Tuesday, March 19, 2013

St. Marys Annual River Celebration

From Rick Frey:
 
"Here are the statistics for our 20th Annual St. Marys River Clean-up this past Saturday.
These are total numbers for Baker and Nassau Counties on the Florida side of the River,
and Charlton and Camden on the GA side. I have also separated out St. Marys numbers
because our participation was significant in making this event so successful.
 
715 Volunteers total: 125 volunteers from St. Marys which included 9 from the
Base and 13 from Cumberland Harbour.

31,000 lbs of trash, recyclables and tires (200) total. (2,000 lbs and 10 tires from
St. Marys).

Our volunteers cleaned up every street in downtown St. Marys south of the RR tracks
including all drainage ditches, marsh and water front accessible by foot. Dark Entry
from the dock along SR40 to entrance to Borrell Creek Resuraunt was also cleaned up,
with special thanks to Carolyn Rock from Hariett's Bluff for handling that assignment 
herself.
 
St. Marys was not the only clean-up activity in Camden County. Exceptional effort was
made in Kingsland at the I-95 Bridge, the Route 17 Bridge and in Browntown.
 
In St. Marys, the volunteer numbers have risen each year, and the amount of trash
collected has decreased. This tells us that more and more people are being educated
about the proper disposition for trash, and that more and more people are taking personal responsibility for the stewardship of their environment. I would also like to give a
"shout-out" to Bobby Marr and the public works employees of the City of St. Marys
who work hard every day keeping our downtown area clean.
 
To volunteers in St. Marys and Cumberland Harbour, t-shirts are now available.
Please call Rick Frey at 404-909-0667 to make arrangements for your pick-up.
 
Congratulations to all who have made this event so successful over the years."
 
 
 

 

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Two dates to mark on your calendars:

March 16th - The Annual St. Marys River Cleanup and Celebration

This an event that spans the length of our river and involves volunteers from all four counties. (The St. Marys EarthKeepers have, in the past, represented the largest single block of volunteers). Last year's River Cleanup and Celebration brought out over 800 participants in all as volunteers retrieved approximately 54,000 pounds of trash along the river and its tributaries. The luncheon that followed - a hot dog roast at Trader’s Hill, organized by Charlton County - drew a big crowd and it is anticipated that this year's event will be an even greater success.

Please look for eblasts and media coverage leading up to the cleanup. The St. Marys "team" meets at Howard Gilman Park at 8am and, this year, will be coordinated by EarthKeepers' Board member, Rick Frey rickbfrey@gmail.com. 

Volunteers will be equipped with lunch tickets (don't forget to pick up your free t-shirt), trash bags and gloves and assigned sections of the downtown area. EarthKeepers' members will be available for golf cart "pick-up and delivery" throughout the four-hour pre-luncheon event should you need assistance. 

March 23rd - Earth Hour 2013.

For the past several years, Camden County has led the way in Georgia by being one of the only counties to have all cities sign a Joint Earth Hour Proclamation and this year is no exception. 
Hundreds of millions of people around the world turn off their lights for one hour, Earth Hour, on the same night, to focus on the one thing that unites us all - our planet. Make a pledge to turn out your lights from 8:30 - 9:30 pm local time on Saturday, March 23, 2013 to show your commitment to creating a better future. To read more about Earth Hour, please visit http://www.earthhour.org/ 


Please join us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/44706969520/permalink/10151474801034521/?notif_t=like 

Sea Level Rise Seminar


St. Marys Sea Level Rise Seminar (Feb. 28) was a huge success with 124 of the Theater By The Trax 150 seats filled. Attendees included local/county elected and appointed officials as well as those from neighboring counties and members of the general public.
Our sincere thanks to the crew of the Theater, the City of St. Marys and, of course, the presenters:
 
Sea Level Rise: Global Causes and Georgia Trends
Speaker: Dr. Chuck Hopkinson, Director, Georgia Sea Grant Program

Preliminary Overview of Sea Level Rise and Increased Coastal Flooding Vulnerability in the City of St. Marys
Co-Presenters: Dr. Jason Evans, Environmental Sustainability Analyst, UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government; James Nolan, Local Government Project Manager, Information Technology Outreach Services, UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government  

Georgia Coastal Hazards Program:  Applied Research and Adaptation Planning Tools
Speaker: Kelly Spratt, Georgia Sea Grant Program