Thanks to informed Everglades advocates like you, significant gains have been made in recent months to help protect the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. But the progress we made on the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) was one of the most significant. Back in June,you urged the South Florida Water Management District to support the project and asked officials to release the project proposal for public review and this goal was achieved in August.

Yet, there are still some important hurdles that CEPP needs to overcome before the project can be eligible for funding and implementation. Next week the Army Corps of Engineers will hold a series of meetings about the Central Everglades Planning Project. This is a great chance to let your voice be heard in support of this priority project at the following meetings:

• Sept. 16 - Sheraton Suites Plantation in the Plantation I/II Room, 311 N. University Drive,Plantation
• Sept. 17 - SFWMD Lower West Coast Service Center, 2301 McGregor Boulevard, Ft. Myers
• Sept. 18 - SFWMD Governing Board Auditorium, Building B-1, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach
• Sept. 19 - Susan H. Johnson Auditorium, Wolf High-Technology Center, Indian River State College, Chastain Campus, 2400 SE Salerno Road, Stuart

*Each meeting will be held from 6:30pm-9:00pm.

CEPP sets in place a series of projects that will greatly benefit Roseate Spoonbills, Everglade Snail Kites, and a vast number of other iconic Florida species. For the first time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and South Florida Water Management District are attempting to recreatemore natural conditions in the heart of the Everglades.

Among the long history of Everglades restoration, advancing this project is one of the most excitingdevelopments.

Some of the many benefits of CEPP include:

• Decreasing harmful wet season flows to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries by finally sending water south
• Delivering 70 billion gallons of freshwater to the southern ecosystem annually
• Increasing wildlife habitat for native species
• Rehydrating aquifers for over 6 million people who rely on the Everglades for drinking water

If you are planning to attend this important meeting, please email everglades@audubon.org for more information.