HomeMy WebLinkAboutDocumentation_Regular_Tab 18_03/18/2008VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA
AGENDA ITEM TRANSMITTAL FORM
1. VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING:
Meeting Date:
Meeting Type: Regular
Ordinance #: N/A
3/18/08
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Consent Agenda: No
Resolution #: N/A
Originating Department: Clerk — Per Vice -Mayor Watkins request during the
January 2008 Meeting
2. AGENDA ITEM TITLE: (Wording form the SUBJECT line of your staff report)
Council discussion and action on appointing a Council Member as a Representative on the Jupiter
Inlet Working Group to assist in marketing the lighthouse and surrounding area as a historical site
3. BUDGET / FINANCIAL IMPACT:
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item.
4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF MAJOR ISSUES: (This is a snap shot description of the agenda item)
During the 1/10/08 Council Meeting, Vice -Mayor Watkins asked this item be placed on the February
Meeting for discussion. She attended the recent Jupiter Inlet Working Group Meeting and have
requested a Council Member serve as a representative.
5. APPROVALS:
Dept. Head: + � (,W' Finance Director:
Attorney: (for legal sufficiency) Yes ❑ No ❑
Village Manager:
SUBMIT FOR COUNCIL DISCUSSION: ET
APPROVE ITEM: ❑
DENY ITEM: ❑
MEMORANDUM
Village of Tequesta
Clerk's Office
TO: Mr. Michael R. Couzzo, Jr., Village Manager
Honorable Mayor and Village Council Members
FROM: Lori McWilliams, Village Clerk
DATE: January 25, 2008
SUBJECT: Jupiter Inlet Work Group — Council Member Representative
During the 1/10/08 Council Meeting, Vice -Mayor Watkins asked that this request be
placed on the February for consideration by the Tequesta Village Council. She,
attended the recent Jupiter Inlet Working Group Meeting and have requested a Council
Member serve as a representative. `
Agenda
Jupiter Inlet Working Group Meeting
Jan 8t" @ 2 PM
Welcome & Introductions Mayor Golonka 2:00-2:05
Why We Are Here Today Bruce Dawson 2:05-2:10
Where We Are Going From Here'
Strategy Discussion All 2:10-2:30
Comments from Partners WG Members 2:30-2:40 ,1 `
Remarks Commissioner Marcus 2:40-2:50
- .A
Remarks Congressman Mahoney 2:50-3:00
Concept Paper
on
Establishing the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area
Purpose: Establishing the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and the surrounding 126 acres as a
congressionally designated "Outstanding Natural Area."
Background: Through a series of Executive Orders and other actions beginning in 1854,
about 126 acres in the area around the present-day Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse were provided
by the United States Department of the Interior to the forerunner of the present day
United States Coast Guard for lighthouse purposes. For the next century and a half the
land was used for navigational purposes. In 1996, the Coast Guard returned
approximately 80 acres of these lands to the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land
Management (BLM). The area lies in northern Palm Beach County and is divided by
Highway 707 with roughly the northern one-third lying in the Village of Tequesta and the
southern two-thirds lying in the Town of Jupiter. The eastern boundary is the Intercoastal
Waterway (Indian River Lagoon) and the southern boundary is the Loxahatchee River
(see attached map).
Today, the area is managed by a number of different federal and local entities for an array
of values. The Jupiter Inlet Natural Area/Area of Critical Environmental Concern
(approximately 54 acres north of Highway 707) is managed by the BLM and Palm Beach
County's Department of Environmental Resource Management for sensitive resource
values and passive recreation. To the south, Lighthouse Park (17.8 acres) is managed by
the Town of Jupiter for intensive recreation. Through an agreement with the Coast
Guard, the Loxahatchee River Historical Society manages the historic Jupiter Inlet
Lighthouse and associated acreage including preserving and maintaining the structure and
providing interpretive tours to the public. The BLM manages 8.5 acres on the south half
of the tract for natural values. The Coast Guard administers roughly 17.9 acres in the
center of the south half for base housing and a Post Exchange. In addition, the Coast
Guard has 22.8 acres south of Highway 707 along the Intercoastal Waterway which it
plans to return to the BLM in the near future. The BLM will manage this area for natural
values and passive recreation and will designate it as an area of critical environmental
concern.
Issue: The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is a local and regional icon of national significance.
The surrounding properties contain significant cultural and biological resources.
Biologically, the area is home to an extraordinary 18 special status plant and animal
species. Culturally, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and surrounding area has a rich and
colorful history and pre -history dating back 5,000 years. The Jupiter Light and adjacent
Oil House are on the National Register of Historic Places. Central to the uniqueness of
the site is the authenticity of the experience. A Lighthouse visit amidst such exceptional
natural heritage is on that is remembered.
Over the last decade, a great deal has been accomplished at the site. This includes habitat
improvement for indigenous species, reducing wildfire danger through prescribed
burning, wetland construction, invasive plant removal, planting of native species,
lighthouse restoration and community park improvement. This area offers a unique
opportunity to provide critical and rapidly vanishing publicly owned green space in a
highly urbanized part of Florida. It could ensure the continued use and enjoyment by the
public today and for generations to come.
Proposal: To designate the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse as an Outstanding Natural
Area.
The "Outstanding Natural Area" concept is a congressional designation that was
established to protect federal lands that contain unique scenic, scientific, educational, and
recreational values for the enjoyment of current and future generations. Recreation
activities center on those that foster education and interpretation of the Outstanding
Natural Area's unique resources. The BLM's first and only Outstanding Natural Area is
Yaquina Head along Oregon's Coast. The centerpiece of this 100 -acre area is the historic
Yaquina Head Lighthouse.
Yaquina Head was established as an Outstanding Natural Area by the U.S. Congress (PL
-96-199) in 1980 and became a part of the BLM's National Landscape Conservation
System (NLCS) in 2000. The NLCS brings into a single system BLM's premier
environmental, scenic, historic and recreational areas. BLM has placed these lands into
an organized system to increase public awareness and appreciation for these areas'
scientific, cultural, educational, ecological and other values.
This designation at Jupiter Inlet would give this iconic Lighthouse the distinction of
being the most significant East Coast representative of the National Landscape
Conservation System -- the eastern counterpart to Yaquina Head. There are many
striking similarities between Jupiter Inlet and Yaquina Head — from the size (roughly 100
acres), to the lighthouse centerpiece, to the emphasis on partnerships in protection and
management. Great promise could be realized in a lighthouse bookends concept:
Yaquina Head on the Pacific Coast and Jupiter Inlet on the Atlantic.
A tremendous opportunity exists for the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and the surrounding area
to be the Nation's only other Outstanding Natural Area and the only significant NLCS
designation east of the Mississippi River. Such a designation would elevate the visibility
of the local community while ensuring protection for sensitive cultural and biological
resources. Such a designation would showcase cooperation and collaboration at all levels
of government as well as non-governmental entities such as non-profit organizations.
To this end, two bills were introduced in the U. S. Congress for designation of the Jupiter
Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area (JILONA) on April 18, 2007 — S.1143 in the
Senate and H.R. 1922 in the House of Representatives. Both bills have had
subcommittee hearings and are awaiting mark-up.
Jupiter Inlet Working Group Meeting Notes
(17 December 2007)
Attendees: Mayor Golonka (Town), Russ Ruskay (Town), Cindy Defilippo (County),
Barry Smith (ERM), Alyse Porter ( organizational advisor), Roger Buckwalter (LRHS),
Jamie Stuve (LRHS), Katherine Murray (constituent advisor), Neal White (Jupiter High
School Environmental Research and Field Studies Academy) and Bruce Dawson (BLM).
Meeting Purpose: Strategy for passage of S.1143 and H.R.1922 in 2008
Expected Outcomes: Identification of specific action items to increase visibility of
JILONA and encourage congressional action
Legislation Update: Companion JILONA bills were introduced in the Senate and House
on April 18, 2007. On the Senate side, Bill Nelson was the sponsor (Mel Martinez signed
on as a cosponsor). In the House, the bill was introduced by Tim Mahoney
(Representatives Klein and Hastings signed on as cosponsors). The Senate Energy and
Natural Resources Committee had a subcommittee hearing concerning JILONA on
September 20, 2007 — Senator Martinez gave written testimony. The House Natural
Resources Committee had a subcommittee hearing on October 23, 2007 — oral and
written testimony was provided by Congressman Mahoney and Mayor Golonka. The
Senate Public Lands Subcommittee (of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee)
made preliminary edits to the JILONA bill which they ran by Senator Nelson's staff and
Mayor Golonka. The next step is "mark-up" which we hope will come by late January or
early February.
Planned Actions Discussion:
1. JILONA Concept Paper. Concept paper is to be updated by Bruce and emailed
to Working Group. Concept paper will be used by Working Group members to
increase public awareness via weblinks to or updates of homepages (e.g., Palm
Beach County, Town of Jupiter, LRHS). Concept paper may possibly be used by
Neal White for a letter writing campaign from past and present Academy
students. Notion of a web -blast was discussed.
2. Letter to Editor and/or Op Ed. Group agreed to start with Letter to Editor.
Roger agreed to draft Letter. Bruce is to provide Roger with key points to action.
Possible newspapers discussed were Jupiter Courier, Stuart News, Sun Sentinel
and Palm Beach Post.
3. Meeting with Congressman Mahoney. Mayor Golonka agreed to take the lead.
Meeting is set for Tuesday, January 8 @ 2 PM. Jamie and Roger agreed to host
the meeting at the Lighthouse Museum. Scheduled attendees are Congressman
Mahoney, Congressman Klein, Commissioner Marcus, Mayor Golonka (Jupiter),
Mayor Humpage (Tequesta), Russ Ruskay (Town), Kate Mareno (Town), Cindy
Defilippo (County), Rich Walesky (ERM), Barry Smith (ERM), Alyse Porter
(organizational advisor), Roger Buckwalter (LRHS), Jamie Stuve (LRHS),
Katherine Murray (constituent advisor), Neal White (Jupiter High School
Environmental Research and Field Studies Academy), Bruce Dawson (BLM),
Shayne Banks (BLM), Coast Guard representative.
4. Lighthouse Rally. The idea of a rally at the Lighthouse to raise community
awareness and support was discussed. Cindy shared the success that Palm Beach
County had with a similar event for construction of a pier. A tentative date of
Saturday, February 2, 2007 was set for the rally. Jamie and Alyse agreed to take
the lead.
5. Booth at Jupiter Jubilee. There was some brainstorming over the idea of a
JILONA booth at the Jupiter Jubilee event to continue to raise public awareness
and keep the pending legislation front and center for the media and the voters.
Summary of Planned Actions Responsibility Status
* Update Concept Paper and email to Group Bruce Done
* Letter to Editor Roger On track
* Meeting with Congressman Mahoney on Jan. 8 Mayor/Bruce On track
* Lighthouse Rally Jamie/Alyse Developing