Since 2012, Floridians have celebrated Everglades Day on April 7 in honor of legendary Everglades advocate Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ birthday. As part of the Conservancy’s ongoing advocacy for the Greater Western Everglades, Senior Water Policy Advisor Tammy Ash traveled to the Florida capitol for Everglades Action Day, Everglades Coalition’s environmental advocacy trip on February 18.
This annual trip brought together nonprofit staff, scientists, students, and passionate citizens to speak with legislators about Everglades restoration issues. Tammy Ash represented the Conservancy of SWFL and Collier County, partnering with Allie Pacenka from SSCF, Kyra Sadat Ruben with the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society, and Sanibel resident Dr. Vijay Sarthy to represent SWFL at the capitol. Together, the group formed the Lee and Collier County team and met with senators, representatives, and staff from those districts. The team held meetings with the offices of: Sen. Jonathan Martin, Rep. Lauren Melo and Rep. Yvette Bennaroch. All expressed their appreciation to the team for traveling to Tallahassee and voicing local concerns.
For offices busy with committee hearings, occurring daily in the midst of session, legislative priorities were dropped off with their staff for later review. Legislative priorities included fully funding Everglades restoration, further protecting Florida waters, building resilience into restoration infrastructure, and advocating for smart growth while protecting the ecosystems from harmful development.
For more information on our environmental policy efforts, please see here.
