Click on photos for enlargement
EARTH
DAY 2008 IN OAKS BY THE BAY PARK
Environmentally friendly crowds attended the Earth Day 2008
celebration in the beautiful Oaks by the Park in St. Andrews on
Saturday, April, 26, 2008. RMA hosted the affair with the help of
several sponsors. Henry Lawrence was this year’s organizer and was
able to acquire some great sponsors for the event.
The Gulf Coast Women's Club Conservation Department assisted with
the light bulb distribution and children's activities. Volunteers
who assisted were Ginge Ketcham, Susan Bates, Georgia Beauchemin,
Diane Bateman, Tita Sokoloff, Lisa Fowler, Ellen Whitaker, Cheryl
Kellogg, and Sandra McQuague. George Stevenson and Cheryl Kellogg
transported and loaned tables. Assisting with transporting
disassembled supplies at the close of the event was Nancy Mills who
volunteered her truck for use.
Baywatch Director Patrice Couch along with a group of volunteers
seined the beach for sea creatures to show onlookers. Murt Lyon,
Alan Collins, and Hildreth Cooper assisted. See photos of the event
at
www.sabrma.org.
Click here to view
pictures of Earth Day
GOVERNOR HAS BILL PRESERVING PROGRAM FOR BUYING LAND FOR
CONSERVATION
Associated Press – April 30, 2008
TALLAHASSEE, FL (AP) – The state’s program for buying land for
conservation would continue for another decade under a bill that
will now go to the governor’s desk.
The bill would create a successor program for Florida Forever, which
is set to end in 2010. The proposed program would increase the
amount of money that could be spent buying lands from $300 million a
year to $530 million. The bill (SB 542) passed unanimously in the
House today after making it through the Senate last week.
Since 1990, Florida Forever and its predecessor, Preservation 2000,
have acquired or preserved nearly three million acres of
environmentally sensitive land. That’s an area equal to more than
three and a half Rhode Islands. Together, the programs have spent
almost six billion dollars. Copyright 2008
MEMBERSHIP DUES REMINDER
Earth Day is RMA’s reminder time for renewing your dues. Several
members have submitted their dues, but there are still some that
shall get reminders. RMA is a non-profit organization which depends
on the annual dues of their members to function. There are levels
of donations from Student or Senior to Life Time Members. We
consider all donations very important to our mission of seeing that
the St. Andrew Bay and its estuaries are properly managed.
living Shoreline Workshop
was
held at Gulf Coast Community in Panama City, FL, on June 13,
2008.
Living shorelines use plants and other natural materials to
stabilize the shoreline for the benefit of property owners as
well as fish and other wildlife. For more information or
technical questions, contact Chris Verlinde at
Chrisv@ufl.edu
or 850-623-3868.
RMA is active in the living shorelines initiative, with two
completed projects and one in the planning stages. If you are
interested in a marsh restoration project, contact Jim Barkuloo
at
jmbarkuloo@yahoo.com.
RMA
is active in the living shorelines initiative, with two completed
projects and one in the planning stages. If you are interested in a
marsh restoration project, contact Jim Barkuloo at
jmbarkuloo@yahoo.com.
RMA
NEEDS NOMINATING COMMITTEE
RMA
is in need of three RMA members who are not Officers or Board
members to act as a Nominating Committee for the purpose of
selecting the new slate of Officers for the 2008 – 2009 year.
Please submit your name to Ann Barkuloo, 763-1820 and a list of our
current members will be given to you for consideration. When the
Nomination Committee has agreed on the candidates, the names will be
submitted to the RMA Board of Directors. The RMA Membership will
then elect the officers.
RMA
is your organization to which you so generously submit your
dues each year. At the present, we are lacking in candidates for
key offices such as President, Vice President, and Treasurer.
CHIPOLA RIVER CLEANUP
RMA
is planning its annual Chipola River clean-up canoe trip early June,
so get out the old boat and dust it off. We’ll announce the date
later. Contact Bill Wallace at
waldoster@knology.net
RECYCLE
RMA
still participates in the recycling of aluminum cans. We would like
to remind the members, their families, and friends that we are still
collecting at the Fish and Wildlife Office donation site on Balboa
Ave. or 2310 Ashland Dr. For further information regarding the
collection of aluminum cans you can call Ann Barkuloo ‑ 763‑1820 or
e‑mail GEM_539@knology.net
RMA MISSION
RMA
is a private, nonprofit citizens' group whose members are committed
to the proper management of St. Andrew Bay and adjoining bays,
lakes, tributaries and wetlands. RMA recognizes that the St. Andrew
Bay system is Bay County's most valuable natural resource, and that
the bay plays a key role in the local economy. The major objective
of RMA is to ensure that future growth is properly managed to
maintain the quality and productivity of the local estuarine system.
www.sabrma.org
AN AFFILIATE
OF THE FLORIDA
WILDLIFE FEDERATION
