The Eglin-Nokuse Section, in the Western Panhandle, is one of the prettiest sections of the Florida Trail. It features rolling hills, crystal clear creeks and towering pine forests. Hike it with us on Zoom this month. For full information, see the outings section below. |
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Watch out: state legislators begin
new session on March 2
By BARBARA GUBBIN, Group Legislative Chair
Tuesday, March 2, signals the opening of the Florida Legislature’s 2021 session. The session closes April 30, and in that time hundreds of bills, which have already been filed and many of which have been going through the committee process since January, will be scheduled for a hearing, held up or not by those who control agendas and the calendar, debated, possibly amended, and voted on.
Our state chapter, Sierra Club Florida, has people working on our behalf in Tallahassee: Government Affairs and Political Director Deborah Foote, our lobbyist Dave Cullen, and Chapter Political Chair David Harbeitner, who coordinates the work of the group political committees. (Is our governor becoming an environmentalist? Tough to say, but here's one take on it.)
How to be an effective voice for the environment?
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Know who your state senator and representative are. Go here and enter your address to find out who represents you. Add their names, email addresses and phone numbers to your contact list and note down which committees they serve on.
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Check on the Sierra Club Florida Chapter website for our 2021 Legislative Priorities and familiarize yourself with them and sign up for the Florida Report to get action alerts.
- When you receive an alert, take action! Call, send a text or email, write a letter and send it to a newspaper, share the alert with like-minded family and friends and ask them to get involved.
- At the end of the session the Chapter will publish a scorecard for each legislator on how they voted on key bills.
- Resolve to join your fellow Sierra Club members in meetings with our elected officials when the session ends to thank them for their work, to discuss the votes they took and the issues which still need to be addressed.
We are trying to expand our list of members who want to be politically active in our area. If you are interested, please contact me, Barbara Gubbin.
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Notes from the chair:
Groupthink and Lori Boyer
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(This is a letter to the editor, published in the Florida Times-Union last month, from our chair, Logan Cross, expressing his opinion about the leadership in Jacksonville's downtown development. In a related area, the Downtown Development Authority is conducting a survey on parks downtown. )
As a San Marco resident I was always pleased with Lori Boyer’s representation of our district on the City Council. She seemed attuned to the needs of the area and advocated on our behalf. I was also impressed by her recognition of the importance of the St Johns River to the identity and livability of the city. She made efforts to increase access to the river and make it the centerpiece of activity in the urban core.
After becoming CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority (DIA), though, she seems to have succumbed to the groupthink that has guided city leaders and planners for years. That is, add more concrete and pavement to the downtown area and people will want to live there. A mindset where livability and visual appeal appear to be foreign concepts. She also seems to concur with the thinking that any downtown area with soil, grass, and natural elements is a wasted opportunity for development and a drag on the tax roll.
I am surprised by this because I thought she would bring a fresh perspective to the DIA and take steps to increase the livability of the downtown area. What she has done, though, is perpetuated the notion that greenspace is nothing more than another opportunity for a new structure or parking lot. This is a shame because there is now greenspace in the urban core and along the river that could be converted to an interconnected park system that would be the envy of other cities and make the urban core a desirable place to live.
Such parks would also serve as a resilient, natural barrier to river overflow. If she and other city planners were not under the spell of a stale urban planning philosophy, they might realize the once in a lifetime opportunity they have. Lori, please return to your roots and break the shackles of the dated school of thought that guided many failed downtown ventures of the past. Please don’t miss this one-time opportunity!
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Meetings: No roads to ruin
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.
March 1, Monday, 7 p.m., Zoom: No Roads to Ruin.
The disastrous state plan—called M-CORES—to build high speed roads through rural Florida threatens wildlife in pristine land, is a huge waste of money, and has no logical purpose. Michael McGrath, the 0rganizing representative for Our Wild Florida, will help us to understand what is at stake for Florida’s future with this transportation boondoggle and how Sierra Club members and supporters can act alongside the No Roads to Ruin Coalition make sure that we repeal the roads this legislative session.
Zoom logon information:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87863701515?pwd=QVpkYW10b1k4a0lIL1VlZHNNSXJxZz09
Meeting ID: 878 6370 1515
Passcode: 974501
March 8, Monday, 7 p.m. Zoom: Update on the Riverfront Parks Now Initiative.
Get an update from two key leaders on the creation of a park system along the St. Johns River from Riverfront Parks Now, a citizen-led initiative to create an urban park system along city-owned land that includes the Landing, Courthouse, Shipyards and Metropolitan Park. This park system would provide for relaxation and recreation, increase livability of the urban core, and provide a natural resilient barrier to river overflow during extreme weather events.
Presenters are Nancy Powell, the executive director of Scenic Jacksonville, a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to preserving, protecting and enhancing the scenic character of the city, and Jimmy Orth, the CEO of the St Johns Riverkeeper, a nonprofit organization created to protect and enhance the St Johns River. He previously served on our local Sierra Club Executive Committee.
Zoom logon information:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85820997386?pwd=WlZjSzdFYUZRcWJDV3lJMlNsaXcxZz09
Coming up:
April 12, Monday: Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol
May 11, Tuesday: General Coastal Issues
June 7, Monday: Backyard Habitat Program Part I
June 14, Monday: Backyard Habitat Program Part II
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Outings: Florida Trail beckons
The ban on outside activities continues through at least July 4, the National Sierra Club announced. In our group, we're presenting virtual outings every other Thursday on Zoom.
March 4, Thursday, 7 p.m., Zoom: Hike the Florida Trail Eglin-Nokuse Section. Join us on a virtual hike through one of the prettiest sections of the Florida Trail, featuring rolling hills, crystal clear creeks and towering pine forests, located in the Western Panhandle.
March 18, Thursday, 7 p.m., Zoom: Hike Jennings State Forest Part II: Pioneer Trail. The 25,000-acre Jennings State Forest contains some beautiful trails. In this program, we'll visit the three different Pioneer Trail trailheads and hike a bit on each section of the trail.
Other virtual outings will be on 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.
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Interesting
Jacksonville's Black neighborhoods
The Guardian newspaper published a major piece on Jacksonville’s quest for environmental justice. The theme is that Black neighborhoods, for too long, have allowed polluters to flourish; now those neighborhoods are standing up and fighting back.
No money in the will
The Sierra Club has a legacy program where thoughtful people can provide a bequest to the club in their wills. Our club received a letter from a lawyer regarding the death of a member who did just that— remembering our club and several other groups in Northeast Florida with gifts.
Unfortunately, the lawyer’s letter said, there was no money left in the estate to distribute which means that no one will get anything. “Oh, well, it’s the thought that counts,” Lucille Pendleton, the club treasurer, said.
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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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