The New Riverkeeper

[dougskiles]

As you've probably heard by now, Neal Armingeon is retiring from service as our Riverkeeper.  Come meet the new Riverkeeper on Friday, January 6th at 10:30 am at the Tillie Memorial at the end of Jackson Street and the Northbank Riverwalk.

[dougskiles]

Introducing Your New
St. Johns Riverkeeper
 
Members and Supporters,
 
We are excited to announce that we have hired Lisa Rowe Rinaman to succeed Neil Armingeon as your next St. Johns Riverkeeper.   She will assume the role as St. Johns Riverkeeper after Neil steps down at the end of January.
 
 As the Policy Director and a former senior staff member for Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton, Lisa has extensive experience building consensus around issues and was instrumental in implementing numerous initiatives and policies that directly improved the environment.  Locally, her efforts included leading the creation and implementation of irrigation, fertilizer and Florida Friendly landscaping ordinances to better protect the St. Johns and local waterways.  She also played instrumental roles in helping secure state funding for water quality improvements, organizing the city's highly successful Manatee Protection Plan, and pushing for programs to fulfill the city's commitment in the River Accord.
 
 For the past two years, Lisa has also served as a valuable member of the St. Johns Riverkeeper Water Policy Group (WPG), a group that advocates for water conservation and reuse and policies that are more protective of our water resources.   She has provided critical expertise, helping the WPG to formulate its priorities and develop and implement effective strategies. 
 
We are fortunate that someone with Lisa’s relationships, talents, integrity and commitment will be representing our organization.   She’s tough-minded yet tactful, passionate yet pragmatic, and has outstanding communication skills, experience, and a successful track record of getting things done.
 
Lisa will be a tremendous asset and highly-effective advocate for the St. Johns River.    She has the skills and experience to successfully build on Neil’s outstanding work and to carry on the tradition of excellence that he has helped to establish.
 
We will post more information on our website blog about Lisa and the transition in upcoming weeks, as we near the end of an era of a true icon and the beginning of the next chapter in the promising future of your St. Johns Riverkeeper.
  
So, please join me by enthusiastically welcoming Lisa aboard and lending your support as she leads us forward in our campaign for a clean and healthy St. Johns River.
 
For the River,
 

Jimmy Orth
Executive Director

[Miss Fixit]

Very exciting news - Lisa Rowe Rinaman is a wonderful choice for this important job.  Look forward to working with the new Riverkeeper on Hogans Creek cleanups.

[Dog Walker]

Neil has been a fantastic fit for the Riverkeepers position.  He's going to be a hard act to follow and we'll miss him.

[north miami]

Very exciting news - Lisa Rowe Rinaman is a wonderful choice for this important job.  Look forward to working with the new Riverkeeper on Hogans Creek cleanups.

The relatively small water bodies are a big deal.Fairly obscure to most until recently,Downtown and RAP creeks have emerged as a definitive face of River Advocacy.

How interesting that our first RiverKeeper,Michael Hollingsworth ( and a great one at that,better than most would acknowledge or knew) is now a Federal Corps of Engineers Fishweir Creek Restoration Project leader.

The largest tributary of the River System,the Ocklawaha River remains impaired in spite of nationwide high profile status stemming back to the Barge Canal and related,dashed attempts to attain restoration goals.The Florida Defenders of the Environment,Gainesville Florida was created in response to the Barge Canal proposal.
FDE very own David White was a key driver in the initial creation of the Jax area RiverKeeper.For the longest time,perhaps understandably so,Jax RiverKeepers agreed not to disagree with Ocklawaha Rodman Pool/Dam supporters in the spirit of consensus.

Perhaps the little creeks will empower effective River System restoration.
We will carry the message as never before.