Consider the Cost...

The first right whale sighting of the season. The newborn is the 24-year-old mother's 5th documented calf (throughout the annual surveys) and her first since 2009. Even at such a young age, the calf could weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. Should the whale live to adulthood, it could weigh upwards of 14,000 pounds and consume more than 2,000 pounds of zooplankton in a day. (Whales are essential agents of ocean health. Because they travel both vertically through the water column and across ocean basins, they move nutrients throughout the ocean - creating what researchers refer to as the “whale pump”, aiding in the production of oxygen and reduction of atmospheric CO2.)

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Seismic airgun testing along the right whales' migration route would signal the end of this majestic creature. Are we willing to pay that price for the equivalent of seven years of Gulf oil? If so, we need to consider how we will answer the accusations of future generations.

We have the power to stop the environmental decimation and economic compromise of our coast...if we choose to speak out in a unified voice. 

Please - consider the high price of silence, and if you want to make your voice heard, send an email to Mayor Morrissey at john.morrissey@stmarysga.gov asking Council to sign the Resolution against airgun testing along our coast. The Obama administration has made it clear that it will consider oil company applications with the “will of the people” in mind and that it wishes to hear from coastal communities)

Fernandina, FL, just passed a resolution and Tybee Island will be voting on theirs on January 15th. Below is the Proclamation before St. Marys City Council: 

Sustainable Joes

http://www.sustainablejoes.com/

Stephen and his ELF will be in St. Marys this weekend (Nov. 14 and 15). From Boston to Marathon, FL, Sustainable Joes founder, Stephen Szucs, is riding the ELF – a solar and pedal powered “trike” on a journey to raise awareness and send the message that we are all capable of change. 

From the website: “We aim to make sustainability cool and smart the new sexy. We believe thought precedes action. Therefore, as we get more and more people #RETHINKing sustainability in their own lives, we believe we will realize greater sustainable action in all our lives.

The name SustainableJoes is derived from the mission of “Joes” ~ to make sustainability easy for all “Everyday Joes.” It is spelled in plural form because both feminine Jo, and masculine Joe, make a group of Joes.  We chose to use an ELF, made by Organic Transit, for leg one of the #RETHINK tour because it is a beautiful example of a company #RETHINKing sustainability.”

Let’s all give Stephen a wonderful St. Marys welcome!

It's That Time Again...

Today's Wild At Heart festival

Well, that was a Day that was! The morning was a flurry of texts and phone calls as people looked at the TV weather-radar loops and wanted to know if Wild at Heart was cancelled. The general consensus was that a little rain shouldn’t dampen our spirits so we set up the booths, and kept our fingers crossed that it would clear up. And, for the most part, it did. 

All of the environmental organizations arrived from far and near and the wonderful Friese Studio of Music proceeded to treat us to four hours of fantastic entertainment. The Love of Pets offered hotdogs, drinks and snacks, and Mayor Morrissey and members of City Council announced the poster-contest prize winners. (We had 62 amazing student-entries from which to choose.)

Throughout the day, we kept a rough head-count and approximately 500 people braved the sporadic rain. They spoke with the organizations, looked at the displays, enjoyed the music, donated wonderfully to The Love of Pets, admired the lovely Corn Snake that the Crooked River State Park representative brought with her, and enjoyed the beauty of our City Park.

It offered all of us the invaluable opportunity to learn about the work that’s being done to preserve the integrity of our environment and prepare for the future, discuss the issues and efforts, put faces to familiar names, and simply have fun. The one refrain that I heard over and over again was “This should be an annual event!” – and so it will be. More organizations will take part next year as word of St. Marys’ Wild at Heart spreads.

I truly have no way to adequately thank the Board of the EarthKeepers. They were absolute stars as they helped to set up booths, were everywhere at once, and kept things on track. To Megan Kaufman and the artists with the Friese Studio: just…wow. The gift of your time and talents kept us all delighted and uplifted. To The Love of Pets: I’m so very glad that we could help to support your worthy animal-welfare organization. To the organizations that participated: thank you all. To our Mayor and Council: well done. To the many citizens who joined us today: thank you for your participation, and willingness to brave the uncertain weather. To Up the Creek Xpeditions and the National Park Service for your poster-prizes: thank you for your generous support.

By 5:30 pm the Park was returned to its usual pristine condition. All in all, it was a wonderful day.

Alex

Chair

St. Marys EarthKeepers

Wild at Heart Poster Contest

Wild at Heart Poster Contest

This September, our nation is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the signing of the Wilderness Act.  To honor our own wilderness - Cumberland Island National Seashore and Wilderness Area - the St. Marys EarthKeepers, with support from the City, are hosting the “Wild at Heart” wilderness celebration (Sat. Sept. 6^th, Howard Gilman Memorial Park, 12 pm – 5 pm) and poster contest. The entries will be evaluated and judged by St. Marys’ Mayor and Council members, and the contest winners will be announced at the Wild at Heart event.

- Grand prize: a family kayak harbor tour, courtesy of Up The Creek Xpeditions

- Four First Prizes (one for each age category): Tickets to Cumberland Island for one child and guardian, courtesy of the National Park Service.

- Four Second Prizes (one for each category): $20 each, courtesy of the St. Marys EarthKeepers. 

Poster Contest Rules:  (Only those entries that adhere to the rules can be accepted.)

1. Poster size must be 11” X 17” or 12” X 18”. Construction paper may be used, but entries must be mounted on quality paper.

2. Lamination is not permitted.

3. Poster designs may not incorporate any copyrighted characters, photographs, or magazine or newspaper illustrations.

4. Posters should be the exclusive work of the student entering the contest.

5. Only freehand drawn letters may be used. Lettering should be clearly legible, even if used as part of the poster design.

6. Wood, plastic, glass or metal cannot be used. Collage materials or glued-on pieces cannot be used.

7. Posters must be dropped off at the St. Marys Library or Camden County Library by closing time on September 4.

8. Please fill out the entry form (clearly printed) in its entirety and attach it securely to the back of the poster.

Winning posters will be displayed at the “Wild at Heart” Celebration at the St. Marys Waterfront on Saturday, September 6, and later at each of the libraries.  Posters become the property of the St. Marys EarthKeepers.

Entry Form 

Student Name ______________________________       

Circle Grade Group:       K-2             3-5        6-8        9-12

School ______________________________      

Teacher _________________________________

By entering the Wild at Heart Poster Contest, I give permission for the St. Marys EarthKeepers to use this work for (but not limited to) display, promotion, reproduction, and distribution in all media and in any form.  All works will be credited to the entrant/artist.

I release the St. Marys EarthKeepers from any liability or claimed liability in connection with this contest submission.

I acknowledge that I have read this consent and release prior to signing it and that I understand its contents.

Parent /Guardian Printed Name ___________________________________       

Parent/Guardian Signature        ___________________________________

Parent/Guardian Phone Number and Email ___________________________________

Thinking Prompts for the Poster Contest

1. What does the idea of “designated Wilderness” mean to you?

2. What feelings or emotions does Wilderness evoke for you when you're having a Wilderness experience?

3. The 2008 National Survey on Recreation and the Environment shows that Americans value Wilderness areas because they:

• Protect air quality

• Protect water quality

• Protect wildlife habitat

• Will be there for future generations

• Preserve unique wild plants and animals

Other reasons Americans value Wilderness areas include spiritual interaction with nature, escape from the commotion of daily urban life, recreation, and scientific study. Why do you think all of these benefits are important in today’s world?

4. What is the single greatest threat to Wilderness areas today?

5. Why do you feel this is the greatest threat?

6. If you were talking to a friend and he/she asked for a description of what Wilderness is, what would you say? (This is like the classic elevator speech; you don’t have much time, so how would you present it for impact?)

7. And when that same person asked you why YOU are involved with celebrating Wilderness, what would your answer be? (Make this PERSONAL please...what are you passionate about as it relates to Wilderness?)

The Cost to the Coast...

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has just approved the use of seismic airguns to explore the seabed from Cape May to Cape Canaveral for oil and gas. (Map below)

Seismic airguns are used to find oil and gas deep underneath the ocean floor. Airguns are so intensely loud that they disturb, injure or kill marine life, harm commercial fisheries, and disrupt coastal economies. These dynamite-like blasts—which are repeated every ten seconds, 24 hours a day, for days and weeks at a time—are 100,000 times more intense than a jet engine. According the most recent government estimates, the seismic airgun testing currently being proposed in the Atlantic will injure 138,500 whales, sea turtles and dolphins…and disturb millions more.

Seismic airguns are towed behind ships and shoot loud blasts of compressed air through the water and miles into the seabed, which reflect back information about buried oil and gas deposits. These blasts harm marine mammals, sea turtles, fish and other wildlife.

Impacts include temporary and permanent hearing loss, abandonment of habitat, disruption of mating and feeding, beach strandings and death. For whales and dolphins, which rely on their hearing to find food, communicate, and reproduce, being able to hear is a life or death matter. Of particular concern is the critically endangered Right Whale and the endangered loggerhead turtle. Airgun blasts also kill fish eggs and larvae and scare away fish from important habitats. Following seismic surveys, catch rates of cod and haddock typically decline by 40 to 80 percent for thousands of miles.

In addition to being devastating for marine life, seismic airguns are the first step toward dangerous offshore drilling with associated habitat destruction, oil spills and contribution to climate change and ocean acidification.

According to Tommy Beaudreau, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, (BOEM) estimates from the 70s and 80s put the amount around a modest 3.3 billion barrels of oil. Currently the Gulf of Mexico produces about 1,250,000 barrels of oil a day (according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration). At this rate the proven reserves off the Atlantic would be the equivalent of just over seven years’ of Gulf oil. The area under consideration stretches all the way from Delaware to Florida and is twice the size of California.

Thus far, the oil industry has submitted nine applications from oil and gas companies and seismic contractors, according to Beaudreau.

“Those applications propose literally hundreds of thousands of miles of seismic blasting,” writes Michael Jasny, Senior Policy Analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “And no doubt there are others waiting in the wings. Because of the enormous distances sound can travel in the ocean, the dangerous noise from this activity cannot remotely be confined to the waters off individual states that encourage it. Some impacts — particularly on the great baleen whales — would extend many hundreds of miles, affecting states as far north as New England. Fish and fisheries could be affected for tens of miles around every seismic ship.”

Again - The BOEM’s own Environmental Impact Statement estimates that about 138,000 marine animals could be injured in some way, while approximately 13.6 million more could have their migration, feeding, or other behavioral patterns disrupted by the seismic surveys.

Seismic surveying off the southwest coast of Africa in recent years has been linked to the disruption of migrating tuna and consequently a dramatic decline in catches off the coast of Namibia. Many species fished in the mid-and south Atlantic (including wahoo, swordfish, and billfishes) embark on long-distance migrations. This means that any impacts of air-gun surveys are likely to spread beyond the survey area itself. BOEM’s report offers no measures to specifically deal with the impact on fish species. Fish eggs and larvae can be killed by intense sound, and the growth of young scallops is also affected.

Jacqueline Savitz, vice president for U.S. Oceans at Oceana: “If seismic airguns are allowed in the Atlantic, it will jeopardize wildlife as well as commercial and recreational fisheries, tourism and coastal recreation—putting more than 730,000 jobs in the blast zone at risk."

The Exxon Valdez spill, at nearly 11 million gallons, was the largest in U.S. history until 2010′s Deepwater Horizon disaster dwarfed it, spewing over 200 million gallons into the Gulf of Mexico. If the proposed seismic tests find significant oil reserves off the Atlantic coast, the region will be subject to similar risks.

Some requested evidence beyond a “reasonable assumption of harm.” There is no way to establish proof before the fact for that's akin to asking for proof that someone will be hurt by an anvil falling on his/her head: logic and prevailing science suggest that cranial damage will ensue and we need not pummel people with anvils on a regular basis to cement our assumptions. The BOEM’s own scientific studies and EIS, along with those of hundreds of environmental institutes and independent bodies, support the findings of massive damage to marine life and the resultant impact upon coastal communities.

Throughout the proposed “blast site” (image below) cities and citizens raised their voices in protest - joining the many others who are striving to prevent catastrophic harm to marine creature, fisheries, and the coast itself.

 Given President Obama's National Oceans Month proclamation, the irony is bitter: 

 http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/30/presidential-proclamation-national-oceans-month-2014

Please consider joining Oceana's protest: 

http://act.oceana.org/sign/stop_seismicletter?source=facebook

Alex Kearns

Chair

St. Marys EarthKeepers

Recycling Reminder

While driving through town this evening, I glanced at the many recycling bins by the curb – and it struck me that people still seem unaware of the fact that chipboard is now an accepted material. (The cardboard from which many boxes are made is known as “chipboard” or “paperboard”).

All of the cereal boxes, dryer-sheet boxes, rice boxes etc. that contain food and household items can be placed in your blue bin. (Just, in the case of cereals boxes and others, remove the plastic insert.) You’ll be amazed by how quickly your bins fills up.

If you need a second bin (until we adopt the 65 gallon single-stream roll-out carts), just contact mthomas@advanceddisposal.com

Alex

WILD AT HEART

We’re tremendously excited about the plans for the St. Marys WILD AT HEART festival: a celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the signing of the Wilderness Act. The City has issued a Proclamation in praise of the Act, and we plan to hold the following event:

On Saturday, September 6^th from 12 pm to 5 pm,

The City of St. Marys, Georgia, will be celebrating…

The 50^th Anniversary of the signing of The Wilderness Act

Join the family-friendly party at Howard Gilman Memorial Park (on the St. Marys waterfront) as environmental organizations from around the state and beyond offer information booths, refreshments, activities, and more.

The Southern Environmental Law Center, NOAA/Ga Sea Grant, 100miles.org, The Satilla Riverkeepers, The Georgia Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The St. Marys EarthKeepers, Glynn Environmental, The Georgia Sea Turtle Center, The Center for a Sustainable Coast, White Oak Conservation Foundation, Crooked River State Park, GreenLaw and others.

Hosted by the City of St. Marys and the St. Marys EarthKeepers, Inc.

More environmental organizations are expected to "sign up" in the weeks to come so stay tuned. For other events in your area, please visit http://www.wilderness50th.org/events.php?useraction=detail&e_id=1110

Reinstating the Marsh Buffer

On Monday, June 2, 2014, St. Marys City Council voted, unanimously, to reinstate the 25 ft marsh buffer protection that was so inexplicably eradicated by the Ga EPD on April 22, 2014. 

Our sincere thanks to Council for, once again, stepping forth to ensure that the rare and fragile marsh ecosystems are afforded protection. The marshes of Georgia are not only precious to our area but are vital in terms of mitigating erosion, storm surges, and sea level rise. It is our sincere hope that all communities throughout Georgia will take similar steps to safeguard the marshes that grace our coast. 

Senator Whitehouse on Climate Change

I urge you all to take a few moments to watch this video. Members of Georgia Sea Grant, St. Marys’ Planning Director, and others accompanied Senator Whitehouse on his tour. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50O_zOS1GHM 

This is the reality that all coastal areas must address, and I am thankful that the elected leaders, city staff, and citizens of St. Marys are overwhelmingly supportive of efforts to understand the impacts of climate change, and plan accordingly to ensure a safe and prosperous future.

Alex

Green Schools

The St. Marys Garden Club is offering a series of lessons for 2nd graders at St. Marys, Crooked River, and Mary Lee Clark Elementary schools. Barbara Connor, Gail Steier, Angel Bernier, and Karen Widing volunteer their time and talents to teach 2nd graders about recycling, plant growth and taking care of the earth. Each school received two sets of books (funded, in part, by the St. Marys EarthKeepers).

In the first lesson students met Max from “I Can Save the Earth” by Alison Inches who discovered easy and simple ways to take care of our planet. During the second visit, students learned how red wiggler worms can be used for composting and read the book “Wiggling Worms at Work” by Wendy Pfeffer.

Gale Lizana (teacher and long-time EarthKeepers board member) was able to keep a worm bin in the classroom for several weeks for the students to observe. As spring approached students examined the seeds and seed pods of several species and then planted their own pumpkin seeds. The final lesson for the year coincided with Earth Day. Students made flower magnets from recycled water bottles. 

The Garden Club plans to continue this program next year and we offer our thanks, support…and applause. 

A Threat To The Marsh

A memo recently released by Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Judson Turner effectively removed the requirement for a protective 25 ft buffer on marshfront properties.

Due to its large tidal range and protective coastal marsh laws, Georgia’s relatively short coastline possesses approximately one-third of the remaining salt marsh on the East Coast. 

Whole and healthy, the marsh is a nursery for commercial seafood, a tourist attraction, and a critical factor in reducing flooding. Without that vital buffer, polluted run-off will enter the marsh directly (causing mass die-off) and we will be stripped of the critical protection from storm-surge.

For more information, please read this article: http://saportareport.com/blog/2014/04/earth-day-present-from-nathan-deals-administration-threatens-to-destroy-states-fragile-coastal-marshes/comment-page-1/

A helpful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LycjLwl0drE

Please send your comments about this pressing issue to: 

Governor Nathan Deal
203 Capitol Place, SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
(404) 656-4713

Commissioner Mark Williams
mark.williams@dnr.state.ga.us

EPD Director Judson Turner
jud.turner@dnr.state.ga.us

jason.spencer@house.ga.gov
william.ligon@senate.ga.gov

National Parks Week and Cumberland Island

Celebrate Nation Parks Week http://www.nationalparks.org/national-park-week  If you plan to visit Cumberland Island National Seashore, please note that you can now make reservations online at http://cumberlandislandferry.com/

Should you wish to submit a statement regarding the Cumberland/Fernandina/East Coast Greenway proposal (below) please contact gary_ingram@nps.gov and stan_austin@nps.gov 

Cumberland Island

THE WILDERNESS ACT

“For this purpose there is hereby established a National Wilderness Preservation System to be composed of federally owned areas designated by Congress as "wilderness areas", and these shall be administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use as wilderness, and so as to provide for the protection of these areas, the preservation of their wilderness character, and for the gathering and dissemination of information regarding their use and enjoyment as wilderness…”

DEFINITION OF WILDERNESS

“A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. An area of wilderness is further defined to mean in this Act an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions and which (1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable; (2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation…”

Given the above, the St. Marys EarthKeepers, Inc. strongly protest any efforts to increase the permissible number of visitors to Cumberland Island National Seashore.

 
Background: Local cycling enthusiasts (and others) in Fernandina Beach, FL, are attempting to persuade the National Park Service to divide the contract for ferry service between the existing provider in St. Marys, Ga., and one that would leave from the city marina in Fernandina. (“We want equal access and we want it bike friendly,” said Phil Scanlan of the Friends of the Amelia Island Trail, Inc.)

A new ferry service would result in an increase in the number of visitors to Cumberland Island – currently set at 300 per day. It is being proposed that an additional two ferries per day (departing from Fernandina) carry 150 passengers per trip, effectively doubling the allowable number of daily visitors to the Island. Greater numbers of visitors will directly intensify the human impact on the island’s already delicate ecosystems, and would contradict the very purpose for which Cumberland Island was preserved as a national seashore.

Furthermore, the concept of making the Island, a national wilderness that forbids wheeled vehicles, more “bike friendly” flies in the face of the very essence and intent of the Wilderness Act. The National Park Services does not have the available resources to monitor the activities of increased visitors in order to ensure that the Island’s ecosystems are protected at all times. Cyclists who are able to forge new trails and broach the fragile nesting, breeding and foraging habitats of the Island’s species will, without doubt, disrupt the flora and fauna of Cumberland Island.

In closing, we urge local, state and national legislators to deny the above proposal, thereby safeguarding Cumberland Island National Seashore – a precious and irreplaceable wilderness - for present and future generations.

Alex Kearns

Chair

St. Marys EarthKeepers, Inc.

St. Marys River Clean-up and Celebration

This morning in St. Marys:

94 volunteers between the ages of six and eighty-plus collected 54 33-gallon bags of trash, 26 bags of recyclable material plus carpets, broken furniture, tires, plumbing fixtures, rotting boards and other detritus from our roadside, riverfront and ditches. And that’s just what we could reach. 

To the best of my knowledge this was also the first time that our Mayor and entire City Council (with the exception of one whose wife was having surgery) joined in. There’s something truly wonderful about seeing our elected officials come together to throw their efforts behind an event such as this. I think that I can hear our river breathe just a bit easier right now. Thank you, everyone!

Alex

Sea Grant, Continued...

Today we completed the two days of VCAPs (Vulnerability, Consequences, and Adaptation Planning Scenarios) with the Sea Grant personnel, and I thank all of the department heads, elected officials and citizens for participating.

As a coastal community, we enjoy the delights of our environment – but there is a price to be paid in terms of potential climate-related costs.

The methods in which to mitigate and prepare go from the mind-bogglingly challenging to the seemingly mundane and everything in between. But here are two simple, cost-free things you can do right now:

1. Register with Code Red to be notified by your local emergency response team in the event of emergency situations or critical community alerts.
Examples include: weather alerts, evacuation notices, boil water notices, and missing child reports. (This information will remain the property of ECN and will not be disclosed.) It’s effective and it’s important.

I have always felt more secure with this system. When severe weather approaches, my cell, my husband’s cell and our house phone ring simultaneously and we know to take cover and/or tune into the tv/radio. Every citizen should have this valuable tool so please urge your family, friends and neighbours to sign up.
The link is below - please pass it on!

https://cne.coderedweb.com/Default.aspx?groupid=PYdmsg3pSMOxla4EQXvGKw%3D%3D

2. STOP pouring grease and other obstructive matter down your sinks. That is what caused the recent 1,600 gallon spill of wastewater and that is what could make all the difference during flooding scenarios.

Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) come from meats, butters and margarine, lard, food scraps, sauces, salad dressings, dairy products, and cooking oil. When FOG goes down the drain, it hardens and causes sewer pipes to clog. Just because these things are put through the garbage disposal doesn’t render them harmless.

This can lead to a Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) where raw sewage actually backs up into your home, lawn, neighborhood, and streets. Not only does this nasty mess cause health issues, it also can run into a nearby stream or river which affects our drinking water – and the cost to our infrastructure and city bank account is frighteningly high.

Please store fats and grease in a disposable container. Used cooking oil should be cooled and put into a covered container and put out for garbage collection. It may seem like a small thing – but it can make a world of difference.

Alex

Sea Grant Town Hall

You are cordially invited 

to The City of St. Marys                                        

Sea Grant Town Hall

Event Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 6:30 pm

Location: City of St Marys (Theater By The Trax, 1000 Osborne St.)

St. Marys residents and municipal leaders are invited to learn about the development of a flood resiliency plan for St. Marys and share feedback on issues related to flooding, sea level rise and storm surges at a Sea Grant Town Hall.

The public meeting will include summaries of the plan by researchers from Georgia Sea Grant, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and Marine Extension, public service and outreach units at the University of Georgia. Experts from North Carolina Sea Grant will provide information on the process that the project will follow.

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, provide input on the plan’s development, and make comments.

Speakers at the meeting will include Chuck Hopkinson, Director of Georgia Sea Grant; Kelly Spratt, Local Outreach Coordinator for Georgia Sea Grant and UGA Marine Extension, and Jessica Whitehead, Coastal Communities Hazards Adaptation Specialist from North Carolina Sea Grant.

In 2013, St. Marys was selected through a nationwide grant competition as one of five locations in the United States to undergo community resilience and adaptation planning. Funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant Program, the findings will be shared with other coastal communities in Georgia, North Carolina and nationwide throughout the Sea Grant network. Additional project partners include the Lamar Dodd School of Art and the College of Environment and Design, both housed at the University of Georgia.

Researchers and extension specialists intend to tailor a plan with recommendations linked to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System program, focusing on the implementation of effective adaptation actions that may provide local residents flood insurance rate reductions.

 (This event is hosted by The St. Marys EarthKeepers, Inc.)

Congratulations, St. Marys!

Advanced Disposal had been asked to give us a clear idea regarding our curbside recycling participation rate (the national average compliance rate is 34%).

I'd known that we were doing extraordinarily well but the numbers below are better than I'd imagined. This is yet another prime example of what a dedicated organization, a progressive community, and a supportive Council can accomplish together.  

Monday - 59%

Tuesday - 81%

Wednesday - N/A (no recycle routes on this day)

Thursday - 65%

Friday - 85%

Total = 72.5%

Alex

The Latest Threat to the St. Marys River

As you know, the St. Marys River is a low volume, oligotrophic waterway with a small watershed. Its waters are limited in supply and incapable of absorbing the impacts of over-use. Florida's water consumption creates an ever-growing need and the state looks (in part) to the St. Marys River to address its demands. 

I urge you to add your voices in protest for our community's future is intrinsically connected to the health of our river.

Here is a link to the St. Johns River Water Management District's "Water Supply Plan 2013"

http://floridaswater.com/DWSP2013/ 

Note Appendix F, page F-9. (Below)

Please submit your comments here http://floridaswater.com/DWSP2013/plancomments.html

Pass this message along to concerned others, please. The public comment period closes on Feb. 20th. 


Update Feb. 24 - The word went out and action was taken: 
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2014-02-21/story/georgia-regulators-environmental-groups-oppose-floridas-plan-withdraw