Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Good morning! We trust you’ve recovered from a good, if chilly, St. Patrick’s Day and are ready for a different sort of green news. We’ve got you covered with a surprising decision about Cumberland Island out of Camden last night. We also have an update on the Ogeechee Riverkeeper monitoring for Hyundai pollution, plans for putting gray water to use fighting fires in Liberty County, and new protections for land near the Okefenokee.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
The Camden County Commission on Tuesday voted down a letter of support for the National Park Service’s proposed land swaps with private landowners at Cumberland Island National Seashore. In urging the rejection, county residents and environmental groups cited a lack of clarity about the exchanges as well as concerns about potential commercial development on Georgia’s largest barrier island.
FEATURE: ENVIRONMENT
Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA/CatchLight/Report for America
Trust but verify on Ogeechee
The Ogeechee Riverkeeper is monitoring the Ogeechee River for any potential pollution from the Hyundai plant in Ellabell, which recently began sending its wastewater through the newly constructed Bryan County wastewater treatment facility. With three years of baseline data to look back on, Riverkeeper Damon Mullis is confident they’ll be able to detect changes, as The Current GA‘s Mary Landers reports.
EXPLAINER: PUBLIC SAFETY
Saving water, fighting fire
Liberty County in Georgia is considering using recycled water from a proposed water treatment plant to solve problems with both its wastewater treatment capacity and its gaps in fire protection, as The Current GA’s Robin Kemp reports. The plant would process up to 3 million gallons of water per day and provide the necessary infrastructure for firefighters to access the recycled water. However, funding is a sticking point.
New state wildlife area near Okefenokee
About half the 8,000 acres the Conservation Fund bought from mining interest Twin Pines last year is being bought by Georgia to create a new Wildlife Management Area near the Okefenokee Swamp. The new WMA doesn’t have a name yet and won’t be open to visitors until 2027, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s Drew Kann reports here. But the goal is providing “high-quality wildlife habitat,” as well as hunting and fishing opportunities.
Also noted
Chatham County Native Plant Sale & Tree Giveaway will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 21 at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, 2 Canebrake Road, Savannah. Attendees can receive up to two free trees per household, provided by the Savannah Tree Foundation. Species available in 3-gallon pots: sycamore, overcup oak, willow oak, white oak, nuttall oak, Ann magnolia, Jane magnolia, blackgum, swamp chestnut oak, tulip poplar, red maple, Eastern redbud, brown turkey fig, and Drake elm. Native plant vendors at the event will be: Flourabundance, All the Buzz, Victory Gardens, Naturescapes of Beaufort, Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens.
Zooplankton are the tiny creatures that shape marine ecosystems and coastal economies. Adam Greer, an associate professor in UGA’s Department of Marine Sciences and a faculty member at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography will lecture on how zooplankton powers our ocean ecosystem. Welcome reception starts at 6:30 p.m. Talk starts at 7 p.m. March 24 at SkIO Library Auditorium, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411 RSVP here.
Savannah Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier will host an environmental town hall meeting from 6-8 p.m. March 31 at the Coastal Georgia Center, 305 Fahm St., Savannah.
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Riverkeeper monitors Ogeechee as Hyundai waste gets new treatment
As Hyundai’s wastewater flows through a new treatment facility and into the Ogeechee River, the Ogeechee Riverkeeper continues the monitoring it began three years ago.
Liberty County considers recycled water for fire safety, community growth
Liberty County is considering using recycled water from a proposed reclaimed water plant to solve its wastewater treatment and fire protection problems, while also providing a solution for the 20,000 people expected to move into the area.
Camden declines support for Cumberland Island land swaps
In a 3-2 vote, the Camden County Commission rejected support for public/private land swaps proposed for Cumberland Island.
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