The St. Johns River Poem

The river’s a general, So stern and final, That there’s no denial, The current whips Commanding ships. The river’s a chisel, Carving rocks and hills, Working like hundreds of Power drills. more >

My first manatee

One day my friend Susan asked me if I wanted to go boating at the St. Johns River and I said yes. So we got the boat in the water. We went tubing. I fell off a couple times. Then it was time to eat lunch. We drove more down the river and thats when I saw ... more >

Garden Cart into Willow Branch Creek

July 30 at dawn Dr. Pepper ( actual name) and I slide our sit aboard kayaks off my gray garden cart into Willow Branch Creek. The water is blood warm and not moving very fast. Two Sprite cans bob by while we are launching. A young heron moves awkwardly ac... more >

INJURED FEMALE MANATEE GIVES BIRTH AT TAMPA’S LOWRY PARK ZOO

An adult female manatee patient with a serious chest injury gave birth Monday to a full-term male calf at the David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Hospital at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. The birth marks only the second in the hospital’s history, with the first occ... more >

St. Johns kayak trip...

On Monday, March 16, David Heath and I will be attempting to kayak the entire St. Johns River in ten days or less, which will be the fastest recorded time to date. On top of it being a personal goal for the both of us, we are thrilled to get the St. John... more >

Take ECO-Action

In 2008, a group of independent filmmakers created a short video about ECO-Action and how others can contribute to cleanup efforts to help prevent unnecessary animal deaths and harm. Heros include ECO-Canoeist Founder Stephen Nordlinger, ECO-Action Execu... more >

Journey Begins on Saturday

On Saturday, Keith Legette and I will begin our kayak trip of the entire 310 miles of the St. Johns River. We plan to complete the trip in only 11 days (Dec. 13th – Dec. 23rd). The purpose of the trip is to promote public awareness for the river and to ... more >

have you ever seen this river?

The St. John’s River rolls! And with each tide that comes and goes, history unfolds. Look around. There are Possums, Gators and Birds with long beaks, insects, fish and crabs that creep. There are Raccoons that ramble in coves and cre... more >

Alligator Eyes

If you shine a spotlight out across the St. Johns at night, those red dots you’ll see will be the eyes of an alligator. Even though gators have yellowish eyes, for some reason they glow red at night. And what looks like a calm, peaceful river when only ... more >

Flooded by Fay

When the realtor showed us a riverfront home in 2006 - we knew we had found the perfect home! The views are magnificent and we virtually stopped watching TV and sat outside each night and watched "Bridge TV" - perched between the Hart and Matthews Bridges... more >

NAS JAX and T.S. Fay

When tropical storm Fay came through in late August, it caused a lot of chaos in the city. Our base got a good punch with winds coming across 3.1 miles of open water. Winds gusting up to 65mph pushed the river towards the base, causing a 3ft water level r... more >

Training on the River

The St. Johns River is probably one of the best places for rowers to train. On a good day, we can row 15 to 20 Kilometers one way without having to worry about negotiating major turns. The wildlife is always there to keep us company (manatees, dolphins,... more >

Lake Monroe Dialogue

I’ve written before about how redemptive it is to see the normally calm dilation in the St. Johns turn back into a real river again, thanks to the upstream rain storms. It’s choppy and strong, and I like to believe, full of resolve. En rout... more >

Goodbye

On 9/28/08 a goodbye party was held for the biologist at the GTMNERR at Ponte Vedra who was relocating to California to attend graduate school. It was held at a friend's house who lives on the St Johns River. It was a fantastic fall night and the settin... more >

Remembering my Father

My earliest memory of the St. Johns river is my father and I fishing off it's banks. I remember the small rod, rubber worm and red and white bobber like it was yesterday. He and the St Johns taught me a deep love and respect for my natural environment. I ... more >

First Launch

As long as I can remember I wanted to be near water. Growing up in Missouri made that difficult, so when I came to Jacksonville for a visit, I could not resist the beautiful river that flowed through the city. Its because of the river that I ended up maki... more >

Fay

During Tropical Storm Fay, we lost power at our house. Mommy and Daddy took me to my friend Molly's house in Riverside. When the rain stopped for a little while, we took a long walk to the River. It was all flooded! Mommy let me swim in the water in the m... more >

Pirate's Cove

Growing up on the St. Johns River connects you to it for life. It was my childhood playground, my swimming hole, my fishing hole, my connection to nature. I lived on a small cove off the St. Johns, Pirate's Cove, and to me the name said it all. It was at ... more >