Thanks in part to your involvement and our strength in numbers, cattle leasing seems to have been taken off the table as a imminent land use in Myakka River State Park. But recent developments are alarming, so you are receiving this urgent update. First, Don Forgione has been removed as Director of the Florida Park Service. Forgione has been a steady hand – a man who knew the Parks from the bottom up and understood the longstanding park mission. He has been sent to manage Paynes Prairie. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-florida-park-director-demoted-20161216-story.html Here’s the problem: when I met with Secretary Steverson on the day of his confirmation hearing, Don Forgione was sitting at his side. Steverson explained that Forgione would ensure that nothing bad befell the state parks. Of course, that was a little disingenuous because Forgione is the employee, not the employer. But it was an implicit promise that the mission of the State Parks would not be tampered with too much. Now that Forgione has been removed, we fear a change in direction towards increased resource exploitation, reduced professional staffing, and increased outsourcing. As for Myakka River State Park, we are still awaiting a draft Unit Management Plan update. DEP is supposed to hold a hearing when the plan is made public, but they have been fudging – substituting “stations” where the public is supposed to talk one-on-one with staff. A recent demonstration of this approach in Sarasota was a flop. http://jono08.blogspot.com/2016/11/dep-fail-at-lido-key-nourishment-public.html Here’s what you can do: 1) Send an email today to DEP Secretary Jon Steverson (jon.steverson@dep.state.fl.us) and tell him in your own words that you expect DEP to appoint an experienced state park professional as new Director of the Florida Park Service -- someone that reflects the comparable values and approach as Don Forgione. 2) If you are a Facebook user, consider joining Florida State Parks in Peril. (link below) 3) Let your friends and any media contacts know this is big deal and urgent. It would be great if hundreds of emails were to be on Steverson’s computer desktop Monday morning December 19th.