Go Vote!
It’s voting season: Early voting is underway, and the formal election is Nov. 6.
We want our Sierra-endorsed candidates and issues to win, so we encourage everyone to participate in our democracy and vote!
Here are the
club’s endorsements
for federal, state, and local offices. At the end of the endorsements, the club discusses one of the last items, a straw ballot issue asking whether Duval County voters—not the City Council—should approve selling the JEA.
If you’re unsure about the long list of state constitutional amendments (there are 12 of them), our club recommends using the
Florida League of Women Voters’ endorsements
as a guide. The league has a short and readable list of the amendments and its solid reasons for supporting or opposing each. It’s valuable resource.
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Whale Festival
at Jacksonville Beach
on Nov. 3
The 10th Annual
Right Whale Festival
will be celebrated from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach.
Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
North Atlantic right whales are an endangered species (fewer than 450 are known to exist) that each fall migrate from the North Atlantic ocean to an area off the Georgia and Florida coasts. It is their only known calving area.
The Nov. 3 festival brings brings together non-profit organizations, artists, musicians, marine mammal scientists, as well as state and federal agencies with the common goal to raise awareness for these gentle creatures. (Their name, some say, comes from their docile nature that made them the “right whale” to hunt.)
The festival includes live music, food, kids’ activities, arts and crafts, a beach clean-up, a 5K run and 1-mile walk, educational exhibits and lectures.
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Madi Carr sings for the Sierrans
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Fall Fundraiser
has Sierrans
tapping their feet
Madi Carr, a Jacksonville singer and songwriter, thrilled Sierra Club members and friends on a balmy Tuesday night with songs of her Florida childhood along the Crystal River.
Oh, and she helped raise money for the Northeast Florida Sierra group as well.
She was the featured performer at the club’s fall fundraiser on Oct. 16 at the Mudville Grill. There was food and drink and music, and a raffle for Sierra Club bling.
Carr is 17 and a senior at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. She said her involvement in the Sierra Club stemmed from her childhood, growing up in a small town atmosphere and spending time on the water, both swimming and on her family’s boat. Her music—she accompanies herself on the guitar and harmonica—reflects that idyllic setting.
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Master Naturalist Course
registration open now;
everyone is welcome
A master naturalist program will be offered in January by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Registration runs from Nov. 1 to Jan. 4, 2019. The course will be Jan. 9-11.
Sponsored by Duval County Extension and the North Florida Land Trust, the course is a series of three eight-contact-hour workshops that cover biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, and conservation strategies.
This course is open to everyone interested in conservation issues. You do not need to be a graduate of a Florida Master Naturalist core module to participate.
The classroom sessions will be held at the North Florida Land Trust Milam House, 11994 Houston Ave., Jacksonville.
Fees begin at $155 and full information is
available here
. Advance registration is required. For registration and program information visit
the web site
. For questions contact instructor Carol Wyninger at wyninger@comcast.net.
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Slime, ancient wall,
wild plants top agendas
for club meetings
Green slime, an ancient wall, and wild plants are on tap for the club’s meetings planned for the autumn and winter. All are free and open to everyone.
Monday, Nov. 19, at UNF, the woes of green slime and red tide top the discussion. Cris Costello, a Sierra Club staffer, will present the facts about the problem and what can be done about it. Meet in room 1088 at the The Adam Herbert University Center, UNF. A social time starts at 6:30 p.m.; the meeting starts at 7 p.m. The address is 12000 Alumni Drive, Jacksonville.
Monday, Dec. 3, in Ponte Vedra, Bill Armstrong, our club’s outings chair, will speak on his eight-day hiking trip this summer along the Hadrian’s Wall Path in England. Hadrian’s Wall was a defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britannia. It was started in A.D. 122 in the reign of Emperor Hadrian and was the northern limit of the Roman Empire. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The program will be held in the Clubhouse of the Ocean Grove Condominiums at 1, Arbor Club Drive, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, 32082. For information, write to Brian Paradise at bgparadise@comcast.net.
Monday, Jan. 14, in Jacksonville at Lakewood Presbyterian Church. Dr. Jim Moore will speak on “Wild Plants: a Fresh Perspective.” Moore, a former physician who has concentrated on urban biology since 2015, will focus on wild plants and ways to integrate them into our lives. This will be an interactive program with microscopes and live specimens. There will be a seed dispersal at the end.
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Paddle & hike with us
in November
We have a great line-up scheduled this month. T
o see a full outing description and to RSVP for these events, go to our
website
or
Meetup pages.
Outings are free (except for park fees) and are open to all. Some outings require a greater level of fitness and skill than others. No pets or firearms allowed on outings. Outing participants are required to sign a waiver and release of liability at the start of the outing. Here is a copy of
the waiver form
. You'll get one to sign at the outing.
Sunday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m.:
Kayak Lofton Creek. Join us for a leisurely paddle on Lofton Creek in Yulee, Fla.
Saturday, Nov. 17, 9 a.m.:
Hike the Florida Trail to Big Shoals on the Suwannee River. Join us on a 6-mile hike “way down upon the Suwannee River”.
Sunday, Nov. 18, 1 p.m.:
Hike the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens. We'll hike all the trails in the beautiful Arboretum.
Friday, Nov. 23, 10 a.m.:
Black Friday - Hike Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park. Let's hit the woods rather than the stores! In sharp contrast to the shopping frenzy, we’ll enjoy the beautiful trails at Tillie Fowler Park.
Saturday, Nov. 24, 9 a.m.:
Fitness Hike – Bayard Conservation Area. This strenuous hike will take you through interesting, diverse flora and, we hope, provide some wildlife sightings.
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Join the Sierra Club
and receive this free
insulated cooler tote bag!
Name:______________________________
Address:____________________________
City, State, Zip: ______________________
Email address: _______________________
Membership level
Individual Joint
___ Introductory $15
___ Regular $39 ___$49
___ Supporting $75 ___$100
___ Life $1000 ___$1,250
___ Student $25 ___$35
___ Senior $25 ___$35
___ Limited Income $25 ___$35
___ Contributing $150 ___$175
Payment:
AMEX:__ MasterCard:__ Visa __ Check:__
Card Number: _______________________
Expiration Date (mm/yy): ______________
Signature____________________________
Mail this form to: Sierra Club Member Services, 2101 Webster St., Suite 1300, Oakland, CA 94612 or go to www.sierraclub.org
Contributions, gifts and dues to the Sierra Club are not tax deductible; they support our citizen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts. Contributions to The Sierra Club Foundation and Environmental Law Program are tax-deductible. Your dues include $7.50 for your subscription to Sierra Magazine and $1 for our Chapter newsletter.
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Sierra Club, Northeast Florida Group | sierrasentry@gmail.com | sierraclub.org/florida/northeast-florida
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