Vote yes for ELAPP — and spread the word!

--- On Tue, 10/28/08, Mariella Smith wrote: Please forward this message to other Hillsborough County voters you know.  _____________________ Vote YES for ELAPP Way down at the bottom of your ballot is a Hillsborough County referendum on ELAPP. The main challenge facing this referendum is simply that many voters don't know what ELAPP is. A recent poll showed that when people are informed about ELAPP, the majority will support this referendum, so in hopes that you will vote YES for ELAPP, I present these key points: ELAPP, our county's successful Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program, is set to expire after 20 years, unless we vote to renew it in this election. We must act now to preserve our last remaining environmentally sensitive lands to: • Protect drinking water sources • Improve water quality in local rivers, lakes and Tampa Bay • Preserve wildlife habitat • Provide outdoor recreational areas "Moreover," as the Tribune points out, "the land-buying program allows the county to safeguard neighborhoods from overdevelopment without violating property owners' rights. By saving green spaces, the need to build roads, schools and other costly infrastructure is averted, and pollution problems are prevented." The Tribune also points out, what everyone who is supporting this referendum is quick to point out, including the campaign brochure: [emphases added] "Voting for ELAPP will not increase property taxes. It is simply a continuation of a voter approved funding source in place since 1987. Those funds have been wisely invested and matched with 76 million additional dollars which would not have been available without a local funding source. "Use of those funds is strictly limited to acquiring and preserving environmentally sensitive lands in Hillsborough County. Strong oversight from a citizens advisory council and annual public audits have helped ELAPP earn the support of nearly every political, business, environmental and civic group in the region." The non-partisan effort to continue ELAPP is led by former Gov. Bob Martinez (R) and former County Commissioner Jan Platt (D). Broad-based support comes from the cities of Tampa & Plant City, businesses like TECO and Mosaic, the Tampa Bay Partnership, as well as every local & regional environmental group including Audubon & Sierra Club. Both the Tribune & Times have endorsed it. Need more convincing? Visit one of ELAPP's 55 nature preserves. Take a walk and feel your spirits lift. Contemplate the idea that the preserve would be a subdivision or strip mall if it were not protected. Consider, too, that if the preserve had been developed, it would cost us taxpayers much more for infrastructure than it costs to maintain as a nature preserve. Although we are all facing tight budgets at the moment, it is important to take the long view as we consider whether to renew this program into the decades ahead. Today's economy provides excellent opportunities to acquire land at bargain prices, and there is still over 40,000 acres of environmentally valuable land in this county that we need to protect while we still can. This land will undoubtedly be paved over eventually if it is not purchased for preservation. In addition to the links above, you can find out more in this video produced by Preserve Hillsborough, Creative Loafing's article, and the Tribune's multi-media report. I hope you will join me in voting YES for ELAPP. __________________ Written by Mariella Smith, published on SticksofFire.com.  You can comment on this article (and find all the links to background information if they don't work in your e-mail) here:  http://sticksoffire.com/2008/10/28/vote-yes-for-elapp/

VOTE YES ON AMENDMENT 4

From Ray Ashton:   Remember the conservation tax exemption had its roots in the Gopher Tortoise Conservation Initiative and is designed to help stop the loss of native habitat to agriculture exemptions.  Don't be selfish and not vote because you cannot visit all the sites this will help.  You cannot visit every cow pasture that gets an exemption either.     Dear Friends of Florida's Environment: I'm Florida Bear and I'm excited to be the official spokesbear for Amendment 4 -- Florida's Conservation Amendment. It's an important amendment for conservation in Florida and we need your help to let people know about it. We have two ads for Amendment 4 that I would love for you to see and send to your friends and family. Please watch them on my YouTube channel. In our first ad, I bring a message from the animals in the forest asking Floridians to vote for Amendment 4 to save our homes. Click here to see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ProwMCeHy2U In our latest ad, I'm joined by Ms. Deer who helps me talk about why Amendment 4 is good for conservation and the environment. Click here to see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_eoGgKKtXk Please share these ads with your friends and vote for Amendment 4 to help protect me, my family and my neighbors. Amendment 4 helps protect our environment by providing tax incentives to preserve private lands from development. You can learn more about Amendment 4 on our Web site at www.Amendment4Florida.com. You can also become my friend on Facebook and keep up with my adventures on Twitter. But, most of all, you can help us by forwarding this e-mail to your friends and family and encouraging them to Vote for Amendment 4 on November 4. Remember, Amendment 4 is for conservation and our environment. Thank you for your support, and please share new Amendment 4 commercials with your family, friends and neighbors. Thanks, Ray Ashton Ashton Biodiversity Research & Preservation Institute, Inc. 14260 W Newberry Rd. PMB 331 Newberry, FL 32669

Vote YES! for ELAPP

From Mariella Smith: Dear friends, ELAPP, our county's Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program, is set to expire soon unless Hillsborough county citizens vote to extend it in this election. The major challenge is informing the voters: many voters don't know what ELAPP is, and many aren't aware that it is on the ballot (and some won't go all the way to the end of the ballot to find it). Our poll showed that when people are informed about ELAPP, the majority will support this referendum. However, if we don't educate the voters, the referendum could lose and our natural lands preservation program would expire. We can't let ELAPP lose this election! We need your help to get the word out! Here's how you can help ELAPP win: 1. Donate money — any amount will help. We need money NOW to pay for final mailouts and calls to voters in the last weeks of the campaign. Please download a donation form and mail with your check right away! Since time & money are so tight, please send an e-mail to Dick Eckenrod <eckenrodtbc (a) verizon.net> to let him know your check is in the mail, so we can count on your contribution while budgeting to spend every last penny! 2. Volunteer to spend a little time at a polling place holding a sign and making sure information is available to voters who want it. Please contact Jan Smith <JSmith6723 (a) aol.com>. 3. Tell your friends and family to vote YES for ELAPP. Send them the links and information below: • campaign brochure • Tampa Tribune endorsement • ELAPP video • ELAPP campaign web site We must act now to preserve our last remaining environmentally sensitive lands to • Protect drinking water sources • Improve water quality in local rivers, lakes and Tampa Bay • Preserve wildlife habitat • Provide outdoor recreational areas "Voting for ELAPP will not increase property taxes. It is simply a continuation of a voter approved funding source in place since 1987. Those funds have been wisely invested and matched with 76 million additional dollars which would not have been available without a local funding source. "Use of those funds is strictly limited to acquiring and preserving environmentally sensitive lands in Hillsborough County. Strong oversight from a citizens advisory council and annual public audits have helped ELAPP earn the support of nearly every political, business, environmental and civic group in the region." —www.PreserveHillsborough.org 4. Please forward this e-mail! Thanks for any help you can give! Mariella Smith _______________________ Links: Donation form: http://www.conservationcampaign.org/images/campaigns/47/Donation_formnew.doc Campaign Brochure: http://www.conservationcampaign.org/images/campaigns/47/ELAPP_Brochure_%28small%29.pdf Tampa Tribune Endorsement: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/oct/03/na-land-buying-programs-benefits-clearly-visible-t/news-opinion-editorials/ ELAPP video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q51_g2a1Arw ELAPP campaign web site: http://www.preservehillsborough.org/

Fundraising concert

Hello all! Just wanted to send a last-minute note that this Friday, October 17 from 6-8pm, there will be a fundraising concert starring Frank Garcia. This is my last fundraiser for Ruskin's Honorary Mayor race so please consider coming to this event. In addition to the concert, there will be a small silent auction along with some light snacks (homemade biscotti cookies like my grandma used to make- kinda...) and a bowl of 'wetland' punch (so named for the wetland fruits that flavor it- and no I didn't go collecting this morning, it's all commercial fruit juices). If you can't make it, please consider donating an item to the silent auction. It's been advertised as 'diverse- from eco-tours to artwork', so anything goes. Or place your 'vote$' at the Ruskin Chamber of Commerce before October 25. Contact Dolly for more info at campbayou@yahoo.com. Hope to see you there! Dolly Cummings www.campbayou.org Just living is not enough... One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. - Hans Christian Anderson

Blog Action Day

So the theme for Blog Action Day this year is Poverty. How does this relate to the environment? One of the barriers to environmental protection and stewardship has always been the overriding drive to provide for one's everyday needs like food and water before worrying about how it might affect the environment. Yes, this is a short term vision but try talking long term to someone who is hungry or cold right now. Rather than provide my own meager views on the subject, I will ask for comment- What ways might we use to overcome this barrier? Please be realistic- ending poverty might be the ultimate solution but that won't happen quickly. What are some smaller steps that we might implement to help bridge this barrier?
Your opinion is welcome...

On the Trail...

A new weekly entry is starting today and every Thursday (time and health permitting). My plan is to take photos of plants and wildlife currently making an appearance at Camp Bayou. Some folks ask how can I walk the same trails all the time and not get bored. But I like the 'getting to know' an area. I like the familiarity of this particular trail where I can tell stories of how I saw this animal do that or know when those plants will be in bloom. I can see subtle changes in the seasons, which is an acquired skill in Florida. And there is often a surprise just waiting around the bend- gators in the oxbow, a manatee at the boat ramp, an early morning visit by a fox or a sudden movement in the grass that turns out to be a beautiful, timid, coral snake heading for safety in the undergrowth.
I hope these photos will inspire you to take your own walk along the trails...

2008 Recycled Yard Art Contest

TURN TRASH INTO YARD ART Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management Department, in conjunction with the Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension, City of Tampa Recycling Program, and the Hillsborough County Fair, is sponsoring a Recycled Yard Art Contest to be held at the Hillsborough County Fair from Wednesday, November 5th through Sunday, November 9, 2008. This event is open to all County residents and all age groups.  Entries must be created mostly with recycled or recyclable materials and should be able to withstand the elements for outdoor display.  For contest rules, and to submit entries and photos of your yard art online, visit http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/HomeGardening/RYA.html If questions, call 813-744-5519 x 105.

THE RUSKIN BIG DRAW-IN Oct. 11

In Celebration of the 100^th Anniversary of the Founding of Ruskin
The SouthShore Arts Council and Community Partners invite you to
THE RUSKIN BIG DRAW-IN

October 11, 2008 – 10:00am – 5:00pm

Thriftway Plaza by the Ruskin Post Office &
The BIG DRAW STUDIO, 613 US. 41, Ruskin

MAKE YOUR MARK

Join us for this community celebration of drawing in an event for all ages. Join in a mini-workshop, experiment drawing processes and experience a range of fun, drawing-based activities sponsored by area arts organizations and community partners.

Help launch the painting of the 100ft Ruskin Community Mural!

…As Artist-In-Residence Michael Parker and the Mural Team of Community Teens & Adults unveil their design and begin the painting

Featuring Arts Activities with Tampa Museum of Art, VSA-Arts of Florida, SouthShore Arts Council, Community Stepping Stones of Tampa, Crawford Studio of Southshore Regional Library & Others…

Including

• Sponsored Hands-On Arts Activites – 10am – 5pm
• Antique Car Drawing 2-3pm – with Crawford Studios
• Silk Screening/T-Shirt Demo 10-5 - Community Stepping Stones
• Simple Etching Workshop 2-4pm – Big Draw Studio
• Camera Obscrura Demo – 10 – 5pm- Big Draw Studio
• Informal Book-making with Patrick Lindhardt – 10-2, Big Draw Studio

And Music, Food---Fun
Come discover where a simple mark may take you!

THE RUSKIN BIG DRAW-IN is a free event
Wear Art Making or Play Clothes

media release; Ruskin 10/17

Media Release: contact Dolly phone 813-363-5438; campbayou@yahoo.com "Dolly for Mayor" Fundraising Concert starring Frank Garcia Where: Big Draw Art Studio, 613 US41, Ruskin When: Friday, October 17, 2008; 6-8pm Admission: $5, light snacks will be provided Why: Frank Garcia will sing some of his favorite tunes plus he will give us a preview of a new song he wrote and recorded that will be released in the near future. There will also be a silent auction with items available for viewing before the performance. Auction items will be diverse- from eco-tours to artwork. This event is a fundraiser for 'Dolly for Mayor'. For more information on Dolly's campaign platform visit http://www.campbayou.org/ and scroll down to the link at 'Dolly for Mayor'. For more information, please contact Dolly at 813-363-5438 or email at campbayou@yahoo.com. ###

Ruskin History Center Dedication

Ruskin History Center Dedication Tuesday, October 21, 2008 8AM to 9AM Lobby of the SunTrust Bank 502 North U.S. Highway 41 Ruskin, Florida 33570 For Immediate Release   Contact: Fred Jacobsen 813 298-6028 fred@RuskinHistory.org     After months of preparation, the "first 16 feet" of the Ruskin History Center will dedicated in ceremonies Tuesday, Oct 21, 2008 at 8 AM. These first two display cabinets are graciously being hosted in the lobby of the SunTrust Bank of Ruskin at 502 North US Hwy 41. Artifacts from Ruskin's timeline include at one end, fossils from the Paleozoic era found by Frank Garcia in the Leisey shell pits of Ruskin and continue up through the groundbreaking of the new HCC SouthShore campus.   "The long-term goal is to be able to house and display much more of Ruskin's history as part of a larger community center perhaps supporting the community's  Ruskin Town Center revitalization plan,"  said Mr. Jacobsen, director of the Ruskin Historical Society.   Additionally, Frank Garcia will be receiving the 3rd Annual Historic Preservation Award from the Ruskin Historical Society. "Frank Garcia has done much to preserve and document Ruskin's very early history and has brought international recognition to the area. Frank Garcia founded the Paleo Preserve exhibit at Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center and next week will be adding additional display and classroom space there," said Mr. Jacobsen.   The Ruskin Historical Society is a project of the non-profit Ruskin Community Development Foundation. More information about Ruskin's history can be found at the website www.RuskinHistory.org   # # #