Ossabaw Mansion to be Revived

– June 12, 2024 –

Good morning! As we head into the sultry season, we have a report of new reasons to be cautious of children in extreme heat. We also have an update on the ongoing issue of boat speed rules to protect north Atlantic right whales. And if you’re a fan of Ossabaw Island you won’t want to miss what’s planned for its historic mansion.

Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org

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State to rehab Ossabaw mansion

Ossabaw Island is poised to become more accommodating to visitors. The state Department of Natural Resources has earmarked $7 million in its budget to rehab the 20,000-square-foot Torrey West mansion on Ossabaw, a state heritage preserve. The project is expected to double the number of visitors who can comfortably stay overnight on the island, as The Current’s Mary Landers reports.

The pink stucco mansion forms the “heart of the island,” said Beryl-Gilothwest, grandson of the late Eleanor “Sandy” Torrey West who lived there until she was 103.

Read more of Gilothwest’s experience of his grandmother’s home here.

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Rising heat hurts kids

It’s already hit the high 90s this year in Coastal Georgia, and odds are we’re looking at higher temperatures yet to come. Researchers, including a neonatologist at Emory University’s School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, warn that extreme heat can be especially dangerous for kids. As climate change brings even hotter summers, school vacation may never be the same.

Extreme heat exposure in childhood can have lasting effects on learning and sleep quality; and that heat is linked to an increase in mood and anxiety disorders in children. Get more details on extreme heat and children from Victoria Martin of Inside Climate News here.

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Carter wants delay for whale protections

National defense and north Atlantic right whales may seem to have little in common. But U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R- St. Simons) submitted to the National Defense Authorization Act an amendment about the highly endangered whales. Federal regulators want to expand the vessel speed rule to include boats from 35-65 feet long, limiting their speed to 10 knots (11.5 mph) when whales migrate to the area. Carter’s amendment would delay the expanded speed rule for a year and possibly longer. 

Carter presented this amendment and five others to the House Rules Committee Tuesday. (Watch his testimony on this video beginning at the – 3:38:01)

“No boater goes out thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I would hit a right whale,'” he told the committee. “They don’t want to hit a right whale. They want to make sure that they avoid them at all costs. There is technology available now that will allow them to do this without imposing this rule. And that’s why I’m proposing this.”

But right whale researchers, including Georgia DNR wildlife biologists, say such technology is not yet viable.

“There are currently no technological solutions to prevent vessel strikes,” they wrote in their comment on the proposed rule in October 2022. “That leaves speed reduction and vessel routing measures as the primary tools to manage whale/vessel collision risk.”

Fewer than 350 right whales remain.

“Right whales do not have time to wait — with the fate of an entire species on the line, our elected leaders must rely on facts and the best available science now,” Catherine Ridley of One Hundred Miles texted to The Current. “Reducing speed to 10 knots is scientifically proven to reduce the risk of mortality from a collision by 80% – 90% and is a widely accepted measure for right whale conservation.”

Read Carter’s amendment here.

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Also noted

• Science for Georgia along with several other co-sponsors are hosting an Environmental Justice and Climate Protection Conference June 13 and 14 at Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus in Savannah. A Zoom option is also available. The conference features sessions on environmental justice impacts, translating knowledge into action, and community coalition building to improve environmental health. Click here for more info and to register.
• U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff introduced the Coastal Georgia Flooding Prevention Act to upgrade water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure in Glynn, Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, Mcintosh, and Camden counties. The bill would amend the Water Resources Development Act of 1992, which is the authorization for the U.S. Army Corps, providing $5 million in funding.

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