The President’s Hootby Richard H. Baker, Ph.D.February 2006 Do you know how important the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) is to the well being of our county’s environment? Often called “The District”, it is supported by our taxes and is responsible for managing ground and surface water supplies in all or part of…

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The President’s Hootby Richard H. Baker, Ph.D.January 2006 At the PIAS office, we are getting calls about not seeing as many birds this year as one would expect. A few days ago I received a call from a reporter asking if in fact there are less birds as he had heard that Pelican Island had…

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The President’s HootRichard H. Baker, Ph.D.November 2005 Our Indian River Lagoon is dying. This is true in spite of the many government agencies involved in trying to protect the lagoon– two water management districts (St. Johns River and South Florida Water Management Districts), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Fish…

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The President’s HootRichard H. Baker, Ph.D.October 2005 In my first botany course, I learned that a “weed” is a plant out of place. Some plants and animals that have been introduced, either intentionally or accidentally from somewhere else, are called “exotic”- not naturally found there. They can also be serious pests or “weeds” that invade…

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