Enduring Wildlife, a non-profit corporation, is in full gear collecting supplies, volunteers, and financial donantions to support the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Please assist this corporation do all it can to help.

Letter from the Executive Director:

On the 20th of April, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon incident occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. This event is horrific and tragic due to the loss of human life and now the beginnings of the loss of our environment. My heart is heavy and my mind constantly at work thinking of any way that I can assist with the cleanup effort currently underway. Tragic events never seem to fully sink in until it happens in your backyard. Florida is in danger of this catastrophic oil spill, both coasts now, due to the loop current that transfers water from the Gulf of Mexico out and up the East Coast of Florida, my home.

My breaking point came when I started seeing photographs taken of helpless animals drenched in oil and dying. It sickened me to my core and at that moment I knew that I had to do more than sit at my computer in tears. Because of the endless demand of urgent help, I have started a non-profit corporation, Enduring Wildlife. I felt the name was appropriate and timeless. Our environment is in dire need of help and no one knows how much time, money, volunteers, supplies, experts, etc. are going to be required. It is very scary and sad beyond words.

As of today, the oil is still gushing into the Gulf of Mexico with no end in sight. While I am not able to control when this damaged riser will be fixed, I can help clean up what has and will wash ashore. I can support local and non-local worker’s efforts to keep this disaster as under control as much as possible.
Our Oceans are home to manatees, dolphins, turtles, endless variety of fish, reptiles, birds and more. There is an amazing ecosystem within all the shorelines, they are beautiful and remarkable and it is crucial that they remain that way. This is the reason for my reaching out to you. I am asking for any donation you can offer, any amount will assist Enduring Wildlife tremendously and help it do extraordinary things.

My request is to everyone, please do what you can to donate, all proceeds go toward Enduring Wildlife’s “Saving Our Beaches” plan to assist with this disaster. Also, please visit my website at www.enduringwildlife.com. A main source of our funding right now is coming from the sale of our sandal charms, they are very popular! Our goal is to prepare our beaches and help cleanup efforts in the Gulf that currently have effected environments and wildlife. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Schools Close for the Summer

As the school year comes to a close in Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Treasure Coast Community Traffic Safety Teams (CTSTs) remind motorists and students to take extra traffic safety precautions during summer break. During the summer children are at increased risk of transportation related injuries from pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle crashes. FDOT and the CTSTs offer the following tips for making summer safer for motorists and students.

Tips for Motorists

• Slow down and obey all traffic laws, speed limits and traffic signals.
• Keep an eye out for children walking, skating or bicycling in the street, especially where there are no sidewalks.
• Be alert for children playing and for those who may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
• When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch for children walking, biking skating or skateboarding.

Tips for Parents

• Be a good role model. Always buckle up in the car, always wear a helmet when biking, and always follow pedestrian safety rules.
• Supervise young children as they are walking, biking or skating.
• Provide your children with bright clothing so motorists can easily see them.
• Make sure that your child is properly buckled up in the appropriate child safety seat and in the back seat. Safety experts advise that all children under the age of 12 should ride in the back seat.
• Make sure that your teen driver understands and obeys all state traffic laws.

Tips for Students

• Always buckle up when riding in a car. Always ride in the back seat. It’s the safest place for young people.
• Always wear a helmet and follow traffic safety rules when riding your bike.
• Learn and practice the safety rules for pedestrians. It’s extremely important for you to use the sidewalk when available, look left-right-left when crossing the road, and always walk facing traffic.
• Always cross at crosswalks, obey all traffic signs and traffic lights.
• Teen drivers should avoid speeding and minimize distractions (texting, talking on cell phones, eating, adjusting the radio) while driving. Never overload your vehicle. Require everyone riding in your vehicle to use a safety belt.
• Teen drivers should be a good role model for your younger brothers and sisters and friends, and help them learn and follow vehicle safety rules.

“A very grave scenario.” “Very catastrophic.” That is how Federal officials are describing the situation developing in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig sunk off the coast of Louisiana last week.

Some estimate that 210,000 gallons of oil are spilling into the Gulf every day – resulting in a slick roughly the size of the state of West Virginia.

Oil has already washed ashore the coast of Louisiana and a state of emergency has been declared in several of Florida’s Panhandle counties.

Now is the time to act and protect our coasts.

Offshore drilling is a threat to our state’s economy and environment and I’m the only candidate in this race who has been consistently against its expansion. In the wake of the oil spill, Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio are finally changing their stances on drilling, but it is too little, too late.

Today, I am calling for a moratorium on expansion of oil drilling in the Gulf and off the shores of Florida. Join with me today.

Click here to sign our petition right now and stand with me in demanding Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio call for a moratorium on expansion of oil drilling in the Gulf.

Expanded drilling won’t solve our energy problems. It will only increase the chance for accidents that cost Florida families their livelihoods.

I will continue to fight to protect Florida’s economy and deal with the aftermath of this disaster, but we need to send one loud and clear message today.

Sign my petition and let’s tell Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio that we aren’t going to take any more chances with our state’s environment or economy.

I need your help right now.

Sincerely,

Kendrick Meek

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported today that a Muslim university professor has been appointed to the Jacksonville, Fla., Human Rights Commission despite a prolonged smear campaign by the anti-Islam hate group ACT! for America, whose leader says Muslims should not be allowed to hold public office.

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Parvez Ahmed, a professor at the University of North Florida, was appointed to the commission by a 13-6 city council vote last night after being subjected to weeks of smears based on his previous community activism and his political views. [Ahmed is a past national board chairman of CAIR.]

As the city council began discussion of the nomination, one of its members called Ahmed to the podium and asked him to “say a prayer to your God.” The same council member also asked Ahmed if the session’s opening prayer offended him. When asked why that was relevant, the council member claimed Ahmed “would be offended by a prayer to Jesus, and therefore was not suitable to serve on the commission.”

The Florida Times-Union newspaper reports that the council member’s inappropriate line of questioning “produced gasps from the audience, concern from one of the city’s top attorneys and sharp rebukes from his fellow council members.”

SEE: Ahmed Nomination Sails Rockily to Jacksonville Council Approval

During the weeks-long smear campaign against Ahmed, another city council member was asked, “Do you believe Muslims should be able to hold any public office in Florida?” He responded: “I don’t know.”

SEE: Controversial Florida Politician Unsure if Muslims Should Hold Public Office

“The Florida Muslim community applauds the Jacksonville city council for standing up to the hatred and bigotry promoted by a tiny minority of fear-mongers,” said CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ramzy Kiliç. “This incident is further evidence of the unfortunately growing ‘Islamophobia machine’ in our nation that targets any Muslim who seeks positive civic participation.”

SEE: Georgia Church Sign Condemns Muslims (CBS)
CAIR-CAN: Anti-Islam Graffiti Found Near Canadian Mosque

He said the leader of ACT! for America, the hate group that campaigned against Ahmed’s nomination, claims an American Muslim “cannot be a loyal citizen” and that Islam is the “real enemy.” Brigitte Gabriel once told the Australian Jewish News: “Every practicing Muslim is a radical Muslim.”

When asked whether Americans should “resist Muslims who want to seek political office in this nation,” Gabriel said: “Absolutely. If a Muslim who has — who is — a practicing Muslim who believes the word of the Koran to be the word of Allah, who abides by Islam, who goes to mosque and prays every Friday, who prays five times a day — this practicing Muslim, who believes in the teachings of the Koran, cannot be a loyal citizen to the United States of America.”

SEE: A Case Study in Sincere Hypocrisy: Brigitte Gabriel

Gabriel also stated: “America and the West are doomed to failure in this war unless they stand up and identify the real enemy: Islam.”

SEE: Islam’s March Against the West

One of ACT! for America’s Florida representatives recently bragged in a YouTube video that he desecrated the Quran, Islam’s revealed text, and urinates in the washing stations Muslims use to perform their ritual ablutions (wudu) for prayer.

A complaint has been filed with the FBI alleging harassment of Florida Muslims by ACT! for America.

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Florida Forever has helped our state safeguard irreplaceable habitat for nearly 200 rare and imperiled species — from Florida panthers and bears to sea turtles and manatees. But last year, for the first time in more than 20 years, the legislature slashed funding for this landmark conservation program — and there’s a real chance that it could happen again in 2010.
Defenders and our allies are organizing a citizen lobby day at the State Capitol on Wednesday, April 7th to urge our state leaders to support funding for Florida Forever – and we need your help to make an impact!

RSVP now to let us know that you’ll be joining us at the Capitol to defend Florida Forever and the amazing wildlife it helps to protect.  Be sure to check in with us at the Defenders table when you arrive!

What: Citizen Lobby Day to Defend Florida Forever at the Capitol!

When: Wednesday, April 7th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Where: Florida State Capitol – Waller Park (near the dolphin fountain)
400 South Monroe Street – Tallahassee, FL 32399

Since 2001, the Florida Forever Act has allowed our state to:

protect more than 2.4 million acres of ecologically-sensitive lands for future generations – including irreplaceable habitat for endangered animals
safeguard and restore our water resources, coastlines and beaches,
provide more parks and outdoor recreation areas for our communities, and
preserve some of Florida’s most important cultural and historical sites. 

Leaving the Florida Forever program in limbo for another year could jeopardize our wildlife heritage — especially when good business sense tells us that the state is in a position to acquire exceptional lands at affordable prices.

Help us build your legislators’ support to keep it going by joining us at this historic event at the Capitol on Wednesday.
This year’s legislative session is already underway, so we need to step up our efforts to let our state leaders know how many of their constituents support this invaluable program and care about conserving Florida’s wildlife and wild lands.

I hope you can join us in Tallahassee on Wednesday to urge your legislators to give Florida Forever the support it needs to continue protecting our most imperiled animals — from panthers and bears, to scrub jays and gopher tortoises.
 
RSVP now to let us know we can count on you to attend – and don’t forget to check in with us at the Defenders of Wildlife table when you arrive at the Capitol! http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=NzDOZ0rx6C2mEk1WcWC0MQ.. 

See you there!

Laurie Macdonald
Florida Program Director
Defenders of Wildlife