Hello Sarah,
From excursions to local farms to lobbying in Tallahassee for clean energy, 2023 has been a whirlwind of activity for our local group.
Join us as we take a look back at what SSJ has been able to accomplish over the last year. This is your invitation to be a part of the conversation as we plan for 2024 with our Strategy Planning Session, March 9, 10 AM - 2 PM, at the Millhopper Library.
Come learn more at our February General Meeting for "2023: Year in Review" on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 PM at Life South, 1221 NW 13th St. Gainesville. Sign up here to attend this session virtually,
Come early to join the SSJ Conserves! meeting which starts at 5:00 PM.
FROM THE CHAIR
By Maryvonne Devensky
I am honored to have the trust of the Executive Committee (Excom) after being elected as Chair of the Sierra Club Suwannee-St Johns Group at our January meeting. I promise to do my very best to replace Sarah Younger. Thank you, Sarah, for steering the SSJ group through reorganization and the Covid-19 pandemic with your incredible energy and creativity.
Please also welcome three new members on the ExCom:
Dr. Jay Bushnell, a college environmental educator and dedicated activist from Levy County where he resides with his wife. Jay was involved with the Audubon, and Friends of the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges.
David Vaina, who recently completed his PhD in political theory, and has experience volunteering and working for non-profit organizations for 20 years. David has taken the Sierra Club Outings Leader training and will lead several outings this winter.
David Hastings is our Political Chair and with his friendly personality will be leading our Political Committee through the upcoming year as the local election effort is very important.
Please go back to our December 2023 newsletter to read more about the accomplishments of these three new members.
Sarah Younger is our Conservation Chair and as well as Lead for the ICO (Inspiring Connections Outdoors) - a program that takes children out in nature and that exposes them to environmental issues.
Michelle Rutledge is the Vice-Chair of ExCom as well as the Outing leader for the ICO program.
Ray Moorer is our Treasurer as we need someone with competent math skills to keep track of our finances.
I want to thank Tim Martin and Joanne Tremblay for all the work they did while they served on the SSJ Excom, and for their continuing support.
It would be great to see more members involved in our various committees. Please contact us if you are interested:
Conservation Committee or ICO: Sarah Younger - youngersn@outlook.com
Political Committee or Energy & Climate Action Team: David Hastings - dwhastings@gmail.com
If you would like to table at events during the year or make phone calls to welcome new members please contact us as we always appreciate helping hands.
Check the calendar on our website to register to the meetings advertised or to the outings proposed. The more people involved, the stronger our group will be.
Most of all, get out in nature, in a park, a forest, on a river. Take your children or grandchildren out in nature. It is so good for the body, the mind and the soul and we need to take care of ourselves and reduce the stress in our lives.
SSJ Conserves!
Thurs. Feb. 1, 5:00 - 6:30 PM
Life South Community Room
1221 NW 13th St
Gainesville, FL 32601
This is a hybrid meeting. Please register here for instructions on attending virtually.
Our first meeting of the year will cover some very important concerns for our watershed.
Come and learn more about the proposed Sand Mine in Levy County that threatens the pristine Rainbow River and communities in Bronson. This important waterway would be devastated if the mine is permitted to dredge to a depth of 75 ft. for sand.
There will be updates on the campaigns to stop destructive mining that threaten the Santa Fe River as well as efforts to close the Florence Landfill in Southeast Gainesville.
This is a working meeting where everyone will have an opportunity to learn and engage in the local Sierra Club campaign to protect public health, our water and natural environment.
Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) is in the process of a long-term planning process, called an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), in which it evaluates options to meet electricity demand in coming decades. The choices will have a profound effect on the cost of electricity for Gainesville residents and the financial health of GRU for years to come.
This planning process offers an opportunity to invest in low-cost clean energy sources and tap into unprecedented federal incentives to significantly lower the cost of electricity for customers. GRU’s initial analysis points toward continuing to rely on more costly gas, rather than pursuing a cheaper, cleaner path that will provide more benefits to city residents.
Sierra Club sought an independent expert, GridLab, to analyze how GRU can reduce costs for Gainesville residents and present an alternative approach to meet electricity demand through low-cost, clean energy resources. We had excellent press coverage about our work.
This independent analysis finds that GRU can:
● Lower utility costs for Gainesville residents by $9.5 million per year;
● Protect Gainesville residents from the volatility of fossil gas markets; and
● Produce reliable and cost-effective electricity while being more friendly to the climate.
The pathway to realize these benefits is straightforward. GRU should:
● Shut down the aging and inefficient Deerhaven Unit 2 sooner than planned;
● Avoid building new and costly gas-fired power plants
● Invest in energy efficiency and conservation
● Accelerate investment in solar and battery energy storage
Join us for the next Energy and Climate Action Committee meeting on Mon., Feb 5th, 5:00 - 6:30 pm. Get the Zoom link by pre-registering here.
SSJ Political Committee
Thurs. Feb. 8, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Life South Community Room
1221 NW 13th St, Gainesville
Seeking: Passionate members to join SSJ Political Committee
2024 will be a critical for regional, state and national elections. If you want to help our local group endorse environmentally and socially-responsible candidates and help them get elected, join the SSJ Political Committee on Thurs Feb 9 from 5:30 - 7:00pm at LifeSouth Community Room, 1221 NW 13th St in Gainesville. Or you can join us via Zoom if it’s hard to get to the meeting.
The Political Committee identifies candidates for local offices who will be strong environmental leaders and whose values align with Sierra Club. We identify priority races and recommend candidates for Sierra Club endorsement. Our goal is to protect the environment and address issues of equity, inclusion, and justice.
The endorsement process includes candidate questionnaires and interviews, background checks, and analyses of campaign finance and candidate viability, all of which lead to support for those members of our community who will fight for environmental and equitable policy. Your time commitment is about 10-15 hours each month.
If this interests you, please register for the meeting. If you want more info or have questions, contact David Hastings at dwhastings@gmail.com.
By Daivd Vaina
Nine guests joined Assistant Zen Teacher Shana Smith at Turkey Creek Preserve on January 20 for a guided meditation hike on a very cold morning through the forest. We learned about the Japanese roots of forest therapy and ended our collective and mostly-silent journey at a very large sinkhole that drains into the Florida aquifer.
Missed the first hike and seeking more restoration and balance with the trees and birds? You're in luck. Shana will be leading a second meditation hike on February 10 at Tuscawilla Preserve in Micanopy.
Photo Credit: David Vaina
February 10, 2023 9:00 AM
Meditative Walk at Tuscawilla Preserve
Tuscawilla is the Seminole name of this area from the time of Chief Micanopy.
Assistant Zen teacher Shana Smith, yoga instructor and meditation guide will lead us in enjoying the Preserve.
Sliding scale donation of $10 - $20 to Shana is suggested.
For more information, please contact David Vaina at david.vaina@gmail.com
Oppose 3RT Sand Mine
Levy County
Commissioners Meeting
Tues. Feb. 6 at 5 pm
301 School St., Bronson
By Kim Wheeler
Residents United for Rural Levy (RURL) a group of concerned property owners/stakeholders strongly oppose the granting of special exception for a proposed sand mine in a rural residential neighborhood.
Property rights are important but not to the detriment of the community. We already have plenty of sand mines in Levy County. The Whitehurst's mine is on a main road, as is Prairie Sand. Those make sense.
3RT is in the middle of a rural residential neighborhood. Access will be on a narrow winding road and then onto 27A which is already a dangerous intersection. If the trucks head south that's a whole other story with horses and bicyclists, not to mention school buses.
The property is in the Rainbow Springs Watershed. The property crosses the Sabal Trail pipeline twice. The lenses of the UF Rosemary Hill Observatory would be damaged by the dust and vibration. The applicant did not provide all the necessary information to FDEP and SWFMD. Traffic studies were not completed.
The reasons to say NO to this special exception far exceed the one reason ($$) to say yes.
Please write or phone Levy County commissioners:
John Meeks, Vice Chair - district1@levycounty.org 352-222-4442
Rock Meeks, Commissioner - district2@levycounty.org 352-535-5199
Desiree Mills, Chair - district3@levycounty.org 352-317-1988
Tim Hodge, Commissioner - district4@levycounty.org 352-558-7160
Matt Brooks, Commissioner - district5@levycounty.org 352-601-1288
Photo Credit: Sarah Younger and Michelle Rutledge
By Sarah Younger
Whole generations of children in communities of color and low-income families are growing up without access to the benefits of getting outdoors. To break these barriers, the Sierra Club’s Inspiring Connections Outdoors program works to reduce barriers to entry by providing gear, transportation, trip fees, and training to ensure that all people have opportunities to explore, enjoy, and advocate for nature.
It was an usually warm January day as we explored EPCOT at Disney with the youth from our local agency. We explored the Land and Sea exhibits where we learned about both the bounty and the limits of our planet.
The Sea exhibit revealed how important the water cycle is for life on Earth. The close-up views of sea life in the aquariums generated a great deal of excitement.
The Living on the Land exhibit shared the history of agriculture and how nutrients in the soil provide for food production.
It was a successful day and enjoyed by all.
Taking River Vitals
By Joanne Trembley
This year, in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the health of our river, I underwent training from WWALS, a nonprofit educational corporation that promotes the conservation and stewardship of our waterways through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen engagement. WWALS stands for the watersheds of the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers.
We were trained to sample pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and bacterial activity, and we are encouraged to test our selected areas weekly. We take snapshots, record the river's appearance, temperature, and surrounding area. Our water samples have been tested, and bacterial slides have been incubated for 24 hours. Afterward, a team verifies the bacterial count before we publish our results on Georgia Adopt-a-Stream.
Currently, we are conducting tests at several locations along the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers. For the latest results, including data from various locations in the Suwannee River Basin, please visit the WWALS Watershed Coalition. For more comprehensive water quality reports, please visit the Reports page of the Florida Springs Institute. Please scroll down to the Springswatch Reports section.
Do you enjoy taking photos while exploring the great outdoors? Share your best nature photo taken this winter by uploading it to the Sierra Club SSJ Nature Photo Contest. The entries will be judged for uniqueness, composition and quality, and must be original.
The requested format is a square photo of good quality (800 pixels X 800 pixels). Winning entries will be featured on the Sierra Club SSJ website, newsletter, and social media. Additional prizes will be announced as the competition grows with more sponsors.
