Audubon Florida Applauds Restoration Project Milestone and Urges Immediate Congressional Approval

Last week the Army Corps of Engineers chief signed off on the C-111 Spreader Canal Western project, completing the last step before presenting to Congress for approval of this longtime Audubon priority.  Audubon urges immediate Congressional action for final approval.

“This critical project can now be included in legislation required to advance implementation,” said Megan Tinsley, Everglades Policy Associate for Audubon Florida. “If this project is operated to achieve ecological benefits such as revived wildlife populations, we will demonstrate that successful restoration of the Everglades is possible.”

Construction on the C-111 Spreader Canal Western project was expedited by the South Florida Water Management District and operation is ready to begin soon. The recent approval of this project by the Army Corps of Engineers means the federal government is one step closer to sharing the project costs with the state, continuing the federal and state partnership required for restoration.

 “Audubon’s Everglades research tell us that wildlife can and will respond to changes in water management that mimic more historical water flows,” said Dr. Jerry Lorenz, State Director of Research for Audubon Florida. “True restoration requires bringing the quantities of clean, freshwater back and we must work toward that goal.”

The C-111 Spreader Canal Western project will increase freshwater flows to Taylor Slough in Everglades National Park, reviving a greatly impaired ecosystem. The delivery of more freshwater to these vital wetlands is essential to species such as the Roseate Spoonbill and other iconic wading birds of the Everglades.

For more information on Audubon’s work on behalf of the C-111 Spreader Canal and Florida Bay, please see our fact sheet from January 2010: http://bit.ly/yUJKL8. View PDF of this press release: http://bit.ly/wLVUlT. 

###