Urban ecological advocacy in Miami: government and grassroots collaboration

Urban Ecology on the Ground: Imitating and Implementing Success

Urban Ecology Advocacy in Miami

Actually implementing advocacy programs can be much harder than one would suppose. There is the question of funding, planning, and executing program details in order to work and provide real results. Typically, advocacy groups are funded with primarily private donations. In many instances, these groups are left without support from local and regional government. Most advocacy groups face some opposition from local governments, turned off track by "chaotic local politics, unpredictable events, the importance of seizing transitory opportunities, and bureaucratic obstacles or inertia," (Wheeler 2004:50). Fortunately, this is not the case for the Miami-Dade urban ecological effort. Miami, and its surrounding areas, are great natural wonders. Brickell Ave presents no exception. The area holds both the natural wonders of South Florida's natural ecology right alongside the urban sprawl of one of Miami's most populated and well-known areas. The local government has a stake in their blended existence, for tourism in Miami is a major industry. Thus, many urban ecological advocacy groups work in unison with local government efforts. Wanting the same goal of conservation, Miami local governments and urban ecological advocacy groups support each other. These individual advocacy groups do the work, and the government agencies help provide funding and resources. It is a collaborated effort that proves mutually beneficial. However, conservation efforts are also complicated with the large urban population within both the city and county. According to research, "In an urban context, sustainability life implies that the products and energy systems of urban life should be passed on to the larger environmental quality and in the overall quality of life," (Hough 1994:40). This then demands a level of successful conservation in relation to the interests of the people surrounding these natural wonders; this demand can only be met with collaboration. Overall, government works hand in hand with local grass roots advocacy groups. Local city, state, and even federal government departments help provide data, management, and funding of smaller ecological programs. Government authorities work with local program advocates and even businesses within the Miami-Dade area to help fund a plethora of research and advocacy programs aimed at preserving the ecological balance of Miami's coasts and reducing the anthropological impact of coastal areas through past urbanization (Gonzalez 2005). This collaboration then allow efforts to continue urbanization without further harming the ecological environment that are more successful as a result of the collaboration in comparison to advocacy groups that act alone, isolated from organizations with more resources. In fact, Miami city planners play an important role within the modern conservation effort. Planners are "those of facilitating consensus, supplying vision, educating the public, and serving at times as an advocate and organizer," (Wheeler 2004:52). When City council members have the same interests as the advocacy groups, conservation, smaller advocacy groups can thrive. Research suggests that "Active support and advice from planners can help these advocacy-orientated groundswells of civic attention bear-fruit," (Wheeler 2004:49). Thus, it is a common thread within much of the urban ecological advocacy groups within the Miami-Dade area to work in collaboration with local, regional, and even federal government strategies.

Miami Coastal Cleanup

One local urban advocacy group, the Miami Coastal Cleanup, has executed successful beach cleanups for over twenty years. The group was formed in 1988, by the efforts of the Ocean Conservancy. Typical for Miami advocacy organizations focusing on urban conservation, Miami Coastal Cleanup is organized by a well connected group who founded and developed the program with the support of local government and policy makers. According to group officials, "The mission of the Ocean Conservancy is to educate the public on issues of marine pollution and to use the information collected from the Cleanup to change policy at the state and national level," (Miami-Dade Coastal Cleanup 2010). The Miami Coastal Cleanup itself has seen many successful annual volunteer efforts to clean up the beaches around the Miami-Dade area. The beaches surrounding Brickell Ave, as well as up along the larger coast of South Florida, have all been target areas for the cleanup. Beach debris is one of the most apparent and damaging ecological impact that occurs within urban areas such as the city of Miami. Therefore, this advocacy effort has focused on clean up along with educational campaigns to express the importance of keeping Miami-Dade's beaches clean. Clean beaches mean more fun for both locals and tourists alike. The very first clean up staged by the group saw over ten thousand Floridians cover 915 miles of Florida beaches. During this cleanup effort, an army of volunteers collected 194 tons of debris. However, there are enormous costs associated with staging such large operations. The programs' budget covers vehicle and transportation costs, administration costs, and advertising. Advertising costs can add up, for they have to ensure number of volunteers annually in order to produce real, visible results. As an urban advocacy group, they rely on private donations and the generosity of Miami's residents. These private funds then draw thousands of clean up volunteers to various beaches around Miami annually. However, the local government agencies also offer their support for the beach clean up efforts. The event annually sees thousands of municipal workers to volunteer, along with receiving funding from county sources. The Coast Guard has long been an active part of the clean up, with many Coast Guard men and women volunteering for Coastal Cleanup.

A very similar organization focuses specifically on the Biscayne Bay area is the annual Baynanza. Directly east of the urban sprawl of Brickell Ave, Biscayne Bay has been heavily hit by the incredible urbanization of the city itself. Once a pristine natural wonder, the bustling business brought in by the growth of the Brickell Ave area has placed the Biscayne Bay in jeopardy of extreme pollution. According to organization officials, it is an "annual celebration and cleanup of Biscayne Bay," (U.S. Department of Commerce 2008). Relying on volunteer efforts, the ecological hotspot of Biscayne Bay is thoroughly cleaned each year by devoted residents and volunteers. The organization was established over twenty-five years ago. It aims to protect the integrity and habitat surrounding the bay. The organization itself sponsors not only trash clean ups, but also tree plantings and educational activities. In the rapid expansion of Miami's financial district on Brickell Ave, the organization focuses on implementing successful educational campaigns focusing on the act of recycling as prevention for beach and bay pollution. Like all advocacy groups, it relies on private donation. However, like advocacy groups in Miami, it also receives funding from federal conservation departments, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is a wing of the United States Department of Commerce. NOAA, or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, invested a record breaking $200,000 to help clean up the Biscayne Bay here in Miami, which is notorious for its trash -- and that was only for one annual festival. Organization members say that operations would be much more difficult if it were not for the supplemental funding they have received from both local and federal governmental departments.

Hold the Line

Another, more local, advocacy group to be working within South-East Florida is the Hold the Line Organization. Although much different in concentration from marine based advocacy groups, the organization aims to curb the uncontrollable swell of urbanization within the Miami-Dade area. Hold the Line has also chosen to unite themselves with local governmental resources in order to provide the most successful results in their urban ecological advocacy efforts. In fact, the organization seeks to lobby county and city officials to support the effort to keep the Urban Development Boundary from engulfing surrounding ecological habitats. The UBD can be understood as the boundary for future development, is meant to ensure the conservation of local ecological resources. According to organizational officials, "Hold the Line believes that moving the UDB at any location, whether for a large or small development, will only encourage and lead to truly massive projects (or "Developments of Regional Impact") that will add thousands of people onto areas that are vital" for not only conservation, but also agriculture as well," (Hold the Line 2010). Therefore, great efforts have been made to curb urbanization in undeveloped areas. This protects not only Florida's ecological habitat, but also its thriving agricultural industry. Hold the Line works with Mayor Carlos Alvarez and city council members like Commissioner Kay Sorenson in order to ensure the UBD stays put, keeping the lid on the urban sprawl erupting out of the Miami-Dade area. The organization holds town meetings to show constituent support for keeping the UDB where it is. Like the other local organizations, it relies primarily on public donations. It is also supported by "nearly 140 local organizations, businesses, homeowner groups, and municipalities" (Hold the Line 2010). Thus, the advocacy group has established a strong support base within not only the local government, but also local commerce in order to produce the most effective results in their conservation efforts.

Miami Green Commission

The Miami Green Commission is a City of Miami program. It is run by Mary Conway (Chief of Operations) who works on the Development of Public Private Partnerships, and Mr. Scott Palmer Fuhrman from Holly Real Estate who serves as the Project Coordinator on the Miami Green Commission. It has been the primary developer of green policy within the Miami-Dade area. It also sponsors the Urban Forestry Working Group created a plan "that links to key urban forestry principles including a focus on appropriate tree selection, proper installation, and maintenance of trees," (City of Miami 2010). In fact, the primary goal of the Miami Green Commission is to renew the local area's canopy coverage. According to research, "The plan will be a unique coordination linking both city and county input and will be used as a framework to coordinate efforts to restore and enhance the City's tree canopy with a goal of a minimum of 30% tree canopy coverage, City-wide, by 2020," (City of Miami 2010). This includes planting trees within much of the area around the heavily populated Brickell Ave. Parks within the Brickell Ave area will receive new trees within the next few years, including Simpson Park the nature reserve on S. Miami and Broadway, Alice Wainwright Park actually on Brickell Ave and Rickenbacker Causeway, Southside Park on SW 1st Ave and SW 11th St., Allen Morris Brickell Park on SE 10th and SE 1st Ave, Brickell Park, and Brickell Key Park. Funding goes to actual tree planting, but also research, data collection, and tree maintenance. The city-sponsored program uses CITY Green Software, "a powerful GIS application for land use planning and policy making, "to analyze recorded ecological data. It provides a thorough analysis of the city's complex ecosystem and helps formulate usable and functioning maps and reports. The software also helps calculate "dollar benefits based on the area's specific site conditions," (City of Miami 2010). The program itself will dominate the tree plantings within the city and county area. This data can then be used by a variety of conservation efforts. Such data is then to be published in public records, to help other smaller programs collect important ecological data for their own grassroots initiatives. The program also works with the Florida Department of Transportation to plant trees on public lands used for walkways and other transportation needs, for they provide the bulk of the maintenance, along with maintenance costs. Additionally, the program is aiming to repopulate Miami's parks with new trees. Parks are important; "Today, a major role of the parks systems lies in protecting the environment and in maintaining the ecological integrity of the land," (Hough 1994:44). This provides benefits for not only the ecological environment, but the masses of people within the urban Miami area. The current cost for an average tree planting is between $700 and $100. It is "The intent of the City is to leverage public funds and staff resources with private sector contributions to fully maximize the number of new tree plantings," (City of Miami 2010). It is funded primarily by the Tree Trust Fund, which created by the City Commission in 2004 -- has collected $638,000 to help the organization reach its goal. Funding will also go towards a public awareness campaign. This is aimed in order to "make people aware of the importance of trees, the correct way to plant, proper tree selection, and to highlight the importance of water conservation," (City of Miami 2010). It also raises public awareness through Public Service Announcements, or PSAs. The program holds workshops for both adults and children: education, hands-on tree planting and learning. According to research, "Environmental literacy lies at the heart of the concept of the sustainable city," (Hough 1994:45). The primary strategy in prevention educational campaigns is teaching the message of recycling, and working with local municipalities to help Miami residents in the Financial District find recycling resources. Thus the City of Miami spends much on educational programs aimed at prevention.