Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper

Rachel Silverstein, Ph.D.

Executive Director
Rachel@bbwk.org
844-86-6468
Tropical Audubon Society
!aura Re"nol#s
Executive Director
#irector@tro$icalau#ubon.org
86-%4&-'()6
Captain Dan Kipnis
ca$tain#anki$nis@att.net
86-&)%-8%'8
Coral Morphologic
*olin +oor#
coral,or$hologic@g,ail.co,
&-%-4&)-'%4(
Miami-Dade Ree !uard
.ichael /each
,ikebeachhouse@att.net
Sierra Club Miami !roup
Ste$hen .ahone"
Robert.,ahone"@0wu.e#u
&-%-8()-%&(6
Environmental Groups and Concerned Citizens File Notice
to Sue U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Endangered
Species Act and Permit Violations in te Port !iami "eep
"redge Pro#ect
Environmental organizations and concerned citizens #oin togeter to
protect !iami$s coral reefs from environmental arm during Port !iami
"redging Pro#ect
!iami% F& 1 2n 3ul" '6, )-'4, /isca"ne /a" 4aterkee$er, *a$tain Dan 5i$nis, *oral
.or$hologic, .ia,i-Da#e Ree6 7uar# 8ssociation, Sierra *lub .ia,i 7rou$, an#
9ro$ical 8u#ubon Societ", 6ile# a citi:ens; notice o6 suit letter alleging that the <.S. 8r,"
*or$s o6 Engineers violate# the En#angere# S$ecies 8ct, in a##ition to several $er,it
con#itions b" the +lori#a De$art,ent o6 Environ,ental Protection =>DEP?@ #uring the
Port .ia,i Dee$ Dre#ge $ro0ect. An its letter, the environ,ental coalition i#enti6ie# a
long list o6 violations, inclu#ing that the 8r," *or$s; contractors are not $rotecting
threatene# coral s$ecies, allowing excessive a,ounts o6 #re#ge se#i,entation buil#u$
on the ree6s, not su66icientl" ,onitoring se#i,entation, an# 6ailing to ,ove #re#ge shi$s
awa" 6ro, corals that are exhibiting signs o6 in0ur" or #egra#ation.
>9he 8r," *or$s o6 Engineers has, 6ro, the ver" beginning, 6aile# to co,$l" with even
the li,ite# con#itions $lace# on the, b" their $er,it,? sai# Rachel Silverstein, executive
#irector an# waterkee$er 6or /isca"ne /a" 4aterkee$er. >8s our local #ivers,
snorkelers, scientists, an# 6isher,en well know, +lori#ians have alrea#" lost over 8-B
o6 our coral ree6s. 9hese resources are critical 6or .ia,i;s econo," an# culture. 4e
cannot allow the 8r," *or$s to cut corners an# continue to har, the little bit that
re,ains o6 these irre$laceable natural resources.?
*olin +oor#, a ,arine biologist with *oral .or$hologic, one o6 the grou$s who
con#ucte# a >coral rescue ,ission? in the #re#ging area, state#, >A know 6irsthan# how
vibrant an# s$ecial these ree6s are, an# these Curban corals; o66 o6 .ia,i shoul# be
treasure# an# $rotecte#. ADve seen the #evastation that the #re#ging is having over a
wi#e ex$anse o6 the natural ree6. Ever"thing nearb" is getting burie# b" se#i,ent, an#
at ti,es when #iving, it can be al,ost i,$ossible to see "our han# in 6ront o6 "our 6ace.
A6 it continues like this, ,an" o6 .ia,iDs corals will not survive the #uration o6 this
$ro0ect.?
9he notice o6 suit letter alleges that, since the $ro0ect co,,ence# in Eove,ber )-'&,
the 8r," *or$s has 6aile# to co,$l" with a nu,ber o6 reFuire,ents 1 to the #etri,ent o6
valuable an# threatene# local ,arine s$ecies. 8ccor#ing to the letter, the 8r," *or$s
was also well aware that a large nu,ber o6 staghorn coral colonies 1 a s$ecies liste# as
threatene#, but soon to beco,e en#angere# 1 were living a#0acent to the #re#ging
area. Des$ite this, the 8r," *or$s ,a#e no e66ort to $rotect, trans$ort, or ,onitor these
rare an# $rotecte# corals.
9he )-'' DEP $er,it, issue# 6ollowing a $revious challenge b" /isca"ne /a"
4aterkee$er, Dan 5i$nis, an# 9ro$ical 8u#ubon Societ", was relativel" li,ite# in sco$e
an# straight6orwar# in its reFuire,ent that the 8r," *or$s take certain ste$s to ,itigate
the environ,ental i,$act o6 the #re#ging $ro0ect.
>At is DEP;s $er,it that the 8r," *or$s is violating, an# i6 DEP isn;t going to en6orce its
rules, we, the citi:ens o6 South +lori#a, will stan# u$ 6or our own local resources,? sai#
!aura Re"nol#s, executive #irector o6 the 9ro$ical 8u#ubon Societ". >!ocal grou$s an#
citi:ens shoul# not have to s$en# their ti,e an# ,one" ,aking sure that the
govern,ent 6ollows its own laws.?
9hese ree6s at risk1 an# the 6ish an# ,arine li6e the" su$$ort 1 are critical to the survival
o6 .ia,i;s touris,, #iving, 6ishing, an# sea6oo# in#ustries, which are engines 6or the
local econo,".
>2nce the 8r," *or$s co,$letes the #re#ging $ro0ect, it will leave town, leaving South
+lori#a to su66er the conseFuences,? note# *a$tain Dan 5i$nis, a veteran o6 ,ulti$le
actions against the 8r," *or$s $ro0ects.
<n#er the ter,s o6 the DEP $er,it, .ia,i-Da#e *ount" an# its tax$a"ers, not the 8r,"
*or$s o6 Engineers, will have to 6oot the bill 6or an" environ,ental #a,age that excee#s
the $er,it;s allowances.
>An an ironic twist, .ia,i;s tax$a"ers will su66er a #ouble loss 1 $er,anent #a,age to
our invaluable natural resources on the one han#, an# a reFuire,ent that we $a" the
cost o6 the #a,age on the other,? Silverstein a##e#.
8ccor#ing to the letter 6ile# 9ues#a", i6 the 8r," *or$s #oes not co,e into co,$liance
with the En#angere# S$ecies 8ct an# i6 the DEP #oes not take ste$s to en6orce the
$er,it, at the ex$iration o6 sixt" #a"s the environ,ental coalition ,a" then take 6urther
legal action, inclu#ing the 6iling o6 a 6or,al lawsuit, to $rotect .ia,i;s natural resources.

A'out (iscayne (ay )ater*eeper
/isca"ne /a" 4aterkee$er =//45@ is a non-$ro6it organi:ation locate# in .ia,i, +lori#a. !aunche# in
3anuar" )-'', our goal is to a#vocate 6or the /isca"ne /a" watershe# an# its inhabitants, an# to
e,$ower citi:ens to #e6en# their right to swi,,able, #rinkable, 6ishable water. 2ur role is to ensure that
/isca"ne /a" re,ains clean an# vibrant to serve the nee#s o6 both hu,ans an# wil#li6e 6or generations to
co,e. +or ,ore in6or,ation, $lease visit www.bbwk.org.
A'out +ropical Audu'on Society
9he 9ro$ical 8u#ubon Societ" =98S@ is a non-$ro6it organi:ation locate# in .ia,i, +lori#a establishe# in '(4,
$revious 8u#ubon *ha$ters have been o$erating in .ia,i-Da#e 6or the last '-- "ears an# this conservation
grou$ is the longest running environ,ental organi:ation in .ia,i-Da#e *ount". 9heir ,ission is to conserve
an# restore South +lori#a;s ecos"ste,s, 6ocusing on bir#s, other wil#li6e an# their habitats 6or the bene6it o6
hu,anit" an# the earth;s biological #iversit". 8s a 6oun#ing ,e,ber o6 the Evergla#es *oalition, Gol# the !ine
*oalition an# the /isca"ne /a" *oalition, 8u#ubon strives to activate grassroots action, e#ucate the $ublic on
the environ,ent an# create action to achieve conservation ob0ectives in South +lori#a. +or ,ore in6or,ation
an# to get involve# $lease visit www.tro$icalau#ubon.org or call us at &-%-66-&&
A'out Coral !orpologic
*oral .or$hologic exists as a h"bri# science-art en#eavor that seeks to elevate corals as the new icons 6or a
)'st centur" .ia,i. 9hrough their ,ulti-,e#ia installations, the" ai, to ca$tivate an# e#ucate the $ublic as
the" tell the stor" o6 .ia,iDs Durban coralD co,,unit". Hisit coral,or$hologic@g,ail.co,.
About Sierra Club Miami !roup
Sierra *lub .ia,i 7rou$ is $art o6 the largest grassroots environ,ental ,ove,ent in the <S.4e have about
),%-- ,e,bers in .ia,i Da#e an# .onroe *ounties. 2ur ,ission is to $rotect an# en0o" the natural $laces in
South +lori#a, teach others to un#erstan# an# res$ect the 6ragile environ,ent in which live an# to $ractice an#
$ro,ote the res$onsible use o6 South +lori#aDs ecos"ste,Ds an# resources.