Earth Day Celebration in Historic Durkeeville

Celebrate Earth Day with the NEFL Sierra Club by taking an urban hike in Historic Durkeeville. Walk through history in Jacksonville’s Northwest side to better understand the connections between social justice, environmental preservation, economic well-being for all.

Participants will meet at 2503 North Myrtle Avenue, Jacksonville. The hike will start with a tour inside the beautiful Mt. Ararat Baptist Church. The semi-gothic architecture is something to marvel at. Mt. Ararat is the only church in Jacksonville visited by Dr. Martin Luther King.

The second stop on the hike will include the James P. Small Baseball Park, home to the Jacksonville Red Caps, a Negro League baseball team (1938-1945).

We will end our urban hike at Emmet Reed Park. Then walk back to our cars through the north end of Historic Durkeeville.

Your guides will be Michelle Maule, local filmmaker, Northside Jax preservationist and NEFL Sierra Club member and Bill Snow, board member of NEFL Sierra Club. Each destination will feature stories filled with inspiration and exciting hidden truths about Jacksonville’s past, present and future.

The walk will total about a mile and a half. The entire way is paved along city streets and partially along a pedestrian and bicycle trail closed to motorized vehicles. Children are welcome if accompanied by parents and able to travel safely through city streets for the distance.

Please bring water and sun protection*, as needed.

All participants are required to sign our Participation Agreement to participate in our outings. To save time the day of the outing, we encourage you to sign the agreement online ahead of time at:
https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=7013q000002JsowAAC

Cancellation Policy: Event will be held rain or shine, but may be cancelled if weather threatens safety such as in the case of lightning or high winds in the forecast. Also, if the heat index is forecast to be over 103, then the outing will be cancelled. Participants are advised to check Meetup for current status before traveling to the event. Events may need to be cancelled at short notice.

* Help the environment by following these tips:

• Bring your water in a reusable container instead of a single-use plastic bottle

1. Use sunscreen free of oxybenzone and octinoxate. These chemicals are extremely harmful to coral reefs, as well as being hormone disruptors in humans.

Sierra Club maintains a safe space agreement between participants, leaders, volunteers, and staff. We want to support everyone in exploring, enjoying, and protecting our natural environment, and hateful and dangerous behavior will not be tolerated. We don’t want to deny participation in these outdoor programs and we will always say no to racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, impairment, and disruption. We request that all participants cooperate with the outing leader's direction to ensure a safe and enjoyable outing for everyone.