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| Sierra Club Florida Chapter Sierra Club Miami Group Miami Sierra Yahoo! group listserve Sierra Club national website |
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| info@buildtheskyway.com | |
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| December 23, 2011 - President Obama signs legislation authorizing the bridging! Please join the Sierra Club in celebrating a great milestone for Everglades Restoration. On December 23 the President signed the 2012 Appropriations Act, including authorization for the elevation of Tamiami Trail, to restore the flow of the River of Grass. Thanks go to the many scientists, volunteers, government agency staff, elected officials and environmental leaders who participated in the campaign for the Skyway over the past decade. Your phone calls, letters, advocacy and activism led to this historic event. The signing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012, (HR2055) to bridge
5.5 more miles of Tamiami Trail (US Highway 41) will help to restore fresh water flow through America's Everglades and into Florida Bay.
The new bridges will join a one-mile bridge already under construction. The Everglades Skyway, the term coined for the 6.5 miles of bridging
is now supported by Congress, the President and a strong coalition of Florida municipalities, and civic and business organizations.
Besides restoring the water flow, the project will create jobs and increase tourism. Let the water flow! Tamiami Trail (US highway 41) cuts through Shark River Slough, one of the Everglades' deepest and most important water passageways. Scientists say flow must be restored by elevating Tamiami Trail if Everglades restoration is to succeed. The Everglades Skyway Coalition supports the National Park Service's proposal to build 5.5 miles of bridging in addition to a one-mile bridge now under construction. These bridges, which we cumulatively refer to as the "Everglades Skyway," are key to returning the historic water sheet flow through parched Everglades National Park and into Florida Bay. The Skyway will be beneficial to wildlife by reducing habitat fragmentation and preventing road kill. The project will create jobs and increase tourism while raising Everglades awareness at the same time. Best yet, the cumulative 6.5-mile Skyway will serve as a visible symbol of Everglades restoration. The Everglades Skyway Coalition believes that Everglades restoration cannot happen without the full 6.5-mile Skyway. Read more about the National Park Service's Tamiami Trail Next Steps plan here. Supporters of the Skyway City of Coral Gables City of Miami City of Miami Beach City of Miami Gardens City of North Miami Town of Miami Lakes Miami-Dade County Metropolitan Planning Organization Monroe County 1000 Friends of Florida Audubon of Florida Biscayne Gardens Civic Association Builders Association of South Florida Chamber South Clean Water Action Council of Garden Club Presidents of Dade County Dade Heritage Trust Defenders of Wildlife Izaak Walton League Everglades Coalition Everglades Foundation Everglades Law Center Everglades Trust Florida Biodiversity Project Florida Federation of Garden Clubs Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Friends of the Everglades Miami-Dade Citizens Transportation Advisory Council Miami-Dade Green Party Miami Lakes Garden Club National Parks Conservation Association National Resources Defense Council Operation Green Leaves Soroptimist International of Coral Gables Tropical Audubon Society Urban Environment League World Wildlife Fund Surfrider Foundation, Miami Chapter South Beach Hotel and Restaurant Association SpiritSingles.com |
copyright 2007 Everglades Skyway Coalition