Beyond the Trail: A River Runs Through February Event with the St. Johns Riverkeeper

The February event of Beyond the Trail: A River Runs Through It featured kayaking with Kelly Patton Thompson from the St. Johns Riverkeeper.

The St. Johns Riverkeeper is an organization that works to be the voice of the St. Johns River and the communities that live and work in the watershed. The organization provides educational classes and materials, advocates for environmental policy changes, leads patrols on the river, and investigates issues with the river.

The event began at Palmetto Leaves Park which offers a pavilion with picnic tables, a short hiking trail and a kayak launch into Big Davis Creek that flows into Julington Creek. The group met at the pavilion to hear Thompson briefly talk about the work the St. Johns Riverkeeper does as well as some history about the park and Julington Creek.

After the talk, participants kayaked along Big Davis Creek and Julington Creek. Adventure Kayak Florida provided the kayaks. The group collected trash throughout the paddle and found plastic bottles, bags and most surprisingly — two laptops!

The 2018-2019 series for Beyond the Trail has concluded. It was another successful series for “Beyond the Trail.”

Katie Vearil

I joined the Environmental Leadership Program to aid in my growth both professionally and personally. The program allows for a community of like-minded students to help one another gain valuable skills and achieve their goals. Through the program I hope to gain the skills needed to become a strong leader and advocate for the environment while making a positive impact in our community.