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ERM Earns NACo Achievement Awards

The Department of Environmental Resources Management (ERM) was awarded 2010 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards for wetland restoration work at Ibis Isle and oyster reef restoration in the Lake Worth Lagoon.

Begun in 1970, the NACo Achievement Awards recognize counties for innovative program development and implementation, efficient administrative management, and responsible government to local citizens. Awards are given in more than 20 categories ranging from arts and historic preservation to volunteerism.

The Ibis Isle restoration project established eight acres of diverse intertidal habitat featuring mangroves, tidal marsh, oyster habitat, and shallow channels.

Construction began in June 2009 and was completed in January 2010. To make the site suitable for planting, one to three feet of clean sand was placed over eight acres of muck.  More than 1,500 tons of limerock was placed along the perimeter of the project to create habitat for oysters. Volunteers planted more than three acres of red mangrove seedlings in addition to the three acres of tidal marsh vegetation planted by a contractor. The restored wetland provides habitat for wading and shorebird species and long-term water quality benefits to the Lake Worth Lagoon.

The volunteer oyster reef restoration project created 1,800 square feet of oyster reef habitat in the Lake Worth Lagoon. After many months of research and coordination with various agencies and municipalities, more than 160 volunteers gathered at the Town of Lantana’s Bicentennial Park to fill 1,400 netted bags with 24 tons of fossilized shell.  The bags of shell were placed along the lagoon shoreline within the Lantana Nature Preserve. This project not only increased the amount of hard surfaces available for oyster recruitment, it also promoted community involvement to protect the Lake Worth Lagoon.

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Fire Rescue Receives Telly Award

The county Fire Rescue Training and Safety Division’s Video Production Section has been recognized nationally for its achievements in video production.

The section received an award in the 31st annual Telly Awards.  The Tellys honor outstanding local, regional and cable television programming. “Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Consolidated 1984,” a documentary about the founding of the department and its history, received a bronze Telly Award for outstanding achievement.

This accomplishment has put the video team in the company of other award recipients such as Walt Disney Studios, Universal Studios, the Weather Channel and our very own PBC TV Channel 20.

The Telly Awards receives more than 13,000 entries each year, with only 7 to 10 percent of entries receiving silver awards and 18 to 25 percent receiving bronze awards.

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Mounts Botanical Garden Receives Donated Sculpture

A marble sculpture, “Bird in a Tree,” was recently given to the Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden for display in the garden.  Made of etowah marble and valued at $20,000, the artwork was donated by artist Gert E. Olsen of Jupiter.  The sculpture is located in the slash pine area on the northeast side of the lake.

The sculpture is a marble disk with a hole in the center.  One side represents a deciduous tree, the other side represents a palm tree; and in the center of the disk is a hole with a carving of a bird. 

 

Born and educated in Denmark, Mr. Olsen has been a Florida resident since 1984.  A member of the International Sculpture Center in Washington, D.C., his award-winning artwork has been shown in numerous collections around the world.

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Groundbreaking Held for Max Planck Institute

On June 22, county commissioners joined officials from the Max Planck Society, Scripps Florida and Florida Atlantic University, state lawmakers and North County municipal and business leaders to break ground on Max Planck Florida Institute’s new bio-imaging research facility. Backed with county and state funding, the Germany-based research giant is constructing the three-story, 100,000-square-foot complex next to Scripps Florida on FAU’s Jupiter campus. This is Max Planck’s first U.S.-based research facility.

 

The structure will include 57,000 square feet of lab and research space, six guest labs, conference rooms, a 100-seat auditorium, lounges and administrative offices, plus outdoor seating and pedestrian friendly walkways connecting it with neighboring FAU buildings.

 

With its focus on the neurosciences and their integration into biology, Max Planck adds a strong international dimension to Palm Beach County’s burgeoning bioscience cluster anchored by Scripps Florida.

 

Following the program and ceremony, guided tours were conducted of Max Planck’s temporary facility. The new bio-imaging center is expected to be ready in 2012.

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Landscaping Tip:  Shade the House to Conserve Energy

 

We all search out that shady parking space where we can keep the car cool.  A tree can also provide excellent cooling for your house.  The concept of planting trees to cool your home is not a new concept.  It was one of the only ways to provide comfortable summertime living before the invention of air conditioning.

 

A concrete block or stucco wall can reach temperatures as high as 112 to 117 degrees F in the summer.  The shade from just one tree can reduce that wall temperature by 24 degrees.  Energy conserving landscaping can cut air-conditioning use by 20 to 40 percent.  This is one way to help cut your power bill.

 

You may want to choose a flowering tree that can highlight your home landscape, adding a seasonal bloom in addition to shading and screening.  The summer blooming queen’s crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia speciosa) produces fabulous bright pink to purple flowers that appear in dense, foot-long, terminal clusters from June to July.  The attractive bark is smooth, mottled and peeling.  The tree can grow 25 to 40 feet and should tolerate storms well due to its hard wood and flexible branches.  The branches should be well-spaced along the trunk and not clumped together or growing from one point on the trunk.

 

You can see the queen’s crapemyrtle in the Mounts Botanical Garden, 531 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach, open seven days a week.  Or you can visit the Cooperative Extension Service Office weekdays to pick up the publication “Ornamental Trees for South Florida.”  If you have any plant questions, call the master gardener volunteers at 233-1750.

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