We're first to hike again |
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By BILL SNOW, Group Outings chair
The Northeast Florida Group has been selected by the national Sierra Club as the first group in the country to conduct test outings as a major step in reopening outdoor activities in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The hikes and events have been shut down since March of 2020.
To open the way for the restart, the National Sierra Club developed a set of guidelines for conducting in-person outings safely, and it wants to test them on a provisional basis. That’s where we come in.
Our group’s first pilot outing, approved by the Sierra national program safety committee, will be Saturday, May 15, and will involve a hike through the Roosevelt Area of the Timucuan National Preserve. To register for the outing, go to our Meetup site.
One requirement: Your feedback as a participant on this provisional outing is essential and will allow us and the national staff to refine the guidelines for a general rollout. We plan to hold one or two pilots a month during the provisional period, so keep checking back.
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Susan Creek (l) and Bill Snow at our Earth Day table in Vilano Beach
Earth Day 2021 at the Rivers Festival
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by SUSAN CREEK, Group Executive Committee
On Saturday, April 24, our group took part in the Lullaby of the Rivers Festival in Vilano Beach near St. Augustine to celebrate Earth Day. While we were careful to wear masks, it was our first venture back into normalcy, and it seemed to be a success!
Environmental groups representing Northeast Florida were there along with lots of live music. The only problem was that in the late afternoon the clouds gathered, the wind picked up, and we were forced to take down our booth.
Before then, though, a steady stream of visitors to our display got great information on local and state environmental issues, our group and its projects including the petition to stop Publix from using plastic bags. Members Bill Snow, John Pilecki, Chris McDermot, and Chuck Chambers helped me staff the booth.
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Veto these terrible bills, Florida Sierra says |
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In the light of an unprecedented onslaught of of anti-environment and anti-democracy legislation that was approved by the state legislature, the state Sierra Club has sent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a bulleted list of bills that must be vetoed.
In a news release, Sierra Club Florida Acting Director Deb Foote said the 12 measures were a litmus test of whether DeSantis can call himself a “Teddy Roosevelt Republican.”
“Sierra Club is appalled by the Legislature’s unprecedented attack on our state’s natural resources and the transparent, fair processes that Floridians have used to protect the environment and public health in the past,” she said. “This then is the ultimate test for Governor DeSantis. When he addresses this list of bills, he will show himself to be either the enemy of environmental protection and the public process or their champion.”
The state chapter, which has lobbyists in Tallahassee and worked actively against the measures, said it could not identify a single worst bill—they’re all equally bad and include energy bills, water bills, land-use bills, air pollution bills, and anti-democracy bills.
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The pristine Okefenokee Swamp: Under attack again
Forces rally to protect fragile Okefenokee
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By CARR SMITH, Group Executive Committee
The Okefenokee Swamp and National Wildlife Refuge lies an hour and a half drive from Jacksonville. It is the largest blackwater swamp in the U.S., one of the most pristine wilderness areas in the nation, the largest wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi, and a contender as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is the source of both the St. Marys and the Suwannee River. The swamp harbors 49 species of mammals, 233 species of birds, 64 species of reptiles—including the American alligator in a population of about 15,000, 39 species of fish, 37 species of amphibians, roughly 1,000 moth species, and 600 plant species, in one of the rare Dark Sky areas of the country.
But the Okefenokee is under threat.
Just east of the Okefenokee is an ancient dune known as the Trail Ridge, running from Clay County, Fla., to Jessup, Ga., which contains heavy mineral sands bearing titanium and zircon, and has been strip mined for those minerals in various areas, since the end of WWII. Trail Ridge also forms the eastern sill of the Okefenokee, separating the swamp from the St. Mary’s river.
The titanium and zircon metals are easily sourced elsewhere, and are used primarily as pigments to whiten paper and paint. There has never been sand mining on the edge of the Okefenokee. But, starting 2018, a company known as Twin Pines has wanted to do just that. Originally, the Army Corps of Engineers had jurisdiction of the proposal under the Clean Water Act. After the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had done a preliminary hydrology study and found that the proposed mine could compromise the entire swamp, the Corps indicated that an Environmental Impact Statement would be required. Twin Pines dropped the mine plan at that point.
In September of 2019, the Trump administration EPA narrowed the definition of the U.S. waters that determine jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. Twin Pines saw another opening and proposed a smaller “demonstration mine” of some 900 acres that was carefully drawn to not include any waters still subject to Federal jurisdiction.
That mine is proposed to work 24 hours per day using extensive lighting and producing significant noise. The mine will pump millions of gallons of water from the Floridian aquifer, and with mining depth of 50 feet, may destabilize the section of Trail Ridge being mined. Weakening the sill that is Trail Ridge and withdrawing water from the aquifer could cause a loss of water in the Okefenokee. Currently, the only jurisdiction remaining is with the State of Georgia Environmental Protection Division that is reviewing five permit applications from Twin Pines.
The Northeast Florida Sierra Club Group, the statewide Florida Chapter of Sierra, and the statewide Georgia Chapter of Sierra, are members of the Okefenokee Protection Alliance, along with almost 40 other environmental groups fighting to protect the Okefenokee. The Okefenokee Protection Alliance is calling for comments to the Georgia Environmental Department.
In Florida, this will be during the week of May 10—the chapter will send out the notice. Your comments are needed. This is a long and necessary fight.
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May & June meetings: Beaches & backyards
Our meetings will be virtual until the pandemic eases. Even so, we have a wide variety of engaging speakers scheduled, and they always include time for you to discuss the issues and ask questions.
May 11, Tuesday, 7 p.m., on Zoom, Coastal issues and ideas.
Erin Handy, the Southeast campaign manager for Oceana, will speak on the current campaigns that Oceana is undertaking to protect oceans and marine life, particularly in the Southeast. She will update us on the 2021 virtual event of Hands Across the Sand, the annual event where people come to join hands to take a stand for clean energy and against seismic testing and oil drilling off our coasts. The Zoom meeting code:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88333911318?pwd=OGJ1ZndyK3ZUV0svUWY2NVN5SGtpQT09
The numbers of endangered species are increasing, leading many of us to wonder what we as individuals can do. This program will explore some of the Florida Friendly techniques we as homeowners can employ to help make a difference for wildlife. When we understand that our home landscapes are a part of a larger natural system, this recognition can help guide us to make yards that are visibly appealing yet continue to provide those ecosystem services, says Master Naturalist and NEFL Sierra board member Lisa Williams. The birds, bees and compliments you attract will be your reward.
June 19, Saturday, 10 a.m. Native Park. Nicholas Freeman of IXIA Chapter of the Native Plant society will guide us through the Native Park at 3312 Park Street—it’s in the Riverside Avenue Historic District. Native Park was developed and maintained by the IXIA Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society to increase public awareness of the importance and beauty of native plants. Plants will be available for purchase after the walk through.
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May Outings: Exploring Seminole Ranch
This month, we're exploring "real events" for the first time in a year—see the article at the beginning of this newsletter for full information.
Meanwhile, for inspiration and information, go on a virtual hike with our knowledgeable guides and experience North Florida's wonderful parks and preserves, our national park systems, scenic trails, and overseas treks as well.
As we conduct our first provisional in-person outing this month (see story above), we continue our popular series of virtual outings every other Thursday. Here are the virtual outings for May. Links to register and Zoom logins can be found on our Meetup site or on on our Facebook page.
May 6, Thursday, 7 p.m. Zoom: Join us as we explore the Seminole Ranch and Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Areas on the Florida National Scenic Trail. We will pass through a wetlands park teeming with birds and explore dense pine flatwoods and palm forests in the floodplain of the upper St. Johns River.
May 20, Thursday, 7 p.m. Zoom: We'll visit several old forts in our area and hike the trails associated with them. We'll visit Fort Clinch, Fort Caroline, Fort Mose, Fort Matanzas, and the Castillo de San Marcos.
We will continue to hold virtual outings on June 3 and June 17.
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.
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Interesting & useful
New Outings leader for Northeast Florida group
Bill Armstrong has decided to step aside as chair of our outings team after many years of service. He has asked Bill Snow to assume the chair role and, after several months of training, the transition is complete starting in May. Snow has been an outings leader since February of 2018. He is also the membership chair and serves on the executive committee of our group. Armstrong will continue in an active role as an outings leader, military outdoors coordinator, liaison with Groundwork Jacksonville, organizing S-Line clean-ups, Meetup organizer, website content editor, and outings trainer. Contact Bill Snow with questions and ideas.
Partnering with the YMCA to support veterans
Our group is joining with the First Coast YMCA on new initiative designed to help veterans and their families enjoy the outdoors and to become leaders in environmental conservation, part of a national Sierra program called Military Outdoors. We conducted a pilot hike with the Y and a group of veterans in Jennings State Forest on April 23. Further activities are being planned to help support our veterans in the Jacksonville area. Contact Bill Armstrong, the program leader, for information on participating in further events.
Cleaning up
Our Northeast Florida Group teams up with Groundwork Jacksonville to keep a completed portion of the planned Emerald Trail clean. We are responsible for the "S-Line," an old Seaboard Line railroad line through the center of downtown. We clean a 1/2 mile portion every second Saturday. In March, we employed two crews to make up for previous weather delays. You can find our S-Line cleanup schedules on Meetup, Facebook, and our web page.
—Bill Armstrong
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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.
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Sierra Club, Northeast Florida Group | sierrasentry@gmail.com | sierraclub.org/florida/northeast-florida |
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