Receiving awards for outstanding service to the Wekiva River and Basin were: Pat Burkett, education; Kevin Spear, news media; Duke Woodson, civic achievement; Maury Carter, business; James Farr and Paul Bradshaw, state government; John Hankinson, regional government; and Richard Swartz, local government. The River Otter Award, our highest honor, went to Tom Pelham, the Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs, for his unceasing work to enforce the Wekiva Protection Act.

Our new board for 1990-91 is: Fred Harden - President; Nancy Prine, 1st Vice President; Pip Wick, 2nd Vice President; Tom Williams, Treasurer; Judy Wick, Secretary. Board members: Virginia Bowman, Pat Burkett, Allen and Claudia Clark, Mary McKey, Eleanor and Russ Fisher, Dean Fletcher, Pat Harden, Ken Hooper, Jo Irwin, Jim Lee, Polly Miller, Katie and Russ Moncrief, Jim Oliver, Karen Pinsley, Bill Riske, Diane Rock, Jim Thomas, Lisa and Walt Thomson, Lorraine and Eddie Williford, Kay Yeuell and. Rosemary Young.

Special recognition to Lorraine Williford for her outstanding work on the Banquet. From getting the invitations printed, arranging for the room and the food, and on through to the last detail, Lorraine, thank you for such a spectacular job. It was a magic evening!

Two field trips have occurred since the last FOWR newsletter. The March 25 float down Rock Springs Run, ending with a picnic at the Wekiva Springs State Park was a lovely success, with 15 attending.

May 12 was the final canoe trip for this series. Katie transported 15 people from Katie's Landing to a put-in site on the Little Wekiva River. This is a beautiful section of the Wekiva River system that is not often seen, because of its remoteness. Sharp eyed canoeists spotted a family of limpkin with five babies. We hope you were able to attend this trip. It was truly, a special way to wind up the series.

Thanks, Katie and Russ, for an outstanding field trip series! Your hard work was appreciated and we all look forward to the next season. The canoe trips that we take together as Friends are some of the best reasons for joining this organization.

The Friends of the wekiva River, Inc. is a non-profit organization of concerned and dedicated citizens from all walks of life who want to preserve the beauty and natural functions of the wekiva River System.

The Land and Water Adjudicatory Commission (i.e. the Governor and Cabinet) met April 24 to decide the question of allowing commercial rezoning on the southeast and southwest corners of State Road 46 and Longwood Markham Road. As you remember, Seminole Board of County Commissioners (SBCC) and two developers were trying to change the zoning of these two corners from Rural Residential to Commercial. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) contested this rezoning and it went to Administrative Hearing. The Hearing Officer ruled in favor of the developers, and from there it went to the Land and Water Adjudicatory Commission.

Pat Harden and Pip and Judy Wick went to Tallahassee for the final hearing. FOWR had the support of the Florida Audubon Society and 1000 Friends of Florida, as well as the DCA. Pat spoke for FOWR and Charles Lee spoke on behalf of Audubon. Gratifyingly, the Commission agreed unanimously that commercial zoning so close to the river was inappropriate and inconsistent with the Wekiva River Protection Act. The end result was that the commission voted to restrict the property to only one residence per acre, no other use. You may well imagine the light hearts that drove back home that evening!

The developers and the SBCC may still appeal this decision to the courts. So please, no resting on our laurels just yet. Be ready to call or write one more time, if necessary, to see that this area is not rezoned to commercial. We will keep you posted. To all who did write or call on behalf of the River, thanks. Your calls and letters counted!

On May 7 St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) unanimously voted down their plan to weaken the rules which determine wetlands. Their plan to change the rule, following the DER standards, did not take into consideration the soils and other important variables. The new rule would rely solely on vegetation analysis in most cases when ascertaining wetlands. This would have taken protection away from a great number of lands which are now - correctly, we believe - considered to be wetlands.

We congratulate SJRWMD for wisely voting down this ill-conceived plan. FOWR does not oppose the simplification of rules, as long as the rules are not weakened.

The Carter tract is now finally in state ownership. The Florida Forest Service (FFS) has been determined to be the lead agency in developing a management plan for the property.

The FOWR will be in contact with the FFS to discuss the direction of the management plan in relation to the basin as a whole and to the other state properties.

We believe that as more and more of the basin comes under state ownership, management will have to look at the land as a unit, an ecological system, not a series of state lands managed by three separate agencies, FDNR, FGFWFC and FFS. In our view, there are a number of issues that will have to be addressed; the following are just a few:

If you thought our work would lessen as more of the basin is acquired, guess again. The needs of wildlife and other natural systems must be considered as important as peoples' needs. Consequently, as the tri-county area becomes more urbanized, it will become increasingly important that the basin be managed as a single ecological unit, regardless of the diversity of the lead agencies.

You may have noticed the art work on the outside of your last newsletter and this one as well. I hope you did, anyway.

These drawings were made by my brother, Charles Krause, a resident artist of Kenosha, Wisconsin who visited the Wekiva River earlier this year. He thanked me for the use of our guest cottage with these beautiful pictures which have been reduced and copied onto the newsletters. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Thanks, Chuck!

Further update on the two, great blue heron nests across the river from Pat and Fred Harden. Between the two nests there are five young herons - you can hear them demanding a meal at almost any time of the day, and they are certainly worth a trip down to river, just to look at and listen to. (Note: however, by the time this newsletter reaches you, they may have flown the coop ... so to speak.)

Isn't this what FOWR is all about? Protecting the river for every living creature, human, plant and animal? Leaving some of natural Florida for the future? It's a big job, but somebody has to do it.

Well, not exactly. But this is our way of letting you know that on Thesday, May 7, FOWR was the recipient of a $2000 grant from Walt Disney World Co. Once again, our organization was awarded a generous grant to be used for public education. We are considering holding another seminar similar to this year's successful "Wise Growth Management in Environmentally Sensitive Areas." Early plans include the possibility of having the seminar in Lake County, hopefully drawing more developers and builders.

This is the third year that FOWR has earned the recognition and financial tribute of Walt Disney World Co. We're honored that outside organizations such as Disney, and the Conservation Foundation, have seen fit to award us for our work. While protection of the Wekiva River Basin is its own reward, it's nice to be recognized by others, too.

We want to spread the word that the Governor's Preservation 2000 bill will be a vital key to the future of Florida's natural resources. This is legislation whose time has come. Florida's wild lands, lakes, rivers and beaches, need our protection and that protection will cost money.

Governor Martinez, the House and the Senate, are all working to put together a bill that will raise $3 billion in the next ten years - all to protect Florida's natural resources. Polls have shown that the people of Florida want to protect the environment; they are willing to pay for conservation when they are not willing to pay higher taxes for much of anything else. This is a popular issue. It's exciting and it's "the right thing to do".

Show your support for Preservation 2000. Let your elected officials know you support protection of the environment. While it includes lands all over the state of Florida, the Wekiva River and Basin are sure to benefit from this legislation, and likewise all the people of Florida - for many generations to come..

FOWR participated in two separate celebrations of Earth Day. We had a table at the Seminole Community College on April 18, where we gave out brochures and talked with students and teachers about our organization. Several conservation organizations were there and it was a good opportunity to interact with the different groups working to protect the environment.

On Saturday, April 28, the Wekiwa Springs State Park celebrated Earth Day in a big way! The grounds were filled with displays and tables representing dozens of environmentally active associations. The atmosphere was gay and the turn-out was large and enthusiastic. FOWR was again represented and it was a rewarding experience! People are showing that they do care and they want our natural world to survive "civilization."

The following is a reply to the April Editorial on banning airboats and limiting boat speed on the Wekiva River.

Editor:

So, you "deeply resent the intrusion of loud airboats and fast boaters" on the Wekiva River. It's strange that you recognize people "are different" and these "differences are to be respected," yet you want to restrict the pleasure of people who have lived on the River and used motor boats on the River more than 40 years.

For you information, it's my opinion that if the boats did not chop off some of the unnatural weed growth (force fed by local government sewer systems) you would not be able to come through the flats in a few years - even in a canoe! Twenty years ago, there were only a few patches of grass in the flats; most of the bottom was clean sand - not the muck and slime that fills the flats today.

As a former member of FOWR, I deeply resent you and other "newcomers" attempting to tell the rest of us what we can or cannot do. I strongly suggest that we love the River as much as you say you do. Please respect our rights, and we will respect yours.

When Fred Harden appointed Russ Moncrief to Chair a Committee to study Rep. Stan Bainter's bill calling for a ban on airboats and a speed limit on motor boats, do you suppose he was thinking about the fox guarding his hen house?

Robert J. Chewning

How do you feel about the previous articles? Do you agree? Disagree? Your comments are welcome and we wil give our readers fair chance to respond.

June 7 FOWR is pleased to have Jennifer McMurtray present to our members a program about gopher tortoises.

In a time when the habitat for the gopher tortoise is rapidly being bull-dozed and these animals are literally under seige by development, Jennifer will tell us more about this interesting, secretive creature, including slides of a recent gopher tortoise relocation project. Be sure to come to the meeting, Thursday night, June 7 at 8 p.m., right after the board meeting, which will begin at 6:30 sharp. We will meet, as usual, at the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Markham Woods Road in Longwood (just west of the I-4/S.R.434 exit, north from S.R. 434).

How are all those Earth Day resolutions coming along? You're all still "buying smart" aren't you? Still looking for products that aren't over-packaged, particularly in styrofoam and plastic, right? Still recycling aluminum, glass and plastics as well as your newspapers? You're letting your supermarket know that you prefer paper over plastic bags, too or better still - you're bringing your own bags to pack those groceries in so you don't have to use any throw-away bags at all. It's an easy habit to acquire, just toss a few canvas bags (or whatever type you choose) into the car and they'll be there when you next go shopping.

Great! We knew you were doing all you personally could to help protect this fragile planet from waste and overproduction of trash. Keep up the good work!