Backup Documents 05/15/2001 WBOARD
OF COUNTY
WORKSHOP
COMMISSIONERS
MEETING
MAY 15, 2001
Naples Daily News
Naples, FL 34102
Affidavit of Publication
Maples Daily News
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
CHRIS HORTON
PO BOX 413016
NAPLES FL 34101-3016
REFERENCE: 001230 6691002206491
58253533 NOTICE OF BOARD OF C
State of Florida
County of Collier
Before the undersigned authority, personally
appeared B. Lamb, who on oath says that she .serves
as Assistant Corporate Secretary of the Naples,
Daily News, a daily new~paper publ~she~ at Naples,
in Collier County, Florida: that the attached
copy of advertising was published in said
newspaper on dates listed.
Affiant further says that the said Naples Daily
News is a newspaper published at Naples, in said
Collier County, FLorida, and that the said
newspaper has heretofore been continuously
published in said Collier County, FLorida, each
day and has been entered as second class mail
matter at the post office in Naples, in said
Collier County, Florida, for a period of 1 year
next preceding the first publication of the
attached copy of advertisement; and affiant
further says that she has neither paid nor
promised any person, firm or corporation any
discount, rebate, commission or refund for the
purpose of securing this advertisement for
publiction in the said newspaper.
PUBLISHED ON: 05/04
AD SPACE: 54.000 INCH
FILED ON: 05/04/01
Sworn to and Subscribed before me this
Personally known by me
tSUSAN D FLORA
pay Corem E~o. I2/tQ/04
I I Ilmlma~ Italini I I Olin kl~
NOTICE OF BOARD
OF COUNTY
COMMI~IONERS
INFORMATIONAL
Programs
mae-lng Is open to the
~nv per~.n .who. d. ecld:
to ~ppeal a ~ecl.slon or
s Board will neea q. re-
rd of the proceealngs
training thereto, and
~retore may nee .al. to en-
re that a verl~mm re-
rd of the'proceedings Is
:lde, which record~ In-
ides the testimony and
evidence upon which the
appeal Is to be based.
BOARD OF CQUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
COLLIER COUNTY,
FLORIDA
James D. Carter, Ph. D,
Chairman
DWIGHT E. BROCK
~/Maureen Kenyon
9:0O
9:O5
9:10
9:30
9:45
10:00
10:15
10:30
BCC AffOrdable Housing Workshop Agenda
May 15, 2001 9:00 A.M.
Welcoming Remarks
Dr. James Carter, Chairman BCC
,,
Opening Remarks
Tom Olliff, County Manager
John Dunnuck, Interim Administrator
Community Development and Environmental Services
Definition of Affordable Housing
Greg Mihalic, Housing and Urban Improvement Director
Cormac Giblin, Housing and Urban Improvement Manager
Definition
Define The Situation - set the scene
Jobs created
Job creation graph - Collier Vs. Lee
Job growth chart - Collier Vs. Lee Vs. State
Nature of jobs in Collier
Graph employment by sector and average salary
School system data
Free/reduced lunch participants by commission district
Product availability graphs
Average wage Vs. average home sales price graph
Homes selling for under $80,000 Vs. over $250,000 graph
Shimberg data
Homeownership supply shortage graph
Presentations
Immokalee Initiative Housing Project
Dora Vidaurri
Habitat for Humanity
.D.r. Sam Durso
Construction Industry Representative
Mario Valle - Creative Homes
Affordable Housing Commission
David Ellis - Chairman
Collier County University Extension Service
Collier County Loan Consortium- Dr. Denise Blanton
10:45
11:00
11:15
11:25
11:30
11:45
Outline of programs and strategies
Greg Mihalic, Housing and Urban Improvement Director
Cormac Giblin, Housing and Urban Improvement Manager
Affordable, Housing Toolbox- List of ongoing policies and programs
Current SHIP programs
Overview of SHIP Program
State comparisons
How we use our SHIP money compared to other S. Flodda counties
Rankings chart
The Big Three SHIP Programs
Down Payment/Closing Cost Assistance
Impact Fee Relief
Residential Rehabilitation
Rental development assistance
Number of units created
Proposed new tools for consideration
Toolbox of proposed programs
Linkage fees for commercial development and non-affordable residential development
Expanded Density bonus program to include all areas of the county- automatic approval
for Affordable Housing
Inclusionary Zoning with Payment In-lieu/Opt-out Option
Special consideration or exemptions for affordable housing on growth management
issues
BCC Action
The alternative - Consequences of not planning for workforce housing
Impa~ts if we do not have an adequate supply of affordable housing
· Susan Golden, A.I.C.P., City of Naples Planning Department
(~n le~/els ~f service "
On employment
On the roads
On the quality of life
Public Comments
Adjourn
COLLIER COUNTY FLORIDA
REQUEST FOR LEGAL ADVERTISING OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
To: Clerk to the Board: Please place the following as a:
[] Normal legal Advertisement
(Display Adv., location, etc.)
[] Other: Notice of Board of County Commissioners Workshop
to be held in the Board Meeting Room on May 15, 2001
Originating Dept/Div: Housing & Urban Improvement Department Person: Greg Mihalic
Date: 4/9/01/01
Petition No. (If none, give brief description): Affordable Housing Workshop
Petitioner: (Name & Address):
Name & Address of any person(s) to be notified by Clerk's Office: (If more space is needed, attach separate sheet)
Hearing before X BCC BZA Other
Requested Hearing date: 9:00 a.m., sed on advertisement appearin ys before hearing.
Newspaper(s) to be used: (Complete only if important):
[] Naples Daily News
[] Other
[] Legally Required
Proposed Text: (Include legal description & common location & Size: See attached Proposed Notice
Companion petition(s), if any & proposed hearing date:
Does Petition Fee include advertising cost? [] Yes X[] No If Yes, what account should be charged for advertising costs:
669-100220 (Utility Regulation)
Approvedby:
4/10/01
Date County Manager Date
List Attachments: Proposed Notice of Board of Cotmty Commissioners Informational Workshop
DISTRIBUTION INSTRUCTIONS
For hearings before BCC or BZA: Initiating person to complete one coy and obtain Division Head approval before
submitting to County Manager. Note: If legal document is involved, be sure that any necessary legal review, or request
for same, is submitted to County Attorney before submitting to County Manager. The Manager's office will distribute
copies:
[] County Manager agenda file: to
Clerk's Office
[] Requesting Division
[] Original
B. Other hearings: Initiating Division head to approve and submit original to Clerk's Office, retaining a copy for file.
Date Received: Iffi[/}/~)f Date of Public hearing: / Date Advertised: f
, , - / ! t
NOTICE OF BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP
Tuesday, May 15, 2001
9:00 A.M.
Notice is hereby given that the Collier County Board of County Commissioners
will hold an informational workshop on TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2001, at 9:00 A.M. in the
Board Meeting Room, Third Floor, Harmon Turner Building (Administration) at the
Collier County Government Complex, 3301 East Tamiami Trail, Naples, Florida. The
Board's informational topic(s) will include, but may not be limited to, an overview of the
following subjects:
Affordable Housing
· Workforce Housing Programs
The meeting is open to the public.
Any person who decides to appeal a decision of this Board will need a record of
the proceedings pertaining thereto, and therefore may need to ensure that a verbatim
record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence
upon which the appeal is to be based.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA
James D. Carter, Ph.D., Chairman
DWIGHT E. BROCK, CLERK
By:/s/Maureen Kenyon
Deputy Clerk
April 11, 2001
Ms. Pam Perrell
Naples Daily News
1075 Central Avenue
Naples, Florida 34102
Re: Notice of Affordable Housing Workshop
Dear Pam:
Please advertise the enclosed notice one time, on Friday, May 4,
2001 and kindly send the Affidavit of Publication, in duplicate,
together with charges involved to this office.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ellie Hoffman, Deputy Clerk
Charge to: 669-100220-649100
FAX
TO:
Pam Perrell
LO CATI 0 N:
FAX NO.:
COMMENTS:
Naples Daily News
(941) 263-4703
Notice of Affordable Housing Workshop
FROM:
LO CATI 0 N:
Ellie Hoffman
COLLIER COUNTY COURTHOUSE
FAX NO:
PHONE NO:
DATE SENT:
(941) 774-8408
(941) 774-8406
04/11/2001
SENT: 4:40 P. M.
# OF PAGES: (Including cover) 3
C)
Mike Martin, Vice
President for Agriculture
and Natural Resources
IMPACT is published by the
University of Floridds Institute of
Food and Agricultural Sciences
(UF/IFAS). For more informa-
tion about UF/IFAS programs,
contact Donald W. Poucher,
assistant vice president of exter-
nal relations and communica-
tions: (352) 392-0437, or e-mail:
info @gnv. ifas.ufl, edu.
IMPACT is produced by
IFAS Communication Services,
Ashley M. Wood, director.
News Coordinator
Ch~kWoods
F_~to[
Cindy Spenc~
Contributors
Ed Hunr~'~
Ami N~l~t'ger
S~rya Yesilcay
Photo Editor
Milt Putnam
Photographers
Tl~m~ S. Wright
Eric Zamora
Designer
for
On tb~ e~: Horticultural
~cienti~t Jonathan Crane bites
into a earambola, or stat fruit,
one of the many Caribbean
fruiu and vegetables being
tion Center in Homestead.
Photograph by Thomas Wright.
OF
Volume 15, No. 3 Spring 2000
Urban Focus
The Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center helps solve envi- 4
ronmental problems and enhances the quality of life in South Florida.
8
Everglades Agricultural Area
Best management practices help farmers protect environmentally sensitive areas.
I1
Education at Your Doorstep
With new distance education technologies, UF's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences offers
classes statewide.
14
Southernmost Solutions
Located in Homestead, the Tropical Research and Education Center is the only university
facility of its kind in the continental United States.
18
A Salty Problem
Algae blooms provide a sign that something's amiss with fragile Florida Bay.
Putting down roots
4-H project turns barren land into a
garden.
16
Affordable Housing
Dreams come true in Collier County
through a collaboration of UF/IFAS
extension, banks and county government.
Eat better, live better
A Hialeah nutrition education program helps the Hispanic population
make the most of limited resources.
UF/IFAS Updates
Florida Earth Project
Students and professionals can learn about Florida's environmental issues.
Ask the master
Florida ecotourism gets help from Master Naturalists.
Silicon success
New research indicates this element controls diseases and boosts
crop yields.
3 5 UF/IFAS Resources
Unlike other UF/IFAS research
B0:(~t0~ 8~achand education centers chat are
:i: ~'. located away from major urban
areas, the Fort Lauderdale
Research and Education Center
is in the m~iddle of it all --giving
researchers a unique opportu-
mty tO solve problems that
~ affect the environment and
l~m quality of lfe for $ million
SOuth Florida residents.
L iii ay Chuck Woods
auderdale
Extending more than 100 miles from South Miami
to the Palm Beaches, the Southeast Florida urban
corridor is one of the nation's largest and most
environmentally sensitive.
Next to this megalopolis are the delicate ecosystems of
Biscayne Bay and Everglades National Park, which are being
damaged by nutrients in groundwater runoff from coastal
cities. In addition to water quality problems, urban and
natural areas are being attacked by invasive plants, plant
diseases, termites and other pests.
To deal with these and other issues unique to the South
Florida environment, scientists at the UF's Fort Lauderdale
Research and Education Center (REC) have a variety of
projects under way at the 100-acre urban campus.
"Because many of the problems being studied are associ-
ated with high density development in close proximity to
sensitive natural resource areas, the Fort Lauderdale site is
ideal for such research," said Joan Dusky, acting director of
the center, part of UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences (UF/IFAS).
She said the center also offers hundreds of local, place-
bound students an opportunity to earn a UF College of
Agricultural and Life Sciences degree in entomology, envi-
ronmental horticulture or turfgrass management - degrees
not offered by any other state university in the area.
"Our research is focused on urban issues, particularly
those with regard to the interface between urban and natural
areas of Southeast Florida," Dusky said. "Since the urban
coast is contiguous to many natural resource areas, water
quality and conservation are a top priority.
"All the fertilizer, pesticides and other chemicals used in
the urban areas, including lawns and parks, have a tremen-
dous impact on the Everglades natural area as well as the
coastline. Much of our research is aimed at the judicious
use of these compounds, thus reducing the potential for
groundwater contamination.
Left, Nan- Yao Su, recognized as a world expert on the highly destruc-
tive Formosan termite, is using a specially designed 'foraging arena" to
observe the tunneling behavior of subterranean termites.
"Other major research focuses on invasive plant manage-
ment, aquatic ,veed management, structural pests as well as
other disease and insect problems - all issues of concern in
South Florida," Dusky said.
With hundreds of golf courses dotting the South Florida
landscape - and dozens more under construction - overuse of
fertilizer and pesticides could threaten groundwater quality.
To reduce the potential for damage, particularly from nitro-
gen and phosphorous, researchers at the center are measuring
how much fertilizer is needed to keep the greens green.
John Cisar, professor and coordinator of UF'S turfgrass
research program, and George Snyder, distinguished research
professor and soil chemist, are developing a series of best
management practices for fertilizer and pesticide use on golf
courses and sod farms in South Florida. Many of their
research findings are being used by UF/IFAS extension agents
in the statewide Florida Yards and Neighborhoods education
and demonstration program to help homeowners protect
groundwater resources.
Cisar and Snyder have developed a new product called
"BioSand" that serves as a filter of pesticides on golf courses.
"Basically, we have coated sand with a special polymer
from sugarcane waste that grabs organophosphate pesticides,"
Cisar said. "Used as the bottom layer of sand in golf greens,
it could help prevent pesticides and other chemicals from
leaching into groundwater over its expected 10- to 15-year
lifespan. That's just about the average lifespan of a green,
tOO."
Cisar, who also is evaluating turfgrasses for golf courses,
landscapers and homeowners, said new "ultra-dwarf" bermu-
dagrass varieties have the lower mowing heights golfers prefer.
The new varieties are now available to commercial producers.
Fastest Growing
Another important area of research at the Fort Lauderdale
REC involves production of ornamental plants, the fastest
growing sector of Florida agriculture because of the state's
booming population growth. In South Florida, growers sold
$697 million worth of ornamental plants in 1997.
Timothy Broschat, professor of tropical ornamental horti:
culture, is conducting various fertilization and transplanting
studies in a five-acre palm grove at the Fort Lauaerdale REC.
"A key part of our research is aimed at identifying the
causes of specific nutritional disorders, determining which
fertilizer sources are most effective in treating these problems
and developing optimum methods for delivering nutrients to
plants without contaminating the environment," he said.
Broschat's other major work involves palm horticulture,
including studies on the best methods for transplanting large
specimen palms. His research has set industry standards in
South Florida for optimum root ball size and transplanting
age as well as tying and removal of leaves.
The Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center includes a
mature, five-acre palm grove for teaching and research.
Spring 2000 5
',:~ ;,~' , z Abbv~ ~hn test plots at
~ , ~he Fort £auderdale Re~ea'rch and Education Center.
, '' R~,)~lonira Elliott holds a palm stump with
Ganoderma conks, which ~re large, mature fungal
growths that produce spor~} to spread the disease.
Despite the best efforts to protect these expensive orna-
mental plants, all Florida palms are threatened by a lethal
fungal disease known as Ganoderma butt rot, according to
Monica Elliott, associate professor at the Fort Lauderdale
REC, who is searching for solutions to this serious problem.
"It's No. 2 on the list of the ten worst diseases of
ornamental plants," said the soil-borne disease expert. "It
does not attack a palm until the plant has formed woody
tissue in its trunk, which means the disease usually shows
up years after the slow-growing palms have
been nurtured from seeds. Worse yet, there
are no controls, either preventive or cura-
tive, for the disease. And we can't predict
which trees will become diseased."
Elliott, who initiated research on the
malady in 1994, says the work will be
long-term and costly because only mature
palms (palms with trunks) can be used for
field studies. One of her first goals was to
develop a small-scale research protocol for
working with the disease.
Robin Giblin-Davis examines a maIe palmetto weevil that produces
pheromones that attract other weevils of the same species. The phero-
mones are then used in baiting traps.
6 IMPACT
"This entails using small blocks of palm wood, so only
one palm has to be sacrificed instead of the ten or more for
each experiment," she said. "Since the disease is normally
restricted to the lower four feet of trunk, most fungicides
are ineffective. Future research will examine products, bio-
logical and chemical, and techniques that will concentrate
fungicidal materials in the lower trunk without harming the
palm."
Melaleuca Menace
Spreading at the alarming rate of 15 acres every day,
melaleuca, the paperbark tree brought to Florida from Aus-
tralia about 100 years ago, has become one of the state's most
troublesome invasive plants.
"It's overwhelming the Everglades and coastal wetlands,"
said Robin Giblin Davis, professor of entomology at the
- '"' is bein~ s-ent annually
center. "More than $2.2 mfll~on b ~'
trying to control the tree, with losses to the local economy
ranging as high as $168 million."
To slow - and hopefully stop - melaleuca's rampage
across South Florida, Giblin-Davis is working with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to find effective natural predators
to control the tree without pesticides.
"In 1997, a leaf-eating weevil, the melaleuca snout beetle,
was successfully released in Broward County, and it's starting
to show some promise," Giblin-Davis said. "We're also test-
ing some other biological control agents we found in Austra-
lia with the help of USDA."
Giblin-Davis said studies have shown that a small fly
(Fergusonina) and a microscopic nematode attack the flower
and leaf buds of the melaleuca tree, preventing seed develop-
ment.
"Preliminary research suggests these two biocontrols
working together are very host specific, which means they
should not become a problem on other plants in Florida,"
he said. "This bodes well for releasing the Australian fly and
nematode parasites into southern Florida a.s another natural,
non-chemical way of controlling the invaswe tree.
In other research, Giblin-Davis is developing traps to
protect expensive Canary Island date palms from the North
American palmetto weevil and prevent destructive South
American weevils from invading the state. Widely used as
a signature plant in South Florida landscapes, the palms
are expensive, with retail costs for a 15-foot palm running
as high as $5,000. In 1997, the pest killed palms valued
at $400,000 in just one nursery. Industry-wide losses were
higher·
"We have identified pheromones, chemicals that attract
the weevil, and we're using them to monitor and trap the
pest before it invades palms," Giblin-Davis said. "However,
traps must be used carefully because they can end up attract-
ing more weevils to a site where palms are being grown or
planted."
He said they're informing palm growers and others about
the potential ri~ks of the pest. Since early weevil infestations
are not easily diagnosed, palm growers are being urged to
use prophylactic pesticide treatments at the time of
stress or transplanting. Giblin-Davis is using p'.
trap a destructive sugarcane weevil in
tural Area, too.
To protect turfgrass against the
atode, Giblin-Davis is developing new natural biolo
methods that control the microscopic root-feeding
The pest is a major problem on golf courses, athletic fields"
and lawns in the southern United States. Current pesticide
control measures may contaminate ground, w, a. ter a,n,d be
· ' 'fe. To et aroundthts proutem, R0~at
toxic to people and wfldh __ g. teuria that aras~ffa_lm
...... · '--~ C~und a bacterium (Pas ) .P
(51blln-L/avls nas to '
· .. 's research mayresu!t i9
tzes the sung nematode H~ ........ ~ ~auct' ·
development of a commeroal otoconuo~ p,,o,~
Super Termites city
Subterranean termites have always been a problemin
Florida, but the Formosan "super termite" has becom~ a leal
"millennium bug" for residents and pest control operators.
The pest - 10 times more destructive than regular subter-
ranean termites - apparently arrived in the United State. s, in~
the early 1950s aboard ships from the Far East.
swarming little nuisance is spreading rapidly in
the Southeast. The pest, which has gnawed its
Flondas east coast to Jupiter, also has been found
Pensacola and Orlando. ;:
Fortunately, researchers at the Fort Lauderdale
developed new methods to detect and
termite as well as regular subterranean
major breakthrough in termite pest control in 5(
Nan-Yao Su, professor of entomology and
on the highly destructive Formosan termite,
new monitoring and baiting system that uses
flumuron) only when termite activity has
Timothy Broschat checks the effectiveness 6
to foxtail palms at the Fort Lauderdale Research
Center. He said many palms in the South Florida
deficient in iron because of the area's limestone soils.
Spring 2000 7
The system is licensed by the UF to Dow AgroSciences,
which markets the product as the Sentricon Termite Colony
Elimination System.
~(~.~ or more than a decade, Su has been workin
5~'~3~ communities i ~ .... k m__:J , , g with
t~e ~-~:'~ -:~ n~z~ *'xvr~a to control the pest. Recenrh,
~_'~'~'~ c~ty.ot~olden Beach, located near ~h- ~a;~"~'
'.S~a~e~oroward Coun-- Ii .... - ..........-
~..~ ty ~, 8gree~ to become aft ofa~
~.~g UF/IF~ research project to eliminare~he e
its ~undaries The ci". k~- ~ , _ _ p st from
' ' ~ · ~y ,a~ ueen p~agued by the pest. Su also
is wo~ing with the Nation~ Park Service to control the pest
at national landmarks in New Orleans, Puerto ~co an
U.S. Vir~n ;~lands d the
To &t~er improve control methods, Su has initiated
~ researCh to determine the tunneling behavior of th
C~,~:Y0t~'~& termite and the eastern subterranean'ter ' e,,.
mite. We
David Sutton is evaluating hybrid water lilies grown with a co
Culture o£these a~ ~ ....... , . . . ntrolled release fertilizer.
'a. '~ ~'~ uquarw p~ants w~th a slow-release · '
sand rooting medium results in excell, .... ~. . .. fer, t. tl~ze.r added to a
contamination en ?,~auct~on w~th very httle loss of nutrients or
· ' ofgroundwater. ~ '
8 IMPACT
want to determine how these termites respond when con-
fronted with areas loaded with wood or without wood,
comparing branching patterns and how fast they construct
tunnels," Su said.
All About Aquatics
Aquatic plants are another major concern in South Flori-
da's fragile environment. Working with the UF/IFAS Center
for Aquatic and Invasive Plants in Gainesville, David Sutton,
professor at the Fort Lauderdale REC, is developing methods
to manage exotic, invasive weeds such as torpedograss and
hygrophilia while also promoting the ornamental value of
other aquatic plants.
"Torpedograss is a major weed along shoreline areas," he
said. "It produces rhizomes below the soil sur-
face that are difficult to kill, and we are evaluat-
ing different herbicide timing and application
rates to inhibit their growth. We're also evaluat-
ing different herbicides to control hygrophilia,
a major weed problem in many South Florida
canals.
"R '
ecently, we have been able to show that
hy.grophilia plant produces seed, and we are
trying to determine factors that initiate flower-
ing, seed production and seed germination. We
have found that hygrophilia grows much better
in some areas. We're looking into the nutri-
tional requirements of the plant to determine
where it might be more ora problem," Sutton
said.
Two native aquatic plants, sky flower and
pond apple, have potential as ornamentals, he
said.
"With its deep blue petals, bright yellow
stamens and dark green leaves, sky flower could
be used by homeowners in small ponds and
garden containers," Sutton said. "We would
like to introduce pond apple into the residen-
tial landscape, too. It may grow well in wet
areas or along the shoreline of small ponds.
It produces an attractive flower as well as an
apple that can be made into jellies and jams.
However, the apple is not eaten raw like regular
apples."
Sutton said they're using slow-release fertil-
izers to help provide a constant amount of
nutrients for the new aquatic ornamentals and
prevent nutrients from leaching into water and
causing algae problems.
Joan Dusky, jadu@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu
Timothy Broschat, tkbr@ufl.edu
John Cisar, jlci@ufl.edu
Monica Elliott, melliott@ufl.edu
Robin Giblin-Davis, giblin@ufl.edu
George Snyder, ghs@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu
Nan-Yao Su, nysu@ufl.edu
David Sutton, dlsutton@ufl.edu
BMPs
Ever§lades Research and Education Center in Belle Glade are developin§ ,best
Scientists at the (BMPs) to improve and protect water quality in the Florida Ever§lades. It s all
mana§ement practices
part of an ambitious S7.8 billion federal plan to restore one of the world's most endan§ered ecosystems.
By Chuck Woods
Wen it comes to national issues involving agri-
culture and the environment, restoration of the
Florida Everglades is one of the most challenging.
"How we solve this problem is being closely watched by
farmers, water management officials and environmentalists
across the nation and around the world," said Forrest Izuno,
water management professor with the UF's Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). "Many look at the
Florida Everglades issue as the poster child for the sustain-
ability of agriculture in the face of mounting environmental
concerns."
Farming--mainly sugarcane, vegetables, rice and sod--in
the 505,000-acre Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) gener-
ates more than $1 billion a year in economic activity. During
the past 20 years, much attention has been focused on the
negative impacts of phosphorous in drainage water pumped
from the EAA, particularly its effect on ecosystems in Ever-
glades National Park and Florida Bay. Located south of Lake
Okeechobee and north of the Water Conservation Areas, this
tract of productive agricultural land is in the middle of two
environmentally sensitive areas.
To help restore and protect water quality in the Florida
Everglades, scientists at the Everglades Research and Educa-
tion Center (REC) in Belle Glade are working with the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection, South
Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), the Ever-
glades Agricultural Area Environmental Protection District
and individual growers. UF/IFAS researchers have developed
and implemented a series of highly successful best man-
agement practices (BMPs) for the EAA that have already
reduced basin-wide phosphorous loads in drainage water
by an average of 50 percent. Some farms have achieved
phosphorous load reductions up to 80 percent.
SFWMD reports that phosphorous loads entering envi-
ronmentally protected areas south of the EAA have been
reduced by an average of 50 percent (peaking at 67 percent)
during the past five years - double the 25 t~ercent man
by the 1994 state Ever~laa~o t:__ , & . dated
five ears e, ~,-~ ,'orever Act. L~uring the last
Y , phosphorous concentrations leaving the EAA have
declined from an average of 173 parts per billion (ppb) to
an average of 100 ppb.
Izuno said additional 10 to 25 percent reductions may
be achieved when BMPs to control particulate transport of
phosphorus (insoluble phosphorous in drainage water) are
fully implemented in the next three years.
"These data show that the BMP program has greatly
reduced phosphorous runoff to environmentally sensitive
areas - actually reducing phosphorous concentrations to
levels lower than those found at the source," Izuno said.
"From this we can conclude that our BMP program has
enabled the agricultural lands to become a phosphorous
'sink' or filter for South Florida."
Working with Izuno at the Everglades REC on various
aspects of the BMP program are Ronald Rice, crop nutri-
tionist and assistant professor; Timothy Lang, environmental
agronomist; Jim Stuck, environmental engineer, and Laurene
Capone, biologist and project manager.
I0 IMPACT
Timothy Lang checks optical sensors which measure revolutions per
minute at a pump station in the Everglades Agricultural Area.
Rice, who also directs the Everglades Soil Testing Labora-
tory at the center, is measuring the nutritional requirements
of various crops and how different drainage practices and
phosphorus levels affect crops and long-term soil fertility
trends. To accomplish this, he is using 25 lysimeter fields -
fields that are closed off to surrounding areas so that all water
and nutrient inputs and outflows can be tracked.
To further improve BMPs that limit the amount ofnutri-
.ents !eaving EAA farming areas, Lang and Stuck are m -
mg the amount of phosphorus discharged in both solu
and ~eur
particulate forms. Soluble phosphorus can be absorbed
or utilized by plants while particulate phosphorus is not
immediately available to plants and serves as a reservoir for
future release of this element.
Capone oversees many of the daily aspects of the BMP
project, coordinating laboratory work, assembling data and
managing budgets. She also serves as the contact person with
local, state and federal government groups. Her responsibili-
~ei~r~.cClUpdr(~ceen~uUj~lng_utih.,at,.all facets of t~he program adhere
g ,aeunes anc~ performance re uir ,
set forth m the project s quality assurance plan q ements
Izuno said the UF/IFAS research and
extension program has changed the fertilizer,
water management and crop rotation prac-
tices being used by growers, as well as their
philosophies for operating in the EAA. The
primary BMPs implemented are water man-
agement related, involving water table and
pump management to uniformly drain farms
in a manner that will not be detrimental to
crops or the environment.
"Over-drainage of farms is being cur-
tailed," he said. "More water is being
stored on farms to be reused or drained
through evaporation or transpiration. Water
and phosphorus that would otherwise have
left the farm, particularly during heavy rains,
are being rerouted around the farm to more
water tolerant areas and crops."
Under the BMP program, agricultural
drainage pumping at the farm level has
decreased by approximately 25 to 30 percent
and average water tables in the EAA have
risen by about three to four inches. As a
result, growers have been able to achieve ade-
quate drainage and reduce water table vari-
ability, which leads directly to a reduction
in soil subsidence and prolongs viability of
agriculture in the EAA.
Izuno said secondary BMPs include fertilizing according
"More water is
being stored on
farms to be reused
or drained through
evaporation or
transpiration. Water
and phosphorus
that would other-
wise have left the
farm, particularly
during heavy rains,
are being rerouted
around the farm to
more water tolerant
areas and crops."
Forrest Izuno
bottom line
"Our program has been a major factor in
promoting the general acceptance of the fact
that agriculture is an environmentally friendly
land use in South Florida, and that the indus-
try's survival is a necessary part of a sustainable
South Florida," Izuno said. "It's the most effec-
tive program with the greatest acceptance and
impact currently implemented in the EAA."
Rice, who is conducting experiments with
field lysimeters, said research indicates nutrient-
rich water can be rerouted from one crop to
another to prevent off-farm discharge of water
that ends up in the Everglades. In a recent
analysis, he found that BMP strategies imple-
mented at five sugarcane farms (including veg-
etables and rice) over a four-year period have
supported phosphorus drainage reductions up
to 67 percent.
"The lysimeters allow us to demonstrate sev-
eral important BMP strategies, including the re-
routing of drainage waters from vegetable and
rice fields into sugarcane," Rice said. "These
BMPs prevent this water from affecting the
Everglades while also providing nutritional ben-
efits to sugarcane."
Rice said the re-use of water on-farm also
results in higher water tables, an issue that is
being explored with the lysimeter field. "The
is that growers and UF/IFAS researchers are
to scientific soil-test recommendations, proper handling of
fertilizer and keeping crops with high phosphorus drainage
loads away from the main pumping stations.
"Growers have had to accept the fact that higher levels of
management are necessary for sustained agricultural produc-
tion and that environmental considerations are an important
part of their production plan," he said.
redesigning farm water management and cropping systems
to ensure agricultural sustainability while also protecting wet-
land ecosystems in South Florida."
Forrest Izuno, izuno@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu
In afield of green and red leaf lettuce, Ronald Rice examines roots to
determine how reduced fertilizer levels affect plant growth.
Milt Putn~
UF/IFA. S Distance Education Program
heads nto new century
New funding to establish program in Homestead
By Ed Hunter
In the beginning, there was the correspondence course,
and it was good.
Students without access to college courses could
complete them by mail. But there was little or no interaction
between student and professor and no interaction with other
students.
Then came courses on videotape and two-way interac-
tive television. Now students could see their instructors.
Courses could include video demonstrations, Power Point
slide shows and, in the case of two-way TV, students in
remote locations could talk with the instructor and their
fellow classmates.
The Internet allowed course material such as class notes
and diagrams to be posted on World Wide Web sites.
Interaction between professors and students grew even more
through e-mail and online chatrooms.
But faculty and administrators in the University of Flor-
ida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences still don't
believe they have quite hit the pinnacle of distance educa-
tion. They want more courses to have online components,
including more Web-only courses, and they want courses to
originate from each of the nine video conferencing facilities
located at UF/IFAS research and education centers, includ-
ing the Tropical Research and Education Center (REC) in
Homestead, the Southwest REC in Immokalee and the Fort
Lauderdale REC.
"We do the interactive video very well because of the
tremendous infrastructure development we've had here," said
Jane Luzar, UF/IFAS associate dean for academic programs.
"But increasingly what we're doing is our World Wide Web
offerings. We've offered some earlier courses, and one we did
last semester showed us the potential."
As part of a new Internet-based master's program in agri-
culture, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences offered
a course in agribusiness human resource management that
was taught entirely on the Web. Food and resource econom-
ics Assistant Professor Allen Wysocki said he felt teaching
the course on the Web had certain advantages over courses
taught using interactive video in terms of each student's
schedule.
"I think the students benefited. Almost all of my stu-
dents were online late at night doing their weekly readings,"
Wysocki said. "The Web-based nature of this course allowed
the students the flexibility to learn the material at their own
pace."
Wysocki said he and course co-developer Karl Kepner,
UF/IFAS distinguished service professor of food and resource
economics, have tried to take advantage of all the tools avail-
able to add variety to the course.
"Karl Kepner and I incorporated two or three bulletin
board assignments, where the students respond to questions
and they would interact amongst themselves, discussing these
leading questions," Wysocki said. "We tried to simulate the
in-class experience by hosting a once-a-week chatroom for
about an hour and a half."
And it's that effbrt by instructors to combine methods of
teaching that Luzar said will be the key to creating successful
distance education courses in the new millennium. Students
will benefit most from courses that do it all, she said.
"Combining our interactive video with the Web and
coming up with mixed media is what we think is probably
the best approach to distance education," Luzar said. "The
students have the advantage of seeing an instructor but also
being able to do the truly asynchronous work that distance
education offers. If you go back to the original concept of
distance education, in many cases it's asynchronous - any
time, any place."
One of those places in South Florida will see some
changes in the near future. Part of $200,000 in new funding
for distance education will bring improvements to the dis-
tance education classroom in Homestead along with a new
program in environmental horticulture.
"We'll be working with faculty from Fort Pierce, in addi-
tion to faculty from Gainesville to deliver classes in agri-
cultural business management to Homestead," Luzar said.
"And as we do that, we're opening up the next level of our
distance education program, where we're talking about not
only emanating from Gainesville, but instead being able to
do localized broadcasts."
But right now, Gainesville is the UF/IFAS distance edu-
cation hub. The control center is located in room G-001
in McCarty Hall. G-001 is a lecture hall that has been
completely equipped for distance education, with the capa-
bility to show slide presentations, video clips and the video
presenter - a distance education version of an overhead
projector that allows instructors to display a portion of a
textbook or any kind of printed matter.
The room features several remote control cameras that
can zoom in on any student in the classroom as well as
four TV monitors so students in Gainesville can see both
what is being transmitted to the remote sites as well as their
classmates around the state.
During the Spring 2000 term, environmental horti-
culture Assistant Professor Dave Clark taught a distance
education version of a required undergraduate course in hor-
ticultural physiology. On Monday and Thursday evenings,
Clark met in G-001 with about 34 students who were joined
12 IMPACT
by 26 others via the interactive video conferencing network
from Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce and Milton.
In one class session, Clark lectured on several aspects of
the process of photosynthesis. He made use of a variety of
media, including a Power Point presentation of class notes,
pages of the course textbook displayed on the video presenter
and a short video starring one of his graduate students dem-
onstrating a lab procedure. Students with questions need
only speak up and they can be heard in the Gainesville
classroom. And in Gainesville, students with questions push
a button on their desk and a camera automatically zooms in
so they can be clearly seen at the remote sites.
Clark said he likes to take full advantage of the interac-
tive nature of the video conferencing system by having his
students get on camera to answer extra-credit questions. He
said in addition to providing a review, the questions help the
students get to know one another.
'Tll go through the roll, I'll say 'Joe Smith out in Milton
do you want to step up to the plate.' If they get on camera,
they get one point on the next test," Clark said. "Then I ask
them the question. It serves as a review, and if they get it
right, they get a second point.
"It keeps them up to date, plus it lets them see what
my exam questions are going to be like," he said. "Plus the
students in Gainesville know Joe Smith, by the end of class
they've seen him three times."
Efforts by faculty members like Clark and W,vsocki help
students in the distance education courses get the same
benefit from courses as students taking the course on the
Gainesville campus. And while there haven't been any formal
studies, Clark said he can't see any difference in the students'
performance.
"I would teach my regular class five days and then come
back and teach the night course, the distance course," Clark
said. "The students in the distance education course were
scoring the same on the tests. We found that performance-
wise there wasn't really any difference between the traditional
class and the distance class."
Administrators also point out that distance education
allows UF/IFAS to save money as it pursues its mission of
putting Florida FIRST (Focusing IFAS Resources on Solu-
tions for Tomorrow).
"It's a smart way to do it, because we are able to deliver
with one faculty member what otherwise would be delivered
to very small classes by three faculty members," Luzar said.
Luzar said another advantage of distance education is
that it allows students, especially in the distance education
master's program, to pick and select among the best elective
courses for their program from the top schools nationwide.
"In a graduate program you generally have a core of
courses and electives. Perhaps some of those electives would
be offered by the best person in the national field at Purdue
or Cornell," Luzar said. "It gives you the opportunity to put
together a superior degree program and that's our goal."
Jane Luzar, ejl@ufl.¢du
Dave Clark, dgc@gnv, ifas. ufl.edu
Allen Wysocki, wysocki@fred.ifas.ufl.edu
Tropical Research and Education Center Director Waldemar Klassen,
right, reviews the spring distance education class schedule with horti-
cultural sciences Associate Professor Jonathan Crane in the distance
education classroom in Homestead.
Above, environmental horticulture Professor Dave Clark makes a point
during a session of his Spring 2000 distance education class in horti-
cultural physiolog~. Clark taught 34 students who met in the UF/IFAS
distance education classroom in G-O01 McCar{y Hall while 26 other
students in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce and Milton viewed the class
over the UF/IFAS interactive television network.
Below, food and resource economics Professor Allen Wysocki taught an
Internet-only course in the Fall 1999 term on agribusiness human
resource management. Wysocki said that having the course entirely on
the Internet made it more flexible for his students.
Tropical Research
and Education Center
It's the only university facility in the continental United States that
focuses on a large number of tropical and subtropical crops.
By Ed Hunter
iEs its name suggests, the Tropical Research and
ducation Center (REC!, in Homestead is like no
other facility in the UF s Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences.
The center conducts research on tropical fruits, veg-
etables, nursery and ornamental crops in additional to
important environmental problems in the southern portion
Miami-Dade County. At the same time, an expanded teach-
ing program at the center will allow students to earn a
bachelor's degree in environmental horticulture from the
UF's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Established in 1929, the 160-acre campus at the Tropical
REC includes fruit orchards, vegetable fields, greenhouses,
laboratories, offices and classroom facilities. Fifteen faculty
members and a support staff of about 45 perform a variety of
research and education programs that serve growers, students
and consumers in one of the state's most environmentally
sensitive areas.
Agriculture and the Everglades
With the restoration of Everglades National Park on the
horizon, some growers may be concerned that their interests
may be plowed under in the name of restoring the famed
River of Grass.
But one Tropical REC researcher says that not only isn't
agriculture standing in the way of restoration, it probably will
turn out to be one of the restoration effort's best partners.
"A lot of the work being done here is to try to make
agriculture compatible with Everglades restoration," said
UF/IFAS plant physiologist Bruce Schaffer. "In the past,
agriculture has been seen as an opposing force to the natural
ecosystem.
"But agriculture is a good partner in the restoration
effort. Without agriculture, fallow land adjacent to the Ever-
glades would be subject to invasion by weeds which may pose
a threat to the surrounding natural ecosystem and developers
would be building on land near the Everglades," he said.
So Schaffer and vegetable crop specialist Stephen
O'Hair are working on developing best management prac-
tices for several popular South Florida fruit and vegetable
crops.
"We want to develop agriculture practices that utilize
all the inputs for the crops, yet don't result in leaching of
chemicals into the aquifer," Schaffer said. "This work is
particularly important, since water quality standards will be
set for Everglades National Park."
Schaffer said the project is funded in part by money
from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services, the South Florida Water Management District and
the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Virtual Field Laboratory
Say a student in Minnesota wants to get some first-hand
experience with tropical fruit production. At the moment,
traveling to the tropics is the only option. But if the plans
of Schaffer and tropical fruit crop specialist Jonathan Crane
come to fruition, that experience will be no further away
than an Internet-connected computer.
With funding from a USDA challenge grant and the
Florida FIRST (Focusing IFAS Resources on Solutions for
Tomorrow) initiative, the two researchers are in the early
stages of developing a multimedia Web site they have dubbed
the Virtual Field Laboratory.
"Many national and international students studying
agriculture in temperate climates are interested in the tropics
and tropical agriculture, but they don't have any practical
experience or opportunity to observe the biology and pro-
duction of tropical fruit crops in the field," Schaffer said.
"The virtual field laboratory will be a Web-based, interactive,
multimedia course that will bring the tropics to the students
through the Internet."
Improving Lychee Production
Lychee trees were first introduced to Florida in 1883.
The trees produce a thick-skinned fruit that is as red as
a strawberry. First grown in Southern China, it has always
been popular in Asian communities, but is beginning to
develop a substantial following among American consumers
as ~vell.
"Lychee is a relatively new cash crop," said Yuncong Li, a
UF/IFAS plant nutritionist. "It is a small, high-value tropical
fruit crop that now has a high demand in the market."
14 IMPACT
The work ~
a professor ofho~ral
sciences, has resulted in
the rescue J3om extinction
ora spe~ of Central
American ~cad that had
compl~ disappeared in
But Li said while lychee trees grow in Florida, the unpre-
dictable weather can cause problems for the trees, resulting
in inconsistent flowering and fruiting. So Li and Tom Dav-
enport, a UF/IFAS reproductive physiologist, are heading up
a project to try and determine how growers can assure a
reliable yield.
"The trouble is, Lychee trees are unreliable," Li said.
"Some years you will get a lot of flowers which will turn into
fruit, and some years you will get nothing. If you get years
where the temperatures are relatively high, the trees will only
produce new leaves and no flowers."
Li said the preliminary results indicate that growers can
better manage their lychee crops by controlling the amount
of nitrogen in the soil.
"We feel if we fertilize correctly we can induce more
flowering, so we are developing a program to manage nitro-
gen fertilizer for the Lychee crop," Li said. "But if you
put too much nitrogen in the soil, you can jeopardize your
Lychee yield."
Nevertheless, UF/IFAS researchers say phosphorus is an
essential part of the equation when it comes to obtaining
healthy fruit and vegetable crops with good yields.
"Without phosphorus, you can't get a good crop, espe-
cially in South Florida soil," Li said.
Since the virgin soil was deficient in phosphorus and
required the addition of phosphorus to make it productive,
Li said farmers believed that the crops needed large amounts
of phosphorus in order to grow. For years farmers have added
two to three times the amount that was actually needed to
grow healthy plants. The result, he said, is that the farmers
have ended up actually creating soil that is phosphorus rich.
"After 50 years of farming, the soil is loaded with phos-
phorus that is available to the crops," Li said. "Our soil has
plenty of phosphorous, so growers can reduce phosphorus
application.
"In some cases they don't have to use any, or they can
significantly reduce the amount of phosphorus they do use,"
he said.
Soil Phosphorus
Another side of the fertilizer equation is phosphorus.
Many environmentalists have tagged phosphorus as the bad
boy of fertilizers--linking it both to problems in the Ever-
glades and decreased water quality in general.
Thomas Wright
Associate Professor of horticultural science fonathan Crane, right, and
graduate student Hilary George examine carambola trees that have
been treated with mulch to control soil temperatures. George is studying
horticultural science under the Dennis Carpenter Memorial Fellow-
ship, which is given by the Miami-Dade County AgriCouncil.
Li said current research with tomato and potato crops
has shown that the growers can take the phosphorus already
present in the soil into consideration when calculating fertil-
izer application rates.
"Not only are we protecting water quality and the ecosys-
tem, but growers can save money and reduce production
costs," Li said. "Growers are starting to cut fertilizer applica-
tions and some are not even using phosphorus fertilizer with
their crops."
Virus Resistant Papaya
Papaya is an important cash crop in South Florida, where
the warm climate is perfect for the fruit, which has a very low
tolerance for cold temperatures.
One of the biggest challenges facing the papaya industry
in Miami-Dade County and the Caribbean region is the
papaya ringspot virus. Plant pathologist Mike Davis is work-
ing to develop new varieties of papaya that are resistant to the
virus using the latest techniques in molecular genetics.
Davis said the first test plants were grown and were ex-
posed to the virus to see if any exhibited the desired resist-
ance.
"Out of 257 transgenic lines inoculated with the ringspot
virus from Florida, 48 appeared to be immune or highly
resistant to the virus," Davis said. "We now seek to enhance
commercial papaya production in the Caribbean region
by producing papaya-breeding lines with the resistance to
ringspot virus."
Of the 48 lines that were very resistant, 24 were selected
for further study. "We're just about ready to get our first
fruit, and then we will test to see how resistant the progeny
are," Davis said.
Once the researchers have determined that the resistance
is inherited, Davis said the next step will be to use a pro-
cedure called "backcrossing" to try to introduce the trait
for resistance to the virus into other commercially farmed
papaya varieties.
"The backcrossing will probably take five to six years,"
Davis said. "We are cooperating with the University of
Puerto Rico, which will be doing the back crosses because
it is warmer there and they can get more crossing cycles in
less time."
Saving Plant Species
Cloned animals have been making headlines, from
Dolly the sheep to the recent set of piglets. But genetic
techniques have much broader applications, say Homestead-
based researchers who are working to save plant species from
extinction.
"We are working on a method of cloning very ancient
plants called cycads,' said Richard Litz, a fruit biotechnology
specialist. "They're very primitive evergreens. They are the
earliest, most primitive of all the plants that date back to
the Jurassic.'
Plant pathology Professor Mike Davis is working to develop varieties of
papaya that are resistant to the papaya ringspot virtu.
Litz said that in addition to their historical importance,
cycads, such as the sable palm, are prized as ornamentals.
But he said many of the cycad species axe on the verge of
extinction, and one type of cycad from Central America has
disappeared from the wild.
"One species ofcycad was discovered in Central America
in 1986 or '87 and there were only 30 individual plants
found," Litz said. "When researchers returned three or four
years ago, there were no plants left.
"However, the original discoverers had taken three or
four plants back to a botanical garden in Mexico," he said.
"We have used pieces of leaves and we have been able to
regenerate this species from leaves, and have thousands of
plants in the laboratory. We have rescued this species from
extinction."
Bruce Schaffer, bas@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu
Mike Davis, mjd@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu
Yuncong Li, Yunli@gnv. ifas.ufl.edu
Richard Litz, rel@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu
Spring 2000 17
Thomas Wright
"The seagrass
beds support
sponges
and provide a
nursery ground for
lobster, shrimp,
snook and other
sport fish."
Ed Phlips
University of Florida algae researcher Ed Phlips says the
algae blooms perpetuate the decline of the bay by blocking
sunlight the seagrass beds and seaweed need for photosynthe-
sis. And as the seagrass beds die off, the marine animals that
use them for nurseries also will disappear.
But the algae are a symptom of Florida Bay's decline, not
the cause. Florida Bay's problems, Phlips said, began with a
lack of water.
For hundreds of years, fresh water coursed through the
Everglades' River of ~rass, spilling into Florida Bay and
mixing with sea water, to reach a delicate mix of fresh and
salt water just right to nurture sponges, lobsters, fish of all
kinds and lush beds ofseagrass to harbor the sea creatures.
In the last century, however, the Everglades has had little
water to spare as the River of Grass has seen its water
diverted to other uses. Florida Bay is suffering, like the
Everglades on which it depends, from a lack of fresh water.
Florida Bay, it seems, is dying of thirst.
Algae Blooms
As the desirable species decline, a species of algae called
Synechococcus has gained a fierce hold on the bay, said
Phlips, an associate professor with UF's Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences.
Aided by a grant from the Florida Sea Grant College
Program, Phlips has been studying Florida Bay and its algae
blooms since 1993. He started out trying to find out what
the blooms were, how much area they covered, and what
caused them.
He quickly identified the algae as Synechococcus and
found, uncharacteristically, that only one species of algae
was responsible for most of the bay's algae blooms. He also
determined that the blooms had the strongest hold on the
north-central region of Florida Bay, one of four ecological
zones. The area was 400 square kilometers, or one-fourth of
the 1,600 kilometers of the bay.
Not so easy was determining the cause of the blooms. For
culprits, Phlips looked to water flow from the west coast of
Florida, anticipating that nutrient loading might be causing
the blooms. That theory was not supported, and he turned
elsewhere.
"Historically, there has been sheet flow through the Kis-
simmee River Basin through the Everglades to Taylor Slough
and Florida Bay," Phlips said. "Now, little water is funneled
through Taylor Slough to the bay and this increases the salt
concentration. Salinity during drought periods, in fact, is
higher than is normal for sea water.
"Salinity stresses the grasses, making them subject to
disease. When the grasses died, that provided nutrients, and
Synechococcus took advantage of that," Phlips said. "It's
very salt tolerant, as much as any organism I've seen, so
Synechococcus quickly dominated."
The blooms have repeated in part because Synechococ-
cus, the most dominant organism on the planet, is so well-
adapted to the bay's new environment. When starved for
nutrients, the algae sink and sit on the bottom, soaking up
nutrients from the mud. When it is sufficiently renourished,
it becomes buoyant and the blooms reappear.
Now that his studies have shown that the algae are tap-
ping into the decayed seagrass beds and other organic matter
on the floor of the bay, Phlips said he would like to continue
his research to find out how large the reserve of nutrients is.
"The nutrients come from sediments deposited over hun-
dreds of years by the River of Grass and from the growth and
die-off of the seagrass beds. How long will these reserves sup-
port the algae blooms?" Phlips asks. "We feel there's enough
there to support the blooms for quite a long time."
Changing Ecosystem
In his four-year study, he found that seagrass beds did
not rebound, even during periods when the algae were dor-
mant. And, unfortunately, the seagrass beds are the key to
the recovery of the bay.
"The seagrass beds support sponges and provide a nurs-
ery ground for lobster, shrimp, snook and other sport fish,"
Phlips said. "So they're important both ecologically and eco-
nomically.''
While the blooms are concentrated in the north-central
region of the bay, they affect other parts of the bay and the
Ed Phlips examines a core sample taken j%m
the center of Florida Bay just south of Tin Can
Channel.
waters of the Keys. The blooms wash into coral reef areas,
causing concern that they could harm the fragile reefs.
"The reefs of the keys are a unique habitat we don't want
to lose," Phlips said. "Loss of the reef habitat may not be
a global catastrophe, but it certainly would be a regional
catastrophe. Florida derives billions from its tropical habitat,
so we're not talking chicken feed."
Florida Bay has evolved and is now a restricted lagoon.
With the algae blooms, many people would view the bay as
"suboptimal," Phlips says, but actually it is still very produc-
tive.
As an algal culture, Florida Bay ends up with a different
food web and risks losing some of the higher life forms
Floridians view as normal and natural for that ecosystem.
And while Florida Bay would have evolved anyway,
people have hurried its evolution along.
"Ecosystems evolve naturally, but we, through road-
building, ditch-building and diversion of water, have created
an unnatural system," Phlips said.
Returning Florida Bay to a more balanced state - one
with less hypersalinity - would flush the system, leaving algae
less time to bloom. Flushing the system, however, would
require replumbing the Everglades, a project Phlips' research
results support and which state and federal governments are
funding.
"The role of this research is to provide information
for good management of environmental resources. W~ater
resources are a very valuable part of this state," Phlips said.
"Everything is tied to water quality, and this is an issue
everybody should be concerned about."
Ed Phlips, phlips@ufl.edu
Sp~ng 2000 21
Milt Putnam
R $id nt h lp
buying homes in Collier County
UF/IFAS Extension, banks and county government join forces to make dreams come true
By Serya Yesilcay
One of the first things Cyndi and Bob Kelly
did when they bought their home was to paint
the front door a flamingo pink to match the
powderpuff blossoms in their front yard.
After Gavin Jones signed ownership papers for his
condo, he adopted two kittens - something he could not
do as a renter.
Both Jones and the Kellys were able to buy their
homes through a program that helps Collier County
residents with lower incomes achieve that goal.
But lower income takes on new meaning in a county
where the median income is $59,100, said Bonnie Fauls,
a Collier County extension agent with the University
of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences,
who helped start the program.
Qualifying for home loans also can be difficult, even
on a moderate income, when the median home price is
$205,000 and affordable rent starts at $700, she said.
Enter the Collier County Home Loan Program, a
consortium of 10 banks, the UF/IFAS Extension Service
and county government, established to provide assistance
for those who couldn't otherwise afford to buy homes.
Participating banks work together with the extension
service to help applicants qualify for homeownership,
said Nancy Merolla, vice president for community rein-
vestment and community compliance manager at Com-
erica Bank Florida.
"We require every borrower to attend a homebuying
workshop presented by the extension service," she said,
"so we feel comfortable that they have some training
on budgeting and they understand the importance of
making a mortgage payment and how to maintain a
home once they're in it."
The role of the extension service is to help potential
owners with topics from loan applications to assistance
in what to look for in a home, Fauls said.
"We just don't put people in homes and walk away.
We give them the prepurchase education and try to teach
them as much as possible," she said.
Sitting in their new living room, surrounded by
stacks of toys, the Kellys agreed their involvement with
the program was a huge learning experience. "It was
tough even when we did qualify," said Mr. Kelly. "There
were other costs, like for the title, appraisal, inspection
- we found out it was quite possible to have obstacles
all along the way."
Spring 2000
left, and Bonnie Fauh have worked together Jgom the
to ensure smooth cooperation among participating
extension service.
/ also had good help, Mrs. Kelly said. Marcy
outreach coordinator for housing at the extension
.~, walked them through the process with more faith
themselves had at times, she said. "She really kept
more than we ever did ourselves. She would
call us and check in," Mrs. Kelly said. "We feel very
arcy."
teaches the workshops and also meets with cli-
along with another Spanish-speaking coor-
our program is a best-kept secret," she
I'll meet with them at their office; or like tonight, I'm
~g with somebody at the Central Library to prequalify
the program began in 1996, 315 residents have
homeowners. "Our goal for the first year was to
20 loans, but we ended up securing 78," Fauls said.
clearly answered a need by targeting working
who can't afford the price of a home, like teachers,
- basically, the working class."
Krumbine, right, helped the Kellys with
and home buying education, providing a way
new Naples home.
Jones is transportation planning manager for Collier
County. Until he moved to Naples from Canada, he hadn't
even considered becoming a homeowner. But being in a
lower income bracket here actually helped him qualify for
assistance, he said. Drawing his living room curtains to reveal
a poolside view framed by palm trees, he showed the pride
of ownership.
"This is a good location and it has all the amenities," he
said. "The amount I paid in rent was almost the same, to the
penny, to what I pay now including tax and condo fee."
Borrowers have been more likely to qualify and keep
their expenses low thanks to adjustments banks made in
their application guidelines, Merolla said. "We waived a lot
of our fees, expanded the debt ratio to allow people with
lower incomes to still qualify," she said. "We also relax our
requirements for credit ratings so applicants can have a few
credit delinquencies with letters of explanation.
"We just try to be more flexible overall than for someone
who just walked in to a bank," she said.
Actually, those who qualify don't even have to walk into
a bank, Merotla said. "The borrowers deal with the extension
service from the minute they make a phone call or express
their interest in buying a home, all the way to the closing
process."
Jones was able to complete his whole application from
his desk. "I called in and then applied by mail," he said.
"The turnaround time for them to get my case rolling was
a day." Krumbine then went to his office to help fill out his
final documents.
For others, the process can take time, Krumbine said.
"We've had several people with really bad credit issues, where
my mind would say 'no way,' but I'd tell them 'this is
what you need to do.' I have seen people turn around and
accomplish this huge task."
Soon after moving to Naples, it became apparent to the
Kellys that the only way they could afford to buy a home
would be through the loan program. Mrs. Kelly had left a
job as computer systems analyst to have more time for her
children and become a foster mother. Even with her husband
working, they soon found themselves facing the prospect of
becoming a lower-income household, she said.
"It takes discipline to adjust to being in the lower-income
bracket here," Mr. Kelly said, "but then the quality of life is
much better - we are now able to live in a safe, older and
established neighborhood."
Thanks to the loan program, they also were able to save
on certain expenses most home buyers have, like being able
to waive private mortgage insurance, he said. "We saved on
having to pay up to $100 a month for nine years; that
would've added up."
So far, all partners agree the Collier County Loan Pro-
gram has been a success, bringing together extension, county
government and banks in a unique collaboration. "The
extension service has really helped connect potential clients
to the banks," Fauls said, and they have received a lot of
"While other Florida counties do have programs for
homebuyer education or bank loan consortiums, this is the
only one I know of where the extension service helps bring
together both the educational and financial components,"
Merolla said.
Demographics ultimately determine what programs to
use, but this would be a good working example for other
counties with similar issues, said Tom Olliff, public services
administrator for Collier County.
Utilizing the educational expertise of UF/IFAS extension
was only the start of new cooperation, he said. "The exten-
sion service has generally been thought of as a branch imple-
menting traditional programs, but it really is an outreach of
Milt Putnam
UF's resources and that entails a much broader menu than
we had realized.
"Now we are trying to see how we can work with the
extension service to meet more real life issues," Olliff said.
It couldn't be more real life for the Kellys, who moved
in to their home just before Christmas. "It was very special
for all of us," said Mrs. Kelly, hugging one of her foster sons.
"We'd love to live here forever."
Bonnie Fauls, nfn07703@naples.net
Bob and Cyndi Kelly enjoy being owners ora home big enough to raise
their own children and their foster kidx.
Rebuilding o Community:
One 4-H ~orden
, ByAmiNeiberger
at o Time
Thomas Wright
Assistant Dean for 4-H
Damon Miller gives Marta-
vb Godwin a hand with a
potted plant.
26 IMPACT
How big is a tree when it begins? Not a tough
question for the army of pint-sized gardeners
.waiting to tackle their latest project as they marched
off the yellow school bus. The exuberant kindergartners
and first-graders from the Joseph Little Nguzo Saba Charter
School fell into formation and were ready to pick up their
trowels and go to war.
The battleground is their own neighborhood - the Tama-
rind Park area in West Palm Beach. It's a neighborhood
overrun by crime, where drug dealers loiter on street corners
and tempt children coming home from school.
The effort to rebuild the area is uniting the very young
and the very old in a 4-H community gardening project.
"I like to dig," said Camra Alexis, 6, as she dug a hole
with Willie Saul, 5. They carefully checked the hole for
buried treasure, just in case, before placing a bush inside.
They were watched over by Francis Gibson Coffield, a retiree
who is young at heart.
"It has an intergenerational component, allowing kids
to spend time with an older generation and find common
interests," said Klm Coldicott, 4-H agent in Palm Beach
County. "Kids don't get the opportunity to do that often."
Senior citizens will be paired with children to work on
their plots together in the garden. Gardening is educational
for kids, said Coldicott. "We believe that gardening is a
hands-on way to teach kids about their connection to nature
and ' "
science.
Not to mention that it's fun. "It's important for children
to play while they are learning," said Damon Miller, assistant
dean for 4-H youth development programs at the University
of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
"Hands-on learning can really make education come alive for
them. Of course, a little imagination helps, too."
And gardening is good for seniors, too. "Working in the
garden gives me strength," said Coffleld, a spry lady with
plenty of get-up-and-go at 75. The garden will be named
after her because she has devoted her life to caring for
children in the community.
A few people might think retirement is a time for relax-
ing, but not Coffield. "I live a full life today. I think it's
important to teach children what the ground can do for
them." She's not alone in her sentiment. Many of the adults
involved in the project have lived in the community for more
than 20 years and are working hard to revive it.
Martavis Godwin, Assistant Dean for 4-H Damon Miller, Lydia
Fagan, Daeika Charles and Francis Gibson Coffield prepare to plant
potted plants.
Bennie Herring grew up in the neighborhood and
left a successful military career 11 years ago to become
executive director of TRUTHS (Truth, Responsibility, Unity,
Training, Hope and Success Inc.). The organization is
working to revitalize the community. It recently co-spon-
sored the "Neighbor
Helping Neighbor"
project ,vith more
than 100 volunteers
from Temple Israel.
The neighbors helped
fix up some of the
houses belonging to
elderly residents,
cleaned up the neigh-
borhood, and pre-
pared the 4-H garden
for further develop-
ment.
Herring was on-
site getting the youth
excited about garden-
ing. "People can do
something for them-
selves if given the
opportunity," said
Herring. After doing
their planting for the
day, he sent the
grubby kindergartners
home with plants, so
they can watch them
grow and talk about
the project with their
parents.
"It has an
intergenerational
component,
allowing kids to
spend time with an
older generation
and find common
interests."
Damon Miller
®
,~ou ~
Spring 2000
He says that many children never get out of the inner city to see nature, and the most
rewarding thing about the 4-H project is seeing a child's face light up when a seedling
comes out of the ground.
That will be reinforced with educational programs. There will be contests for the best
vegetables and flowers. A butterfly garden and sitting area are planned. Coldicott says that
the extension oflqce will do a weekly educational program with the youth and seniors.
Ironically, the garden sits on land where a house was bulldozed after its tenants were
evicted for drug activity and the land was taken by the city. It now belongs to Habitat
for Humanity Palm Beach County, which is leasing the land to the group for $1 a
year. Habitat has committed to building 10 houses in the neighborhood as part of the
revitalization effort.
Organizers say that community gardening does far more than teach children where
food comes from, although that is important. Community gardens can restore a sense
of civic pride and rebuild shattered community linkages, said Cara Jennings, Palm Beach
County 4-H program assistant in community gardening.
Residents have lived in fear of crime for so long that they are afraid to go outside
sometimes, said B. Carleton Bryant, chair of the Black Citizens Coalition and a retired
college professor who lives near the garden.
That attitude is changing thanks to community efforts, according to Bryant. "We will
raise our voices and say we won't take any more of the crime and drugs. Not any more,"
said Bryant. "This project will enhance the community so people can get something out
of it."
Will the retired professor be working in the garden with the kindergartners? He
chuckled and said, "I was the child of migrant farm workers. I think I still have a green
thumb or two left. I guess you do return to your roots."
Thomas Wright Damon Miller, dmi@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu
28 IMPACT
Program assistants Luz Vasquez, loq, and
Sonia Garcia, join coordinator Sandra
Canales, center, to discuss nutrition and
better eating habits with their class.
By teaching the Hispanic population how to eat better
and have higher nutritional standards, the program helps
them lead healthier lives, said Sandra Canales, food and
nutrition program coordinator at the University of Florida's
Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service.
"We target a lot of families with children, because we
know they are the ones who will make the difference," she
said. "We also work with pregnant women and teens to
implement healthy eating habits from the start."
The program has really helped change food patterns and
behaviors, said Linda Cook, coordinator of UF's Expanded
Food and Nutrition Education Program.
"The Dade County Hispanic unit works with around
2,500 families a year to improve eating habits," she said.
And that means reaching another 8,000 or so family
members through the participants.
The program has served many
people since 1983, but it really
isn't enough, Canales said.
"We really only reach a
minimum number, because of
resource limitations.
"We just do not have the
manpower to do enough."
Nor do they get adequate
funding to sustain this and other
similar programs around Florida,
Cook said. "The program is
mostly federally funded with lim-
ited state and county funding.
"Federal dollars have not
increased in the past ten years,
and unfortunately there is more
emphasis on special initiatives
instead of continuing programs
like this one," she said.
Ultimately, the families they
help are the ones that lose the
most through all the cuts, Canales
said. A high percentage of them
receive federal food assistance or
other forms of aid, and the pro-
gram has especially been effective
in turning that assistance into
good nutrition, she said.
"Our focus has been to com-
plement other food assistance
programs, which provide the
physical help; but we give them
the education to wisely spend that
assistance."
Working with other agencies
is an important component of the
program and also helps them find
potential clients, Canales said.
"We target agencies they already
use, like Food Stamps, which pro-
vides the actual food dollars, and we
can tell them what to buy to have
a balanced meal; or Women, Infants
and Children, which gives vouchers,
and we inform clients about proper
nutrition."
They also go to clinics where
people receive other services, Canales
said. "Then they can also learn about
better nutrition and what to eat to be
more healthy."
Since 53 percent of the pop-
ulation is Hispanic, teaching very
often becomes bilingual, Canales
said. "Our books, materials are all
bilingual, and even if there is one
non-Spanish speaker in a class, we go
over everything in two languages."
Clients need to complete a 10-to-
12-lesson course on food and nutri-
tion, usually over several months, taught by UF/IFAS
extension agents and volunteers.
They then earn certificates which many even use during
job searches, Canales said.
"These are low-income people, with maybe a sixth grade
education at most, and for many of them, a certificate from a
university is very important.
"So they take the program very seriously."
Cook agreed. "It is interesting to go back to some homes
of clients after a year and see the certificates hanging on
their walls.
Sandra Canales speaks to a nutrition class
"For many, these are the only certificates
they have ever gotten, and we hear success stories
of how they have found jobs as a result.
"They just really improve their lives and
sense of well-being overall," she said.
But it will become even more difficult to
sustain programs when federal partners have not
indicated any hope for future funding, Canales
said, and they will probably have to keep cutting
manpower and resources to continue their pro-
grams.
"If this 5vere a one time deal, we could have
reached more people, but with a series of pro-
grams we really target a much more in-depth
kind of learning," she said.
In depth and personal - if students miss a
class, instructors will either go to their homes
or stay after class to repeat the lessons, Canales
said.
All that effort takes time and money, but
Canales does not lose hope.
"One of our agents who has been around for
29 years would always say how scared they were
every year that funding would be cut.
"But now she is retiring, and laughs it off,
saying, 'If it has been around this long, you don't
have to worry any more.'
"I hope she's r~ght.
Sandra Canales, scv@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu
Linda Cook, ldc@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu
Spring 2000
Environmental educators will get better
opportunities to address Florida's issues
through UF/IFAS program
The next time you attend a work-
shop on Florida's environment, you
might be able to learn from a real mas-
ter--a Florida Master Naturalist, to be
exact.
Ecotourism operators and wildlife
managers alike have expressed needs for
more structured education, leading to
the creation of the Florida Master Natu-
ralist Program, spearheaded by a Uni-
versity of Florida researcher.
"One of the reasons I wanted to do
this program was to learn more myself,"
said Martin Main, wildlife ecologist
with UF's Institute of Food and Agri-
cultural Sciences. But the main incen-
tive was the lack of qualified people to
present accurate information, he said.
Until now. The Florida Master Nat-
uralist Program being developed by
Main and professionals at other envi-
ronmental institutions, will help train
qualified environmental instructors.
"By training environmental educa-
tion professionals as Florida Master
Naturalist Program instructors, we can
reach a much larger audience and maxi-
mize returns from our investment in
this program," Main said.
Educating people to make the most
of Florida is crucial, especially now,
when the threats to conservation are
so big. Urbanization and tourism have
both affected Florida's natural habitat,
he said.
"Even ecotourism, with a 30 percent
growth per year, can become a threat
to the environment," Main said. "For
example, disturbing colonies of nesting
wading birds or eagle nests would not
be practices we want ecotour operators
to engage in, even if unintentionally."
To prevent such practices, master
naturalists would train in environmen-
tal ethics as well, he said.
Although there are some small
groups that do very well at training
their employees, guides and volunteers,
most of existing environmental training
depends on the work of one person,
Main said. That can be difficult to sus-
tain, when most attempts "bring in a
disconnected series of speakers -- on
bats one year, on butterflies another," he
said.
"By developing program materials
and format, training efforts will be fairly
consistent among instructors, which is
important from a potential employer's
perspective," Main said. "This way,
instructors can follow a guided path
while adding their own expertise as
well."
That path will include teaching
about Florida's freshwater, upland and
coastal ecosystems to employees, vol-
unteers, ecotour operators, and other
interested persons. Three different
teaching modules will have 40 con-
tact-hours each, including 16 classroom
hours, 18 hours in the field, and a
six-hour supervised practicum where
students will have supervised practice
presenting information to tour groups.
Martin said the program's evolution
was helped by a collaborative funding
effort: a recent $91,190 grant from the
Florida Advisory Council in Environ-
Martin Main stresses the importance of edu-
cating people to make the most of Florida,
especially when urbanization and tourism are
rapidly becoming threats to its environment.
New educational program to target
natural resource issues in South Florida
Wildlife ecologist Martin Main envisions the
Master Naturalist program as a way to protect
Florida's environment through intensive edu-
cation for ecotourism professionals.
mental Education; $12,000 from The
Southwest Florida Council on Envi-
ronment Education Inc., along with a
UF Extension Enhancement Award for
another $4,000.
The first training session is planned
for early 2001, following the devel-
opment of the wetlands module. But
interest is already high, Main said. "We
have a big group of people who are will-
ing to teach and others chomping at the
bit to start the program. People want
to be able to say 'I've taken the neces-
sary training, and it comes from UE'"
Other cooperators include Florida
Gulf Coast University, professional eco-
tourism operators, and the National
Audubon Society Corkscrew Swamp
Sanctuary.
For more information, visit
www. masternaturalist.com or contact
Martin Main at (941) 658-3400 at the
Southwest Florida Research and Educa-
tion Center in Immokalee.
Martin Main, mbma@icon.imok.ufl.edu
--Serya Yesilcay
The Florida Earth Project is almost
ready for take-off, and participants
can look forward to exploring South
Florida's major natural resource issues
on location.
With an outdoor setting to experi-
ence real-life conservation issues, par-
ticipants will get to apply theoretical
knowledge or learn more on topics
out of their areas of expertise, said
Stan Bronson, an extension agent for
the University of Florida's Institute of
Food and Agricultural Sciences, who
also works on agricultural and natural
resources policy. "We want to turn the
Everglades into a classroom laboratory."
Along with the Everglades to pro-
vide a perfect setting, Florida uni-
versities, government agencies, private
industry and non-governmental institu-
tions have agreed to offer their exper-
tise.
"The Earth Project will provide a
hands-on chance for learning on agri-
culture, politics and environment in the
Everglades area--from water manage-
ment policies to a chance to see first-
hand what farmers are doing to work in
the Everglades area and enhance its con-
servation,'' said Mitch Flinchum, Dis-
trict 5 coordinator for the UF/IFAS
Extension Service.
The project will be open to uni-
versity students, professionals from gov-
ernment agencies and private industry.
Teaching will include guest lectures,
seminars and field experience through
six separate teaching modules to allow
instructors to give a comprehensive
view on different issues, Bronson said.
Although the whole course will take
three to four weeks to complete, partici-
pants also will be able to take the mod-
ules separately. This will help address
the needs of both extension education
and academia, he said. "You can look at
it both as a university component and
for professionals, to educate the part-
ners themselves."
Taken as a whole, the modules will
cover all aspects of South Florida's nat-
ural resources environment, nronson
said. Topics of study will cover a survey
of the region, its agriculture, the South
Florida Water Management District,
natural systems, development and resto-
ration.
Although South Florida is of pri-
mary concern, Bronson said the topics
relate to other geographic areas and
could thus attract students from diverse
backgrounds. "Florida students from
natural resources, agriculture or envi-
ronmental engineering can apply," he
said, "but we want the program to
be transferable. Someone from Duke
should be able to come, or someone
from a South American university--
they can see things that those countries
will be dealing with 20 to 30 years from
n ow."
In Florida, the project already has
brought together more than 30 part-
ners, including UF's Center for Natural
Resources, the South Florida Water
Management District, non-governmen-
tal organizations including the National
Audubon Society, agricultural compa-
nies and other private industry. "Interest
in the project was very high from the
start," Bronson said. Classes will start
in July, just a year after the initial idea
originated.
Applications will be accepted start-
ing in April. For more information,
check http://earthproject.ifas.ufl.edu
or contact Bronson at (561) 233-1724.
Stan Bronson, bronson@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu
--Serya Yesilcay
Spring 2000 33
Silicon gets the respect it deserves
Wcn it comes to plant nutrients, sili-
n is finally getting the respect it
deserves, thanks to a group of University
of Florida scientists whose breakthrough
research has demonstrated the importance
of this element in world agriculture.
"Until now, this element has always
befuddled people because plant nutrition-
ists have never considered it essential,"
said Lawrence Datnoff, professor of plant
pathology with the UF's Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).
He said new findings by a group of
scientists at the Everglades Research and
Education Center (REC) in Belle Glade
show this element can boost crop yields,
reduce the need for expensive fungicides
and improve plant resistance to some
diseases. Datnoff said silicon has been
used successfully in Florida on rice and
sugarcane for many years and has been
reported to improve production on other
crops ranging from citrus and strawberries
to tomatoes and cucurbits.
"For me, as a plant pathologist, to
see what silicon does for disease control
is just phenomenal," he said. "It doesn't
just control one disease, it controls several
diseases. You can better manage your fun-
gicide applications, reduce the number
of applications or maybe eliminate them
altogether."
Datnoff and other researchers at the
Everglades REC have demonstrated that
the residual effects of this element one
year later provide effective disease control
comparable to the application of fungi-
cides.
"We also found this element could
enhance control of the two most impor-
tant rice diseases in the world--blast
(Magnaporthae griesa) and sheath blight
(Thanatephorus cucumeris)," he said. "In
the case of rice cultivars that are partially
resistant to these diseases, the use of sili-
con makes them almost completely resis-
tant.''
Other faculty at the Everglades REC
working with Datnoff are George Snyder,
distinguished professor of soil science;
Jose Alvarez, professor of agricultural eco-
nomics; and Christopher Deren, professor
of agronomy/breeding. Thomas Kucha-
rek, professor of plant pathology at UF
in Gainesville, is also working with the
research group. The UF group, which
recently won the prestigious UF/IFAS
Interdisciplinary Research Award, is cur-
rently engaged in collaborative work with
soil scientists and plant pathologists from
Brazil, Colombia, India and Russia.
Out of the UF group effort has come
a calibrated soil test for silicon, now one
of the most requested tests conducted
by the Everglades REC. A rapid method
for assessing the silicon content of plant
tissue also has been developed, and it is
now being used by a number of private
laboratories.
Datnoff said the UF research group
revealed that silicon has great potential
for being incorporated into an integrated
pest management program for managing
diseases such as blast. The group also
demonstrated that yields may be increased
without further genetic improvements.
These yield increases are associated with
silicon increasing grain set (sexual fertil-
ity) more than any other biomass compo-
nent.
"We have found that silicon can ben-
efit plant growth through greater yields .in
rice while improving the sugar content ~n
sugarcane," Datnoff said. "Silicon can be
very useful, especially when these plants
are under stress. Silicon may enhance
soil fertility, improve soil physical proper-
ties, improve disease and pest resistance,
increase photosynthesis, regulate evapo-
transpiration, increase tolerance to toxic
elements such as aluminum and manga-
nese and reduce frost damage."
Because of UF research, many insti-
tutions in the United States (University
of Arkansas, University of Georgia, Lou-
isiana State University, North Carolina
State University, Rutgers University) and
other countries (Australia, Brazil, Colom-
bia, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand,
Venezuela, Vietnam) are now implement-
ing this approach or studying its feasi-
bility in rice and other crops, including
rescue, rye, sugarcane and wheat. Conse-
quently, this UF research has not only
helped local and national rice growers,
but has helped rice and other types of
growers around the world.
The UF researchers summarized the
per-hectare benefits (gross revenues) of
using silicon minus costs from increased
34 IMPACT
Lawrence Datnoff plant pathologist at the
Everglades Research and Education Center in
Belle Glade, examines rice plants in a green-
house.
rice yields, controlling blast and other dis-
eases, potential grain discoloration, insect
management, reduced phosphorus appli-
cations and liming costs. Total extra net
returns from the silicon application, using
the yield-cost-price structure assumed for
South Florida, amounts to a total of
$349.39 per hectare. This figure encom-
passes a comprehensive - although con-
servative - total benefit that resulted
from silicon research conducted in differ-
ent ecosystems in Florida, Colombia and
other parts of the world.
These and other research findings
were discussed by 90 scientists and
industry personnel from around the
world at the Silicon in Agriculture Con-
ference in September 1999 in Fort Lau-
derdale. The program included speakers
from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colom-
bia, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zea-
land, Russia, South Africa and the United
States.
The conference was organized by
Datnoff, Snyder and Gaspar Korndorfer,
professor of soil science at the Univer-
sidade Federal de Uberlandia in Brazil.
Sponsors included the UF and U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Lawrence Datnoff, leda@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu
--Chuck Woods
IFAS Communication Services is
looking for Florida Cooperative
Extension Service offices interested
in representing the IFAS Extension
Bookstore, formerly IFAS Publica-
tions, at trade shows and profes-
sional meetings for the purpose of
selling educational resources pro-
duced by the Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences at UE Dis-
counts off the retail price for bulk
purchases are now available. Please
contact Eva Squires, Marketing/
For-Sales Coordinator, at
352o392-2411, or email
esquires@gnv, ifas.ufl.edu-
i~UNIVERSITY OF
FLORIDA
I ..... F~.~ A, ........ S~
Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources
The University of Florida
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
EO. Box 110180
Gainesville, FL 32611-0180
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID~
PERMIT NO. 540
GAINESVILLE, FL
To all Collier County Commissioners Ladies and Gentlemen.
Saturday, May 05, 2001
I William Griffith am the parent ofPatricia Griffith who is a developmentally disabled
adult. I am very concerned over the lack of funding available for affordable housing
for this growing population.
Currently, S.H.I.P. funds available in Collier County for purchasing individval or
residential housing is $5,000. Other Counties in the state of Florida currently recieve
much more funding than Collier county for these individvals.
I would appreciate the most urgent reconsidering these regulations and make Collier
County more friendly to these deserving individuals by making more S.H.I.P. money
availble to this program.
Thank you all for the help on this very important program.
Cordially William Griffith & Mary Griffith
4410 Chantelle Dr H 102
Naples FL 34112.7182
Wednesday, May 9, 2001
Collier County Commission
Collier County Courthouse
3301 Tamiami Tr. E.
Naples, Fl. 34112
Dear Commissioners,
1 mn the ~nother of a developmentally disabled son. My husband and 1 are quite
concerned about the lack of adequate funding available fbr aflbrdable housing
in this county.
Under the present Commission, S.H.I.P. funds available in Collier County for
purchasing residential housing is $5,000.00. This is considerably less than what
other counties have made available from this source.
Please reconsider your position on this matter and make Collier County more
considerate toward these handicapped individuals by making more S.H.I.P. funds
available for housing.
Yours truly, //
Ann C. Snyder
Richard W. Sttyder
3131 Riviera Dr.
Naplex, Fl. 34103
Wednesday, May 9, 2001
Collier County Commissioners
Collier County Government Complex
Naples, Fl.
Hon. Commissioners,
I am the father of a developmentally handicapped son. My wife and I are very
concerned about the inadequate funding available for affordable housing in this
community.
Currently S.H.I.P. fhnds available in Collier County tbr purchasing residential
housing is $5,000.00. Other counties in Florida receive considerably more
thnding tbr these handicapped people.
We are asking you to reconsider your position in this matter and make Collier
County more friendly toward these deserving individuals by making more S.H.I.P.
funds available fbr housing.
Sincerely,
Richard Snyder