St. Johns restores LAMP
conservation program
By BILL SNOW, Group ExCom member
We had a big win for the environment in St. Johns County last month. The LAMP program was reinstated by a 3-2 vote of the County Commission. This program—the Land Acquisition and Management Program—will ensure that rapid development is being balanced by protection of natural resources in order to preserve our quality of life.
To add to the good news, the commissioners voted to increase the amount of the initial funding from $370,000 to $500,000. That was an added bonus that I did not expect and was pleasantly surprised to see pass.
Sierra members John Pilecki, Brian Paradise, Susan Creek, and I were all present for the hearing. Brian spoke on behalf of the Sierra Club and I spoke as a resident of the county. Other groups, including the Audubon Society and Matanzas Riverkeeper spoke by telephone. There was not a single negative public comment.
LAMP earmarks land for public access and passive recreational purposes. Some of the green spaces created by it in the past are the Alpine Groves River Park, Vilano Beach Oceanfront Park and the Southeast Intracoastal Waterway Park.
The program, which was established in 1999, had been tabled since the 2008 recession. The three county commissioners who voted in favor of restarting LAMP were Henry Dean, Jeremiah Blocker, and Christian Whitehurst. The two who opposed it were Paul Waldron and Jeb Smith.
|
|
Ortega River swim: These Canadian geese take advantage of placid water to enjoy a liesurely trip across the river. (Photo by Barbara Gubbin) |
|
Parks group seeks robust discussion
on riverfront's future as public asset
By RIVERFRONT PARKS NOW
On January 12, the City Council failed to reach 2/3 approval on LOT J, thereby defeating the Jaguars’ proposed development deal. Following the vote, Jaguars President Mark Lamping said they would immediately set their sights on the “Shipyards” riverfront development proposal, previously announced as a Four Seasons Hotel, an orthopedic medical center, residential and office buildings. (To be clear, when they say Shipyards, they mean Metropolitan Park and a part of the Shipyards).
At the same time, the National Park Service (NPS) rejected the city’s recent proposal to swap Metropolitan Park for a portion of the shipyards. We learned that Downtown Investment Authority (DIA) plans to now become involved with the swap negotiations. The DIA is also engaging with negotiations with the Jaguars.
Riverfront Parks Now believes that it’s time to change our approach: to step out and look holistically at our entire riverfront, and in particular the publicly owned riverfront land. We need to consider the many social, recreational, and resiliency benefits of a transformational public asset—a signature park, series of parks, and expanded Riverwalk to complement and spur economic development in the many areas that exist today downtown.
Our group is committed to a robust public engagement process that is proactive, strategic, visionary and can take ideas into action. Contact us to get your organization involved.
|
|
Meander along Egans Creek Greenway |
|
By BARBARA GUBBIN, Group Legislative Chair
Egans Creek Greenway at Fernandina Beach is a great walk with a variety of short and longer trails that meander all the way to Fort Clinch, if you choose.
It has the added charm of being close to the town of Fernandina with lots of options for great places to eat and exploring the rich history of a seacoast town.
(Gray heron on the creek)
And to make the Greenway even better, The North Florida Land Trust recently bought 3 acres of land that the city of Fernandina Beach will use to better protect it from development forever. The $400,000 cost was split evenly with the city.
To begin your walk, find your way to the Residence Inn on Sadler Road in Fernandina Beach; in the parking lot at the rear of the hotel are parking spaces reserved for Egans Creek walkers. You will see signs there with maps of the trails.
|
|
Meetings
Our meetings will all be virtual until the pandemic eases. Even so, we have a wide variety of engaging speakers scheduled where there is plenty of time to discuss the issues and ask questions.
Feb. 8, Monday, 7 p.m. on Zoom, “Protect What You Love: The Matanzas Riverkeeper and the Health of our Watershed.” Matanzas Riverkeeper Jen Lomberk will discuss what it means to be a Riverkeeper, the current state of our local waterways, and what you can do to ensure that our natural resources stay healthy and beautiful. The Zoom code is here.
March 1, Monday, 7 p.m. on Zoom, “No Roads to Ruin.” Michael McGrath, a Sierra organizer from Fort Myers, will speak on the disasterous toll road project known as M-CORES that will plow through pristine land in the rural part of the state.
|
|
Outings
The ban on outside activities continues through at least July 4, the National Sierra Club announced last month, and that means we will stay on Zoom to connect with each other and with the outdoors that we all love.
In our group, we're revising our schedule slightly to present these virtual programs every other Thursday rather than every Thursday as we do now.
Feb. 4, Thursday, 7 p.m. “Three Great Trails You've Never Heard Of—St. Johns County Edition.” On this virtual outing, we will explore three wonderful, but little-known, trails in St. Johns County, each with a different mode: hiking, paddling and bicycling.
Feb. 18, Thursday, 7 p.m. Virtual hike, Ravine Gardens in Palatka. We'll visit beautiful Ravine Gardens State Park and see the blooming azaleas.
Other virtual outings will be on March 4 and 18, April 8 and 22, and May 6 and 20.
Anytime
For inspiration and information, Go on a virtual hike with our knowledegable guides and experience North Florida's wonderful parks and preserves, our national park systems, scenic trails, and overseas treks as well.
|
|
Interesting
Our club’s former chair was featured prominantly in a First Coast News segment that tied global warming to severe weather—especially in Jacksonville.
Former Northeast Florida Sierra Club chair Janet Stanko was interviewed as one of several activists in the piece that highlighted storm threats and storm damage to Jacksonville. She made some nice points.
|
|
About the Sierra Sentry
The Sierra Sentry is the newsletter of the Sierra Club’s Northeast Florida Group. It is published every month with environmental news and activities of interest to area residents.
Contributions—photos, essays, and poems—from readers are welcomed. Questions and comments? Write to the editor, Robert Blade.
Not a member of Sierra? Go here to join and receive a free tote bag.
|
|
Sierra Club, Northeast Florida Group | sierrasentry@gmail.com | sierraclub.org/florida/northeast-florida |
|
|
|
|
|
|
