Hydrophyte Volume 25 Issue 1 - February 2021

The South Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society

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Highlights WSU Looks to Insects to Control 'Beast' Weed Vessel Equipped with Ultraviolet Light Attacks Invasive Aquatic Plants at Tahoe Got Lake Weeds?

Maybe Scuba Divers are Your Solution

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President’s Message 2020 was the best wasn’t it? Ok, maybe it was a little crazy, but 2021 is starting off great isn’t it?

Ok, maybe that is stretching the truth a bit also.

The South Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society hopes 2021 begins to return us to “normal”.

Invasive aquatic vegetation doesn’t care about Covid-19, Democrats or Republicans. It is going to persist in our bodies of water no matter what is going on in our country. Our industry remains vital which is good for all of us lucky enough to be working. I wake up thankful that I work in a field that helps make a difference in our community.

The goal of SFAPMS is to help us continue to be the best we can be. We will again be holding quarterly meetings with CEU’s available beginning in February with a virtual meeting and hope to be in person by May. Until then, everyone be safe, try and do the right thing and let’s all do what we can to get back on track and make this year better than 2020.

Andy Fuhrman President South Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society

Board Members - 2021 Officers 2021 Andy Fuhrman, President (954) 382-9766 afuhrman@allstatemanagement.com Dail Laughinghouse, Vice President (954) 577-6382 hlaughinghouse@ufl.edu Colleen Sullivan, Secretary/Treasurer (954) 382-9766 csullivan@allstatemanagement.com Hughie Cucurullo, Immediate Past President (561) 845-5525 hcucurullo@avcaquatic.com Board Members 2021 Keith Andreu (239) 694-2174

andreu@lchcd.org

Rose Bechard-Butman (954) 519-0317 rbechardbutman@broward.org James Boggs (352) 521-3538

boggsj@helenachemical.com

Norma Cassinari (334) 741-9393

ngcassinari@alligare.com

Lyn Gettys, Ph.D. (954) 577-6331

lgettys@ufl.edu

Scott Jackson (561) 402-0682 Rory Roten, Ph.D. (321) 890-4367 Dharmen Setaram (407) 670-4094

scott.jackson@syngenta.com roryr@sepro.com dsetaram@landolakes.com

Steven Weinsier (954) 382-9766 sweinsier@allstatemanagement.com

The Francis E. “Chil” Rossbach Scholarship Fund

Cover Photo by Allstate Resource Management

Funds from the scholarship are used to help defray costs for students taking classes related to the study of aquatic environmental sciences or related areas. The scholarship is open to anyone, and all are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted throughout the year and the scholarship awarded when a suitable candidate is found. Money raised by the Society during the year partially goes to fund this scholarship, the intent of which is to promote the study of aquatics.

For an application, please go to www.sfapms.org.

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WSU LOOKS TO INSECTS TO CONTROL 'BEAST' WEED By: Don Jenkins | Capital Press Washington State University entomologist Jennifer Andreas plans to soon petition the USDA to allow a non-native insect be turned loose on an invasive weed that she calls, respectfully, “a beast.”

Flowering rush, an aquatic plant native to Eurasia, has escaped in the West, presenting a choking hazard to irrigation systems. Hard to pull and tough to poison, the weed has no natural North American predator to check its growth.

For almost 10 years, Andreas and other researchers have been studying how to beat back flowering rush with “classical biocontrol,” the science of importing a foreign bug to fight a foreign weed.

It’s not done lightly. Scientists spend years studying whether introduced insects will do harm by straying off target and killing beneficial native plants. The payoff is weed control without annual herbicide applications.

“Flowering rush is sort of a beast of a plant, and we're kind of losing the battle to get rid of it.”

- Jennifer Andreas Washington State University Entomologist

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WSU LOOKS TO INSECTS TO CONTROL 'BEAST' WEED “There is no zero-risk option. If you spray there’s a risk in that. If you do nothing, there is a risk,” Andreas said. “Biocontrol is quite low risk.”

Andreas said she hopes this spring to submit a petition to release Bogous nodulosus, a.k.a. “flowering rush weevil.” A technical panel will review the petition and advise the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. A decision is likely to be years away.

With APHIS approval, the weevils could be let go, probably first at Flathead Lake in Montana, the source of flowering rush root fragments floating west into Idaho and Washington.

In Eurasia, the weevil eats flowering rush rhizomes, or rootstalks, “hitting it where it hurts,” Andreas said. She said she’s excited to see how the weevil will work in North America.

Andreas, based at WSU’s research center in Puyallup, directs the WSU Integrated Weed Control Project, a program primarily funded by the U.S. Forest Service.

She also leads the international Flowering Rush Biocontrol Consortium and co-chairs the biocontrol committee of the North American Invasive Species Management Association.

For a question-and-answer session on the association’s website recently, she named flowering rush her “favorite invasive species.”

“You have to respect a weed that is besting us at almost every turn,” she said.

Andreas said the remark was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but also true.

“I would say I have a certain respect for some of these invasive species that are challenging for us,” she said.

A Canadian native, Andreas went to the University of Lethbridge in Alberta and with the help of a “great professor” was introduced to the wonders of entomology. “I think insects are incredible,” she said.

After graduating from Lethbridge in 2000, she enrolled at the University of Idaho and earned a master’s degree in entomology in 2004.

She went to work for WSU Extension in King County in 2005 and later moved to Puyallup.

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WSU LOOKS TO INSECTS TO CONTROL 'BEAST' WEED APHIS in 2019 permitted the release of a weevil, Ceratapion basicorne, to attack yellow starthistle, a weed that damages grazing lands in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California.

The prickly plant is Andreas’ least favorite invasive species. “I hate working in it. It’s so painful,” she said.

In 2020, APHIS permitted the release of a psyllid, Aphalara itadori, to control Japanese knotweed, as well as the related Bohemian knotweed and giant knotweed.

The insect was released last spring in Grays Harbor, King and Pierce counties. Andreas will be checking in early spring this year to see how the insect fared over the winter.

The WSU program Andreas directs promotes controlling weeds by all means, including biocontrol.

Most biocontrol experiments fail, according to APHIS. Sometimes transplanted insects don’t reproduce in their new environment or aren’t that effective.

According to the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, the last biocontrol agents to have notable success in the western U.S. were a wasp and a midge introduced in 2008 and 2009 to control Russian knapweed.

Recently, however, APHIS has authorized some promising releases.

“We did have a kind of quiet, nothing-happening phase, but we’re taking off again,” Andreas said. “I think we’re getting excited again.”

Washington State University entomologist Jennifer Andreas directs the college’s Integrated Weed Control Project and is involved in biocontrol research.

Florida Spiny Lobster Tomato Mac and Cheese Recipe from Fresh From Florida

Ingredients 1 pound Florida spiny lobster, cooked and cut into medium sized chunks

1 ½ cups grated Gruyere cheese, grated (or your favorite)

3 large Florida tomatoes, sliced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 pound pasta (any shape) cooked

½ cup fresh chives, chopped fine

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

½ cup red onion, chopped fine

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped fine

3 cups milk, at room temperature

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 ½ cups sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

Preparation

Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Place 4 tablespoons melted butter in a saucepot over medium-low heat, add garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent. Next, whisk in flour and cook flour for several minutes.

Carefully pour in milk and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Continue to cook and whisk until sauce is smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in cheese, a handful at a time. Season cheese sauce with mustard, chives, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, to taste. In a large mixing bowl combine cheese sauce and cooked pasta then fold in chopped lobster. Lightly spray a baking dish with pan release spray. Pour pasta mixture into baking dish. Arrange sliced tomatoes on top of the pasta mixture. In a small bowl combine panko, olive oil and parsley and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Bake the lobster-tomato mac & cheese in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 10 to 20 minutes or until topping is crisp and cheese sauce is bubbly. Let cool slightly before serving.

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Congratulations to Nicole Alexiou

The Francis E. “Chil” Rossbach Scholarship Fund Winner My name is Nicole Alexiou and I am a senior graduating from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. My love for the environment started when I moved to St. Thomas in the Caribbean when I was nine years old. I fell in love with snorkeling among beautiful fish, corals, and sea creatures. Realizing I wanted to experience more of the ocean, I got PADI scuba certified when I was ten years old. This accomplishment made my love for the ocean grow every time I got to be in the water. I also got the amazing opportunity to start volunteering for the Humane Society of St. Thomas. The chance to work with animals at such a young age sparked my interest to volunteer wherever I could. When my family and I moved to Florida, my mom and I were offered another thrilling opportunity to work with south Florida’s native wildlife. Flamingo Gardens let us care for, feed and clean enclosures for birds of prey, a bear, Florida panthers, otters, and alligators.

While all these volunteering experiences were unforgettable, I was interested in working with ocean animals.

When I moved to Parkland, I stumbled across Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton. I have been volunteering there for almost two years feeding, cleaning, and taking water quality tests for the fish and other mesmerizing creatures we have on display at the sea turtle rehabilitation center. I also get to do a daily presentation about south Florida’s marine ecosystems and oceanic organisms. Gumbo Limbo is invested in educating visitors about the importance of taking care of the environment, and I am thankful I get to be a part of their movement for education with my presentation. Volunteering at Gumbo Limbo made me realize I wanted to be a part of this movement as a career. I recently got accepted to Florida Atlantic University and I am majoring in Biology with a focus in environmental science. I am looking forward to exploring all of FAU’s opportunities dealing with the study of biology. I hope these experiences lead up to me being able to express my passion for the environment through a career that can help change the world.

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Vessel Equipped with Ultraviolet Light Attacks Invasive Aquatic Plants at Tahoe Public-private partnership project shows favorable results By: Mike Wolterbeek | Nevada Today A new control tool for aquatic invasive plants that clog waterways, reduce water clarity and provide cover for other invasive species at Lake Tahoe continues to show impressive results in its third year of testing. The tool is a light array mounted under a working barge, which trolls through the marina dousing the plants on the lake bottom with ultraviolet-C light.

Aquatic invasive plants are one of the greatest threats to Tahoe’s clarity, ecology and recreation-based economy.

The technology, using the UV-C wavelengths of light to kill the plants, in this case Eurasian watermilfoil and curlyleaf pondweed, was developed by John J. Paoluccio, president of Inventive Resources, Inc.

The UV-C light is a short-wave electromagnetic radiation light that damages the DNA and cellular structure of aquatic plants and their fragments.

The pilot project showed that applying the light treatment caused invasive plants to deteriorate or completely collapse within seven to 14 days of treatment.

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Vessel Equipped with Ultraviolet Light Attacks Invasive Aquatic Plants at Tahoe “The demonstration project of UV light application technology is implementing additional trials at larger scales at the Lakeside Marina at Tahoe’s south shore,” Dennis Zabaglo, manager of the Aquatic Resources Program at Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, said. “This exciting, innovative approach is one of the main methods being considered in combination with other technologies to control weeds in the Tahoe Keys, which comprise the biggest aquatic weed infestation in Lake Tahoe.”

Aquatic plants have invaded multiple marinas and near shore areas of the lake creating habitat for other invasive species like bass and bluegill.

Aquatic invasive species compete with native species and can increase algae growth that contributes to the decline of Lake Tahoe’s water clarity. Thick aquatic plant growth hinders navigation and can tangle on rudders, hulls and paddles.

Testing on a larger scale Lakeside Marina and beach is one of the sites where this technology is being tested on a larger scale.

Researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno's College of Science are monitoring the project and collecting data to study the effects of the UV light treatments.

"Initial reports from the field and laboratory testing look very good," said Sudeep Chandra, director of the University’s Global Water Center.

"Depending on the plant species, our divers are observing a reduction in the plant height and change in the structure of invasive aquatic plants after they have been treated with ultraviolet light. This could be a game changer for managing plants at a larger scale at Lake Tahoe or beyond."

The University will quantify the dynamics of plant growth for another year and evaluate the effectiveness of ultraviolet light and other tools that can be used to develop a weed control strategy for the larger lake.

"Similar to cancer treatment or treating a virus, we want to fine-tune the application of UV under

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Vessel Equipped with Ultraviolet Light Attacks Invasive Aquatic Plants at Tahoe varying water quality conditions found within the lake and exposing plants under their different life stages,” Chandra said.

“Fortunately, for our team, our partners at Inventive Resources, the Tahoe Resource Conservation District and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency continue to work hand-in-hand to develop new tools for reducing the infestation of invasive species at Lake Tahoe or preventing new introductions to the lake."

“Last year, we treated the entire Lakeside Beach two times,” Paoluccio said. “Each week we took underwater photographs at the beach, and now do not see as many tall plants compared to years past. This is our first year of complete UV treatment in the marina. During the first phase of treatment we worked along the docks and in the open areas between the boats slips. Not much survived the first treatment.”

IRI tested their third generation vessel at Lakeside Marina and, so far, there is a clear difference of where treatment occurred and where there was no treatment. The boat is now outfitted with a larger 12-foot x 32-foot UV array, which can cantilever under boats and slips to minimize marina disruptions.

“Next year we plan to make the array even larger,” Paoluccio said. “The eventual goal is to have multiple arrays coupled together so one crew could treat an acre a day. This way we could easily treat two to three times a year to prevent the plants growing to maturity. Timing, temperature and water quality all play a role.

Large infestations that have taken months to grow can be treated in a matter of days, reducing plant populations after each consecutive treatment.”

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Vessel Equipped with Ultraviolet Light Attacks Invasive Aquatic Plants at Tahoe University partners with private company and public agencies This project is a private-public partnership between the University of Nevada, Reno, Inventive Resources Inc. and TRPA through the Environmental Improvement Program. Findings from this collaboration will be presented to the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinating Committee to enhance the partnership’s strategy to control invasive aquatic weeds.

The Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program, part of the Watersheds and Water Quality focus area of the EIP, is implemented by 40 public and private partner organizations, including federal, state, and local jurisdictions, research partners, public utility districts, and

private marinas. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Tahoe Resource Conservation District lead the program in collaboration with the public and private partners. The program’s mission is to prevent, detect, and control aquatic invasive species in the Region so that future generations can enjoy Lake Tahoe.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, aquatic invasive plants can be a major problem in freshwater and marine systems, changing the function of ecosystems and causing a nuisance for boaters. Using ultraviolet light could be a promising tool for managers across the United States, from California to Gulf Stream waters.

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GOT LAKE WEEDS? MAYBE SCUBA DIVERS ARE YOUR SOLUTION By: Richard Chin | Star Tribune Gray clouds frowned over the lake as a team of lean young men pulled on their gear: black wet suits, neoprene gloves, scuba masks and neon yellow air tanks. They were preparing to do battle with the enemy below.

Their mission: Take out the lake weeds lurking underwater off the beach and dock at Kristin Vig’s Prior Lake home so that Vig’s three young daughters could get in the water without having weeds wrap around their legs.

It was a matter of hand-to-leaf combat for the frogmen.

Methodically swimming back and forth, the divers searched and destroyed hundreds of pounds of invasive curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil, pulling out the plants by hand and piling armloads of the wet vegetation on the shore to be hauled away for compost.

After about an hour of work, they declared their mission accomplished.

“Sandy bottom, baby,” said diver Joe Reichling.

Using scuba divers as underwater weed pullers is the service provided by Matt Wilkie’s Dive Guys, a Twin Cities-based company offering “eco-friendly,” chemical-free weed removal.

“Who would have ever thought? It’s superunusual,” said Maria Watts.

But the Chicago investment banker said she’s hired the company to pull up lake weeds at her lake house in Twin Lakes, Wis., for about three years.

She was uncomfortable using chemicals to kill the weeds, and said the results are better when the scuba divers do the job.

“It’s like completely sandy bottom,” she said.

Wilkie admits “it’s definitely a niche business,” but since starting the company with five people in 2014, he now employs nearly three dozen underwater weeders.

They yank out underwater weeds, cut cattails or clear lily pads for lakefront home and cabin owners throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin.

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GOT LAKE WEEDS? MAYBE SCUBA DIVERS ARE YOUR SOLUTION Wilkie, a 35-year-old St. Paul native who studied finance at the University of St. Thomas, used to sell insurance and investment products. He was looking for a way to work outdoors when he heard of a friend who had a side job pulling underwater weeds. He decided not just to give it a try, but to start his own company.

He holds a permit with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as one of about 30 companies that people can hire in the state to remove aquatic plants from lakes using cutters, harvesters, rakes, scuba divers or aquatic pesticides.

Dive Guys charges 50 to 60 cents per square foot for an initial visit on an underwater weed pulling job. Logan Dop, the Twin Cities regional manager for Dive Guys, said typical jobs on residential lakefront properties cost around $1,000. Subsequent touch-up visits cost less.

Wilkie said most of his clients need only one or two visits over the summer to keep their lakeshore area free of weeds.

Wet, nasty and heavy

Those companies are governed by state rules that specify how large an area and the type of vegetation they can clear.

Most of Wilkie’s employees are certified divers, often outdoorsy college students or recent graduates.

For example, without an extra permit, a homeowner or the company can clear only up to 2,500 square feet of underwater lake weeds per property.

Paul Kalifatidi, a 21-year-old Minneapolis resident, said he started weed diving after his normal work as a rock climbing instructor and guide dried up because of the pandemic.

Lily pad removal without an extra permit is limited to clearing a 15-foot-wide path to get to open water.

“Anytime I can spend a day outside is amazing,” he said.

The rules are designed to balance the desires of homeowners, swimmers and anglers and to preserve lake ecology and plant and animal habitat, said Shane McBride, who does aquatic plant management for the DNR.

Orlin Ipina, another Dive Guys weed puller, was a dive master and scuba instructor from Belize until he met a woman from Minnesota who was on vacation there. They fell in love, got married and he moved to Minnesota.

He wanted to continue to work underwater, even if pulling lake weeds in Minnesota is a bit less glamorous than swimming with sharks, barracuda and manta rays in the Caribbean.

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GOT LAKE WEEDS? MAYBE SCUBA DIVERS ARE YOUR SOLUTION But as summer jobs go, it’s not for They’ve also recovered a bowling ball, an everyone. anchor, fishing poles, nets, patio furniture, antique beer cans — “anything you can think of “Lake weeds, they’re wet and nasty and that can blow off a dock or boat,” Wilkie said. heavy,” Wilkie said.

“It’s the most fun you can have in some of the Some people feel claustrophobic dirtiest conditions,” said Samir Ferdowsi, a rock underwater because they can’t see very climber and scuba diver who wants to work in far after they’ve stirred up the mud by adventure journalism. yanking out weeds, Dop said.

There’s one other company in the state that “Really, it’s manual labor,” he said. “We’re offers scuba diving weed pulling. Waterfront looking for hardworking young guys who Restoration has been in business since 2003, want to put in long days.” Starting pay is according to its website, offering weed $15 an hour, but the divers quickly get removal, dangerous object cleanup, zebra raises if they stay on for the season. mussel removal and watercraft inspections.

“It takes a willingness to be in gross Dop said from time to time former employees conditions all day,” said Reichling. have gone off on their own to try to set up competing underwater weeding companies.

But Dop, who has an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, thinks that’s good for business because it spreads awareness of scuba weeding.

Turtles and Bowling Balls

Wilkie and Dop run a nonprofit called Ardent But Reichling and his co-workers seem to Outdoor Group to share their passion for revel in what they see beneath the water’s outdoor activities like rock climbing, bow surface. hunting and ice fishing with people who don’t normally have access to those sports, including Reichling had a close encounter with a disabled veterans and city kids. snapping turtle and Kalifatidi found a leech inside his goggles.

The nonprofit will use a state DNR grant to start what Wilkie says will be the first high The divers rescued a baby turtle that was school ice fishing league in the Twin Cities. discovered in a pile of weeds they hauled out of a lake. Spike, now the company’s “It’s just a love of the Minnesota outdoors,” mascot, lives in a tank at the Dive Guys’ Wilkie said of his business and nonprofit work.

Eagan office.

“I’m lucky enough to make a career out of something I’m passionate about.”

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that after many years of thoughtful deliberation and preparation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted the state assumption of the 404 program (the federal permitting program to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material into wetlands and other waters of the United States). In 2018, the Florida Legislature passed a bill that authorized Florida to kickstart the state assumption process. After a thorough federal and public review period, coupled with thorough internal preparation, DEP has been approved to adopt the federal 404 program and enhance the protection of Florida's wetlands.

are already responsible for managing Environmental Resource Permitting standards and will bring the same level of dedication to implementing the State 404 program.

“Florida continues to be a pioneer of environmental protection. This is a historic moment for our agency and our state,” said DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein. “We appreciate EPA’s stringent public review and approval of DEP’s assumption of this program. Our waters and wetlands are critical to our economy and way of life in Florida. As such, it is important for the state to take the lead in their protection. We are pleased that with the assumption, Florida scientists and permitters will now be accountable for state and federal wetlands permits. DEP staff know the state’s resources best and have the expertise to ensure their protection.”

Many of Florida’s restoration efforts, such as Everglades projects, have been delayed by the federal permitting program. Florida is known for overseeing the largest wetland restoration project in the world, as well as many other environmental projects. Assumption of this program allows DEP to harness state resources to more quickly permit these key projects.

State assumption utilizes the local expertise of DEP’s more than 200 environmental experts to further protect Florida’s diverse and unique natural resources. These capable team members

“Our staff possesses the technical expertise necessary to run the 404 program effectively, offering increased consistency and efficiency to our stakeholders, and increased protections for Florida’s environment,” said Deputy Secretary of Regulatory Programs John Truitt. “None of these efforts were undertaken in a vacuum – we have weighed public and internal feedback and have worked closely with the EPA and our stakeholders to get us to this point. It has been a team effort from the start.”

Temperince Morgan, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in Florida, said, “The expeditious restoration of our natural systems is a top priority for the state and The Nature Conservancy. The state’s assumption of the federal dredge and fill permitting program under Section 404 of the Federal Clean Water Act is a positive development that we hope will result in more timely decisions by staff with specific expertise in evaluating Florida’s unique wetland systems.

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Considering most environmental restoration projects require a 404 permit, adoption of the permitting program should provide much needed benefits to Florida’s natural systems and its residents.”

"The state of Florida’s assumption of Section 404 permitting should enable Everglades restoration to proceed with the sense of urgency it deserves while maintaining the high level of review and protection required by the Clean Water Act," said Eric Eikenberg, CEO, Everglades Foundation. "We expect the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to exercise its new authority in a manner that protects Florida’s precious and diminishing wetland resources. Wetlands safeguard Florida communities from the effects of climate change, provide tremendous water quality benefits, support fish and wildlife habitat, and mitigate against flooding."

Jeff Beal, regional biologist with Ducks Unlimited in Florida said, “The restoration of our freshwater and brackish wetlands and associated habitats is paramount to continuing Florida’s legacy of promoting good stewardship of these key habitats for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people.

Ducks Unlimited works across the nation with state and federal partners to conserve and restore wetlands and is supportive of this effort in Florida because it could help expedite restoration projects by allowing us to work more closely with state agencies such as DEP that have demonstrated the ability to handle streamlined administration for specific purposes.”

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"This is great news for our state. Florida engineers work closely with the scientists at DEP, and we believe they possess the technical expertise and local knowledge of Florida's water resources and needs. In addition to the benefits of this expertise, a comprehensive state-run program will provide regulatory efficiencies and reduce delays for critical restoration and infrastructure projects while providing stringent protection of Florida’s natural resources," said Steven Folsom, PE, chair, Conservation and Environmental Quality Committee, Florida Engineering Society.

State 404 assumption will localize and strengthen DEP’s environmental protection efforts, streamline permitting procedures and eliminate the duplicative reviews that halt progress on both public works and environmental projects. The majority of review requirements overlap between programs and integrating these processes at the state level will provide greater certainty to the regulated community and conserve the time and resources of both applicant and regulator.

“Florida’s environment, our waterways and our wetlands are what make the state unique. DEP and our partners have worked diligently to develop science-based solutions to key environmental issues, and it’s crucial that these solutions are implemented in a timely and efficient fashion,” said DEP Chief Science Officer Dr. Tom Frazer. “The State 404 program will ensure the prioritization of critical environmental infrastructure projects and guarantee that local environmental experts with a vested interest in and intimate knowledge of Florida’s natural resources are at the helm.”

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WEBSITES PRINT MARKETING Jodi Miller jodi@interactivedesignandmedia.com www.interactivedesignandmedia.com 561.843.1376

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