by Houston R. Cypress,
Coordination Circle, Love The Everglades Movement

The Everglades Caucus recently issued a letter to the US Department of the Interior, the US Department of the Army for the Army Corp of Engineers, and the US Environmental Protection Agency, bringing attention to an on-going and immediate environmental threat to the Everglades:  the L-28 Interceptor Canal -- a canal that brings "dirty water" with high levels of phosphorus onto Federal Reservation Lands.

The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida maintain traditional villages -- which they use for a number of cultural practices -- in the area that is directly and negatively impacted by this farm runoff.  In fact, their access to sacred sites become impeded by the proliferation of flora spurred by the fertilizer runoff.

The image at the top of this document illustrates the impact of high and unnatural levels of Phosphorus on the Everglades terrain.  The green areas are the dense overgrowth of cattails and other plants.

The Miccosukee concerns surrounding the L-28 Interceptor Canal are coinciding with a broader discussion on Everglades Restoration, especially as it relates to current events surrounding the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP).

CEPP is concerned with delivering "New Water" through a series of projects that would bring water from Lake Okeechobee south to Everglades National Park.  As these projects come online over the next decade, there is still the glaring refusal to address the 40% of the total waters coming into the system brought by the L-28 Interceptor Canal.

Today, Miccosukee homelands are being sacrificed for the benefit of Everglades National Park -- as if the Everglades eco-system is limited to the boundaries of the National Park.  As the waters coming into Water Conservation Area 3A make their slow journey south, the high Phosphorus levels are filtered out significantly -- and what this means is that Miccosukee homelands are functioning as a de facto Stormwater Treatment Area.

The Everglades Caucus are not only honoring their Trust Responsibility to the Indigenous Sovereingty, but they are also honoring their commitment to the American Public by speaking up to protect these vital natural resources.

Signatories for the Everglades Caucus include:

• Mario Diaz-Balart
• Alcee Hastings
• Debbie Wasserman Schultz
• Patrick Murphy
• Ted Deutch
• Joe Garcia
• Lois Frankel
• Frederica Wilson

Read the letter in its entirety:

by Houston R. Cypress,
Coordination Circle, Love The Everglades Movement

One of our objectives for the Movement is to advocate for respect of Miccosukee Sovereignty.  This is because the Miccosukee Tribe is one of the few communities who actually live in the Florida Everglades -- so they witness, everyday, the effects of environmental degradation.

By listening to and incorporating the Miccosukee message into our Everglades Advocacy, we begin to do the work of Environmental Justice and express our solidarity with this indigenous community.

The Miccosukee community has a Way of Life that is intimately connected with the vitality of the natural world -- indeed, their philosophy is expressed in a beautiful symbol that is maintained in the heart of every village -- the Circle of Life.

The Miccosukee Tribe has also been an important catalyst for much of the progress achieved so far regarding Everglades Restoration.  This is due in large part to the greater legal framework and promises made by the US Federal Government to the indigenous sovereignties, known as the Federal Trust Responsibility.  Although the historical record reminds us that there has been much discord between the United States and the sovereign indigenous communities of this continent, we can also find evidence of great friendship and prosperity.  So we look forward to honoring our friendships with the Miccosukee community and how we can build on that to achieve environmental/Everglades goals that benefit everyone -- including the people that live there.

Recently, the Miccosukee Chairman, Hon. Colley Billie, addressed the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee during the Public Witness Hearing on Native American Issues.

Chairman Colley Billie's statement was concerned with Everglades matters, and it's such a revealing statement about Miccosukee concerns for the Everglades, that it's worth sharing in its entirety.

by Houston R. Cypress,
Coordination Circle, Love The Everglades Movement

I was really looking forward to connecting with the broad community of Everglades Activists from up north near Lake Okeechobee and beyond when I attended the SFWMD Governing Board meeting last week.

Thanks to Mary Jo Aagerstoun of EcoArt South Florida for being my guide when it came to meeting everyone and for all the suggestions she made of people to connect with.

As a consequence of those connections, the RIVER JUSTICE LEAGUE (Link) has invited me and the LOVE THE EVERGLADES MOVEMENT to initiate discussions and to brainstorm solutions for our common environmental problems.

One of our goals and prayers is for the growth of the community concerned with Everglades Matters -- because the Everglades matters!

JOIN US!  E-mail to RSVP, or for more info:  [email protected]

By Houston R. Cypress,
Coordination Circle, Love The Everglades Movement

My name is Yahaletke, aka Houston Cypress and I'm from the Otter Clan of the Miccosukee Tribe, and I'm representing the Love The Everglades Movement.

I live on the Miccosukee Reservation on the border of Everglades National Park and Water Conservation Area 3A.  I maintain ancestral villages in the Central Everglades, on those disappearing hammocks that were mentioned earlier in this meeting -- hammocks where I conduct gardening, hunting, and spiritual practices.

My support of CEPP is buttressed with a critique of the inadequacies of CEPP, it doesn't do enough.

CEPP is a good step forward, but it is inadequate.  We need a holistic view and concerted action when it comes to Everglades matters -- because the Everglades matters.

A holistic view brings us to the Western Basin of the Everglades Agricultural Area and the ongoing and immediate problem of the L-28 Interceptor Canal, which is bringing waters that average 60 parts per billion of Phosphorus and spikes as high as 100 parts per billion of Phosphorus and this is happening every day!

By the time that the waters pass through the Water Conservation Area and arrive at Everglades National Park the waters nearly reach the Holy Grail and target of 10 parts per billion of Phosphorus.

This means that Miccosukee homelands and the Water Conservation Area become a de facto Stormwater Treatment Area.

With such a close margin, there's the potential for waters exceeding the Phosphorus target to enter Everglades National Park.  We must be wary of any requests for waivers to exceed the Phosphorus limit.  No waivers.  No exceedances.

CEPP is about "new water," but what about the 40% of waters being brought into the system by the L-28 Interceptor Canal and the high Phosphorus waters that it delivers?

This seems like the next big project to be undertaken to address the on-going problem of the L-28 Interceptor Canal.

And I also want to admonish the Board and the District for condoning the display of racist imagery with the display of the FSU mascot during the earlier PowerPoint presentation.