Amelia Island and St Mary's EarthKeepers join hands across the river to protect and preserve coastal areas

Submitted by Karen Thompson

Features Reporter

Photo courtesy of Jane Griffin Hoskins

July 17, 2015 11:28 a.m.

Vice Mayor Johnny Miller speaks to residents from a diverse range of environmental interest at an organizational meeting of Amelia Island EarthKeepers.

The environmental and quality of life future of Amelia Island became a lot brighter last night as more than 75 people packed the upper deck at Sandy Bottoms for the inaugural meeting of The Amelia Island EarthKeepers.  The meeting was organized by Fernandina Beach Vice Mayor Johnny Miller and Alex Kearns, Chair of the St. Mary’s, GA EarthKeepers. The St. Mary’s group has been successful in stopping Kinder Morgan’s effort to appropriate private land via eminent domain to build its Palmetto Pipeline. The merger with the newly formed Amelia Island Earthkeepers will focus on “level-headed, responsible and effective environmental cooperation,” said Kearns. “We’re supporting one another for common causes, we’re watchdogs, alarm bells and cheering squads as we unite in our efforts to protect and preserve our coastal environment and quality of life.”

Residents from a diverse range of environmental interest groups on Amelia Island and in Nassau County were in attendance at the organizational meeting including Port Alert! Amelia Island Turtle Watch, Bag the Bag, Tree Conservancy, RiverKeepers, Prevent Seismic Testing and the Sierra Club. Three commissioners from St. Mary’s and a reporter from the Brunswick News were also in attendance to show their support for the EarthKeepers collaboration.

Miller aptly called the effort “one team, one fight,” others called it a “coalition with teeth,” “the power of change,” “a common cause.” “It’s time to stop the self-defeating, territorial tug-of-war games being played between cities and states,” said Kearns. “Environmental pollution does not recognize state lines,” said Miller. “Amelia Island, Cumberland Island, St. Mary’s and other Florida and Georgia communities up and down the coast are worth protecting from industrial growth.”

Action items from the meeting included a Facebook page-Amelia Island EarthKeepers; an email account-AIEarthkeepers@gmail.com; a Twitter account-Twitter@AI Earthkeepers. Petitions are being circulated to oppose any off-loading of coal from ship or barge at the Port of Fernandina by port operator Kinder Morgan and requesting that the Ocean Highway and Port Authority of Nassau County pass a resolution opposing coal transfer through the Port of Fernandina.

Editor's Note: Karen moved to Fernandina Beach four years ago after working in Chicago as a senior public relations specialist for the Midwestern regional office of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. Prior to that, she was an editor, columnist and writer for a chain of Chicago newspapers , an account executive for several Chicago public relations agencies and proprietor of her own pr/marketing business. She grew up and earned her journalism degree in Wisconsin.