RECENT OCKLAWAHA RIVER RESTORATION EFFORTS 2006-2012 - "Rally for the Rivers" PCEC. 2012 - "Florida Defenders of the Environment has teamed with the Florida Wildlife Federation and Earthjustice, the nationally acclaimed environmental law firm to file suit against the United States Forest Service to protected manatees and other endangered species harmed by the continued existence of Rodman Dam." 2014 - "River be dammed (http://riverbedammed.org/) FDE and Matt Keene (and others). 2015 - "The time has come to finally restore the Ocklawaha River. The Ocklawaha is the largest tributary to the St. Johns River. Restoration of the Ocklawaha's historic flow will provide significant ecological benefits to the St. Johns, expand recreational and economic opportunities, and mitigate some of the adverse impacts of the proposed channel deepening of the St. Johns River." St. Johns Riverkeeper. Think of ALL that has been achieved already! "Ocklawahaman" volunteered in all of those sincere projects. Now in 2016 there is the "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" online petition at https://www.change.org/p/st-johns-river-water-management-di… by "Ocklawahaman" Paul Nosca. I ask you to sign FOR-FREE this petition which has 1725 signatures currently -- and ask your spouse, significant other, and/or friends to sign FOR-FREE also. "Ocklawahaman" DOES NOT accept, seek, or want any donations for this cause (breaching Rodman Dam to restore to free-flowing again "Source to the Sea" the 56-mainstream mile Ocklawaha River - Silver River - Silver Springs "Outstanding Florida Water" system). Just as you should be able to vote in the November general election FOR-FREE as a US citizen and Florida resident, I believe that you should be able to PETITION -- FOR-FREE -- SJRWMD and FDEP to earnestly begin Ocklawaha River restoration. FOR-FREE show your support for the free migration -- St. Johns River to Silver Springs -- of the Florida manatee, channel catfish, and Atlantic-race STRIPED BASS. Note that the native Atlantic-race STRIPED BASS lost its only suitable spawning habitat of the entire St. Johns River basin (and the most southern in the U.S.) when Rodman (Kirkpatrick) Dam was closed across the Ocklawaha River on September 30, 1968. Riverine LARGEMOUTH BASS have been native to the Ocklawaha River for thousands of years -- they don't need Rodman Dam or Rodman Reservoir for their survival! Thank you to all that have already signed this petition FOR-FREE https://www.change.org/p/st-johns-river-water-management-di… and desire a free-flowing "Source to the Sea" 56-mainstream-mile "Real-Florida-By-God" Ocklawaha River - Silver River - Silver Springs system! Currently only 1725 "votes" to breach Rodman Dam. When I appear at a future SJRWMD board meeting in Palatka I would want 3,000-5,000 "votes" that "Ocklawahaman" represents! Encourage others and spouses and/or significant others to do the same! Remember that in the "Rough and Tumble" of politics, TWO (or THREE) votes beats ONE! Are we serious about getting Ocklawaha restoration started in earnest? Or? Please be aware that many active public employees of the Federal or State (of Florida) governments who agree with this "FREE THE OCKLAWAHA RIVER BY THE BREACHING OF RODMAN DAM" petition will be very reluctant to sign it publicly because of social media policies that may apply to them -- they have their careers, retirements, and families to consider! "Ocklawahaman" understands their situation because I was a U.S. and Florida governmental employee before retirement. Thanks for your support! Sincerely, "Ocklawahaman" Paul Nosca. The PETITION is based upon Hendrickson, J. 2016. Effects on Lower St. Johns River Nutrient Supply and TMDL Target Compliance from the Restoration of a Free-Flowing Ocklawaha River. Technical Publication SJ2016-1. 107 pages. St. Johns River Water Management District, Palatka, Florida. SOME EXCERPTS FOLLOW: "Funds were provided for the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) to undertake the study of these four alternatives. As part of the comprehensive assessment performed by SJRWMD, Volume 11 of the Environmental Studies Concerning Four Alternatives for Rodman Reservoir and the Lower Ocklawaha River, Surface Water Quality and Alternatives Analysis for Rodman Reservoir (ECT, 1994) predicted a post-restoration increase in nitrogen (in the form of nitrate+nitrite-N) and phosphorus (as orthophosphate) loads of 878 and 30 metric tons/yr to the LSJR." "Despite the predicted increase in downstream nutrient load, the positive aspects related to the restoration of floodplain functions, increased unique habitat and migratory fish passage appeared to provide overall net environmental gain. At the directive of then-Gov. Lawton Chiles and the Florida Cabinet, FDEP in 1997 submitted a permit application to SJRWMD for the removal of Rodman Reservoir to restore a free-flowing lower Ocklawaha River." "But in 1999, once the permit application package was complete, the case for the restoration was deemed insufficient to meet the environmental resource permit (ERP) and consumptive use permit (CUP) public interest tests, and SJRWMD staff informed FDEP that they could not recommend approval to their Governing Board. The most prominent concern contributing to the recommendation of denial centered on the potential adverse impacts of increased nutrient load to the lower St. Johns River. Adding to this concern was the fact that the lower St. Johns at the time was one of the most prominent water bodies included on the 1999 consent decree between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Earthjustice to establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for impaired Florida waters. FDEP requested that SJRWMD not take agency action and to hold the permit in abeyance indefinitely, a status which has continued until this day." "Should FDEP choose to pursue this restoration, and if a mitigation were deemed appropriate to offset potential harm based on the predicted phosphorus load increase, it would likely be achievable through a combination of treatment project options directed elsewhere in the middle St. Johns, Lake George, or the freshwater LSJR. This fact, combined with the understanding of adverse impacts that accompany reservoir drawdowns, a necessary management action for the maintenance of the reservoir (Hendrickson et al., 2016), appears sufficient such that a recommendation of denial, on the grounds of the detrimental impacts to downstream water quality, is no longer a certainty for this restoration permit." This Hendrickson SJRWMD report is our best supporting data for restoration! Sign the PETITION for-free so that I represent more people when I deliver the PETITION and speak at the SJRWMD Palatka HQ.