Cypress Chapter Izaak Walton League
History
Big Cypress History
One of our “founding fathers”, Franklin Adams, wrote an article for the Florida National Parks Association about the formation of Big Cypress National Preserve.
Our Story
At the turn of the 20th century uncontrolled discharges of industrial waste and raw sewage, unrestricted logging, and soil erosion threatened to destroy the nation’s most productive waterways. The country’s forests, wetlands, and wilderness areas were quickly disappearing. In 1922, 54 sportsmen declared it was “time to call a halt” to this destruction.
Aware that action—not just talk—would be necessary to solve these problems, the group decided to form an organization to combat water pollution and protect the country’s woods and wildlife. As a reminder of their purpose, they named the organization after Izaak Walton, the 17th-century English angler-conservationist who wrote the literary classic, “The Compleat Angler.”
The Izaak Walton League of America soon became the nation’s pre-eminent organization of hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts dedicated to sustainable use of our country’s natural resources. Today, the League’s more than 43,000 members and 240 community-based chapters are building on the accomplishments of those who preceded them as defenders of the nation’s soil, air, woods, waters, and wildlife.
1922 – Izaak Walton League of America formed.
1922 – First IWLA chapter, in Yankeetown, Florida, chartered.
1950 – IWLA proposes conservation fund for environmental land acquisition and public access to public lands and waters with funding from share of oil and gas lease royalties.
1962 – Keys Chapter of IWLA formed and led by Mike Chenoweth who is also currently state division chair and treasurer of Cypress IWLA.
1964 – Land and Water Conservation Fund signed into law – brings over $Billion to Florida in following decades with grants for Everglades parks, national wildlife refuges in Florida, and the Big Cypress Preserve.
1970 – Nine IWLA Florida chapters with membership of over 700.
1971 – Charles Garrett organizes founder’s meeting of Cypress IWLA in Naples to help oppose the “Everglades Jet Port”. Garrett becomes first Cypress chapter president.
1971 – Oct. 20th, Cypress Chapter of IWLA charted, incorporated as 501©3 in Florida.
1974 – Big Cypress National Preserve created, first national wildlife preserve not a park nor refuge. IKES helped broker ‘the deal’.
1977 – Franklin Adams steps -up from board of directors to become Cypress Chapter president.
1980 – Franklin Adams becomes IWLA Florida Division president, national IWLA board member, too
1986 – First Everglades Coalition Conference.
1997 – Dell Sutton elected president of Cypress IWLA – first woman president of an IWLA chapter
2001 – Thomas Smith becomes chapter president.
2002 – Charles Dauray, member of SFWMD board, elected chapter president, member of IWLA endowment BOD.
2011 – Peggy Egan elected president.
2014 – Pamela Piece. National IWLA Director, elected chapter president, currently Cypress chapter delegate to IWLA.
2019 – Pete Quasius elected chapter president, expands footprint to include Peace, Myakka, Caloosahatchee watersheds and near coast waters, focus on Water Resources Development Acts.
2019 – IWLA policy resolution in support of Greater Everglades/CERP restoration. 2022 Policy Resolutions Section K-3.
2020 – Great America Outdoors Act passed, re-authorizing, and funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund in perpetuity.
2021 – Cypress Chapter hires Conservation Chair Board member Mike ‘Elfenbein as Executive Director.
2022 – Izaak Walton League hosts 37th Everglades Coalition Conference.
2022 – Cypress Chapter and AguaCulture does ‘proof of concept’ for mechanical removal of invasive plants on Lake O with the big Green Mach 1 mulcher and pump station to move to slurry to improve soil on ranches miles from Lake O.
2024 – Cypress Chapter deploys new “event trailer” at Babcock Ranch Earth Day in opposition to designation of Big Cypress Preserve as “wilderness”. Past President Capt. Franklin Adams key note speaker.
2024 – Cypress Chapter in cooperation with AquaCulture begins Lake Istokpoga excess nutrient removal.
2024 – Cypress Chapter initiates a Little Free Library program to stimulate interest in and knowledge of our natural resources.
Sept. 2024 – Corps Chief’s Report for the CERP Western Everglades Restoration Plan signed.