Urban Kayaking with Noone...

[north miami]

Common "stank smell" is actually Sulfur related,as in spring water,"Mud",low tide most evident.A rare maritime natural system.Main street bridge is the dividing line between fresh/salt for fishing license, downtown area waterways exhibit this salt  / fresh ecotone.We can name a beer after it!(RiverKeeper,publicity committee please sit down.......)

Quips about Hogan Creek water quality directed  to The City of Jacksonville-positive footing with COJ Tributary monitor program,Hogans Creek water quality improvements. COJ Dana Morton.

Trivia question:Where does Hogans Creek rank in COJ/Federal Duval County tributary restoration priority?

RELAX.  Breathe in...........Breathe out........Deep,appreciative inhale..........now out.Again..........feel the oh so wonderful Stank.  To the tune of the song......What's that smell.......Smell that smell....

[Noone]

But - back to original question - is anyone else up for an early morning Independence Day Paddle and Cleanup?

Doug, I'd love to paddle with you in the am with you but for me I'm not sure yet if I'll be around and that is why I can't make a 100% commitment at this time. But if anyone does go I've been pulling stuff out and its just piling up under the FDOT bridge next to the casket company. I spoke with Vivian Harrell who supplied the dumpster for the March 19 clean up and I'm supposed to get with her again on just identifying and moving forward on some smaller scale approaches.

What time were you thinking about?

[Noone]

Coolyfett,

As for smell. For me personally I haven't detected any huge stench. Now when you are pulling out shopping carts or other big pieces of garbage and you stir up the sediment and then pull it out yes there is some smell.  Now where we did an intense cleanup a couple of times up near Washington and Beaver it is more of a sand and dirt runoff and the bottom is harder and less of a silt sinking mud sediment.

Its cleanable. But the real challenge is just beginning. Regardless of the floating garbage it is a thriving ecosystem. To have had the opportunity to have seen a manatee, gator, heron chicks in a rookery, crabs fiddlers, fish all in an hour in the heart of our Downtown is nothing to turn our backs to.

Some of the homeless are cleaning up some of there areas. Not all but I ran into someone who had.

As for a  rental location for kayaks I don't know of one Downtown

North Miami, I enjoy your posts and one of these days soon we need to Make it Happen on the water. Onward!

Ernest Street,  A canoe could be a real challenge out in the river. It really depends on your skill level. That current can be dangerous for example when you are going out to the river there is a pier that juts out and depending on the tide it can draw you in and the last thing is that you want to happen is capsize. Throw in the wake of a boat and then you have another maneuver that you have to be aware of. I've never used a canoe.

Now on a high tide in the creek I think you would have no problem with the canoe. That would be a safety factor that I know I'd be comfortable with. If you want to try your canoe just let me know. I'm game.

[Noone]

Who wants to start the 4th and see this Downtown Urban Waterway Destination for yourself. Cal 434-0830,721-3321, Who wants to Make it Happen. Great conditions all morning.

[Fitzgerald170]

Hi all, I am about to purchase a kayak and I am overwhelmed at the chooses.  Any thoughts?  I would use it solely for rec and maybe a little fishing.  Also where could I get a list of launch points or points you can travel on the river or creeks?  Any and all information would be greatly appreicated.

[bobsim]

  Hi F170,

  Have you considered building one? Not too difficult and tools needed are few. The results are strong, pretty and light. I have rented many plastics but don't feel qualified to recommend any.

  Good local forum for yak fishing: http://www.jaxkayakfishing.com/phpBB/

  Launches:http://www.paddling.net/launches/

  More launches: http://www.jacksonville-boating.com/boat_ramps.htm#Jacksonville

  We are lucky to have so many places to paddle and most are easily accessible. Enjoy!

[Noone]

Poster, Noone, invited me on a kayak trip and I have a hard time saying no, so, we met up and put-in at Hogan's creek.

What an amazing trip!  More people really need to know about this.  Was it messy?  Yes.  Was there trash?  Yes.  But I couldn't help but look completely beyond all of that and imagine if more people knew what was right here running through the city, that the trash wouldn't be there.

We saw the remains of the old railway, brick foundations and chimneys from 100 year-old buildings, nesting herons, tons of fish jumping, and DOLPHINS!!

It really is a shame that more things aren't taken advantage of to make instant changes, such as utilizing the old piers from the port for public fishing and/or food vendors.  After paddling on the St. John's against the current, I really could've used a drink!  I would have loved to have paddled up to the pier and gotten a lemonade and a fish taco :-)  But I digress.  Here's pics of the trip:

Hogan's Creek meets the St. John's

MMmmm, Cofffeeeeee

Hello, Mr. Nooney!

Perfect kayaking shoes.

Downtown

Stadium

Thanks for the trip, Noone!  Definitely need to do it again :-)

Here is a great picture of the bridge over Hogans Creek that is now gone. Has anyone seen one news story on this?

Is it just me but can anyone imagine this as a street car stop. Notice the steps? How about a bike rack adjacent to this? Why wasn't this before Waterways? What is the plan?

Be concerned.
I'm scared to death. What are we doing?

Who wants to paddle Hogans Creek?
Who is going to Mayor Brown's small business expo tomorrow at 12?
Special shoutout to anyone outside of Duval county.


 

[north miami]

See also MJ Forum 2011 post authored by North Miami: Noone Hogans,McCoys,Fishweir Creek Trifecta

[BridgeTroll]

This came out of no where...

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/article/244396/3/City-Begins-Expansion-of-Northbank-Riverwalk

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There's work being done on Bay Street between the Police Memorial Building and The Sports complex. It  could be called sowing seeds into the future growth of downtown.

"With the mayor's vision we've got to make the infrastructure is in place for development to occur," said Paul Crawford.

Dreams to expand the Northbank Riverwalk were crushed when a planned development failed.

Shortly after that a construction accident at the Berkman 2 plaza brought that project to a dead end; it's future is uncertain.

"I wish we could get some action by the developer but that isn't the city owned facility," said Crawford.

Crawford said the city is spending $270 thousand dollars to connect the Northbank Riverwalk to the sidewalks on Bay street.

"It was through funds that was appropriated by improvements to the shipyards by the previous administration," said Crawford.

Crawford, acting director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Council, said the expansion will have all of the amenities of the riverwalk.

"We're coming up to Bay Street so that we will have a loop for joggers to go back and forth or continue to the sports complex," he said.

At the same time the city is spending another $900 thousand to dredge Hogan's creek which is in the same block.

"It is the expansion of the Hogan's Creek," said Crawford.

The work, when it is finished, will relieve the flooding that happens around the Maxwell Coffee plant just about every time there's heavy rain.

The fact that the two projects are taking place at the same time is coincidental, but Crawford believes the million dollar investment that could spark new interest in downtown development.

"If we can go ahead and show physical improvements to the people who not only live here," said Crawford, "but people who are actually concerned about our downtown that shows progress."

[billy]

Interesting.
How far upstream would dredging go?
Potential damage to banks?

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

BT scooped Noone.  Now we know who's making it happen.

[BridgeTroll]

Cryptic and interesting quote...

"It is the expansion of the Hogan's Creek," said Crawford.

[billy]

Is this previously approved (Federal?) money that will be now be used to destroy the instrinsic natural qualities
of the creek?

[fieldafm]

BT scooped Noone.  Now we know who's making it happen.

Not true. I spent my own money for a public records request a month ago to get the plans for what public works is doing with Hogans. 

"We're coming up to Bay Street so that we will have a loop for joggers to go back and forth or continue to the sports complex," he said.

This is an interesting quote, seeing as though Bay Street Pier Park could have been included in this work... yet 'no money was available for any more work on the Shipyards property'

[tufsu1]

the reality is the riverwalk already connects to bay St. at the Berkman Plaza circle.....but this will be more formal...kind of like what was built under I-95 connecting to Riverside Avenue