Your support is key   Preventing Toxic Summers Together —————————— Five years ago, after a half-century in Miami, Friends of the Everglades made the strategic choice to relocate our headquarters to Stuart. It turned out to be one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. The move planted us in a community at the forefront of advocacy to stop harmful Lake Okeechobee discharges — on the heels of a toxic summer in 2018 that prompted emergency declarations on both coasts in response to blue-green algae and red tide. Friends has a long history of fighting for water quality and enforceable environmental policies — and our mission to preserve, protect and restore the connected waterways of the Greater Everglades was reinvigorated by the 2018 crisis and the community response in Stuart and beyond. Our strategic partnership with VoteWater (formerly bullsugar.org) helped us double down on our efforts to strengthen public support and awareness, and build meaningful relationships with policy makers and agencies. Today an algae bloom covers roughly 360 square miles of Lake Okeechobee. Green scum is piled up at the gates of Port Mayaca leading to the St. Lucie River. Luckily, the gates remain closed and only beneficial flows move to the west coast through the Caloosahatchee. We know one hurricane could dramatically change the landscape. The prospect of a toxic summer is never far from the minds of Floridians who have seen it happen again and again. Friends of the Everglades has been working hard to prevent that grim fate. When the Army Corps of Engineers started harmful Lake O releases in February, we cried foul — loudly and persistently. The Army Corps closed the gates to the St. Lucie River on March 30, and they’ve been closed ever since. At the same time, the Army Corps halted damaging discharges to the Caloosahatchee River, allowing only low-level flows needed to maintain salinity. We’re doing everything in our power to keep toxic algae out of our estuaries this summer — and, long term, to end the rigged system that prioritizes Big Sugar’s drainage and irrigation over the Everglades, northern estuaries, and Florida Bay. Your support powers this fight. Please consider making a donation today to fuel lasting solutions for the lands and waterways that we love and the people who call Florida home. Support Our Work To Prevent Toxic Summers   P.S. You are receiving this message because you are a supporter of our affiliated 501(c)4 VoteWater. To remain on the list receiving important action alerts and updates from Friends of the Everglades, sign up now. Friends of the Everglades was founded in 1969 to preserve, protect and restore the only Everglades in the world. VoteWater's mission is to fight political corruption in Florida by galvanizing public resolve to end the systemic pollution and mismanagement of our waterways.     VoteWater | 900 SE Federal Hwy Suite 325 | Stuart, FL 34994 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice