|
Committee Chairs
|
Conservation
|
Volunteer for this position! Call 247-1876
|
|
Environmental Education
|
Volunteer for this position! Call 247-1876
|
|
Outings
|
Bill Armstrong
|
|
Website
|
Bill Armstrong
|
|
Programs, Ponte Vedra
|
Larry Lickenbrock
|
|
Programs,
Duval
|
Janet Larson & Pauline Berkeley
|
|
Membership
|
Volunteer for this position! Call 247-1876
|
| Newsletter |
Julianne Mammana
|
|
Legal
|
Volunteer for this position! Call 247-1876
|
|
Publicity
|
Volunteer for this position! Call 247-1876
|
| Legislative |
Gabe Hanson
|
|
|
Welcome our Newest Leaders
Sierra Club NE FL group would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest EXCOM member, Cindy Baker, as well as our newest member of Conservation Committee, Jolie Schlieper. We are elated to have such talented and passionate individuals as a part of our organization.
|
Ponte Vedra Program
Monday, June 6th @ 6:00pm: Palm Valley-Ponte Vedra Greenway Initiative
The NE FL Sierra Club in Ponte Vedra will host a presentation by local activist Deb Chapin about the PV Greenway Initiative. She will show slides of this proposed project and describe how the plan is to have a multi-use nature-based trail for hiking, biking, and equestrian use along with a nature preserve offering education and amenities such as a dog park, community garden and much more. This plan will provide safe mobility, connectivity and enhance outdoor recreation throughout Palm Valley & Ponte Vedra area. They need your support to make this happen!
Deb Chapin is founder of The PV Greenway & Preserve Initiative. She began Green Gate Solutions, LLC in 2009 with a focus on exploring and sharing information on sustainability, including alternative energy solutions, and establishing localized green networks. For 12 years she served as Senior Director of Business Development for Encore Marketing International, Inc.
All are welcome! For
further information, contact Larry Lickenbrock at (904) 537-6047. The program will be held in the Main Meeting Room of the Ponte Vedra Beach Public Library on Library Road at A1A (blinking light south of the intersection of A1A and Solana Road, on A1A about two miles south of Butler Boulevard).
|
|
Jacksonville Programs will be taking a break for the summer! -
Stay alert for updates with details of Jax programs to come. Share ideas for new programs, too!
|
|
Meeting Calendar
Ponte Vedra Program:
Palm Valley-Ponte Vedra Greenway Initiative
Ponte Vedra Beach Public Library- Main meeting room
Wednesday, June 15 @ 6:30
Combined ExCom & Conservation Committee Meeting
6850 Belfort Oaks Road, Jacksonville
|
|
Sierra Club Opposes Plan to Develop 45,000 Acres of Panther Habitat
On April 25, Sierra Club Florida submitted comments to the US Fish and Wildlife Service expressing strong opposition to the proposed Eastern Collier Habitat Conservation Plan. The proposal includes an incidental take permit authorizing the "unintentional" harm or killing of Florida panthers and other endangered species on 45,000 acres of new urban development.
|
|
2016 Bear Hunt: The Graphic Reality
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWFCC) will consider on June 22 whether to authorize another Florida Black Bear hunt for 2016. Last year's hunt bagged 295 bears, about 10% of the black bear population in Florida. There is a lot we can say about why this is wrong.
Here's a 30 second video that illustrates one particularly egregious aspect of this travesty.
|
|
Get your St. Johns River Specialty License Plate
 |
|
|
^ Click for info. ^ |
Please show your support for the St. Johns River by purchasing a voucher (cost $30) for the St. Johns River specialty license plate at your local county tax collector's office. The St. Johns River Alliance has a deadline of
June 30
to reach the minimum of 1,000 tags and vouchers. The Alliance uses the funds from the sales of the license plates for grants for river recreation and research. For more information, contact Andrea Conover, SJRA Program Manager,
[email protected]
.
As a special incentive, the Alliance will send photo note cards, a state park day pass and enter your name into a prize drawing. Thanks for helping the Alliance help the St. Johns River!
|
|
Sea Turtle Awareness
|
|
|
Loggerhead |
"County officials are asking everyone to help protect natural habitat by observing all nesting season laws and regulations. Between
May 1 and October 31, vehicular traffic on the beach is allowed from
8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. only and all beachfront properties are required to eliminate interior and exterior lights which may disrupt nesting sea turtles. The volleyball court lights at the St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier Park will turn on at sunset and off at 9 p.m.
Click here
for turtle season rules or visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy
website
for additional information."
Source: St. Johns County Parks and Recreation
|
|
Featured Photo
| An aerial view of Hands Across the Sand in Pinellas County, FL on May 21st. |
|
|
|
|
Nature As Medicine
Brian Paradise
Spending time in nature is good for you. That's a classic bit of folk wisdom, of course, as old as parents telling their kids to get outside and play. In recent years, though, research from the fields of physiology and psychology has given new scientific legitimacy to the old insights about the benefits of spending time outdoors.
British researchers
, for example, have found that walking through green spaces contributes to a relaxing state of "effortless attention"-as your feet wander, your mind roams, shedding anxiety. In a similar study, Stanford scientists found that "nature experience, even of a short duration, can decrease [the] pattern of thinking that is associated with the onset, in some cases, of mental illnesses like depression," as one of the lead researchers told the
Washington Post
. Hospital patients who have the opportunity to spend time in gardens
report lower levels of pain and stress
.
Simply having a view of trees can be beneficial. Students placed in a classroom with green views are better able to focus and also to recover from stress, according to a study in the journal
Landscape and Urban Planning
.
Bolstered by such findings, some
MDs are beginning to prescribe time outdoors
as a way of treating diabetes, obesity, mental health disorders, and ADHD.
Walking in the woods as a prescription drug? The notion is ideal for a spoof-and, thankfully, one filmmaker has made that spoof. Since Justin Bogardus first posted his short film,
"Nature Rx,"
the spot has gone viral. It's racked up 10 million views online and has won Bogardus a slew of film festival awards for "Best Short."
So check out the video. Send it to your friends and family. Then turn of your computer, take the ad's advice, and get out there.
But please remember: You might experience certain side effects. While nature is completely shareable, as the spoof reminds us, "Nothing in Nature is clickable."
|
|
Success Across the Sand
Candy Rue
Fifty-three citizens from Jacksonville and the Beaches stood in solidarity on Jacksonville Beach along with other citizens of the world on Saturday May 21, 2016 at 12:00 noon participating in Hands Across The Sand.
Our reason for gathering was simple: To say YES to clean Energy and No to dirty fuels.
Our reason for gathering was not a
bout politics, it was about protection of our oceans and marine life, our coastal environment, our coastal economies, our mountains, valleys and meadows. Our effort is aimed at steering America's energy policy away from its dependence on fossil fuels and towards clean and affordable energy.
Our local citizens also signed a letter to send to Florida's senators to support the Atlantic Seismic Protection Act. Seismic testing is an air gun blasting process utilizing sound waver for the exploration of oil. This extreme blasting noise can not only cause detrimental effects to sea turtles, whales and dolphins, but could economically ruin local fisheries.
We believe that all the participants of Hands Across The Sand events across the country and the world made a difference not only for us but future generations.
|
|
National Park Service Approves Seismic Testing For Oil in Big Cypress National Preserve
Brian Paradise
The National Park Service has given the go-ahead for an oil company to explore for deposits beneath Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, even though the company's test of its equipment was judged "clearly a failure" by park observers.
Nick Lund of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) was quoted as saying "This is 70,000 acres inside the national preserve. There's nine threatened and endangered species within the planning area, including the critically endangered Florida panther...I don't know what NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act) exists for if not for this thing."
Drawing the condemnation was the Park Service's announcement Friday afternoon that it had concluded that allowing Burnett Oil Co. to use seismic testing to search for oil reserves in the preserve's Nobles Grade area would have "no significant impact."
U.S. Sen. Bob Nelson was so concerned about the testing that in February he called on Interior Secretary Jewell to direct the Park Service to conduct a "comprehensive" review of the proposal.
"If history is any indication, approval of Burnett's request for a massive seismic survey essentially signals a green light for future drilling and fracking," Sen. Nelson wrote in a letter to the Interior secretary. "That's why I strongly urge you to complete an Environmental Impact Statement for Burnett Oil Company's proposed seismic survey."
But Park Service staff determined that a more extensive and involved EIS was not merited "based on information and conclusions outlined in an environmental assessment completed for the proposed survey."
At NPCA, Mr. Lund pointed out that this approval applies to 110 square miles of the preserve, and is only the first of four phases the Texas-based oil company hopes to explore.
Burnett Oil's plan is to use sound waves created by truck-mounted vibrators to create 3-D maps of potential oil and gas reserves.
The environmental assessment only covers the seismic survey. Should Burnett Oil wish to pursue production of resources, they must submit a new plan of operations, which would undergo additional environmental review and public comment periods, the Park Service said.
Both NPCA and South Florida Wildlands officials were reviewing the options for blocking the testing.
|
|
Judge Rules for Young Plaintiffs in Climate Change Case
Brian Paradise
On April 8, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin of the Federal District Court in Eugene, Oregon, decided in favor of 21 young plaintiffs in their landmark constitutional climate change case against the federal government.
The court's ruling is a major victory for the 21 youth plaintiffs, ages 8-19, from across the U.S. in what Bill McKibben and Naomi Klein call the "most important lawsuit on the planet right now."
The decision denied motions seeking to dismiss the youth's climate change lawsuit. The motions were brought by the federal government and the fossil fuel industry who denied any duty under the constitution or the public trust doctrine to protect essential natural resources, such as air and oceans, for the benefit of all present and future generations.
The case of the plaintiffs alleged that the federal government is violating plaintiffs' constitutional and public trust rights by promoting the development and use of fossil fuels. The
complaint explains that, for more than 50 years, the U.S. Government has known that carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution from burning fossil fuels causes global warming and dangerous climate change, and that continuing to burn fossil fuels destabilizes the climate system. The next step is a review of Judge Coffin's decision by another judge in the same court, Judge Ann Aiken.
|
|
|
Monthly Outings
Saturday, June 4, 2016, 9:00 am: Historic Walking Tour of St. Augustine
Come explore America's oldest city on this walking tour, which takes you on a three-mile journey and covers a great deal of St. Augustine's most important historic sites and facts. Everything from its discovery by Ponce de Leon, to it's first settlement by Don Pedro de Menendez, to the role Henry Flagler played in making it a tourist destination, to the significant role St Augustine played in the Civil Rights movement will be covered.
The tour begins promptly at
9:00 am from the gazebo in the middle of Plaza Constitution, located across the street from 24 Cathedral Place, St Augustine, FL 32084. There is a limit of 20 people, so to maximize attendance, please only RSVP if you will definitely attend; also, cancel your RSVP if you cannot make it to allow people on the wait list to be confirmed. After the tour (approximately
11:30 am), there is an optional lunch at the beautiful and historic Caf
é Alcazar, located in the deep end of what used to be the world's largest indoor swimming pool.
Park where you desire, plus there is a parking garage located at 1565 Cordova Street. To get there from Jacksonville, take I-95 south to exit 318 and turn left on SR-16 east. In five miles turn right on US 1 (N. Ponce de Leon Blvd). In just over a mile, turn left on West Castillo and the parking garage will be ahead on the right. It is about a 15-minute walk from the parking garage to the gazebo at Plaza Constitution, so please arrive early! The tour departs promptly at
9:00 am.
RSVP on
Meetup.com or with outing leader Ken Fisher at
904-210-7765 /
[email protected].
------------------------------
------------------------------
-------------
Saturday, June 18, 2016, 6:30 pm: Summer Solstice Sunset Stroll
Summer Solstice is on
June 21, but being that is during the week, let's go on a sunset stroll over the intracoastal waterway on Wonderwood Dr. as the sun sets on
June 18. We will start out heading east towards Mayport on the elevated roadway providing beautiful views of the marsh and wetlands. As we return heading west, we'll be able to watch the sun set over the horizon.
We will meet at in the parking lot of the BBQ Barn, located at 14025 Mt Pleasant Rd, Jacksonville FL 32225. From I-295, take the Monument Rd exit and head east for three miles. At the traffic light turn right onto McCormick Rd. From there the BBQ Barn will be on your left after 1.5 miles (do a U-turn after passing it).
The walk is approximately five miles and will take about two hours. We will walk on a concrete sidewalk, which has a barrier between the road and the sidewalk. Also, be prepared for elevation changes as the road way is elevated. Please join in an optional meal with the group at BBQ Barn once the walk is completed.
Please ensure you are on time and suggest bringing comfortable shoes, water (as you can't buy any there), sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, and a hat. It will obviously be hot, but since the sun will be setting and the fact it's usually breezy in that area, hopefully it will be pretty comfortable.
RSVP on
Meetup.com or with outing leader Ken Fisher at
904-210-7765 /
[email protected].
------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
Saturday, June 11, 10:00 a.m.: Kayak Deep Creek
We'll kayak on beautiful, isolated Deep Creek for about 6 miles.
We'll meet at the Deep Creek Boat Launch located at 7975 SR-207, Hastings, FL. Take I-95 south to the SR-207 exit. Go west toward Hastings for about 12 miles. (You can also take SR 13 south to the end where it intersects with SR-207. Turn right.) Right after the intersection with SR-206, you will come to the bridge over Deep Creek. Drive over the bridge, then U-turn and cross back over. The road to the launch site is on the right (south) just over the east side of the bridge.
Bring PFD, whistle, snack, water, bug spray, sunscreen, hat. You must wear your PFD.
There are no restrooms at the put-in location. Be there by
9:30 am to unload and get ready. Please do not launch until after the leader does a short pre-outing briefing at
10:00 am.
RSVP on
Meetup.com or with outing leader Andrea Conover at
[email protected].
|
|
"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul."
-Unknown
|
|
|
