Hogans Creek, the eyesore they just want to go away

[fieldafm]

I just got back from the DEP meeting at the Kennedy Center about the latest Hogans Creek environmental study and subsequent public health warning.

Don't let anyone fool you... they want you to turn your back on this once majestic jewel of our city.  All they care about doing is putting signs up to tell you to stay away.  Really, stay away?!?!?

Nevermind the countless remediation plans and the promise of the Hogans Creek Greenbelt.  There is no plan at all to even think about helping the creek, or any type of restoration along the creek basin.

They want you to turn your back on the problem.  I say to HELL with that!!!

Join me, third weekend of August.  We are going to do a MASSIVE cleanup at Hogans.  We WILL be heard, we will restore this critical artery of Downtown and Springfield.  I will be posting up a more formal announcement next week.

I will not allow our inept government to ignore this opportunity any longer.

[Ocklawaha]

http://www.mcrrmuseum.com/index.php

The permanent way is, perhaps, the most important part of the infrastructure of a railway. Most of the track over the 25 miles of the WHR has been laid by volunteers.  Of the final twelve miles from Rhyd Ddu to Harbour Station contractors laid the in-street sections in Porthmadog and the Network Rail crossing at Cae Pawb but, those apart, volunteers have been responsible for all the rest.
http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/Projects/TrackVol.html

Zack tackling the thick underbrush at the BeltLine Earth Day clean-up 2009!
The Atlanta Beltline Project is taking a beat up old railroad alignment and turning it into their dreams, as you can see they are getting a little help from their friends and neighbors. Look at the Earth Day cleanup photo and compare it with this rendering/vision of the finished product.

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Excuse my cynicism but railroad nuts often build REAL railroads and collect the equipment to run on them... it's called passion.

In the same way could we? Do we Have the passion to restore Hogans Creek as the centerpiece of the park system?

Some off the wall thoughts?

How many engineers, architects, surveyors, equipment operators/owners, painters, and good old all around volunteers do you think we could muster to attack one block sections at a time? VOLUNTEERISM! Bet we could get the sanitation department to show up with a truck or two... Bet some vendors would show up with the hot dogs... Think Gate, or some other company could donate some concrete? Couldn't we present a simplified plan to rebuild the balusters, paint, remove trees from the sidewalks and shovel the S==T off the little bridges...  Couldn't we get permission to do it all if our fair city found out that they might have an army at their disposal for a month of weekends? How about the legal system? How many 'community service' people could we get assigned to a task like this?

THINK ABOUT IT. COULD/WOULD YOUR CLUB OR CHURCH OR ORGINAZATION PLAY? TV? RADIO? NEWSPAPER? Is it possible to create such a force that Jacksonville would make urban history? I THINK SO.

VOLUNTEERS LINE UP ON THE RIGHT!

OCKLAWAHA

[north miami]

Simply posting public notice water quality warning signage was a supposed giant "in their face" victory for early era RiverKeeper Neil.

Routine Hogans Creek Clean and management should be conducted by the City of Jacksonville/Public Works Storm Water.Continuous calls for 'public' volunteer creek cleaning contributes to a stranglehold on empowerment.
I imagine the effort is heart felt,a natural reaction and angled towards garnering attention on Hogans Creek.Then what??
And what to do with the 'cleanup' material?? Throw it 'away'?? Why not stack it up,a guarded trophy for display.Drag bag upon bag to the Waterways Commission meetings.Ship hundreds of pounds to the Governor??

In fact all of the beat up tributaries identified long ago in the initial stages of Duval County Tributary Assesement remain obscure,in spite of decades of River Advocacy.
As one active in area conservation,River issues I attended the Summits,,news interviews,the whole package,yet I was unaware of,for instance,Fishweir Creek until bought a home on the Creek.Just down the banks from former Mayor Tanzler residence.Fishweir certifiably beat up Years after the Tanzler Swim event,and many years behind joint City/Federal aspirations for comprehensive Restoration.

Fishweir long ranked as number two on a list of ten impaired Duval waterways slated for restoration.
No 1 on the Restoration list:Hogans Creek which saw $400,000 drive by window dressing effort........related to the Super Bowl.

On a positive note,City Storm Water Fee/Public Works is the enabler.

We must funnel river advocacy towards these once obscure water body systems.It is a test,a benchmark.Nothing past,current,even an upcoming  swim across the river has or will meet the challenge.

[Dog Walker]

Ock,  off the thread subject:

Those are some really funny looking ties on that narrow gauge in England pictured above.  They look like forged metal?

[fieldafm]

As a high flyin' Advocate myself(Florida Wildlife Federation,Northeast Florida office)the Summits,Board Membership,news clips,the whole package,I was unaware of,for instance,Fishweir Creek until I done stumbled on a section Fee Simple.Just down the banks from former Mayor Tanzler residence.Fishweir certifiably beat up Years after the Tanzler Swim event,and many years behind joint City/Federal aspirations for comprehensive Restoration

I'm pretty smart... but sometimes I really can't understand what you are trying to say.
I guess you are referancing when Mayor Tanzler waterskied on the river... and perhaps you own a home along the banks of Fishweir Creek?

$400,000 drive by window dressing

The only thing I know of that was done to Hogans for the Super Bowl was the temporary bridge... that still stands there today. 

What about the funded and approved low impact trail along the banks of the creek... THAT would go a long way.  Getting people to enjoy this natural jewel hidden downtown, which would also get rid of all the homeless camps, would go a looooong way into the restoration of this very proud and supremely resilient tributary.

If you really want to help.... give me a call, I pm'd you my phone number.

[duvaldude08]

This may sound crazy, but why arent our parks that have gates not locked up after certain hours? The homeless can camp out if they cant get in. (unless they are REALLY desperate.)

[north miami]

I'm pretty smart... but sometimes I really can't understand what you are trying to say.




My apology-I have edited for clarity.-NM

I suggest you confer with Corp of Engineers Michael Hollingsworth (our first RK),COJ Dana Morton.
Somewhere in MJ thread there is apparently an Alvin Brown Administration person who stated Hogans Creek will be a priority.

****** Could always elevate Hogans Creek via high profile push to rename ******
Start with simple banner pulled behind plane,endless loops.......

[north miami]

Anybody here recall William Sweisgood?
Eloquent River Advocacy;Florida Times Union
Eons prior to Mayor 'St.John'.....

Decades of River Advocacy has failed the likes of Hogans Creek.

Hogans Creek has plenty of company.The fantastic failure extends beyond the obscure Hogans,McCoys,Fishweir all the way to the single largest River System tributary,Ocklawaha/Rodman Dam,which at one time defined Florida's conservation awareness.
Jacksonville region Politician's recent references to St.Johns River attention on the level of "Everglades Style",which would rightly demand focus on Restoring the major tributary,Rodman,go unchecked.Georgia Pacific provides plenty of diversion.
Current events,and the state of Hogans Creek are simply about us,the public.Our government.We get the government,and landscapes we deserve.So far an Endless Loop.

The saving grace for Hogans Creek may well lay not in River Advocacy but rather Downtown Jacksonville Advocacy,and the fact that much of Hogans Creek exists within the public view,not imbedded within extensive private homesites or public lands where policy narrative is seized and diverted to inaction.

Hogans Ceek is a test of responsibility,future events will reflect the relative success or failure of both River System And Downtown advocacy.

As Art Marshall,the father of Everglades Restoration was fond of saying:We can never do just one thing.

[north miami]

$400,000 drive by window dressing

As relates to the Duval County Restoration target list,Hogan placement,someone watching/monitoring this thread could contribute,illuminate.

[Noone]

The saving grace for Hogans Creek may well lay not in River Advocacy but rather Downtown Jacksonville Advocacy,and the fact that much of Hogans Creek exists within the public view,not imbedded within extensive private homesites or public lands where policy narrative is seized and diverted to inaction.

Hogans Ceek is a test of responsibility,future events will reflect the relative success or failure of both River System And Downtown advocacy.

As Art Marshall,the father of Everglades Restoration was fond of saying:We can never do just one thing.

I couldn't agree more.

And the same can be said of the Promised 680' Downtown Public Pier, AKA, Bay St. Pier Park, AKA, Downtown Jacksonville Tradeport Pier, whatever its called Its Jacksonville's Front Porch....Southern Style

The Public Trust has just been totally destroyed in this community.