Amelia Island is one of the most beautiful islands in the United States. But don’t just take our word for it. As U.S. News and World Report recently reported, “Natural beauty and abundant wildlife are a few reasons people return time and again to this beautiful barrier island.” Together with USA Today, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, Global Traveler Magazine, and a wide variety of media outlets, Amelia Island consistently ranks among the top
U.S. islands.
Tourist promotions laud Amelia Island as “eternally lush and green,” describing a place where “statuesque oaks drip with Spanish moss, tranquil waterways sing nature’s lullabies, maritime forests invite exploration beneath sun-dappled canopies,” and more. In reality, Amelia Island is all these things. But what these marketing descriptions don’t capture is this: Amelia Island’s beguiling beauty and resiliency would easily slip away without generations of watchful residents, conservationists, and proactive organizations who care enough and work to protect it.
JOHN MUIR LANDS AT FERNANDINA HARBOR
In 1867, long before environmentalism became a national movement, America’s first influential naturalist, John Muir, stepped off a steamer into the harbor of Fernandina. What he found surprised him. Rather than the blooming “Land of Flowers” he’d been told to expect, Muir found a “flat, watery, reedy coast” dotted with mangroves and strange, moss-draped trees. From Amelia, he trekked through raw, untamed, marshy Florida to reach the Gulf Coast—one of the many journeys that would define his legacy.
Muir reveled in unexplored land and extraordinary landscapes, but his travels also revealed a stark reality: as human influence spread, wilderness receded. He began speaking out to protect what was left. In 1892, he founded the now well-known Sierra Club, helping ignite a national movement to preserve America’s natural spaces.
OYSTER FARMER AND HORTICULTURIST GUS GERBING SOUNDS THE ALARM
Eight years later, Gus Gerbing was born on family land bordering the Amelia River. A true Renaissance man and entrepreneur, Gerbing thrived on the island’s beauty and abundant natural resources. During his long life, he operated a productive oyster farming business, built the island’s first ocean pier for fishing, and created the park-like Gerbing Gardens, where his cultivation of camellias and azaleas became a popular tourist attraction from the 1930s to the 1950s.
But as decades passed, Gerbing witnessed distressing changes, too. Quoted in a local news report, he said oyster beds were dying off due to factory discharge into local waterways. Fish and bird populations were declining. He blamed mosquito control programs for slowly killing off songbirds and overfishing and pollution for the decline of our once powerful shrimping industry. “Human greed again destroyed the most valuable of our natural resources,” he lamented.
Gerbing joined the chorus of citizens nationwide pleading for action to save our lands, waters, and wildlife. Their efforts resulted in clean air, water, and endangered species controls, wetland protection, conservation land, hazardous waste management, and many other initiatives.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the observant and proactive people who prompted these reforms. Their impact is clearly visible. On Amelia Island, shore and songbirds are commonly seen again. Dunes and wetlands are more protected. Once threatened wildlife species have stabilized, and oyster beds are becoming healthy again.
SIERRA CLUB’S NASSAU COUNTY GROUP AND KEEP NASSAU BEAUTIFUL MEET THE CHALLENGES
But despite a century of improvements, new threats arise continuously. Today’s environmentalists echo a familiar theme. “Habitat on the island is being lost, our native trees and flowers are disappearing, and wildlife is diminishing.” This statement appears on a plaque at Egans Creek Park on Atlantic Avenue where the group, Conserve Nassau, maintains a buzzing pollinator garden of native plants and flowers.
The park borders Egans Creek which weaves through marshland from the middle of the island to the Amelia River. It is a lifeline for wild creatures navigating an increasingly developed landscape. The plaque further invites islanders to “join your home to our network of habitats in Nassau County. The insects, birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles will thank you.”
Two of our oldest environmental groups are the local chapter of the Sierra Club and Keep Nassau Beautiful (KNB). Sierra Club members, headed by chairperson Julie Ferreira, carefully study new legislation and regulations to alert citizens to potential environmental conflicts. They determine if land development plans conform to zoning, height and density rules, endanger historic trees and wildlife, or threaten the area’s ambience and character.
Like their founder, John Muir, they publicize their findings and make their voices heard. A recent Sierra Club editorial stated, “we are a historic beach community. That’s our charm and our legacy to future generations. High rises are not our future, trees are.”
KNB started 35 years ago to keep the county “clean, green, and beautiful” says Lynda Bell, executive director. Among other things, KNB volunteers provide help with hazard waste clean-up and collection, and work to root out invasive species in public spaces. They sponsor “adopt a tree” programs, the annual Wild Amelia Nature Festival, and Wild Night educational presentations. They organize volunteers for beach and river cleanups, like the recent event in April with St. Marys River Keeper, where hundreds of volunteers from on and off the island removed sixteen tons of litter from our waterways.
NORTH FLORIDA LAND TRUST AND AMELIA TREE CONSERVANCY WORK TO PRESERVE THE ISLAND’S NATURAL BEAUTY
Another outspoken organization for conservation on Amelia Island is the North Florida Land Trust (NFLT). In recent years, NFLT has helped Fernandina Beach and Nassau County protect close to 7,000 acres of salt marsh, dunes, and maritime hammock on and around Amelia Island.
In 2019, it launched Amelia Forever, an ongoing effort that raises funds and offers marketing support to preserve the island’s natural character while insuring thoughtful growth. Extremely generous financial and land donations are realized through this effort.
The work continues. According to NFLT President Allison DeFoor, “It is a race between us and the bulldozers for these vulnerable lands. It’s now or never,” he says.
Taxpayers agree. Several years ago, they voted “yes” for a $30 million bond for Nassau County to acquire land for conservation. Thus, the Conservation Lands Acquisitions and Land Management (CLAM) program was established to obtain land with these primary goals: to preserve critical habitats, maintain working lands, protect water quality and floodplains, and add passive recreation opportunities. More than 750 acres have been purchased to date, and more are in the works.
Amelia Island’s first tree protection ordinance was initiated by the grassroots organization Amelia Tree Conservancy (ATC). ATC was founded in 2013 by Lyn Pannone, current president, and others to fight development proposals that threaten the environment. It works to strengthen tree-related regulations and insure their enforcement. It plants trees in public spaces and champions a wide variety of conservation efforts. Their first-rate documentary, “Living in our Maritime Forest” by biomedical engineer and Amelia Island resident Munsell McPhillips, tells how barrier islands like ours are essential to resilient coastlines and communities. It is a compelling call to action.
CONSERVE NASSAU AND OTHERS RAISE AWARENESS ON CONSERVATION EFFORTS IN NASSAU COUNTY
Margaret Kirkland, another ATC founder, now heads Conserve Nassau, which seeks to raise countywide awareness of conservation needs and benefits, from beaches to marshes, pinelands, creeks, waterways and homes. It participates in educational events and recently produced a series of wonderful guidebooks that showcase the diverse local wildlife that exists here. They are designed for people of all ages and even include a lovely coloring book for kids.
Volunteers with Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors, St. Marys Riverkeeper, Conserve Amelia Now, Invader Raiders, Beach Junki, and many others protect nesting sea turtles, whales and manatees, safeguard regional waterways and beloved heritage trees. They monitor water for pollution and have established artificial reefs and oyster beds to support marine life.
But not all conservation happens through organizations. Much occurs quietly, in neighborhoods and backyards, where homeowners recycle, protect trees, remove invasive species, reduce pesticide and herbicide use, and favor landscaping with native plants.
For example, a development on N. 18th Street maintains a “Florida Friendly Landscape” at its entrance. Amelia Island Plantation residents removed invasive vines and created a “pollinator pathway’ along part of the First Coast Highway. Homeowners helped stop a high-rise condo development on the riverfront beside the former Gerbing Gardens. Daily beach walkers pick up litter and reduce threats to dunes and wildlife.
Egans Creek, in the heart of Amelia Island, is a perfect example of conservation in action. Ron Sapp, a former teacher, mayor, and visionary public servant, fought to save 300 acres of land and waterway that had been abused and ignored for decades. It is now the verdant Ron Sapp Egans Creek Greenway. Fernandina Beach citizens own it. Volunteers help maintain it. Donations help it thrive.
Further north on Egans Creek, Jack and Kathleen Thornton donated 391 acres to NFLT. It is now the Jack and Kathleen Thornton Family Preserve, enjoyed daily from park overlooks, bridges, boats and kayaks from Atlantic Avenue to the Dee Dee Bartells Boat Ramp.
Now 26 years old, the Greenway is one of the island’s most popular destinations for peaceful walks, cycling, photography, bird watching, fishing, and more. In addition, together with the Thornton Family Preserve, it nurtures marine life, wild birds and animals, provides flood protection in storms, and helps purify air and water.
CONTINUING AMELIA ISLAND’S LEGACY OF CONSERVING ITS NATURAL BEAUTY
From John Muir to Gus Gerbing to Ron Sapp and today’s generous donors and volunteers, the message is clear and consistent: Amelia Island’s natural beauty and resilience are not self-sustaining. They require vigilance, effort, care, and above all, people willing to fight for them.
Will you help? None of the groups mentioned here would exist without knowledgeable, capable organizers, generous donors, and legions of passionate volunteers. Learn more about them and many more by contacting their websites or the directory at conservenassau.org.
Conserve Nassau’s guides are available through their website and at Story and Song Bookstore Bistro, which
handled the printing. All profits will support education and research programs.