by David Ball
Staff Writer
Although the St. Johns Riverkeeper’s inaugural Brown Bag Lunch boat trip wasn’t a financial success, the handful of guests praised it as a great way to see the city from a different vantage point, learn some interesting facts and take a break from the typical lunch routine.
“And in my opinion, there’s never a bad day spent on the river,” said Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon.
New Education and Outreach Coordinator Danielle Dolan said the trip cost the group about $250 to rent the S.S. Marine taxi, but only eight passengers donated an average of $10 each – not quite what the Riverkeeper was hoping for.
“Yes, we lost money, and that hurts because we are a non-profit,” said Dolan. “But we still accomplished our goal of generating some interest in the river and what we are doing.”
St. Johns Riverkeeper was founded in 2000 and is one of 160 advocacy groups working to protect, preserve and restore the health of waterways worldwide.
The group has grown to more than 2,000 members with an annual budget of $300,000, raised mostly through contributions. Armingeon and his staff use community outreach, governmental and regulatory watchdogging and litigation to advance their cause.
The Riverkeeper is currently involved in a lawsuit against JEA for years of unmitigated sewage discharge into the St. Johns River.
But on Friday, Armingeon just wanted people to get on the water, hoping a little education would go a long way.
Armingeon shared some regional history and river facts as the boat left the Jacksonville Landing, passed under the Hart and Matthews bridges and continued out past the Jacksonville Port Authority’s Talleyrand Terminal. It was this meeting of industry and environment that most interested those on the boat.
“I learned a lot more of the amount of industry on the river. There is a lot more shipyard than I realized,” said Michael Sullivan, manager of the Mandarin Branch Public Library.
Sullivan said the trip was worth the drive up from Mandarin and he will likely recommend it to others at the library.
“It’s a great way to spend lunch,” he said after finishing off his sandwich. “It’s much better than sitting around in a restaurant or at work.”
For longtime Jacksonville residents Cy and Millie Highleyman, the trip reminded them how much the river and its banks have changed.
“I remember when there used to be shipyards all along the Northbank,” said Millie Highleyman, while her husband noted the decrease in boating activity in the river.
“Pollution has certainly increased,” he said.
The boat trips are a new program for the Riverkeeper, and they have already been successful. Last weekend, more than a dozen families enjoyed a weekend educational trip, and a capacity passenger list of around 60 people was expected for this past Saturday.
Although the Brown Bag Lunch trips haven’t taken off yet, Armingeon expects a better turnout during the next trip this Friday, which was scheduled unknowingly the same weekend as the Florida-Georgia game.
“We will need to be careful not to get a bunch of people on the boat drinking beer,” he said. “But the more people we can get interested, the better.”
Armingeon said he plans to contact riverfront businesses such as CSX, Wachovia and the St. Joe Co. to get more Downtown workers out during lunch.
“Hopefully we can introduce people to why we are so blessed to have this river,” said Armingeon.
To reserve a seat for this Friday’s lunch trip, e-mail [email protected].