For The River For 10 Years - St. Johns Riverkeeper Commemorati… · the river now faces greater...

COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE

For The River...For 10 Years

HOW ST. JOHNS RIVERKEEPER BEGAN • GEOGRAPHY SHAPES DESTINYDOING WHAT’S NECESSARY • CONNECTING KIDS TO THE RIVER • A BRIGHTER FUTUREINSIDE:

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10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE ST JOHNS RIVERKEEPER 1

The Founding of St. Johns Riverkeeper

The River Needs a Voice

1% OF ALL KAYAK SALES FOR A CLEAN RIVER

ST JOHNS RIVERKEEPER 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE

As a public advocacy organization, we’ve come a long way in the past decade. While we have grown and taken on more issues, our primary focus has not changed. Our sole concern is for the health of our St. Johns River. We have no other agenda.

This concern is shared today by more of the four million people who live in the St. Johns River watershed than ever before. However, the river now faces greater threats to its health than ever before. It is critical that our entire

community band together as one voice to protect our greatest natural resource.

Our membership is comprised of an incredible and devoted group of people who are diverse in many ways – politically, economically, socially and demographically. Our love of the St. Johns River is the one thing that binds us all together.

Please enjoy this publication about St. Johns Riverkeeper and our river. I hope it inspires you to recognize the St. Johns River as your river, and to do what’s necessary to ensure its future well-being.

Bill KirillChairman of the Board of DirectorsSt. Johns Riverkeeper

COVER, PHOTO BY PAUL GARFINKELOPPOSITE, PHOTO BY WALTER COKER

“Riverkeeper” and “Waterkeeper” are trademarks of Waterkeeper Alliance.

It’s hard to believe that St. Johns Riverkeeper® is celebrating its 10th year of working diligently to protect our beautiful St. Johns River. The founders of St. Johns Riverkeeper

were a group of committed visionaries who, by trying to do the right thing, developed a well-structured organization with the single purpose of protecting one of our state’s most valuable assets.

For centuries, people have lived along the St. Johns River and enjoyed a wide range of water activities, including swimming in the river itself.

“I grew up on Doctors Inlet in Orange Park, and I’ve done just about everything you can do on the river,” said Bill Kirill, a businessman who serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of St. Johns Riverkeeper. “I had a trotline when I was a kid. My sister and I would crab, pick the crab and sell it. I’ve fished on the river, camped on it, even went

scuba diving in it. I’ve raced a sailboat for 25 years on the St. Johns River.”

WILL DICKEY

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3ST JOHNS RIVERKEEPER 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE2

SEPT 1997 • Ron Littlepage writes the first of several articles in The Florida Times-Union calling for the creation of a St. Johns “riverkeeper.”

OCT 1998 • A group of citizens and organizations meets to organize St. Johns Riverkeeper (SJRK). The group includes Roger Bass, Ben Williams, Florida Defenders of the Environment, Florida B.A.S.S. Federation and others.

DEC 1999 • SJRK receives a license from the Waterkeeper Alliance.

MAY 2000 • SJRK receives 501(c)(3) status.

FEB 2001 • SJRK hires its first full-time riverkeeper, Mike Hollingsworth.

JUNE 2001 • SJRK begins effort to stop Freedom Commerce Center from filling 265 acres of wetlands that form the headwaters of Julington and Pottsburg Creeks.

SEPT 2001 • SJRK announces that raising awareness and lowering levels of coliform bacteria in the

tributaries of the St. Johns River would be its top priorities.

APR 2002 • After announcing a focus on the serious fecal coliform bacteria pollution problem, SJRK successfully convinces the City of Jacksonville to post nine creeks for health

concerns related to high levels of the bacteria.

JAN 2003 • Mike Hollingsworth responds to a massive spill of the Dupont titanium mine that resulted in the discharge of over 12 million gallons of mine waste flowing into Black Creek.

The problem – in Florida, as it was in New York – was not a lack of adequate law but a lack of adequate enforcement and implementation of the law.

“It comes back to the problem of the regulators not doing their job,” explained Ben Williams, a fisherman, the owner of two seafood stores in the Jacksonville area, and a founding board member of St. Johns Riverkeeper. “We, the public who own that river, have said by the rules and regulations we have passed that we object to its despoiling. I see the regulators, and the politicians who put pressure on the regulators to not do the job they are charged with, as obstructing and frustrating our legitimate intentions as owners of that river when they don’t enforce the rules we’ve set.”

St. Johns Riverkeeper was founded by people with many different views and interests, but who united around one common goal: the health of the St. Johns River.

“They were a visionary group of people,” said Jimmy Orth, the Executive Director of St. Johns Riverkeeper. “They had a clear mission and they stuck to it.”

The group’s establishment, survival and eventual success were primarily due to the efforts of a pragmatic leader, Roger Bass. According to Ben Williams, “Some great people with some real ability pushed this along. But in my opinion, there would not be a riverkeeper without Roger Bass.

He had the ability to keep the discussion focused, and to move controversial issues to the sidelines.”

“The group has been able to maintain its focus because of Roger, who was so disciplined,” Jimmy Orth added. “He was very good at keeping everyone on track and reminding us of our mission and goals. That determination and focus have carried through to today.”

“It is hardly possible to look at the current St. Johns

Riverkeeper organization – with the success it is

having on issues and how regularly it is featured

in the media – and picture all of the work and

decisions and missteps that got us here. We got

where we are by the hard work of a very dedicated

and visionary group of individuals that met for

the first time at Marineland on October 15, 1998.

In many ways, the current organization greatly

exceeds our thoughts at the time. In other ways,

the organization still has a ways to go ...”

— Roger Bass, Founding Board Chairman, St. Johns Riverkeeper

The Beginning of the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association

In 1966, at the American Legion

hall in Crotonville, N.Y., an ex-

Marine rose to speak.

Bob Boyle was an ornery fly fisherman and outdoor

writer for Sports Illustrated. In the course of researching

an article about angling in the river two years earlier,

he stumbled across two little known laws: the Rivers

and Harbors Act of 1888 and the Refuse Act of 1899.

These statutes forbade pollution of American waters

and provided a bounty reward for whoever reported

the violation.

After listening to Boyle with escalating excitement,

the American Legion crowd agreed to organize

themselves to track down and prosecute the Hudson’s

polluters one at a time until they were all eliminated.

They were as good as their word. Two years later, they

shut down the Penn Central Pipe and collected $2,000,

the first bounty ever awarded under the 19th-century

statute. They were soon collecting even larger bounties

against Standard Brands, Ciba-Geigy, American

Cynamid, Westchester County, Anaconda Wire and

Copper and many others. The Fishermen also had joined

with Scenic Hudson in a lawsuit to stop Con Edison’s

proposal to build a hydroelectric facility on Storm

King Mountain. It was, in large part, the discovery

of a striped bass spawning ground near the project

site that ultimately derailed the deal.

The Fishermen used winnings from these cases to

build and launch a Riverkeeper boat, which today

patrols the Hudson searching out environmental

lawbreakers and bringing them to justice.

– Hudson Riverkeeper, “A Brief History,” www.riverkeeper.org

But by the 1980s, no one could avoid the conclusion that the river was dying. Repeated algal blooms and fish kills had made the complex science of water pollution visibly obvious to anyone who saw the river. The residents of the St. Johns River basin – people for whom the river was an integral part of their lives – could see that something was very, very wrong.

The founding of St. Johns Riverkeeper is the story of how in the late 1990s a group of concerned citizens decided to take back their river and protect the public interest. They formed an advocacy group, a “waterkeeper” organization similar to

the one formed two decades earlier on the Hudson River in New York.

In both cases, existing laws were not being adequately implemented or enforced, and the health of the public waterways had suffered.

A substantial body of law had been passed that should have prevented the

unhealthy condition that the St. Johns River was in by the 1990s. The federal Clean Water Act of 1972 called for an end to the discharge of pollution into navigable waterways by 1983, and for all rivers to be swimmable and fishable by 1985.

SUCCESS TIMELINE

BILL YATES / CYPIX

KATEY BREEN

THE ST. JOHNS RIVER AT THE SOUTH END OF LAKE GEORGE.

ROGER BASS IN FRONT OF THE LADY BELLE.

ST JOHNS RIVERKEEPER 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE4 510TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE ST JOHNS RIVERKEEPER

The job of an independent “waterkeeper” has been traced to medieval England, when villages would hire a private citizen to look after the trout streams so that no one could abuse the waterways that were owned, utilized and enjoyed by all of the people in the village.

A similar need to protect the public trust gave rise to the waterkeeper movement in the United States. One of the country’s most famous rivers, the Hudson River in New York, had become severely polluted by the mid-20th century. In response, a blue-collar coalition of recreational and commercial fishermen came together to save a river that was dying and fisheries that were in critical condition. They formed the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association in 1966 to enforce existing anti-pollution laws, and used bounty provisions of 19th-century laws to do so (see sidebar). The group changed its name to Hudson Riverkeeper in 1983, and the modern American waterkeeper movement was born.

By the fall of 1997 – after repeated fish kills, algal blooms and high levels of fecal coliform bacteria – a growing number of people who lived in the St. Johns River basin felt that their sick river was neglected, just as the fishermen on the Hudson did 40 years earlier. A call for a new, more aggressive advocate for the St. Johns River was being heard. Florida Times-Union columnist Ron Littlepage wrote a series of columns about the need for a riverkeeper organization. “The St.

Johns River needs a voice,” Littlepage wrote. “But the river – if its decline is to be reversed – needs to be watched and nurtured every day. The St. Johns needs a riverkeeper.”

A group of citizens began working to form a new organization that would advocate for the interests of the St. Johns and the public’s right to clean water and a healthy river. Although several organizations already existed that worked for the river’s health, many people felt that a more focused and aggressive approach – similar to what Hudson Riverkeeper had done – was needed to reclaim the St. Johns.

One of those people was Roger Bass, a marine surveyor who practiced his profession on the St. Johns. Bass had read about Hudson Riverkeeper. After

FEB 2003 • SJRK hires its second riverkeeper, Neil Armingeon, replacing Hollingsworth.

MAY 2003 • SJRK launches its first three-day Eco-Heritage Boat Trip. To date, SJRK has conducted 23 trips.

OCT 2003 • SJRK submits comments to the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the proposed Georgia-Pacific pipeline that would discharge directly into the St. Johns River.

FEB 2004 • SJRK hires Executive Director Jimmy Orth.

MAR 2004 • SJRK discovers a severe break in a JEA wastewater discharge pipe flowing into the Ortega River and files a 60-day notice of intent to sue.

The wastewater contains high levels of fecal bacteria and personal hygiene products. As a result, the pipe replacement is expedited by 14 months, and problems at the wastewater treatment facility are repaired.

Fisherman’s AssetYou can find Ben Williams and his wife Louann on most mornings at the Fisherman’s Dock in Mandarin, Florida, surrounded by plastic trays of fish fresh from the docks and the sound of buckets of ice being dumped in the display cases.

Ben Williams, a 40-year resident of Jacksonville and a founding board member of St. Johns Riverkeeper, makes his living from the water. He owns the Fisherman’s Dock seafood markets in Mandarin and Orange Park. He catches alligators, fishes bass tournaments and writes outdoor articles for the St. Augustine Record. He is a graduate of the University of North Florida.

I’ve always fished. My dad addicted me to it. In fact, the second date Louann and I ever

went on was a fishing trip.

But I ended up in the seafood business by accident. During my last year of college, one of

my two jobs was working in a seafood market. I kept looking around and thinking, “If only this

guy would do it right” – which by my estimation he was not – “he could make a good living.”

I also kept thinking how much more I enjoyed going into the Mayport and St. Augustine fish

houses and dealing with the fishermen and the customers than I liked the thought of wearing

a suit. I’d just finished my internship at the State Attorney’s office, when an opportunity to

become part-owner of that market materialized.

I jumped on it, and promptly lost everything Louann and I had. But the bug was in my blood,

and the suit as an option looked worse than ever.

Over the next few years, I worked commercial crabbing and worked at a little seafood

market on the Southside while I crabbed. The man who owned the market was not doing

much more than making enough to pay

me. When he decided it wasn’t worth

his effort, Louann and I bought it. We

figured that at least we’d have jobs doing

something we enjoyed even if it never

made a lot of money. But things turned

out well, and we’ve made a good living

doing something we enjoy.

Twenty five years later, though, the

seafood industry has changed. There are

fewer and fewer fishermen. Thirty years

ago, there were fish houses all over

Mayport, St. Augustine and Fernandina

Beach. Now there’s one in St. Augustine,

one in Mayport and one in Fernandina

Beach. And there are fewer young guys

coming along to replace us.

But it’s been a great life. I still fish

more than I should, even though it’s

almost all in bass tournaments with one

of my brothers-in-law. We also catch

gators during the season. We don’t make

any real money at that, but we enjoy the

heck out of it. Just recently, we caught a

gator that was nearly 14 feet long and

weighed 845 pounds. It was the seventh

longest gator on record. My brother-in-

law and I won the Wilson’s tournament

in Palatka a few years ago, and have won

and placed in many other tournaments.

As you can imagine, I consider the

St. Johns an asset. So long as we take

care of it, it will accrue value to all of us.

It puts food on tables, money in pockets,

and smiles on the faces of those who

recreate on it.

I see all of us as owners in the sense

that we all have a small private property

right to that river. That being the case,

I take great offense when someone wants

to trash it. It’s partly mine and I object.

I think that’s important, the idea that

we own it – all of us in little small pieces

– and that without our collective consent

no one has the right to despoil it.

surveying a boat that belonged to Teddy Turner (the son of Ted Turner) and his wife Leslie, Bass included a letter with his survey report seeking their support for starting a “Keeper” organization for the St. Johns River.

At about the same time, Steve Mihalovits, a member of the Stewards of the St. Johns and Florida Defenders of the Environment (FDE) who was instrumental in the successful application for American Heritage River status, was contacted by the Waterkeeper Alliance (which at the time was the National Alliance of River, Sound & Bay Keepers) about starting a chapter for the St. Johns River.

Mihalovits invited a group to discuss the formation of a riverkeeper. The

P R O F I L E : R I V E R P E O P L E

ED HALL

GERRY PINTO

THE 2005 ALGAL BLOOM – LABELED “THE GREEN MONSTER” BY THE MEDIA – AROUND THE MATHEWS BRIDGE IN DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE.

6 7ST JOHNS RIVERKEEPER 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE

JUNE 2004-JULY 2005 • SJRK organizes and leads the effort to stop debris from the old Fuller Warren Bridge from being dumped into the St. Johns River. As a result, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) agrees not to dump the remains of the bridge into the river and

safeguards are implemented to protect water quality.

JULY 2004 • SJRK negotiates a significant settlement with JEA that required JEA to pay a $200,000 fine and $350,000 to fund specific environmental projects that will benefit the health of the St. Johns River.

AUG 2004 • SJRK files a suit in federal court to challenge U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval of Florida’s nutrient reduction plan (TMDL) because it would not protect the river.

OCT 2004 • SJRK lobbies Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. to study the river, resulting in the “River Dance” study. Armingeon serves on the management team that advocates for the implementation of the recommendations.

Running a Tight Ship – The Busey Family’s Sadler Point MarinaBrooks Busey probably gets carded in most bars he goes to, but he has over a decade of boatyard and marina management experience. Brooks, a board member of St. Johns Riverkeeper, is the owner of Sadler Point Marina and Boatyard, on the shore of Jacksonville’s Ortega River near the point where it joins the St. Johns River, and he was raised in the neighborhood.

first meeting was held at Marineland in October 1998. Many of the attendees were members of the Stewards, FDE and other environmental groups. Some were members of fishing organizations, such as Florida BASS, and others were scientists, like Dr. Quinton White of Jacksonville University’s marine biology program.

The group agreed to form a steering committee. At the steering committee’s second meeting, however, it became apparent that the participants had conflicting agendas. The most contentious issue was Rodman Dam, a dam built on the Oklawaha River that

had blocked the river’s free flow but created a renowned bass-fishing lake.

Roger Bass, who became the steering committee’s chair, wrote in a journal that he kept of the organization’s founding, “There were at least two factions from the start. One faction did not hide their strong desire to remove Rodman Dam. Another faction wanted to include commercial and recreational fishermen, and not opposing the dam was their litmus test for any organization they would be involved in.”

While some of the fishermen ultimately decided not to participate,

JAN 2005 • Neil Armingeon is named Folio Weekly’s 04 “Person of the Year.”

MAR 2005 • SJRK holds first meeting to initiate a River Report Card. Eventually the project is turned over to Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida to complete. The first report is released in the summer of 2008.

“When I was growing up, I worked for

Bronson Lamb at Lamb’s Yacht Center down

the street,” Brooks says. “When I graduated

from Stetson in 1999, I went to work there

full time. Bronson bought this place and

asked me to come down and manage it for

him. A few years later, my dad and I bought

it from him. This is my 10th year here, and

it keeps me out of a real office. I get to play

with boats!”

Sadler Point Marina is designated as

a Clean Marina and Clean Boatyard by

the Florida Department of Environmental

Protection (DEP). As part of their

commitment to running an environmentally-

responsible business, every speck of paint,

effluent or other toxic substances is captured

and disposed of before it can reach the river.

Brooks shows the concrete slab where

boats are blocked up in the yard.

“This was all broken concrete and asphalt.

In the old days, an owner would haul the

boat out, pressure wash it, and the water

with bottom paint and barnacles would

trickle back into the river. We’ve come a

long way. Now, the rinse water is captured,

sent through a series of filters, recycled

and we dispose of the mess properly. I’ve

been involved with the Clean Marina and

Clean Boatyard program for years. It’s a

voluntary program with DEP, with a list of

best-management practices. We’ve done

walk-throughs with other boat yards.”

Brooks says that with Clean Marina,

the industry is taking a pro-active role in

environmental responsibility.

Brooks grew up on the St. Johns River.

His father, an attorney who also grew up in

Jacksonville, had a boat, and Brooks learned

the geography of the city from a water

perspective. Brooks’ own son, 5, went to

sailing camp last summer.

“They would blow bubbles to see where

the wind was coming from,” he says. “That’s

how you learn to sail. I want to make sure

that the river is something that he enjoys the

way that I did.”

ED HALL


designation. However, the steering committee realized that a new organization and fresh start were needed.

St. Johns Riverkeeper sprang to life. In May 1999, Jacksonville University – spurred by Dr. Quinton White – formally offered office space and administrative support. On August 20, 1999, the state approved the Articles of Incorporation. On December 19, 1999, the Waterkeeper Alliance approved the license for St. Johns Riverkeeper, and in May 2000, the IRS approved the organization’s non-profit, tax-exempt status.

Next, Bass went to the Alliance’s annual meeting on Long Island, N.Y. that was attended by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and held partly on Billy Joel’s boat. “The biggest impression I took away from the event was the variety of backgrounds and approaches of the different keepers,” Bass wrote. “The keepers from the West Coast were more frequently attorneys, and a large part of their work was litigation. Other keepers started out as unpaid activists that turned that passion into a paying job. There was no cookie-cutter template.”

In January 2001, the group bought a used boat for $18,000 and turned to the task of finding someone to pilot it – a riverkeeper. Mike Hollingsworth, a former regional director of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), was hired and began work as the group’s first riverkeeper on April 9, 2001.

one who remained on board was Ben Williams.

“Lots of folks came and went,” Williams recalled. “More than a couple of contentious issues were surmounted, and at times I thought we were just not going to make it. It was at the lowest moments, when things looked the most disorganized and when the birthing process seemed the most likely to fail, that Roger Bass always seemed to come through.”

Several organizations offered to merge with the new waterkeeper organization and provide resources that included an existing non-profit

BILL YATES / CYPIX

ST JOHNS RIVERKEEPER 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE8 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE ST JOHNS RIVERKEEPER 9

APR 2005 • The SJRK receives the 2005 CSX Lifetime Environmental Achievement Award.

MAY 2005 • Army Corps of Engineers denies the federal permit application for Freedom Commerce Center.

SUMMER 2005 • SJRK raises awareness about the causes and public health threat from massive algal blooms in the St. Johns River.

OCT 2005 • SJRK legal action results in order from judge for EPA to develop and implement a more protective TMDL (nutrient

reduction plan). The EPA reverses its approval of Florida’s TMDL and announces plans to develop new TMDL.

DEC 2005 • Goodman Company withdraws appeal of Army Corps of Engineers decision regarding Freedom Commerce Center permit.

JAN 2006 • EPA establishes TMDL requiring a greater reduction of nutrients in the lower section of river.

MAR 2006 • SJRK launches a “River Friendly Yards” public-awareness campaign to educate homeowners about the impacts

of runoff and how to create and maintain a “river-friendly” yard. As part of this campaign, a television program is produced, The Green Monster, that documents the environmental and economic impacts of the massive algal bloom of 2005. - continued on page 16

Keeping It in the Family – Mobro Marine’s John Rowland John Rowland and his cousin, Max Moody IV, are the fourth generation of Moodys to operate a marine business on the St. Johns River. Mobro Marine – which builds and repairs barges, cranes and tug boats – has occupied the eastern corner of the Green Cove Springs Marina, 25 miles upstream (south) of downtown Jacksonville, since 1962. But its roots go back a generation further in Jacksonville, which makes Mobro – a contraction of “Moody Brothers” – one of the oldest family businesses in the St. Johns River basin.

Over the next two years, the St. Johns River and its

tributaries continued to suffer from algal blooms, siltation from construction-site runoff, and high nitrogen levels and fecal coliform bacteria. Hollingsworth and the Board rolled up their sleeves and got to work addressing these serious problems. Roger Bass joined a committee established by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to determine Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) of nutrients that the river could handle and remain healthy. In 2002, St. Johns Riverkeeper convinced the City of Jacksonville to post warning signs at nine public sites along creeks where high fecal coliform levels were found. Hollingsworth was hard at work monitoring dozens of construction sites throughout the region to ensure compliance with water quality regulations.

While the organization was having some success, the St. Johns Riverkeeper Board decided that a more aggressive approach was needed to achieve its goals. As a result, Neil Armingeon, who had worked most recently for the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation in New Orleans, was hired as the new St. Johns Riverkeeper in February 2003. Jimmy Orth, a Jacksonville native, was hired as the organization’s first Executive Director in February 2004.


My great-grandfather started M.D. Moody &

Sons in 1912, working out of a building across

from the old Acosta Bridge.

My grandfather, Max Moody, formed

Mobro in the 1960s, after his father had passed

away, and found out that this property was

available. The Navy used to store Liberty ships

here, ships that were in World War II and then

were decommissioned. There was no room for

expansion in downtown Jacksonville, and this

spot was nice and out of the way.

Our business is all over the world. I just came

back from a job in New Orleans and Mississippi.

We have equipment in Honduras and Panama,

and a lot of equipment in The Bahamas. We build

ocean-going tug boats, and they’re in use as

far away as Africa, the island of Sardinia in the

Mediterranean, and Japan. We also build barges

for our own fleet. We have a 900-ton sinker lift

dock, which lowers into the water, picks up a

barge and rolls it on to dry ground for

repair or repainting.

The business has changed very much.

We just completed a renewal of our

submerged land lease with the state DEP.

Even though we own the dry land, all land

that’s underwater is owned by the state,

and the regulations for leasehold are a lot

stricter than they used to be. We dispose of

all of our waste properly and make sure the

barges are tight so manatees won’t get hurt.

We just want to do our business and coexist

with the river, and we’re proud of our work.

We have guys working here who have been

with the company since the ‘60s. It’s a lot

tougher to do business now, which is fine

with us. We should be protecting the river.

We also own the Arlington Marina in

Jacksonville, which is dry stack and wet slip.

We fly the Clean Marina flag over it. We’re

concerned about a potential salinity increase

in the river if water is withdrawn upstream;

that would mean that our boat fleet would

require more frequent maintenance to keep

off barnacles and rust.

I’ve been boating since I was a little kid.

I have a picture of me in my grandfather’s

boat, which was used in the Brooke Shields

movie Brenda Starr. Now, I have young boys

who are into boating and jetskiing. I’m sure

my son will want to do work here. Max’s

son is 8 and loves the barges and tug

boats. I think Mobro will continue as

a family business.

ED HALL Over its 10-year history, St. Johns Riverkeeper has continued

to lead the fight to return the river to a healthy state, to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of the St. Johns River, and to stimulate more people to take ownership of this tremendous resource.

St. Johns Riverkeeper has been instrumental in protecting hundreds of acres of wetlands that form the headwaters of Julington and Pottsburg Creeks from being destroyed, securing more protective nutrient standards for

the St. Johns, coalescing a statewide movement against removing hundreds of millions of gallons of water from the river, and developing quality education resources and programs that have positively impacted thousands of citizens throughout the watershed. The organization’s single focus – the river’s health – has been all the more important because of the continuity and complexity of the problems facing the St. Johns and its tributaries.

“Many of the issues that we’re addressing today are the same ones we dealt with when the organization

was formed,” Jimmy Orth explained. “This is a long-term fight, and we’re in it for the long haul. The problems of water pollution and water usage won’t go away overnight, and our focus hasn’t changed. The fact that we haven’t strayed from our mission is the result of the wisdom and vision of the people who founded this organization, as well as the people – our membership, our Board and our supporters in the community – who share our vision. We’re not going to stop until the St. Johns River is restored to health.” .

WALTER COKER


If you were a young cartographer leaning on the gunnels of a Spanish caravel, lazing off the Atlantic coast

of an exotic slab of land you knew as “La Florida,” this river might come to you in a swirl of unpredictable eddies and currents. And if it did, you would name it “Rio de Corrientes” for the ever-changing sway of its flow.

Like other, more tropical rivers you had seen in these Americas, this one would not rush down out of a mountain valley. Instead, it would rise quietly up from a distant lagoon before sloughing its way towards the sea---sent north by the slightest tilt in the landscape. You knew the sandy shoals at the mouth of this river would be forever shifting, and that the draft of your vessel would only move through that bar with careful navigation, at high tide. Still, natural harbors like this were rare along this newly-found peninsula, and it would be urgent to record them with great precision. And there was something special about this river, a hint it might flow much farther inland than most natural harbors you had seen.

Other mapmakers would follow you over time, and the significance of this waterway would not escape them. They would chart it as “Riviere de Mai, ” “San Mateo, ” and finally “San Juan del Puerto. ” The last would remain, shortened and anglicized by English

speakers, as the St. Johns. Out of the mysterious southerly

marshes and swamps it would flow, falling barely an inch a mile as it did, sometimes not leaving more than eight or nine feet of water open for navigation between the ever-shifting bars.

And finally, one day, sails would be replaced by newly-invented mechanical devices that sputtered with smoke and sounded with the harsh clank of metal against metal. Dredges would scoop out deeper furrows in the bottom, and jetties would stabilize them. A permanent lighthouse would replace fires that once burned on the beaches to mark the river mouth. Explorers would be followed by colonists. And the frontier settlement once named “Cow Ford” for the way cattle could ford a narrow meander would become Jacksonville.

When citrus first arrived in Florida, some of the first groves were cultivated here, replacing cotton and indigo that fueled plantations before them on the river. Northerners flush with new wealth would pay to ride steamboats up into the heart of the peninsula from local docks, becoming our state’s first tourists.

Geography Shapes Destiny“Jacksonville [is] one of the great inland ports of North America…not unlike the waterfront of Cairo on the Nile.” – The St. Johns: A Parade of Diversities (1943)

The St. Johns River has been the timeless spirit that led travelers to the heart of Florida for thousands of years. BY BILL BELLEVILLE

WILL DICKEY

WILL DICKEY

OPPOSITE PAGE: JUNIPER SPRINGS IS ONE OF MANY SPRINGS FROM WHICH AQUIFER WATER FLOWS INTO THE ST. JOHNS. TOP: A SPANISH MAP FROM THE 1700s OF THE ST. JOHNS RIVER AT JACKSONVILLE. ABOVE: THE RIVER SHORE AT COLEE COVE IN ST. JOHNS COUNTY. OVERLEAF: AN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH OF PUZZLE LAKE ON THE UPPER ST. JOHNS RIVER, TAKEN BY BILL YATES / CYPIX. (MORE OF BILL YATES’ PANORAMAS CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.MYSTJOHNSRIVER.COM.)


Thanks to its preeminence on the St. Johns, Jacksonville would become a very busy place, indeed. A census of Florida in 1880 counted 257 lonely souls in Dade County; in contrast, 4,535 lived in St. Johns County.

By the 1930’s, the authors of the “WPA Guide to Florida” – astonishing literate writers like Zora Neal Hurston and Stetson Kennedy – reported the vital role this river played in establishing the identity of what was then the “largest city in Florida.” After nearly six decades of extensive dredging and stabilizing, Jacksonville had become a major shipping port for the eastern U.S. Without actually calling it industrialized, the Guide slyly noted, “It is sometimes referred to as the working son in the Florida family of playboys.” No wonder. The city had the largest naval stores and wholesale

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lumber market on the entire Eastern Seaboard – a testament not just to its work ethic, but to the vast tracts of cypress, pine and other wood that splayed out through the lush river basin.

Still, the writers described a colorful vigor that went far beyond the utility: “Within four blocks of the city’s palm-fringed square, ocean liners, banana boats, globe-girdling freighters, and occasionally, noble four-masted schooners dock, and at the near-by fishhouse wharf, weatherbeaten smacks and crab and shrimp boats discharge their cargoes.” South of the business district were “more substantial homes. Here along quiet, oak-shaded streets and in estates where terraced lawns descend to the river bank, scarlet hibiscus and oleander hedges, trumpet vine and purple bougainvillea drape brick walls and gateways.”

I wrote a book once about this St. Johns. In doing so, I immersed myself in it, literally

and otherwise: I paddled the waters of its tributaries until long after dark. I sloshed through its swamps and marshes. With scuba gear, I went below its surface, into its springs and caves – including some at the bottom of the blackwater river itself. Along its shores, I walked atop shell middens built by river dwellers thousands of years ago, and was taken with ways in which the river had transformed those who lived near it.

It struck me that if the Industrial Revolution opened the mouth of the river and made it a safe, accessible harbor, the rich waterscape of northeastern Florida had historically nourished one of the most advanced Native American cultures in the Southeast.

Indeed, early humans who migrated down into what would become Florida did so because they prized what most sustained them. With no fancy full-color brochures or advertisements to mislead them, proto-Floridians first camped and then settled around essential, life-giving features in the landscape: rivers and springs. The lower St. Johns, birthed on a geologically older landscape, had both. And by being both warm and wet, the region was blessed with a biological diversity of plants and animals that more temperate regions simply couldn’t summon.

While South Florida was still accruing itself from marl and coral, the Ocklawaha River was already flowing: Tests of wetland soils there show that tributary to be alive for at least 17,000 years. Yet, the entire 310-mile-long St. Johns – awaiting the rains after the end of the arid Ice Age – didn’t begin to resemble the river of today until about 7,500 years ago.

(Down in our limestone aquifer, the history of north Florida can be read in a hydrological “fault line” running roughly between New Smyrna Beach and Cedar Key. That break in the geology keeps most of the underground water – recharged up here as rainfall – from flowing southward.)

Blessed with a natural bounty from the river, creeks and estuary, natives created great mounds from all they ate – oysters, clams, mussels, fish, turtles, manatees, shark. As archaeologist Jeffries Wyman first reported after exploring the river in 1860, more middens are found here than any other river in North America.

The various tribes who spoke the “Timucua” language in different dialects would later become known as the “St. Johns Culture” for the distinctive earthenware they crafted in its valley. It was among the very first pottery created on the continent.

By the time the French Huguenot explorers Ribault and then Laudonniere arrived, the Indians welcomed them. When he landed in 1562, Ribault was grateful his new hosts were “very gentle, courteous, and of a good nature.” After journeying up this “goodly and great river,” Ribault reported the waters were “boiling and roaring th’-ough with the multitude of all kind of fish.” The French explorer soon understood the energy in this strange, new landscape: “The country thereabouts is…the fairest, fruitfullest, and pleasantest of all the world, abounding in honey, venison, wild fowl, forests, woods with all sorts of palm-trees…”

Others seemed likewise smitten with this goodly and great river. The spiritual naturalist William Bartram journeyed through the entire Southeast in the late 18th century – yet was so captivated with the “grand and noble San Juan” he actually lived on the lower river near Picolata for two years. Bartram informed the sublime sensibilities of river lovers who followed, from Harriett Beecher Stowe, poet Sidney Lanier and composer Frederick Delius, to 20th century naturalist Archie Carr.

Despite our attempts to “manage” and manipulate it, this St. Johns continues to flow, strong and sure. We can still see the best of it, by early dawn when the mist rises from the warmer water into the cool morning air, infusing all of the world with the luminous white spirit of mystery and anticipation that has always thrived on Rio Corrientes, Riviere de Mai, the Grand and Noble San Juan. It is that timeless spirit that lured us all here. .Bill Belleville is an award-winning author and documentary filmmaker specializing in nature and “sense of place.” He has authored five books, including the critically acclaimed “River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida’s St. Johns River,” and wrote and co-produced the recent national PBS documentary “In Marjorie’s Wake: Rediscovering Rawlings, a River, and Time” about Pulitzer Prize-winning author M.K. Rawlings and the St. Johns. More information is available at www.BillBelleville.com.

AUTHOR AND FILMMAKER BILL BELLEVILLE SPEAKS TO PARTICIPANTS ON A ST. JOHNS RIVERKEEPER CRUISE OF THE RIVER.

FISHERMEN DISPLAY THEIR TARPON CATCH ON THE DOCKS OF JACKSONVILLE, 1950.


- continued from page 9

JULY 2006 • SJRK and CleanWater Network filed suit in Federal court challenging EPA’s approval of rule 62-302.800, F.A.C., contending that EPA violated the Clean Water Act and its own

guidelines when it approved new Site Specific Alternative Criteria that would allow lower dissolved oxygen standards.

AUG 2006 • Freedom Commerce Center’s permit and land swap are approved by the St. Johns

River Water Management District (SJRWMD) for a development that will impact less than 30 acres of wetlands. • Mayor John Peyton announces the development of the St. Johns River Accord, a restoration plan for the Lower St. Johns River that includes

many of the recommendations advocated for by SJRK since its inception.

OCT 2006 • SJRK’s documentary, The Green Monster – It Came From the River, is nominated for three regional Emmys.

NOV 2006 • The Northeast Florida Regional Council presents the 2006 Regional Award for Excellence in Environmental Stewardship to SJRK.

APR 2007 • SJRK receives the Zone VIII Conservation Award from The Garden Club of America.

MAY 2007 • SJRK releases its second documentary film, Revenge of the River, at Jacksonville Film Festival.

JUNE 2007 • SJRK releases its first annual Compliance Report, exposing numerous wastewater permit violations. Soon after

its release, DEP Secretary Mike Sole announced that DEP would strengthen its penalty guidelines and would take a tougher stance against the most serious environmental violations.

SEPT 2007 • SJRK hires Education and Outreach Coordinator

Danielle Dolan. • The Green Monster documentary receives first place honors at the national Awards for Reporting on the Environment.

NOV 2007 • Neil Armingeon is named the “2007 Outspoken Citizen of the Year” by the Southside Business Men’s Club.

What were the biggest challenges to the river’s health when you joined St. Johns Riverkeeper?

Nutrient pollution was and still is one of the most significant threats to the river’s health. At the time, it wasn’t that well publicized or understood by the public. The algal bloom in 2005 helped people understand the link between pollution caused by nitrogen and the health of the river.

However, nutrient pollution was not the only critical issue that required our attention. Since our inception, we have also been working to reduce the high levels of fecal coliform bacteria in the tributaries, the significant amount of

construction-site runoff that is silting in our creeks, and the substantial loss of wetlands and critical habitat.

Finally, our river lacked the critical mass of support that it needed from the public and our elected officials. I have worked hard to help build an informed and engaged constituency to advocate for its restoration. I think there is more support now than ever for the St. Johns River.

What brought the St. Johns Riverkeeper organization to the public’s attention?

There were two major events, in 2004 and 2005, that boosted our public profile.

accountable. We learned that the pipeline had been ruptured for over four years and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) knew about it! As a result, we reached a settlement that expedited the replacement of the pipe and resulted in funding for projects that benefited the health of the river.

In 2005, there was a significant blue-green algal bloom that became known as “The Green Monster.” We had been talking nutrient pollution until people’s eyes glazed over. Sometimes they got it, and sometimes they didn’t. But the algal bloom was something everybody understood. People who lived on or near the river would call me and ask if there was a broken sewer line. But the source of the odor was rotting algae and bacteria, all up and down the river, and it was terrible.

The algal bloom was the river telling us, “Hey, I am sick!” Nobody could dispute it, and everyone was affected by it. In response, we launched a major awareness and education campaign that included our River Friendly Yards program and the award-winning documentary, The Green Monster.

Those two pivotal events sent a message to the public and regulatory agencies that St. Johns Riverkeeper is serious and will take action to do what’s necessary to protect the river.

At the same time, though, you’re also known for working behind the scenes for solutions, such

as with Georgia-Pacific to find an alternative to their proposed pipeline into the center of the river.

We have been at odds with Georgia-Pacific over the discharge from their paper mill near Palatka since the founding of this organization. Recently, we tried to put our differences aside and find a solution that would not require them to build a $40-million pipeline to move their discharge from Rice Creek to the middle of the St. Johns River.

Linda Young of the Clean Water Network of Florida and I met with representatives of the plant privately to outline specific alternatives that could be implemented to potentially avoid building the pipeline, improve its discharge, begin to restore Rice

Creek, and do it for much less than $40 million.

After working with them for six months, Georgia-Pacific’s corporate leadership turned their backs on our proposal. The outcome was disappointing and unfortunate, but it demonstrates the length we are willing to go to find sensible solutions to problems.

The St. Johns Riverkeeper organization has supporters from all ends of the political spectrum. How was that accomplished?

I think it’s because we’re focused on what’s best for the river. We don’t have any political agenda. We’ll work with and talk to anyone. People respect the fact that we will not back down and we

Doing What’s NecessaryA Profile of St. Johns Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon

The first event that put us on the map was “Condom Creek,” a canal off the Ortega River where a broken wastewater pipe was located.

A fisherman called me one day in 2004 and said that he was fishing in a canal off the Ortega River and encountered a significant amount of toilet paper and personal hygiene products floating in the river. Jimmy Orth, our Executive Director, and I promptly investigated by paddling a canoe into the canal to the source of the pollution. You can’t really describe how bad it was.

We immediately contacted JEA, the local utility. They were slow to respond, so we called the media. One of the reporters on the scene named the canal “Condom Creek,” and the name was quickly picked up by the rest of the media and the public.

It was a front-page news story in the spring of 2004. People know when you see these types of “floatables” in a body of water where people are swimming and fishing that it’s wrong.

JEA was unwilling to fix the problem in a timely manner, so we resorted to filing a notice of intent to sue under the Clean Water Act to hold them

With his long ponytail, Clark Kent glasses and Alabama drawl, Neil Armingeon seems a laid-back country boy. But he’s a hell-raiser, with a

master’s degree in environmental management from Duke … His righteous anger has helped propel many allies, but it’s his reasoned understanding of water science that makes him one of the most effective activists in city history.” – Folio Weekly, October 2009

Neil at the helm of the St. Johns Riverkeeper boat is one of the most recognized images on the river, and Neil himself is the public face of the St. Johns Riverkeeper organization.

“

NEIL ARMINGEON AND LINDA BREMER DEMONSTRATE TO STOP THE ISSUANCE OF A PERMIT FOR FREEDOM COMMERCE CENTER IN 2005.


FEB 2008 • SJRK ends 2007 having received media coverage at least 120 times and providing presentations to over 60 organizations and schools. • SJRK launches its Water Conservation Public Service Announcement (PSA) Video

Contest for high school students. • SJRK files for an administrative hearing to challenge the Seminole County Yankee Lake permit to withdraw up to 5.5 million gallons of water a day from the St. Johns River.

MAR 2008 • SJRK establishes Awareness and Legal Fund to raise awareness about issues impacting the health of the river and to legally defend it from water withdrawal projects and other threats.

APR 2008 • Neil Armingeon appears as an expert panelist on WJCT’s First Coast Forum: Tapping the St. Johns. • American Rivers, the nation’s largest organization fighting for healthy rivers, names the St. Johns River as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers. The St. Johns was nominated by SJRK.

MAY 2008 • The SJRK documentary, Revenge of the River, received the first place award for Best Public Affairs Program at the 14th annual 2008 Sunshine State Awards for journalism.

JUNE 2008 • Lesson plans developed by the SJRK Education Director are adopted in the 7th grade science curriculum for Duval County.

JULY 2008 • SJRK joins EarthJustice and four other

citizen groups in a suit against the EPA to compel them to establish nutrient pollution limits, due to the failure of the Florida DEP to adequately address this major pollution issue. • SJRKhires Kelly Savage to serve as its Outreach Coordinator.

AUG 2008 • J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver, owners of the Jacksonville Jaguars,issue a challenge grant of up to $150,000 to SJRK for its Awareness and Legal Fund.

will do what’s necessary to protect the river’s health.

I always say to people, “I can tell you what we’re about in two sentences: One, we believe that the St. Johns River is our greatest natural resource,” and “Two, what’s good for the river is good for the community.”

The river is the element that unifies all of us. I believe that most community and business leaders, elected officials and people from all walks of life have come to share that view.

You’ve said that St. Johns Riverkeeper wants to have more involvement with the population upstream.

Our long-range plan has always been to have additional staff based upriver in places like Palatka and Sanford. You can’t just ride into DeLand for a few hours and adequately address the problems in that area. You have to be in the community. If we get the support we need, I think that will happen within the next few years. For now, we rely on a broad network of supporters and allies throughout the watershed to keep us informed and help us address issues that require our attention.

Who are some other groups that St. Johns Riverkeeper is bringing on board?

Young people are certainly important to our work, and we are reaching out to them through our education and outreach programs and social networking activities. We also work to engage the older generations who have the historical perspective and wisdom we need and the interest in leaving a legacy for generations to come. The business community is critical to have on board with this effort. After all, a clean and healthy river is good for our economy and for their bottom line. Sportsmen and boaters are an obvious group that we often recruit for the team, as well.

However, the bottom line is that we all have a role. We need the support of everyone – regardless of age, race,

social or economic status – if we are to successfully protect and restore the river’s health.

What do you see in the future for the river?

Floridians must rethink how we use water and treat pollution. We must recognize that we have more of a water usage problem than a water supply problem.

It’s not us against them; it’s us against us. One of the most common questions I’ve been asked in the seven years I’ve been here is, who’s the biggest polluter? And I tell them to look to your left, then look to your right, then look in the mirror. It’s us.

Do most utilities treat wastewater the way St. Johns Riverkeeper would like them to? No. But it’s our wastewater, not theirs. We as citizens and customers have the responsibility to demand better treatment and less pollution and to ask our elected officials to require it. At St. Johns Riverkeeper, we are giving citizens a platform to do just that. However, we need more citizens to get involved and take personal responsibility by using their votes and voices to effect change.

If we get serious about using water more efficiently, reducing pollution and minimizing our ecological footprint, then we will one day have a vibrant and healthy St. Johns. It’s our river and its future is in our hands. .

Connecting Kids (of all ages) To The RiverThe St. Johns Riverkeeper Education and Outreach Programs BY VICTORIA FREEMAN

CURRICULUM VITAE: NEIL ARMINGEON

PERSONALA native of Alabama.

EDUCATIONNorth Carolina State University, Bachelor of Science degreein biology and hydrology.

Duke University, Master of Science degree in environmental management.

PROFESSIONALRiverkeeper, St. Johns Riverkeeper.

Environmental Director, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, New Orleans.

Project Director, North Carolina Coastal Federation, Newport, NC.

Hydrologic Technician, Alabama and Florida, U.S. Geological Survey.

AWARDS“Best Local Environmental Activist,”Folio Weekly, 2009.

Southside Business Men’s Club’s Outspoken Citizen of the Year, 2007.

CSX Lifetime Environmental Achievement Award, 2005.

“Person of the Year,” Folio Weekly, 2004.

Mark Twain, a riverboat captain himself, could have been speaking directly to the founders of St. Johns Riverkeeper when he said, “Twenty years from now, you will be

more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. Throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” The founding St. Johns Riverkeeper Board members did throw off the bowlines. They decided to make a serious commitment to education even when the non-profit’s operating budget was small.

The founders recognized the growing need for natural connection before Richard Louv documented that need in his best-seller The Last Child in the Woods. They understood that the children – and adults – of the St. Johns watershed needed to be introduced and reintroduced to their river and encouraged to explore its resources.

ST JOHNS RIVERKEEPER 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE20

OCT 2008 • SJRK defends the river from water withdrawals in the administrative hearing challenging Seminole County’s permit to remove up to 5.5 million gallons a day from the river’s flow. • SJRK releases its third documentary, My St. Johns River –

Our Responsibility, a film about youth and their efforts to protect and raise awareness about the St. Johns River.

DEC 2008 • Meetings with Gov. Crist’s staff and Florida CFO Alex Sink begin initiative

to change public policies to be more protective of our water resources. • At the end of 2008, SJRK had received media coverage over 230 times, provided 80 presentations to organizations and schools, participated in over 30

community events, led 17 educational boat trips for 655 children and adults, and reached approximately 2,910 children through its education programs.

responsibility of assessing the water quality and overall environmental health of the St. Johns River.

While acting as citizen scientists, the students took an all-day field trip, and with Danielle’s help, analyzed the data they collected. In addition, the students identified wildlife and discussed land-use practices. Science moved from the pages of a book into the students’ lives.

Mary Phillips, a 7th grade science teacher at Fletcher Middle School, and the recipient of the River Educator Award in 2009, is another teacher who has benefited from St. Johns Riverkeeper’s education outreach. She has used the river to capture the students’ attention and to make science relevant. Some of her projects include the identification of pollution sources, water testing demonstrations, letter writing campaigns and presentations to neighboring San Pablo Elementary School about St. Johns River pollution.

Tracey Manno, the Education Director who succeeded Danielle, is a fourth-generation Floridian who has a degree in elementary and early childhood education. Drawing on her decade and a half of teaching experience, Tracey is keenly aware of the need for young people to have first-hand contact with the river. She supports the “My St. Johns River” campaign.

The “My St. Johns River” campaign, subtitled “It flows through all of us,” is designed to facilitate personal connections with the St. Johns and to provide individuals with the tools to

get to know their river. The campaign is funded in part through the support of CSX.

The first component of the campaign is a highly interactive website, www.mystjohnsriver.com. Using the site, viewers can virtually travel and explore the river, learning about the history, ecology, culture and access to the St. Johns River and its tributaries.

The second component of the campaign is the guidebook Get Your Feet Wet. The 170-page guide encourages families to explore the St. Johns River and its watershed. In addition to a complete listing of parks, the guidebook is a resource for the identification of flora and fauna found in and around the St. Johns. It also contains tips to help you prepare for the journey, games and activities to enhance the river experience, and a River Journal with space for personal reflection.

The guide stresses the inter-relationship of the river’s well-being and individual well-being. “A growing body of research links our physical, mental and spiritual health directly to our association with nature,” the guide says. “Unstructured play in the outdoors builds healthy bodies, encourages creativity and a sense of wonder, relieves stress, facilitates learning, and develops important social skills. Many studies have found that children are smarter, more cooperative, happier, and healthier when they have frequent and varied opportunities for free and unstructured play in the outdoors. Furthermore,

They knew that folks only care about that which they care for.

According to Jimmy Orth, St. Johns Riverkeeper’s Executive Director, talks, demonstrations and trips were all part of the organization’s early education outreach. In autumn of 2007, the board hired Danielle Dolan as the first Education Director. Danielle, a former science teacher, realized that St. Johns Riverkeeper could leverage its educational influence by partnering with teachers. She developed lesson plans, created classroom resources, organized boat trips for families and children and wrote a number of grants for special projects.

One grant, from the Chartrand Foundation, funded the St. Johns Riverkeeper pilot program with Eugene Butler Middle School. This program allowed Danielle to work with classroom teachers to develop hands-on learning experiences for students. The students enrolled in the program became citizen research scientists charged with the

exposure to the outdoors helps children develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of the natural world and a sense of environmental stewardship.”

The third component consists of St. Johns Riverkeeper’s award-winning documentary films. The newest, My St. Johns River, Our Responsibility, highlights the various ways in which children in the community enjoy, utilize and protect their river. The film is the third educational video produced by St. Johns Riverkeeper, following The Green Monster and Revenge of the River. All three now have teacher-friendly curriculum materials that make them easy to use in the classroom. Teachers in public schools, charter schools, magnet schools

and home schools have utilized the videos productively in the classroom, commenting on their ability to capture the students’ attention and educate them about complex issues impacting the river.

Finally, the fourth component of St. Johns Riverkeeper’s education program is the offering of various boat trips and field trips to provide meaningful, first-hand experiences of the river and its watershed. Since its inception, the organization has provided more than 100 boat trips for more than 4,500 children and adults. For many, the trips provided their first opportunity to experience the river from the water and to learn about its many wonders.

For the past decade, in the spirit of Mark Twain, St. Johns Riverkeeper

educators have encouraged everyone in the St. Johns watershed to explore, dream and discover. The education program has activities for every learner – talks, fact sheets, newsletters, videos, a guidebook, a dynamic website and curriculum components that meet Florida state education standards. Each component of the education program is designed to support the purpose of the St. Johns Riverkeeper organization – to connect folks of all ages with the liquid treasure that is the St. Johns River. .Victoria Register-Freeman, a board member of the St. Johns Riverkeeper, has lived on the banks of the Ft. George Inlet and the St. Johns River for two decades. Her river-friendly urban vegetable garden, attached to the House on Cherry Street B&B, has been featured in numerous national publications.


St. Johns Riverkeeper thanksJacksonville University, the Marine Science Research Instituteand Dr. Quinton White for 10 years of support.Learn more about the MSRI at www.ju.edu/msri. Opening Fall 2010!


JAN 2009 • The judge in the Seminole County Administrative Hearing issues a Recommended Order recommending approval of the permit for the withdrawal of water from the St. Johns. • SJRK’s third documentary,

My St. Johns River – Our Responsibility, makes its television premier on WJCT, a PBS affiliate.

FEB 2009 • SJRK launches its 2nd Annual PSA Video Contest for high school students.

MAR 2009 • SJRK receives matching gift donation of $150,000 from J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver after successfully raising $300,000 for its Awareness and Legal Fund.

APR 2009 • Under the leadership of SJRK, over 400 people attend the SJRWMD Governing Board meeting to voice their opposition to the Seminole County water withdrawal permit. District staff announce that they have received

over 19,000 emails opposing the permit. After over 8 hours of public comment, the Governing Board votes 5-4 to approve the permit. MAY 2009 • SJRK files for an appeal of the Seminole County permit decision by the SJRWMD

Governing Board. • SJRK holds the first meeting of the Water Policy Group to discuss strategies to influence policy changes that will be more protective of the river. The group consists of prominent community and business leaders.

JUNE 2009 • SJRK receives the Florida Wildlife Federation’s 2009 “Water Conservationist of the Year” award.

JULY 2009 • Governing Board members and staff of the SJRWMD announce a renewed commitment

to water conservation and a freeze on permits for future surface water withdrawal projects from the St. Johns and Ocklawaha Rivers until the 3-year study is completed.


A Brighter Future For The RiverAn Interview with Jimmy Orth

The past 10 years have included victories, large and

small, in protecting the river, as well as setbacks and continuing threats. During that decade, St. Johns Riverkeeper has earned a reputation as a credible advocate for the river, free of other political agendas and tireless in its advocacy. That reputation will be critical during the next 10 years, as the river faces new challenges and ongoing threats to its health.

Leading the response to those challenges is Jimmy Orth, who has been the Executive Director of St. Johns Riverkeeper since 2004. A lifelong resident of Jacksonville, Jimmy earned his undergraduate degree in marketing at Florida State University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Florida.

While Neil Armingeon, the riverkeeper, is the public face of the organization, Jimmy Orth is the person behind the scenes who works on policy, programs and administration. Issue advocacy is the core of the St. Johns Riverkeeper mission, but it will be education, public participation and policy changes – providing and enforcing legal protections – that will help to guarantee a bright future for the St. Johns River for our children and for generations to come.

What are the biggest challenges facing the river and St. Johns Riverkeeper over the next 10 years?

Water is becoming more scarce, so where we get our water will be one of the bigger challenges going forward. The St. Johns River is an easy target.

Once the economy picks up again, we could see more sprawl, unsustainable development, resulting in more demand for water and more pressure on wetlands and our river. You only have to look at the health condition of our waterways to understand that the ways of the past are not sustainable. More than half of the waterways in our state are designated as impaired or polluted, including the St. Johns River.

We’re at a crossroads in the future of the river. The accumulation of all of our impacts – death by a thousand cuts, if you will – has resulted in significant damage to the health of the St. Johns and other water resources. We will only make matters worse if we don’t fix the problems now and choose a more sustainable path going forward.

ED HALL

WILL DICKEY

CLOUDS AT ROUND MARSH NEAR FORT CAROLINE, TIMUCUAN PRESERVE, LOWER ST. JOHNS RIVER BASIN.


AUG 2009 • A settlement is reached in lawsuit against EPA that will result in the establishment of numeric nutrient limits in the state of Florida. EPA announces that it will propose nutrient limits in January 2010.

SEPT 2009 • SJRK releases Get Your Feet Wet, a 170-page guide to parks, plants and wildlife, games and activities, and ecological and historical information about the St. Johns River.

OCT 2009 • St. Johns Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon is voted “Best Local Environmental Activist” by readers of Folio Weekly.

DEC 2009 • Judge J. Lawrence Johnston issues his Recommended Order denying a motion from Seminole County seeking attorney’s fees from SJRK and the City of Jacksonville.

and outreach programs to increase awareness about the St. Johns River and the problems it is facing. We also are putting more time and resources into advocating for specific solutions to pollution problems and for policy changes that are more protective of the St. Johns.

What do you think the future holds for the St. Johns River and St. Johns Riverkeeper?

We’ve grown because citizens value having a trusted organization to represent their interests and the interests of the St. Johns River. The question will be, is the public willing to make the investment in the river and in St. Johns Riverkeeper that is necessary to take this effort to the next level and eventually reach our goal

of a clean and healthy St. Johns? Are we all willing to make sacrifices and change our personal habits to reduce our impact? It’s going to require a long-term commitment if we are to succeed. We have to look at the river as an investment, the way we look at education or even our own retirement.

Our 10th anniversary coincides with a time when we have some tough choices to make as a community. Hopefully, we won’t make the same mistakes as in the past. We have the opportunity to put the infrastructure and tools in place to grow more sustainably and to minimize the impact on our environment. I hope this is the path we choose.

If we do, there’s a bright future for the St. Johns River. .

How will St. Johns Riverkeeper address those challenges?

Over the last 10 years, St. Johns Riverkeeper has built a reputation as a credible, non-political group whose only agenda is what’s best for the river. Because of that, we’re now in a position to help shape the future of the St. Johns. We’ve developed a Water Policy Group of influential community and business leaders to advocate for policy changes that will better protect our water resources and facilitate the restoration of the St. Johns River. In

some cases, we have good laws and regulations, but they’re not enforced. In other instances, we need to change the laws and policies because they don’t provide adequate protection. While we must utilize the legal tools that are available to us when necessary, we can’t simply rely on the courts or existing laws and regulations to adequately protect the river. As a result, we must work proactively to identify policy solutions. Education, awareness and citizen involvement are also critical to this effort, so we will continue to focus on these important strategies, as well.

Can you elaborate on how St. Johns Riverkeeper holds polluters and regulatory agencies accountable?

St. Johns Riverkeeper was recently involved in a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that requires the agency to establish protective nutrient pollution limits for Florida’s waterways. The state of Florida had 11 years to address this problem, and did not follow through with its responsibility, so we

were forced to petition the federal government to step in and take action. We held the EPA accountable by saying, “We are going to exercise our legal rights if you don’t step in and do your job and force the state to do its job to protect the river.” We’re more than willing to come to the table to work out differences and seek common ground. We do it all the time, working to identify solutions that we all agree upon. But we’re only willing to compromise up to the point where the best interests of the public and the river begin to be neglected.

The main criticism of EPA standards is that the cost to meet them will damage the state’s economy. How do you respond to that criticism?

Some industry groups are saying that it’s going to cost a lot of money to fix the river, resulting in a loss of jobs and harm to our economy. But many of these groups are responsible for our pollution in the first place and have been externalizing the costs of pollution to the public for years.

We’ve been paying for their pollution, whether through taxes to clean up the river or with our health. The cost of clean-up is far more expensive than the cost of proactively preventing the pollution in the first place. We’ve depleted a lot of our best wetlands, wetlands that operated as “kidneys” and buffers to filter pollution. Half of our rivers in Florida are polluted. The level of nitrogen in our springs is at all-time high. We can’t afford to not clean up our waterways.

How is St. Johns Riverkeeper going to effect this needed change?

I think that over the next 10 years, St. Johns Riverkeeper will be known not just as a watchdog group, but as a solutions-oriented organization. We’re doing more through our education

ST. JOHNS RIVERKEEPER: 10 YEARS FOR THE RIVER is published by St. Johns Riverkeeper, which is solely

responsible for its contents. St. Johns Riverkeeper is a non-profit advocacy group for the St. Johns River that is

privately funded by citizens, businesses and foundations.

For information about how to become a member, make a donation, volunteer or report a pollution incident, please call

(904) 256-7591or visit our website – www.stjohnsriverkeeper.org.

St. Johns Riverkeeper2800 University Boulevard North, Jacksonville, FL 32211

(904) 256-7591, www.stjohnsriverkeeper.org

THIS PUBLICATION WAS PRODUCED BY:Jimmy Orth, Executive DirectorNeil Armingeon, The St. Johns RiverkeeperSarah Shelley, Development Director

Warren Miller, EditorEmilie Pennington, Creative Director

Printed by Bailey Publishing, Jacksonville, Florida

“Riverkeeper” and “Waterkeeper” are registered trademarks of Waterkeeper Alliance.

St. Johns Riverkeeper wishes to thank the following photographers for the use of their photography. Copyright is the property of the individual photographers. Prints of their work, including the photos in this publication, are available from the photographers:

WILL DICKEY: (904) 739-2748, [email protected], www.willdickey.com

PAUL GARFINKEL: [email protected], www.flickr.com/photos/pgarf

ED HALL: (904) 610-7410, [email protected], www.edhallphoto.com

ELIZABETH WILKES: (904) 206-2203, www.elizabethwilkesphotography.com, [email protected]

BILL YATES / CYPIX: (904) 568-5186, [email protected], www.cypix.net

ELIZABETH WILKES

“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.”

Benjamin FranklinPoor Richard’s Almanac, 1746

Sheppard, White, thomaS & KacherguS, p.a.Attorneys & Counselors at Law

215 WASHINGTON STREET • JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 32202 • 904/356-9661 • [email protected]

EverBank, the EverBank Infinity Sphere and the EverBank logo are proprietary service marks of EverBank. All rights reserved. ©EverBank, 2010 10CMBACQ0002

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We know the vital role the St. Johns Riverkeeper plays—and proudly accept our corporate responsibility to join you. Together, we can make a difference.

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