Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024
Good morning! Hurricane season ended Nov. 30 but hurricane damage is still top of mind across Georgia, as we explore in two stories today. And as Georgians await a decision about permitting for a controversial plan to strip mine near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, officials there are working to expand the refuge boundaries.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Resilient St. Marys
Climate change is ramping up hurricanes, flooding and droughts. The St. Marys Riverkeeper is looking at nature-based solutions to these challenges for the communities around the river, including Charlton and Camden counties. The effort recently got a boost in the form of a $716,000 grant, as The Current’s Mary Landers reports.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Okefenokee plans to grow
Already the largest wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge might get larger. Officials are seeking input on a plan to allow the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to buy from willing sellers at the swamp’s edge. One of the largest landowners in the proposed expansion area, however, is Twin Pines Minerals, which is awaiting a permitting decision about its controversial plans to strip mine near the Okefenokee, as The Current’s Mary Landers reports.
Got a minute? Here’s a quick 4-question survey that will help us learn more about where to find you on social media.
NEWS: GOVERNING
Helene’s aftermath
Hurricane season ended Nov. 30 but Georgians are still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Helene, which rampaged through the state in late September. “We’ve gone through probably the most damaging storm in our history,” Gov. Brian Kemp said. “We saw unbelievable damage and communities that will probably never be the same.”
Kemp announced Tuesday that he will unveil a disaster relief package for Georgia victims of Hurricane Helene next month during the first week of the 2025 legislative session, as Capitol Beat’s Dave Williams reports.
Just one thing
This week’s tip for personal environmental action comes from reader Carol Chambers: “Good morning, I use my coffee grinds on my plants instead of throwing them out in the trash. I also compost all veggies for garden soil,” she wrote to The Current. The UGA Extension Service agrees with both practices. Coffee grounds can be added to soil to build organic matter and attract earthworms. Coffee grounds and vegetable scraps alike make worthy compost fodder.
Send “just one thing” you do as part of your personal environmental action plan to mary.landers@thecurrentga.org. We’ll publish our favorites and credit the contributors. Thanks!
Also noted
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday it’s seeking public input until March 12, 2025 on a proposal to list the monarch butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Guardian has more here. Information about how to submit comments will be available at regulations.gov by searching for docket number FWS-R3-ES-2024-0137.
- Speaking of monarchs, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources encourages Georgians to report sightings of monarch adults, eggs, larvae and pupae from November-March. Submit observations through Journey North or iNaturalist.
- Four women who work to protect whales will take part in a panel discussion “Whales and Women: Scientists Working to Save the North Atlantic Right Whale” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12 at the Gray’s Reef Ocean Discovery Center, 340 MLK Blvd. in Savannah. The event is free and open to the public. To join remotely, register for a virtual webinar here.
We want to meet your friends! If you like this newsletter be sure to share it. And, if someone shared this with you, click here to sign up for regular delivery!
St. Marys Riverkeeper looks to nature for solutions to climate impacts
The St. Marys Riverkeeper is identifying communities most vulnerable to climate change and developing nature-based solutions for them.
Kemp declares Helene relief top priority for General Assembly
Hurricane Helene wreaked at least $5.5 billion in damage to the state’s agriculture and timber industries alone.
Comment period on Okefenokee expansion nears deadline
The US Fish & Wildlife Service will accept written comments on the proposal through Dec. 13, 2024.
Mining company vows to forge ahead when permitted despite feds’ Okefenokee Refuge expansion plan
Proposal is for a “minor expansion” of the refuge’s existing boundaries to bolster protections of the unspoiled freshwater wetland system and wildlife habitats found in the largest blackwater swamp in North America.
Georgia lawmakers recommend status quo for fishing rights
A debate over a long-assumed right of passage along Georgia waterways – including the right to fish and hunt – began early last year when a property owner banned fishing there and sued the state to enforce it.
The Current GA is part of The Trust Project.
Read our policies.
Support independent, solutions-based investigative journalism without bias, fear or favor on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia.
WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM
You must be logged in to post a comment.