January 30, 2017
On Jan. 27, 2017, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) circulated a newsletter urging the South Florida Water Management District to start working collaboratively for everyone's benefit. The request is unnecessary as SFWMD scientists and engineers have a long-held culture of working openly and collaborating with partner agencies and the public. All SFWMD planning efforts are conducted in the public view and with significant involvement from all interested parties.
There is, however, a public obligation to speak up when an organization's work and tools are being abused purely for advocacy purposes. The District's response to the authors of a paper published on the Everglades Foundation website cited deficiencies in modeling and questioned the science peddled to drive policy. It would be improper to have remained silent when fake science is the outcome.
To engage in the conversation and see the latest science, West Coast residents are encouraged to attend the on-the-record, "in the Sunshine" Feb. 2, 2017, Water Resources Advisory Commission (WRAC) meeting, where Lead Hydrologist Robert Verrastro and Chief of Everglades Policy and Coordination Matt Morrison will give a presentation on "Reservoir, Aquifer Storage and Recovery for Reducing Damaging Discharges to the Northern Estuaries."
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