JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of volunteers from three counties in Northeast Florida spent Saturday cleaning up the St. Johns River.
Environmentalists are about to embark on a 13-day tour of the river.
Volunteers at Hollybrook Park loaded trucks with 100 bags of trash, according to Alicia Smith, a commissioner for Keep Jacksonville Beautiful.
“(There were) a propane tank, a couple of milk crates, a couple of buckets,” said Alicia Smith with Keep Jacksonville Beautiful. “We found a wallet. You name it, it’s over there.”
The cleanup is an annual tradition for Scott McGuffey, who brought his entire family.
“The river is so vital to the city. It’s one of the focal points of the city,” said McGuffey. “So we want to make sure that visitors coming from out of town, as well as the locals, are able to enjoy it.”
The cleanup was held the weekend before river advocates plan to tour the St. Johns in an effort to educate people about urgent environmental threats facing the river.
Some of the issues that will be discussed are state funds for river water conservation and the proposed dredging at JaxPort.
“There are failing septic tanks they want to bring to light, and basically just commercial waste,” Smith said.
The Save the St. Johns Tour begins Monday at Blue Cypress Lake west of Vero Beach and ends at the Atlantic Ocean in Jacksonville.
Cox Media Group
