A community festival has placed a spotlight on the effort to revitalize and restore an oft-neglected tributary of the St. Johns River.
OysterFest is five hours of music, food trucks, community engagement and more on Saturday at Riverview Park. The festivities may run from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.; however, organizers hope it will serve as a community introduction to the park that is on the shore of the Trout River and tucked away off Lem Turner Road in Northwest Jacksonville.
A clear view of the river
According to an analysis conducted by Jacksonville University professor Ashley Johnson, the properties within the Trout and Ribaut River watershed are part of one of the most vulnerable regions in the country.
Wastewater treatment facilities, a prevalence of septic tanks, wild animal manure and stormwater runoff are responsible for high levels of fecal bacteria within the Ribault and Trout rivers.
Earlier this spring, dozens of oyster gardens were placed near the shoreline and along the dock at Riverview Park in an attempt to help clean the water in the Trout River. The oysters were funded through a $20,000 grant from the Northeast Florida Environmental Conservation Fund…