WASHINGTON -- December 21 -- The 45-member Everglades Coalition will hold its historic 20th Annual Conference January 13 to 16, 2005 at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club in Naples, Florida. Hosted by The Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the conference will address the urgent need to safeguard land and water resources before they are lost to the region's burgeoning growth.

Confirmed speakers include U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Rep. David Hobson (R-OH), Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works John Paul Woodley, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality James Connaughton, and Chief Engineer and Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Carl Strock.

Invited speakers include U.S. Sens. Bob Graham (D-FL), George Voinovich (R-OH), James Jeffords (I-VT), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Harry Reid (D-NV), Bill Frist (R-TN), Thad Cochran (R-MS), James Inhofe (R-OK), Senator-elect Martinez (R-FL), Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL), U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Ralph Regula (R-OH) and Bill Young (R-FL), E. Clay Shaw (R-FL), Department of the Interior Secretary Gale Norton, National Park Service Director Fran Mainella.

The conference begins on Friday, January 14, with plenary session on protecting the quantity and quality of water for the natural system. On Saturday, the discussion will focus on land acquisition needs and managing growth to restore the Everglades. Concurrent panels on a variety of key Everglades topics will convene in the afternoons of both days. In keeping with our challenge to engage other restoration efforts, Saturday morning's breakfast will include a discussion on ecosystem restoration projects nationwide such as those in coastal Louisiana, the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, and Puget Sound. All the discussions will include key decision-makers from federal, state, local and tribal governments, agency representatives, stakeholders and an array of scientists, educators, and conservationists.

The Everglades Coalition Conference will be held at The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club. For press credentials, registration information, fees, and hotel information for the conference please contact Ms. Patti Carr at Carr Communications, 954/942-3113 or go to http://www.evergladescoalition.org.

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