by David Chapman
Staff Writer
St. Johns Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon will step down from his position in February after nine years of serving as a leading advocate for the St. Johns River.
“I think it’s a good time,” Armingeon said Tuesday.
“It’s something I’ve been considering for some time. I feel like it’s a good time to let someone else pick up the mantle and run with it,” he said.
Armingeon came to the St. Johns Riverkeeper in 2003 when the river advocacy organization was struggling to establish a foothold within the community.
Since then, the organization has grown both financially and in followers, thanks to both Armingeon and others within the organization, said Riverkeeper Executive Director Jimmy Orth.
“We’re all saddened by the news, but thankfully Neil has left a strong foundation for the next person to build upon,” said Orth.
“When he leaves, he’ll have left us in a better place.”
The board, Armingeon and Orth will conduct a national search for the next Riverkeeper. Orth said the goal is to hire a successor by November to allow Armingeon to assist with the transition before he leaves.
Orth said he believes the selection will be someone who “will set their own course for direction” tackling the river’s issues.
Armingeon had discussed leaving the organization several times over the years, said both Orth and Quinton White, a Riverkeeper advisory council member and executive director of the Jacksonville University Marine Science Research Institute.
“It’s one of those things where you know it’s coming, but you’re just as sad when it gets here,” said White.
White and Orth said the job is intense. After almost 22 years in the environmental advocacy arena, Armingeon said he needs a break.
Before becoming Riverkeeper, Armingeon spent more than 10 years in Louisiana as the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation environmental director. Before that, he was the project director for the North Carolina Coastal Federation, one of the state’s largest environmental groups.
Armingeon has received several community awards, most recently the 2011 Mayor’s Award for Environmental Achievement.
Armingeon said his successor will have to be willing to show an extreme commitment to the work protecting the St. Johns River, even if it means speaking out publicly on issues that might clash with ideas of business and political leaders.
“This is so critical to the community,” he said of the river. “You can’t always say what’s popular. “
His remaining time as Riverkeeper won’t serve as a farewell tour, either, he said. Instead, he will focus on opposing proposed construction of a four-mile pipeline by Georgia-Pacific that would empty wastewater into the river.
He said he had no plans for after he leaves, but he will stay in Jacksonville with his wife, Nan.
“I’m committed to this community,” he said.
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