and Labyrinth), and Water Garden with boardwalk, Holley also oversaw the restoration and transformation of a unique 90-acre nature sanctuary with seven dif ferent ecosystems.

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Holley has been involved with numerous horticultural and community organizations and is the recipient of several awards. In June 2011, he received the prestigious 2011 Award of Merit from the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). He served as Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the American Horticultural Society and was awarded their Professional Award. Holley was the Honorary President of the Herb Society of America. Additionally, Holley served on the Board of Directors of Holden Parks Trust, Board of Directors of ParkWorks, was Founding Director of the Cleveland Cultural Coalit ion, Founding Director of the Cleveland Biodiversity Alliance, and received The Sherwin Medal for contributions to Cleveland. In 2002, was presented the key to the City of Cleveland by Mayor Michael R. White in recognition of his contributions to the City of Cleveland. Holley is a graduate of the 2009 Greater Naples Leadership Class XIII and the 1998 Class of Leadership Cleveland.

Robert “Bob” Mulhere Director of Planning, Hole Montes, Inc.

Robert J. “Bob” Mulhere is the Director of Planning for Hole Montes, Inc. a ful l service consulting f irm headquartered in Naples, Florida. Mr. Mulhere has more than 25 years of professional Planning experience. Prior to employment at Hole Montes, Mr. Mulhere operated his own consulting f irm. Between 1989 and 2001, Bob was employed by Collier County Government and was the Director of Planning from 1996 through 2001. Mr. Mulhere holds a B.A. in Polit ical Science from St. Michael’s College and a master 's degree in Public Administration from Florida Gulf Coast University. For the past four years, in addition to his professional Planning work, Bob has provided public policy consulting services to the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce.

Over the past 33 years that Bob has been a resident of Collier County ; Bob has been involved in many civic, community and professional organizations. He is a past Chairman of the Board of Director’s of the Marco Island YMCA, the Marco Island Charter Middle School, the United Way of Collier County, and the Collier County Economic Development Council. He has served on the executive committee of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) and is a past President of the Promised Lands Section of the Florida Chapter of APA.

In 1997, Bob was named the Naples Daily News Marco Island Citizen the Year. In 2006 he received the Florida Gulf Coast University Alumni of Distinction award. In 2007 the Collier County Education Foundation named him a “Man of Distinction”. In 2010 Bob was named a “Fellow” of the American Institute of Certif ied Planners, an honor bestowed on less than one percent of certif ied planners.

Brad Cornell Southwest Florida Policy Associate, Audubon Florida

Brad Cornell is Southwest Florida Policy Associate for both Audubon of the Western Everglades and Audubon Florida/Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, a joint position he has held since summer, 2005. He works on land use, growth management and Western Everglades restoration and regulatory issues to protect and recover imperiled species. Among the successful strategies he has worked on are collaborative, incentive-based land use planning tools including Collier County’s landmark Rural Land Stewardship and Transferable Development Rights Programs covering 300,000 acres. He has degrees from Oberlin College and the University of Texas at Austin and played trombone for the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra for ten years prior to joining Audubon.

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Michael R. Bauer, J.D., Ph.D. Natural Resources Manager, City of Naples

Mike Bauer’s work includes al l aspects of environmental issues facing the City of Naples - on both land and water. This includes such matters as Naples Bay restoration; pass maintenance, beach re-nourishment, coordination with federal, state, and regional agencies, and responsiveness to cit izens’ advisory groups.

Mike was the 2009 State Recipient of the Florida Local Environmental Resource Agencies ( F L E R A ) E nv i ron me nt a l L e a d e rsh ip Aw ard for O ut s t and i ng L e a d e rsh ip i n L o c a l Environmental Protection. He is a member of the board of the Southwest Florida Land Preservation Trust (Gordon River Greenway) and Collier County Sea Grant. He is a former Board member of the Southwest Florida Watershed Council, the Friends of Rookery Bay, and the Water Resources Advisory Commission to the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District. He is an adjunct professor at Florida Gulf Coast University and a graduate of the Leadership Collier Class of 2002.

Mike has a Ph.D. in Environmental Policy, a J.D., a M.S. in Wildlife Biology, and a B.S. in Biology. He is married with four children.

Chad Washburn Director of Conservation and Education, Naples Botanical Garden

Chad Washburn received his B.A. in Biology from Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana, and completed his master’s degree in Applied Ecology from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University in 2002. His graduate research resulted in the co-authorship of a book chapter entit led Latitudinal trends in organic carbon accumulation in temperate freshwater peat lands. Chad is the Past-President of the Naples Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, Education Chair for the Florida Wildf lower Foundation, and an active advisory member of the Greenscape Alliance, and the Collier County Commercial Horticulture Advisory Council.   Chad has been an active member of the environmental community for over 19 years. The range of his combined botanical and horticultural experiences include the temperate landscapes of the Midwestern United States to the lush diversity of the neotropics. Before joining the Naples Botanical Garden, he oversaw the design and completion of projects to restore and create native habitat across Northern Indiana. Prior to that, he worked with the Belize Botanic Gardens throughout stages of their development, most recently speaking at the Conference of Caribbean Botanic Gardens for Conservation. He has experience teaching a broad range of environmental subjects to a wide range of audiences. He regularly speaks to local professional groups and homeowners about the use of native Florida plants in restoration projects and sustainable landscapes. Chad is a 2012 recipient of the Chanticleer Scholarship for professional development.

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Daniel Rodriguez Director, Collier County Solid Waste Management Department

Mr. Ro dr iguez holds a B.A. in Bus iness Management and an M.A. in Bus iness Administration from the International College of Naples, now Hodges University. He has been in Collier County Government for over 19 years managing several departments including Parks and Recreation Mounted Patrol, Fleet Operations, Facilit ies Management, and most recently, the Solid Waste Management Department.

Presently Mr. Rodriguez is responsible for the operation and management of an active class I landfi l l , a transfer station and four recycling centers that serve the cit izens of Collier County. The Department has successfully increased the recycling rate among single-family residences by over 80 percent. Mr. Rodriguez and his team are responsible for managing the development and implementation of the County’s Integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy. Plans to develop a 350 acre Resource Recovery Park were approved by the Board of County Commissioners in 2009. The landfi l l Gas-to-Energy plant is currently under construction. This faci lity wil l use landfi l l gas by converting it to electricity.

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) has recognized the Solid Waste Management Department nationally, and the Gold Special Waste Award was presented to Mr. Rodriguez in 2009 for the county’s well-recognized recycling program. In 2010 the SWANA Silver Excellence award was received for Landfi l l Reuse for the reclamation project of Cells 1 and 2 at the Collier County Landfi l l – one of the largest landfi l l reclamation projects in the country.

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Volunteer Opportunities

Audubon of the Western Everglades www.collieraudubon.org

Conservancy of Southwest Florida www.conservancy.org

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary www.corkscrewsanctuary.org

Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) Land and Water Trust www.crewtrust.org

Friend of Barefoot Beach www.friendsofbarefootbeach.org

Friends of Rookery Bay www.friends@rookerybay.org

Friends of Fakahatchee www.friendsoffakahatchee.org

Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge www.floridapanther.org

Friends of Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park www.delnorwiggins.org

Naples Botanical Garden www.naplesgarden.org

Naples Garden Club www.naplesgardenclub.org

Naples Pathways Coalit ion www.naplespathways.org

Naples Native Plant Society www.naples.fnpschapters.org

Southwest Florida Land Preservation Trust www.gordonrivergreenway.org

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PUBLIC SECTOR OPPORTUNITIES with an environmental focus

Collier County Advisory Committees: www.col l iergov.net Collier County Coastal Advisory Committee Conservation Collier Land Acquisit ion Advisory Committee Collier County Planning Commission Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Floodplain Management Planning Committee

City of Naples: www.naplesgov.com Planning Advisory Board Community Services Advisory Board Community Redevelopment Advisory Board East Naples Bay Citizens Advisory Board Moorings Bay Citizens Advisory Board

City of Marco Island: www.cityofmarcoisland.com Beach Advisory Committee Parks and Recreation Committee Planning Board Waterway Committee

Note: Not l isted are other opportunities for civic volunteer work which involve environmental issues, e.g. , community area landscaping and beautif ication committees with home owner associations (think Florida Friendly Landscaping).

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ENVIRONMENT DAY ELECTRONIC RESOURCE GUIDE

Listed below are a series of websites for Government and Non-Profits Organizations that support environment issues. These sites are useful when exploring and understanding the environmental issues for Florida and South Florida. Please explore and enjoy.

Regional and South Florida Environment Government Sites

Big Cypress National Preserve www.nps.gov/bicy/index.htm

Fakahatchee Strand www.f loridastateparks.org/fakahatcheestrand

Picayune-Strand www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Services/Our-Forests/State-Forests/Picayune-Strand-State-Forest South Florida Water Management District www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/sfwmdmain/home%20page

Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve www.rookerybay.org

Florida Coastal Off ice-Department of Environmental Protection www.dep.state.f l .us/coastal.fco.htm

National Estuarine Research Reserve System www.nerrs.noaa.gov/ReservesMap.aspx

Florida Environmental Non-Profit Organizations

1000 Friends of Florida www.1000friendsofflorida.org

Audubon of Florida www.audubonswfl.org

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust www.bonefishtarpontrust.org

Clean Water Fund of Florida www.cleanwaterfund.org/fl

Conservancy of Southwest Florida www.conservancy.org

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Defenders of Wildlife www.defenders.org/florida

Florida Friendly Landscaping www.floridayards.org

Florida Green Building Coalition www.floridagreenbuilding.org

Florida Master Naturalist Program www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu

Florida Native Plant Society www.fnps.org

Florida Wildlife Foundation www.fwfonline.org

Sierra Club Florida www.florida.sierraclub.org The Snook and Game Fish Foundation www.snookfoundation.org

Everglades Restoration Project - Government

The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) www.evergladesplan.org

Everglades National Park www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission www.myfwc.com

Florida Department of Environmental Protection www.dep.state.fl.us

South Florida Restoration Project www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/maidment/grad/dugger/GLADES/glades.html

South Florida Management District www.sfwmd.go/portal/page/portal/sfwmdmain/home%20page

US Fish and Wildlife Service www.fws.gov

US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/

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Non-Profit

The Everglades Association www.evergladesassociation.org

The Everglades Foundation www.evergladesfoundation.org

The Everglades Hub www.evergladeshub.com/index.htm

Everglades Law Center www.elc-web.org

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L ocations and Directions

First Venue: Rooker y Bay Reser ve

300 Tower Road Naples, FL 34113

239-530-5940

Rooker y Bay Reser ve Environmental L earning Center, Park in main parking lot. Please carpool if possible.

Directions to Rooker y Bay Reser ve Environmental L earning Center (For GPS - use 300 Tower Road, Naples Florida)

From the North:

Take I-75 south to old exit 15, NEW exit #101. At the exit , bear right onto Collier Boulevard, CR 951 (heading toward Marco Island). Follow approximately 5-7 miles, across the intersection at US 41 south. Once thru the intersection, approximately 1 mile on your right wil l be Comcast. That is Tower Rd. Make a right onto Tower Rd. and a left into our parking lot.

From the Naples Airport:

Follow the exit signs to Airport-Pulling Rd. Make a right onto Airport-Pulling Rd. Follow to the end. Make a left onto US 41 south. Follow approximately 8-10 miles toward Marco Island. At the intersection with Collier Boulevard, CR 951 and US 41, make a right. Approximately 1 mile on your right wil l be Comcast. That is Tower Rd. and a left into our parking lot.

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Directions to Rooker y Bay Reser ve to Shell Island Road Field Station:

From Rooker y Bay Parking L ot:

Leaving Rookery Bay parking lot, turn right on Tower Road and right again on Collier Blvd. Go approximately 2 miles and turn right on Shell Island Road. Proceed approximately 3 miles unti l you come to a large blue sign that says Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Marine Research Lab and Classroom. Turn in at the sign and park in the gravel lot. The boat docks are around the back of the buildings.

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Second Venue:

Naples Botanical Gardens Beulher Auditorium

4820 Bayshore Drive Naples, FL 34112

239-530-5940

Click on the map to make it l ive

Directions to Naples Botanical Gardens from Rooker y Bay Preser ve

• Head East on Tower Road toward Collier Blvd. • Turn left on Collier Blvd. Turn left on US 41 North/Tamiami Trail E. • Turn left onto Thomasson Drive (Rattlesnake Hammock is on the right, there are

prominent signs for Ratt lesnake Hammock, but not Thomasson Drive). • Turn left onto Bayshore Drive. • Take the Bayshore Drive entrance and take an immediate right into the Florida Gulf Coast

University and Administration parking lot. If there is not enough spots, please use the normal visitor parking lot.

GNL wil l be in the Beuhler Auditorium, it is adjacent to the FGCU Education and Research Center buildings (north of the gardens). Please look for the GNL signs or ask for the Beuhler Auditorium. Please be in your seats by 1:50 so we can start promptly at 2:00 thanks in advance.

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BOAT TRIP JANUARY 7, 2015 Rookery Bay

Boat No. 1: Conservancy of SW Florida "Good Fortune"

1. Patricia Aiken-O'Neil 2. Suzan Bergland 3. Margaret Blackburn 4. Margaret Klapperich Brodeur 5. Julie Domenick 6. Mary-Vance Duggan 7. Robert Eoff 8. Jane Potter Graham 9. Ellen Granger 10. Mary Ellen Kaplan 11. John Kenny 12. Eleanor Leach 13. Arlette Bradley 14. Jacqueline Perrett 15. Lauree Personette 16. Phillip Reid 17. Diana L. Riley 18. Carole Roberts 19. Loreen Sellitto 20. Arline Shapiro 21. Glenda Struthers 22. Linda Vaughan 23. Stacy Vermylen 24. Carol Watzke Windfeldt 25. Joe Zaccagnino 26. Anne Harris-Doherty 27. John Hannsz 28. Rose Murphy 29. Sheila Harris-Schutz 30. Jean Foster 31. Rick Jennewine 32. Barbara Casey 33. Susan Calkins

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BOAT TRIP JANUARY 7, 2015 Rookery Bay

Boat No. 2: Rookery Bay "seining" boat

1. Richard Blackburn 2. Peter Bos 3. Mike Lyster 4. Florence Corsello 5. Ronald Ferguson 6. Bruce Finley 7. Sandra Fleming 8. Charles Huffman 9. Peter Ladell 10. John Lawson 11. Thomas J. Lear 12. Kirk Materne 13. Thelma A. Newman 14. Larry E. Phillips 15. Williams Sawers Jr. 16. Marilynne White

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