St. Johns Riverkeeper (SJRK) and Public Trust for Conservation have established the first fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida dedicated to environmental protection. Funding for the Northeast Florida Environmental Conservation Fund results from settlements with industrial facilities illegally discharging polluted stormwater into local waterways.
SJRK and Public Trust utilize the Clean Water Act to compel companies in violation of their stormwater permits to address pollution problems and achieve compliance. As part of the settlements, the companies pay assessed fines into the new environmental fund instead of to the government. Doing so ensures that the money will be used for local initiatives that reduce pollution in our waterways and will help reverse some of the damage that has been done.
“The fund has been set up to ensure that our environmental litigation is providing the greatest possible community benefit,” said John Henry November, Executive Director of the Public Trust.
The fund is also open to donations from the public.
Grants from the environmental fund cannot be received by its creators, SJRK or the Public Trust, to ensure independent and fair grantmaking. These organizations are represented on the expert advisory committee which helps ensure the grants are awarded to worthwhile causes and projects that will help reduce pollution and benefit local waterways.
The fund has made its first grant to enhance water quality in Northeast Florida within the St. Johns River watershed.
Recently, The Community Foundation announced the first grant from the fund has been awarded to LISC Jacksonville and the Riverview Collective Community Organization (RCCO), for $20,000 to establish an oyster reef in the Trout River along the shoreline at Riverview Park. The grant recipients will also provide educational programming to the community and local schools about water quality and the role of oysters in the ecosystem.
The grant was celebrated at RCCO’s recent OysterFest event at Riverview Park, during which community members learned more about the project and were able to interact with local nonprofits and educational institutions.
Oysters are well-known as “filter-feeders” that help clean waterways of pollutants. An individual adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day. By providing habitat for new oysters to grow, this project will help improve water quality and demonstrate the benefits of nature-based solutions to enhance our waterways.
This project is a perfect example of the environmental fund benefitting the communities that are affected by industrial pollution. The oyster reef will improve water quality near one of the facilities that contributed to the fund due to a settlement with Public Trust and SJRK.
“Establishing an oyster reef in the Riverview community along the Trout River is more than an environmental effort—it’s an investment in cleaner water, stronger marine habitats, and a healthier future for our community,” said Marshiray Wellington, Chair of the Riverview Collective Community Organization. “Oysters are nature’s water filters, and their reefs provide essential protection against erosion. A thriving reef means a thriving river—let’s build one together.”