Environmental Events

The Florida Legislature is in regular session.  Here are valuable resources for us to keep up with what’s going on:

        Audubon Florida provides THE ADVOCATE to follow the legislative session:  

https://fl.audubon.org/news/advocate-newsletter
1000 Friends of Florida has a Legislative Tracker and easy means to take action:

2025 Legislative Session – 1000 Friends of Florida

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Volusia County Invites Community Input to Guide ECHO’s Vision Through 2040
Volusia County has launched an online community survey offering residents the ability to help shape the future of its Environmental, Cultural, Historical, and Outdoor Recreation (ECHO) program.
The survey does not request personal details such as name, address, phone number, or email, ensuring all responses remain anonymous. Results will be analyzed collectively. The survey is open through March 28 and is available at https://arcg.is/1zGHOq1.

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The next ENRAC meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 2nd, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center in the First Floor Training Room.

If you have further questions or comments, contact Samantha West at (386) 736-5927 Ext 15850

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Volunteers, including boat owners, are needed for the 2025 St. Johns River Cleanup, which will take place from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 5. The annual cleanup, coordinated by Volusia County’s Environmental Management Division, draws attention to the river’s environmental importance and helps to keep the waterway safe and clean for animals and people who enjoy swimming and water sports.

For more information or to register, visit www.volusia.org/cleanup or contact Sondra McCulloch at smcculloch@volusia.org or 386-736-5927, ext. 12074. Preregistered participants will receive their choice of a hat or plush otter. ReGrow Volusia will provide a free tree to the participants. Volunteers can choose from eight sites.

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Beresford Reserve Brownfield Committee Meeting

April 10, 2025, 5:30 p.m., 120 S Florida Avenue, DeLand

Technical Review Committee Meeting Room (Across from City Commission meeting room)

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The latest edition of The Pelican, the newsletter of Halifax River Audubon, is available online at

The Pelican (halifaxriveras.org)

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On Display through April 6th: Audubon’s Birds of Florida
Presented by Cici and Hyatt Brown

State-of-the-art audio narration by Clay Henderson

Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art

352 South Nova Road
Daytona Beach, (386) 255-0285

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Volusia’s Beaches Past & Present

You can view the Volusia County League of Women Voters’ April 2024 presentation on Volusia County’s Beaches, complete with transcript, at Volusia’s Beaches Past Present & Future – April 25, 2024 (youtube.com)

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1000 Friends of Florida’s Past Webinars:

Planning to Protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor Online Seminar

If you missed this four-part series, you can still “attend” by registering at https://1000fof.org/upcoming-webinars/past/

  • Looking at the Big Picture — What is the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and why is landscape-scale conservation essential for its future?
  • Fostering Community Vision — What regional efforts are protecting Florida’s natural and agricultural lands through sound community planning? 
  • The Planning Toolbox — Learn about the strengths and weaknesses of myriad planning tools available to promote healthy communities and rural lands in Florida. 
  • Building a Big Tent — How do the economics of development impact Florida’s rural lands, and how can we forge partnerships between agricultural interests, conservationists, landowners, elected officials, and others to protect the Corridor? 

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 “Protect Our Paradise: Presented by Conservation Florida” is now available worldwide to stream on the Discoverfloridachannel.com.

This six-episode docuseries explores Florida’s wild, wonderful places — and the looming environmental issues that threaten their very existence.

Episodes feature the work of organizations and conservationists like MANG Apparel, Carlton Ward Jr., Clay Henderson, and many more, all working toward a common goal: keeping wild Florida wild.

Read a review of Protect Our Paradise by Craig Pittman in Flamingo Magazine.
https://flamingomag.com/2023/10/23/chad-crawford/