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Statement on NRC's Everglades Report

Statement from Audubon Florida on the National Research Council’s Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Sixth Biennial Review, 2016

PRESS STATEMENT
For Immediate Release: December 15, 2016
Contact: Sean Cooley, Communications Manager, (850) 999-1030, scooley@audubon.org
Twitter: @AudubonFL
 
Statement from Audubon Florida on the National Research Council’s
Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Sixth Biennial Review, 2016
 
Without additional state and federal funding committed to Everglades restoration, the greater Everglades ecosystem are threatened by prolonged and significant ecological damage according to a report released today by the National Research Council Committee on Independent Science Review of Everglades Restoration.
 
“Audubon’s long-standing position was reaffirmed when the report concluded that more water storage is needed in light of climate change and sea level rise with water quality in Lake Okeechobee still being an area of concern,” said Julie Hill-Gabriel, Audubon Florida’s Deputy Director. “With Congressional approval of the Central Everglades Project (CEP), finding additional water storage options in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) is even more important in light of these findings. CEP will begin to open the pathway for water to flow south between Lake Okeechobee and the southern Everglades, but it does not contain the significant water storage outlet from Lake Okeechobee that a reservoir in the EAA would provide.
 
“The report also recommended reexamining conflicts between restoration objectives and the needs of protected species. Audubon Florida looks forward to finding solutions for endangered species protection, especially since the protection of endangered species and their habitats is a paramount goal of Everglades restoration”
 
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