PEOPLE OF INTEREST
The
RIVERKEEPER
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STORY AND PHOTOS BY GREG GARDNER
When it comes to the politics of water
quality in Florida, Indian riverkeeper
George Jones knows all the players as
he brings his 34 years in the state park
system to the table.
For the past three years, Jones has crisscrossed the
state for meetings on water quality issues, driving
more than 30,000 miles each year. He sits on so many
public and governmental committees it is hard to
imagine how he keeps them straight: Water Resources
Advisory Committee, St. Lucie County Conservation
Alliance, St. Lucie County Blueways Committee,
Florida Oceans and Coastal Coalition, Ocean
Research Conservation Alliance, Marine Resources
Council, and Everglades Coalition.
“If you aren’t in the room, you can’t play,” Jones
says. “I’m very distrustful myself. It is hard to tell
stories when I am in the room. If I take someone on
in a meeting, it’s a last resort. I don’t get as angry as
I used to, but I do get disappointed. I will embarrass
someone if I have to.”
One of 200 waterkeepers worldwide under the
umbrella of the New York City-based environmental
group, Waterkeeper Alliance, Jones takes a different
approach to his job, which traditionally comes with
litigation to bring about change in policy. “You have
to have a paid keeper and it can be litigious, but I
have a background in building coalitions,” says Jones.
Instead of simply talking about the health of the
river, Jones has done something about it. Through
his advocacy and pressure, the Fort Pierce Utilities
Authority closed off a canal north of Savannah Road
on Indian River Drive. The water that came by pipe
into the Indian River often left a brown plume easily
visible from the road.
Jones is also monitoring the aftermath of the armoring
of Indian River Drive to ensure that what should
have been done after the 2004 hurricanes destroyed
the road is done properly when money becomes
available. He says the armoring is not working and
the wrong soil was used in the construction. Jones
also fought to prevent armoring on the river side of
Hutchinson Island south of the nuclear plants.
Jones works for the nonprofit Treasure Coast Environmental
Defense Fund, which pays him $24,000 a
year, but for Jones it isn’t about the money. He holds
a couple of fund-raisers a year and the rest of the
money comes from contributions. “I can deal with the
issues and the politicians, but I am not a great fund-
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