Audubon's Mary Jean Yon was asked to present at the 2011 Sustainable Florida Conference in Tallahassee. Here is her report from this inspiring event:

This week the City of Tallahassee, Leon County and Sustainable Florida teamed up to present the 2011 Sustainable Florida Conference in Tallahassee. Themes of environmental protection, sustainability and dynamic partnerships resonated throughout the two days of presentations and featured speakers. As Audubon’s representative, I was pleased to be able to participate in a discussion of water resources while helping the audience learn more about the role they can play in the development and refinement of the state’s water policy.

When the opening plenary speaker, the luncheon speaker and my panel’s moderator (Tallahassee City Commissioner Nancy Miller) all touched on the importance of water…whether as a resource for drinking, an entity that draws a community together or an issue of importance for local government…it made my day! Now it was up to me to bring it all in for a landing in the 30 minutes of time that was allotted to me. Wait a minute? Thirty minutes? Seriously? We all know we could talk for three hours or thirty days or more about water resources in Florida and the importance of smart water policy! But thirty minutes it was and I gave it my best shot.

The three take home messages of my presentation were:

1. We need to protect the water we have,
2. We need to ensure water supplies for all users and
3. We need to use the water we have wisely.

The details that accompanied this talk touched on the roles of the various state agencies (Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, etc...) charged with protecting our water resources in Florida, the roles of the water management districts to properly manage our supplies of water and alternative sources of water and the current budgetary and streamlining situation with the water management districts; complete with a pitch to get involved. As for how to use water wisely, the audience was given some standard conservation tips and then urged to get involved by letting their voices be heard by their Legislators and local officials. A strong underlying theme throughout my presentation was that water is a resource for all Floridians. We need to protect what we have and take all steps necessary to ensure adequate supplies exist for future generations.

After the panel discussion concluded, a young college student approached me and told me she is writing her master’s thesis on the water management districts and their consumptive use permitting program. What a good note to end the day on!