Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Good morning! Spring is in full swing, as evidenced today by updates on nesting creatures along the coast. Spring also means that summer, and hurricane season, is fast approaching. There’s sobering news there on what to expect from NOAA as federal cuts bite into the work of its forecasters.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Jekyll claims first nest
A loggerhead sea turtle laid her nest on Jekyll Island just south of Glory Beach last week, kicking off what’s expected to be a busy nesting season.
“The nest was found on the top of a very large dune,” Georgia Sea Turtle Coordinator Mark Dodd wrote as he announced the first nest on Facebook. “Is it possible the first female was trying to tell us something? Is it going to be a year full of storms and big tides? The only way to find out is stick around. Bring it on, girls.”
By Tuesday evening the nest count on the Georgia coast had already risen to 16. Loggerheads nest in the spring and summer. Individual females nest in three-year cycles, laying multiple nests of close to 100 eggs each on or near beaches where they themselves hatched decades earlier. This year’s cohort of mama turtles produced a record number of nests in Georgia in 2022, topping the 4,000 mark and keeping a small army of volunteers, interns and wildlife professionals busy documenting and protecting the nests. That record could fall this year.
Check the progress of the 2025 loggerhead nesting season at www.seaturtle.org, which is updated daily. Hatchlings emerge after about two months of incubation.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Hurricane forecasts at risk
The National Hurricane Center’s forecasts in 2024 were the most accurate on record, thanks to federally funded research. However, cuts in staffing and threats to funding at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are diminishing operations that forecasters rely on. Weather balloons are being terminated or suspended at more than a dozen locations, and Hurricane Hunters are being laid off, leaving only six out of ten. Weather satellites are also being cut, which could limit the accurate data the National Hurricane Center would have for forecasting storms.
The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1. Forecasters at Colorado State University predict an above-average season with 17 named storms. Expect the season outlook from NOAA later this month.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Owl grown up
In March we brought you the story of how arborists in Savannah postponed the removal of a storm-damaged red oak in Forsyth Park to allow a pair of barred owls to raise their brood in a hollow of the tree. The city cordoned off the tree and alerted the public to the birds’ presence. “The plan was to get out of the way and let them do their thing,” said Scott DeArmey, assistant director of the Savannah Park and Tree Department. The urban owls did their part, raising two owlets, shown here. “Our current plan is to give it a little longer, confirm the little ones have left the nest and proceed with removal,” DeArmey said.
Also noted
- The recently formed nonprofit Georgia Utility Watch has a new name. It’s now Georgians for Affordable Energy. The name switch was prompted by a desire to avoid confusion with (and a lawsuit from) a similarly named nonprofit, according to founder Patty Durand. The mission to protect Georgia consumers through “utility oversight, reform advocacy, and public education” remains the same.
- The Environmental Protection Agency is eliminating its Office of Atmospheric Protection and Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, signaling an end to the agency’s climate work, E&E News reports. The disappearing work includes a program that requires the country’s biggest polluters to report their greenhouse gas emissions. The loss of that data will make it more difficult for programs like Drawdown Georgia to track the state’s progress in reducing climate-warming emissions. Also on the chopping block at EPA is the Energy Star program that helps consumers identify energy-efficient appliances, The New York Times reports.
- Appearing on Varney & Co. on Fox Business Tuesday U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-St. Simons) said he was not in favor of continuing the energy tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act. Those credits provide incentives for consumers to buy electric vehicles, rooftop solar and electric heat pumps, among other climate-friendly purchases. “Trying to make the government pick winners and losers by telling you what kind of car you’re gonna drive, by telling you what kind of appliance to use, that’s not the way to do it,” Carter said.
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Hurricane forecasts are more accurate than ever – NOAA cuts could change that
The National Hurricane Center’s forecasts in 2024 were its most accurate on record, but federally funded research and staffing and funding cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are diminishing operations that forecasters rely on.
Nonprofit forms to keep eye on Georgia utilities
Consumer energy expert Patty Durand has formed a nonprofit to address utility costs and regulation in Georgia. The nonprofit aims to protect Georgia consumers through “utility oversight, reform advocacy, and public education.”
CDC funding cuts impact Georgia vaccine access, other public health programs
Groups that work to provide access to vaccines, especially for Black Georgians and others in underserved communities, are among those affected as the state Department of Public Health absorbs a $334.2 million loss from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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