Memorialize Someone Special

With Memorial Day just around the corner, now is the perfect time to
consider memorializing a loved one or someone special in your life
who you would truly like to honor with a tribute brick in the St.
Marys EarthKeepers Memory Garden by Oak Grove Cemetery. For just $50,
you can create a lasting memorial as a symbol of your love and
remembrance. Please go to www.stmarysearthkeepers.com to print off an
application form or call 912-729-1103.

www.stmarysearthkeepers.com
http://www.stmarysearthkeepers.com/

Oli Slick Update

Once again the citizens of Camden County have answered the call for
help and, on behalf of the St. Marys EarthKeepers and our city, I
thank you.

The Tribune & Georgian article can be found at http://www.tribune-
georgian.com/articles/2010/05/05/news/top_stories/1topstory5.5.txt

We now have over 100 volunteers who have signed on to pitch in if
needed (some of whom are willing to go to the Gulf should we be
called to do so). In the next week or so, the GaVOAD will supply us
with the necessary HAZWOPER information - and the Gulf agencies with
whom we are registered as volunteers are in constant contact as they
assess the situation and set up training camps.

Oceanographic and meteorological experts can only "guesstimate" as to
the possibility of the slick entering the Gulf Loop current...
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/05/05/05greenwire-unpredictable-
current-is-wild-card-in-gulf-dis-51911.html?pagewanted=1

Many experts maintain that it is not an "if" scenario, but "when"...
"If the slick contacts the so-called Loop sea current, the oily sheen
could eventually be carried to Miami in southern Florida, or as far
as North Carolina's barrier islands, warned Robert Weisberg, a
physical oceanographer at the University of South Florida. "Exactly
when the oil will enter the Loop Current at the surface is unknown,
but it appears to be imminent," Weisberg said, referring to the
prevailing current in the Gulf."

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6430AR20100505?
feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_
campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%
29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Should the worse happen - the oil and disperants become caught in the
Gulf Loop - it will be an "all hands on deck" situation for
Cumberland Island and the most pressing need at that point will be to
clear the 17 miles of beaches of all man-made and natural debris (in
order to facilitate more effective clean-up). But we, as a community,
are blessed by willing hands and we will be as prepared as it is
possible to be.

I thank you...and ask for your patience and prayers. I know that so
many are aching to help in some way now, but we must let nature
dictate our actions and wait for the knowledgeable agencies in the
Gulf (and our own state) to direct us. I shan't burden your inboxes
with up-dates as we all watch and wait but I will, most assuredly,
contact you all if the "worst-case-scenario" occurs.

Alex

Alex Kearns
Chair
St. Marys EarthKeepers, Inc.
Office: 912-673-6120
Cell: 912-322-7367
Email: alexkearns1@msn.com

oil spill eco disaster

>
> The death toll is already mounting. Sea turtles have washed up
> along the Louisiana shoreline in Breton National Wildlife Refuge.
> Tragically, this is the nesting season for most sea turtles and the
> migratory season for countless species of birds.
> From a slick that is now the size of Puerto Rico (and growing by
> the hour), long tendrils of oil sheen have already made their way
> into South Pass, a major channel through the salt marshes of
> Louisiana's southeastern boot heel - a breeding ground for crab,
> oysters, shrimp, redfish and other species.
> The Deepwater Horizon well is at the end of one branch of the Gulf
> Stream, the warm-water current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico
> to the North Atlantic. Several experts have stated that if the oil
> enters the stream, it will flow around the southern tip of Florida
> and up the eastern seaboard.
> "It will be on the East Coast of Florida in almost no time. I don't
> think we can prevent that. It's more of a question of when rather
> than if," says Hans Graber, executive director of the University of
> Miami's Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing.
> If the spill enters the Gulf Stream Loop, which looks quite likely
> at this point, it will imperil the entire eastern seaboard. It will
> be volunteers that salvage what can be from this heartbreaking
> devastation. I have compiled a list of those who have offered to
> travel to the site of the spill as well as registering us with the
> Audubon Society and the Mobile Baykeepers. They will contact us
> when the training centers are set up.
> We must be prepared to assist with Cumberland Island efforts should
> the worst-case-scenario occur and the slick enter the Loop. Please
> let me know, via alexkearns1@msn.com, if you would be able to help
> out, either in the Gulf or locally (should it be required). I would
> ask you to, please, forward this email as you see fit.
>
>
>
>
>

Great American Cleanup

>
> PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN.
>
>
> Volunteers Needed for 2010 Great American Cleanup May 8
>
> ST. MARYS, GA—Looking to make our community cleaner, Keep Camden
> Beautiful and other organizations throughout the county are
> participating in the May 8 Great American Cleanup and are calling
> for volunteers to make a difference.
> This year's theme, "Green Starts Here," is a rallying call to
> encourage people of all ages and walks of life to begin creating
> more sustainable communities through their efforts as volunteers
> and through their daily choices and actions. It also reflects Keep
> America Beautiful's long legacy of community improvement activities.
> Camden County volunteers are asked to show up at 8 a.m. on
> Saturday, May 8, at the east end of the Waterfront Park in St.
> Marys, or at Howard Peeples Park in Kingsland. There, they will
> receive bags, gloves, and assigned areas.
> This year's Great American Cleanup is expected to rally more than 3
> million volunteers throughout America, picking up litter on public
> lands and around waterways. In Camden County, all three cities, the
> county, and several organizations including St. Marys EarthKeepers,
> The Camden County Chamber of Commerce, St. Marys Kiwanis, and
> others are joining Keep Camden Beautiful organizers.
> "Community greening began with the beautification movement of the
> 1950s and 60s, and even then, Keep America Beautiful was leading
> the charge," said Matthew McKenna, president and CEO of Keep
> America Beautiful. "Today, we realize that these efforts don't
> just create beautiful places, they create a healthier environment,
> build stronger communities, inspire sustainable behaviors, motivate
> people to volunteer service, and improve quality of life. The Great
> American Cleanup captures the energy and enthusiasm of today's
> powerful and growing green movement."
> In 2009, more than 3 million volunteers in 32,000 communities took
> part in the Great American Cleanup, collecting 64 million pounds of
> litter and debris, much of which was recycled. More than 243
> million plastic bottles and 6.9 million pounds of electronics were
> collected; volunteers kept 14.5 million pounds of aluminum and
> steel out of landfills, and 36 million pounds of newspaper were
> collected for recycling as well.
> Anyone interested in participating in the Keep Camden Beautiful
> Great American Cleanup should show up at either the east end of St.
> Marys Waterfront Park or at Howard Peeples Park at 8 a.m. on
> Saturday, May 8, or call Elaine Headley at 912-882-4415 for more
> information.