You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

LAKE COUNTY: The Lake County Planning and Zoning Board met last month to vote on ten rezoning applications within the Wekiva River Basin. Despite FOWR protests that these re-zonings were not in accordance with the Wekiva River Protection Act, P&Z voted to allow seven of the ten. Fortunately, the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA) appears to have the river's best interest at heart and Tom Pelham wrote a very strong letter to Lake County stating that DCA did not feel these re-zonings were acceptable.

When the same zone change requests came' before the Board of County Commissioners, a decision was made to postpone any further rezoning in the Wekiva Basin until the Lake County Comp. Plan amendments had been submitted and accepted.

Negotiations continue in the purchase of Seminole Woods and the BMK Ranch (which also includes the Hollywood site). DNR is actively negotiating with Maury Carter; the Water Management District staff are turning their efforts toward Mr. Strawn and the Seminole Springs property.

As of this writing, the only difference between the bargaining parties is (you guessed it) price.

In case you are wondering why this newsletter looks and feels somehow different from the past, FOWR is now using 100%, low-impact recycled' paper. The price of this environmentally intelligent paper is going down as more people use it, so as of now, it costs only a little more than regular paper and does a lot more for our environment.

The paper was purchased from Earth Care Paper Co., which donates 10% of its profit to organizations that are working to solve environmental and social problems. According to their catalog, "Producing one ton of paper from discarded waste paper uses half the energy, half the water, results in 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution, saves 17 pulp trees, reduces solid waste going to landfills, and creates five times more jobs compared to producing a ton of paper from virgin wood pulp.

While FOWR is first and foremost an organization dedicated to protecting the Wekiva River, we still have an obligation to do whatever we can to protect our earth. After all, we all live downstream.

While the following news may not have a direct bearing: on the Wekiva River, yet. . . it is an issue which needs our attention.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is conducting a feasibility study for "toll facility extension from the Proposed Southern Connector in Orange County to the Proposed Pineda Interchange at 1-95 in Brevard County. . "

This proposed road would parallel and be placed within a few miles of the Bee-Line Expressway. No need has been established for this road, and the only benefit that is readily apparent for building the facility would be to the owners of land along the proposed route, opening up thousands of acres to development at the expense of the tax-payers and the environment. Additionally, the road would impact the wetlands along the St. Johns River.

Anyone interested in attending-one of the meetings for the feasibility study is requested to do so. The meetings will take place Thursday, July 13 at the Orange County Admin. Building, 201 S. Rosalind, Orlando, in the 1 st Floor Conference Room from 4 to 6 p.m.; and Friday, July 14 at the South Brevard County Service Center, 1515 Sarno Road, Melbourne, in the County Commission Chambers from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Closer to home than the Pineda Extension; FOWR has sent letters of concern about three "after-the-fact" permit applications for docks, boardwalks and other similar, structures along the Wekiva and Little Wekiva Rivers. The most disturbing of these was submitted by E. Everett Huskey his third. By now he is well aware of the lawsprotecting the river and the fact that he should have applied for permits before building his 3,522 square foot boardwalk/observation platform, through wetlands, down to the river's edge.

The most serious side of this "after-thefact" attitude is that boardwalks seem to be springing up like water hyacinth. How many boardwalks, gazeboes, docks and ovservation platforms will it take to turn the rivers into a watery honky-tonk?

Perhaps most important of all, what is the cumulative impact of all these structures? As unsightly as the are in the natural scenry of the river, just what harm might they be doing to the wetlands, the plants and animals? Salt-treated lumber leaches poisons into the medium into which it is buried. We need input from our members. Please write and protest the laxity of our river protection that would allow unpermitted structures to remain wehre they do not belong. If the laws protecting our natural resources are not upheld, the resources don’t stand much chance of surviving.

The Friends were awarded a $2,000 "innovation grant" from Successful Communities, a program of The Conservation Foundation in Washington, DC.

This grant, coupled with the Disney awards FOWR has realized in the past years, will be used to sponsor a conference sometime this fall, between environmentalists and developers, in which we hope to ahieve answers to the seemingly insurmountable growth presures that are being placed on the Wekiva River Basin.

Marilyn Crotty has been retained to coordinate the conference and a committee has been established to help determine the agenda.

We will be sure to keep you informed of our progress in the isnnovative and exciting project.

On June 14, The St. Johns River Water Management Distric passed the Buffer Rule. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to see this become reality. Congratulations to the Wekiva River too and to all the denizens of the river and its basin.

Of course, now we will have to see that it is enforced…