Come Celebrate the Environment 

Opening the first annual “Environmental and Climate Challenge Day” event on Saturday, April 11, will be St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Shaver, who will inaugurate the 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM event at the Willie Galimore Center, 399 Riberia St. in St. Augustine.  This event is free and open to the public.  Kids of all ages are encouraged to attend.

In addition to the eight featured speakers, there will be a number of vendors providing family-friendly information and education on different aspects of the environment.  The speakers and their topics include:

10:00-10:30 AM:  Jane West, an environmental lawyer, will speak on ‘Sea Level Rise and Florida’s Coastal Community.”

10:30-11:00 AM: George Sedberry, a fisheries biologist who works for the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, will present information on “The Nomination for a New Sanctuary in NE Florida.”

11:00-11:30 AM: Meririllee Malwitz-Jopson is the founder of the Florida Springs Focus Group and President of Save Our Suwannee. Her topic will be “Frack Free Florida – In Pursuit of a County Resolution in Support of a Ban on Fracking in Florida.”

11:30 AM-12:00 PM: Bill Hamilton leads the Environmental Youth Council and will be speaking on “Important local and international Environmental Issues.”

12:00-12:30 PM: Neil Armingeon is the Matanzas Riverkeeper, whose topic is “The Matanzas, Florida’s Last, Best River.”

12:30-1:00 PM: Christopher Bibbs is the Education Specialist at the Anastasia Mosquito Control District and will be presenting information on ‘Mosquitoes and the Environment.” 

1:00-1:30 PM: Matthew Denny of the Georgia Aquarium and will highlight “Dolphin Rescue Efforts in Northeast FL.”  He will also bring a “dolphin rescue truck” to the event for demonstration purposes.

1:30-2:00 PM: Dan Reep, owner of Reep Landscaping and Lawn Care, will address  ecologically-friendly horticultural practices, and damaging ones such as genetically-modified organisms (GMO). 

Art work from at least six local artists, will be available for sale and adorn the interior of the speakers’ room.

Vendors

The organizations providing speakers with a presence as educational and informational vendors include:  Anastasia Mosquito Control District, Georgia Aquarium/Marineland with a dolphin rescue truck and inflatable dolphin, Matanzas Riverkeeper, Florida Springs Focus Group, and Reep Landscaping

The additional vendors include the following:

• Recycling and other important information will be available from both the City of St. Augustine and St. Johns County;
• Automotive dealers Coggin Honda and Hyundai of St. Augustine will have hybrid vehicles on location;
• Joan Kramer will arrive with her informational “Honey Bees in Observation Hive”;
• Kathleen Trued, a docent with the Whitney Laboratory, will allow observation of the Whitney “Traveling Zoo”;
• Solar Fit and Floridians for Solar Choice will offer education on solar energy;
• the Lincolnville Community Garden will be open to the public and the Fullerwood Garden Community will also be represented;
• “Kids to Inspire, Oceans to Save” will offer information books about turtles;
• And the St. Johns County Main Library will have a presence, joined by information about bats.

Other vendors include: J. Lee Driskell with her hand-crafted pottery and Anthony Thornton from Exotic Plant Biz. 

Music during the day will be provided by Dennis Fermin on his “Spanish Guitar” and food vendors will offer refreshments. 

This non-partisan event is sponsored by the St. Johns County Democratic Party and the Northeast Florida Democratic Environmental Caucus.  For more information, contact: St. Johns Democratic Party, 142B King St., St. Augustine, FL 32084, 904-825-2336, [email protected] or visit the website: www.stjohnsdemocraticparty.org.