Latest news with #Shoaf
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Canada geese being treated at Youngwood rehab center after suffering fishing line injuries
Jun. 4—Six Canada geese, including two whose lived at Twin Lakes Park, have been treated in recent days at a Youngwood wildlife rehabilitation organization for injuries related to discarded fishing line. The severe injuries are typically the result of fishing line being wrapped tightly around their legs, said Beth Shoaf, executive director of Wildlife Works and senior rehabilitator. "I think it's out of the ordinary for me to have six geese here at one time that all are in as a result of fishing line injuries," she said Monday. One of the six was released Tuesday. The injuries have prompted Wildlife Works staff members and others to volunteer for hours over the past couple weeks picking up discarded clumps of fishing line and dozens of lead sinkers and fishing hooks from the banks of Twin Lakes Park. "I was astonished at the volume, at the sheer magnitude and what all of that could mean for animal suffering because it's out there in the environment," Shoaf said. The popular fishing spot, which straddles Hempfield and Unity, at one time had PVC pipe receptacles that fishers could use to dispose of line and other tools of the trade, said Brandon Simpson, former Westmoreland County parks director. But they were removed two to three years ago after staff encountered issues with the receptacles getting stuffed full of trash not related to fishing. Those PVC receptacles are used as intended at two other county parks — Northmoreland and Mammoth, he said. At Twin Lakes, signage remains encouraging fishers to dispose of their waste in nearby trash receptacles, Simpson said. Parks director Mark Katarski, who started the job in the past month, encouraged park users to do their part to help keep it clean. "It's a good chance for us all to be reminded that our parks are only as good as our citizens and visitors," Katarski said. Geese and goslings with fishing line injuries have come to Wildlife Works this year from around the area, including Ligonier Township, North Park, Pittsburgh, Washington and Indiana counties and Maryland, Shoaf said. One gosling and one goose came from Twin Lakes, she said, noting that it is a widespread issue and can affect wildlife other than geese as well as park visitors and pets. Two geese have been euthanized recently as a result of fishing line injuries, Shoaf said. Canada geese, which are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, are family oriented creatures, so any disruption to the unit creates stress. If Wildlife Works staff are able to successfully rehabilitate geese that come into their care, the birds are released in the same area where they were found. Wildlife Works senior staff members Aislinn Morris and Shannon Sapolich have spent hours combing the banks of small sections of the upper and lower lakes at Twin Lakes Park, coming away with the hooks, sinkers, fishing line and other trash. "It's much worse than we were expecting," Sapolich said. "We were both kind of astounded just by how much there is." "That's something we'd like to work with ... the county about," Morris said. "Those are very heavily fished areas." They plan to eventually move their operations to other parks around the area. Twin Lakes park staff encounter the discarded line and other trash on a daily basis, Simpson said. "Our crews do what they can ... but they're only so many people in so many areas of the park," Katarski said. Westmoreland parks and Wildlife Works staff encouraged park visitors to clean up after themselves and others and be mindful of their impact on the surroundings. "Everything in an environment is important for the health of an environment," Sapolich said. "We all live here, including the wildlife. It's always good to avoid suffering if we can help prevent it." "These creatures, they are our wild neighbors ..." Shoaf said, "we should be treating them with the same respect and giving them the dignity of living their lives as they are intended to be without interference." Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Combined authority's CEO steps down from role
The chief executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is stepping down after four years in the role. Laura Shoaf will remain in the role until 17 June and will continue as chair of Shadow Great British Railways, which was set up last year by the government under its plans to bring the UK's railways back into public ownership. Ms Shoaf said she was "sad" to be leaving the organisation she has been with since its inception, but was confident she was leaving it in good hands. The WMCA said Ed Cox, deputy chief executive, will step up as interim chief while a recruitment process gets under way for a permanent replacement. "I have lived and worked in the West Midlands for over 20 years, and I am proud that I have been able to make a real difference for our residents," Ms Shoaf said. "I will always champion our wonderful region and while I am sad to be leaving the combined authority, I know I am leaving it with people who care passionately about the West Midlands and will continue to see it go from strength to strength." West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said Ms Shoaf had done an "exemplary job for the region" during her time in the job. In 2022, she was honoured with a CBE for services to economic regeneration in the West Midlands. "I want to thank Laura for her decades of service to the West Midlands," the mayor said. "I especially want to recognise the work she has done in my first year to help me embed and deliver my priorities. "I want to wish her every success in the future, especially continuing in her role as Chair of Shadow Great British Railways." This news has been gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Regional authority boss takes rail reform job West Midlands Combined Authority
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oil drilling ban along Apalachicola River passes unanimously in Florida House
North Florida beaches including this one at Grayton Beach State Park were among those threatened by the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill that polluted the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. (Via Florida State Parks) Amid growing concerns over a plan to drill for oil and gas near the Apalachicola River, a proposal by two North Florida lawmakers to ban oil exploration and drilling in that region passed unanimously in the Florida House on Wednesday. The bill (HB 1143) is sponsored by Republican Jason Shoaf and Democrat Allison Tant. It would ban the drilling, exploration, or production of oil, gas, or other petroleum products within 10 miles of a national estuarine research reserve. There are three such reserves in Florida — the Apalachicola in North Florida, the Guana Tolomato Matanzas in Ponta Verde Beach, and Rookery Bay in Naples. The bill sponsors have said that their legislation is a response to a decision last December by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to permit an exploratory oil well near the Apalachicola River in Calhoun County. 'When this oil drilling initiative was announced in our press, my entire community, all of North Florida, went on fire,' said Tant. 'It was an organic response by people here in this area who just were devastated by this possibility.' Shoaf noted that Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, an event that led to miles of oiled beaches in the Florida Panhandle. 'During the oil spill, just the threat of oil coming to our area completely crippled our economy and now we face another threat that is starting to really scare the entire community,' Shoaf said on the House floor. Pinellas County Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross also noted the anniversary of the BP oil spill, which lasted for 87 days and was the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 'In just a few days, we will remember the 11 men who were killed during that tragedy and the horrific impact to our natural areas, our wildlife, and also to our economy here in the state of Florida,' she said. 'Despite being hundreds of miles away, tourism in the Tampa Bay area plummeted, and I know that in places in the Panhandle with oil washing onto the shores, this was a real threat.' The bill calls for the DEP to conduct a 'balancing test' when a permit application is submitted. The test must include the community's conditions, hydrological connections, uniqueness, location, fish and wildlife use, time lag, and the potential cost of restoration in case of an explosion, blowout, or spill. The bill has one significant difference with its Senate companion, sponsored by North Florida Republican Corey Simon (SB 1300). That measure does not include language about banning development within 10 miles of a reserve. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House approves river drilling ban; Senate eyes softer version
The Florida House Wednesday unanimously approved a bipartisan proposal that effectively bans oil drilling for 52 miles along the banks of the Apalachicola River. Now the bill (HB 1143) goes to the Senate, where a less stringent companion bill is ready for that full chamber to consider. With the legislative session set to end by May 2, it's anybody's guess whether a compromise will make it to the governor's desk. The House proposal by Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, and Rep. Allison Tant, D-Tallahassee, prohibits the Department of Environmental Protection from approving an oil and gas drilling permit within 10 miles of the state's three National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRs) – which includes the Apalachicola, Tolomato Mantanzas near St. Augustine, and Rookery Bay south of Naples. The Apalachicola NERR has some of the highest density of fish, reptiles, and amphibians in North America and takes in nearly half of the 107-mile-long river that empties into Apalachicola Bay. Shoaf introduced the bill by noting the upcoming 15th anniversary of the BP Gulf oil spill (April 20) that shut down Apalachicola Bay and devastated the coastal economy. 'We're still carrying scars from that oil spill, just the threat of oil coming to our area completely crippled our economy. And now we face another threat that is starting to really scare the entire community,' Shoaf said. Last April, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permitted an exploratory oil well in the Apalachicola floodplain for Clearwater Land and Minerals. The decision is currently under legal challenge, but Shoaf and Tant are moving to ensure the project never gets past the exploratory stage. If oil were to be found then Clearwater would have to seek a permit to pump oil from the ground. 'That is a whole other process," Shoaf explained. "This would block the next permit they would have to obtain before they could commercially drill for oil.' Earlier Wednesday, a Senate committee cleared a companion measure (SB 1300) for it to be considered by the full chamber. The bill by Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, lacks the House's outright ban but does include a requirement for DEP to conduct a 'balancing test' when considering drilling applications within one mile of rivers, lakes, and other water bodies. The test would weigh environmental and economic concerns against the potential loss expected from an oil spill or other accidents. When asked about the differences between the two bills, Simon said he will meet with Shoaf for a conversation 'to work things out.' And Shoaf said he is willing to compromise – as long as it 'achieves the goal to stop drilling.' James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@ and is on X as @CallTallahassee. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida House passes bill to shield Apalachicola Bay from drilling
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Legislation aims to protect Florida's sensitive waterways from oil drilling
A bill that blocks a proposed oil well along the Apalachicola River and prohibits oil and gas drilling near sensitive waterways in north, east and south Florida is headed for the House floor. The bill (HB 1143) by Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, and Rep. Allison Tant, D-Tallahassee, cleared the State Affairs Committee Tuesday on a unanimous vote after a parade of Franklin County craft brewers, boat operators and tour guides, along with oyster farmers, told lawmakers their livelihood depends on clean water. They all said a north Florida coastal economy devastated by fear of contamination after the 2010 BP oil spill that contributed to a fishery collapse should not again be put at risk by a wildcat oil rig Clearwater Land and Minerals wants to construct 60 miles upriver from the Apalachicola Bay. 'We don't have options to work in big business. We work on the water. We work with our hands. So it's not a matter if an oil spill happens. It's a matter of when industrial contaminants hit our waterways, pollute our local water resources and ruin our estuary,' said Thomas Saunders of LuckyFly Charters of Apalachicola. What began as a local effort to protect the Apalachicola River has morphed into legislation that would also place a buffer around the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), where the state's tallest dunes can be found south of St. Augustine, and the Rookery Bay NERR near Naples, home to the Florida panther. Those two and Apalachicola Bay are ecologically diverse estuaries, bodies of water where rivers meet the sea, managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the state for research and conservation. There are 30 NERRs nationwide and the designation provided Shoaf the legislative hook needed to block oil drilling in the north Florida wilderness. Last summer, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced it would permit a Clearwater Land and Minerals exploratory well in Calhoun County at Dead Lakes, in the middle of the Apalachicola NERR, which runs east and west of the river as it flows towards the Apalachicola Bay. Shoaf wrote a proposal to prohibit exploration, drilling, or production of oil and gas within 10 miles of a NERR – effectively blocking the Clearwater project. Eric Hamilton of the American Petroleum Institute said he would like to continue to talk to lawmakers about the 10-mile buffer zone. 'We feel it is a bit too far. It's arbitrary. There is no scientific or historic precedent that 10 miles is the right distance,' Hamilton said. No one objected, however, when Rep. Lindsey Cross, D-St. Petersburg, an environmental scientist, said in debate that 10 miles should be the minimal buffer for an oil project. The measure also requires DEP to conduct a test before issuing any permit to drill within one mile of a water body. Hamilton didn't object to a one-mile buffer zone. The test would balance the potential harm of a drilling well accident or blowout with the environmental and economic health of a region. Florida is not a major player in the oil industry, contributing fewer than 2,000 of the 13 million barrels a day the U.S. produces, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Adrian Johnson of the state's aquaculture association said most of the state's oyster farms are offshore of Gulf, Franklin and Wakulla counties. Johnson said in the past five years the three counties have grown oyster farming into a $50 million industry and produce one-third of the state's oysters. 'We have little control over what Mother Nature throws at us, but we do have the power to avert a potential disaster that drilling in our area could cause,' added Gayle Johnson of the Indian Lagoon Oyster Co. The House bill will be scheduled for floor debate and a final vote. A Senate companion (SB 1300) has two more committees to clear. The legislative session is currently scheduled to end May 2. James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@ and is on X as @CallTallahassee. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida oyster farmers fear impact of oil drilling on Gulf waters
