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Cumberland Appeal Postponed

CUMBERLAND ISLAND HEARING POSTPONED

On behalf of the Board of the St. Marys EarthKeepers, I’d like to thank everyone for their numerous questions and expressions of concern about the Cumberland Island variance issue. There are many “moving parts” to this: Lumar LLC/landowners, the National Park Service, the St. Marys EarthKeepers, the National Parks Conservation Association, the Southern Environmental Law Center, St. Marys' tourism economy, state and national environmental organizations, the Camden County Commissioners, the public, and considerations regarding precedents and mandates.

All of those parts have been working together toward a resolution that will serve to protect and preserve Cumberland Island now and for years to come. To that end, we have mutually agreed to postpone the Public Hearing until April 4. 

We will be notifying all interested parties of the change and urge you to pass the word along. The public response has been immensely gratifying and we hope that the momentum will continue to build.
Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/109907062856824/?notif_t=plan_user_joined&notif_id=1485791225990611

Alex Kearns

Cumberland Island Update

Dec. 7, 2016

The Camden County Planning Commission voted to approve Lumar LLC’s Cumberland Island hardship variance. The applicant will now be free to subdivide the 87+ acre property (¼ mile from Sea Camp) that stretches from the river on one side of the Island to the ocean’s high tide on the other. The fact that the applicant failed to meet any of the hardship criteria was ignored. Concerns about the impacts on the Island’s visitors and environment were ignored (despite the statement by the National Park Service Superintendent, Gary Ingram). Lumar LLC (aka The Cumberland Island Conservancy) will now seek rezoning so as to allow for their planned “family compound.”
We have a 30-day window of time to appeal. Once that appeal is filed, the matter will go before the Camden County Commissioners.

2015 At-a-Glance

It has been a busy and challenging year. On behalf of the St. Marys EarthKeepers, we thank our members, fellow organizations, and many volunteers for helping to safeguard our extraordinary environment. 2016 is already shaping up to be a fascinating time as we discuss Spaceport Camden and the proposed “Port of St. Marys” project, and continue to promote anti-litter activities/campaigns, recycling, and mindful stewardship.
Here's a few of the highlights of 2015:

E-Scrap events

2015 saw four electronics-recycling/paper-shredding events, hosted by the St. Marys EarthKeepers. In total, 60+ tons of electronics were collected (and fully recycled) along with 12+ tons of paper. We’ll continue to hold these popular events throughout the coming year.

The Annual St. Marys River Clean-up

On Saturday, March 28, a record-breaking 197 volunteers gathered at Howard Gilman Memorial Park for the annual St. Marys River and Clean-up. The day before, 53 Navy volunteers arrived to clean up the waterfront and collected 23 bags of trash, 9 bags of recyclables, pieces of rusty metal and other detritus from the marsh and along St. Marys Street.

Spaceport Camden

The St. Marys EarthKeepers are honored to serve the citizens of Camden County. Chair, Alex Kearns, was asked to sit on the Spaceport Camden Environmental Subcommittee: a dedicated collection of highly-informed individuals who are tasked with the preparation of hundreds of questions for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Environmental Impact Statement process.

Award

The Georgia River Network granted its annual “Watershed Group of the Year Award” to The Push Back the Pipeline Coalition. The Coalition is made up of eleven different organizations, including Altamaha Riverkeeper, Ogeechee Riverkeeper, Satilla Riverkeeper, Savannah Riverkeeper, St. Mary’s EarthKeepers, the Center for a Sustainable Coast, GreenLaw, Sierra Club, St. Johns Riverkeeper, Pipeline Safety Coalition and the Georgia Conservancy. They formed to fight the Palmetto Pipeline, a proposed 360 mile long petroleum pipeline that would send 167,000 barrels of gas, ethanol and diesel per day across 210 miles and eleven counties in Georgia.
The pipeline, promoted by Texas-based Kinder Morgan, would endanger sensitive environmental areas including freshwater wetlands, tidal marshes and all of our coastal rivers and tributaries, including the Savannah, Ogeechee, Altamaha, Satilla and St. Mary’s River. The coalition is working with concerned citizens, landowners, organizations and other groups in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida who oppose the Palmetto Pipeline or advocate for a safer route.

Sea Grant

Georgia Sea Grant, North Carolina Sea Grant and the University of Georgia launching a project to help St. Marys, Ga. and Hyde County, N.C. plan for sea level rise, increased coastal flooding and intensified storm surges. The two-year, grant-funded project is now nearing completion with the final report expected early this year.
Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the project is part of the National Sea Grant College Program’s nationwide effort to assist communities in preparing for the current and predicted impacts of climate variability and change. St. Marys, Ga. is one of the most vulnerable cites in Georgia to these impacts. 

Atlantic Oil Exploration/Drilling

On February 2nd, at the urging of the EarthKeepers, St. Marys City Council signed The Proclamation Protesting Seismic Airgun Testing Along the Coast of Georgia. The fight for the safety of the Atlantic coast continues – with over 90 cities signing resolutions against this potentially-devastating proposal.

Amelia Island EarthKeepers

The formation of the St. Marys EarthKeepers’ sister-organization, the Amelia Island EarthKeepers. Chair Alex Kearns, The City of Fernandina Mayor Johnny Miller, and organization members mounted a successful campaign to defeat plans to begin ship-to-shore coal transfers at the Port of Fernandina. Fugitive coal dust is a grave concern for communities and those who care for the health of our rivers. The Amelia Island EarthKeepers continue to grow in membership and effectiveness.

Chasing Ice

On August 13th, the St. Marys EarthKeepers and the Amelia Island EarthKeepers co-hosted a screening of the Emmy Award winning, Oscar-nominated documentary “Chasing Ice”. The film made its TV debut on the National Geographic Channel on April 19, 2013 and has since been screened around the world in 172 countries, 70 universities, over 75 film festivals, in the White House, and before the United Nations.
“Chasing Ice” is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.
The event was held at St. Marys Theatre by the Trax.

At What Cost

On January 15th the St. Marys EarthKeepers and the Satilla Riverkeeper host a screening of “At What Cost”, a startling documentary about Kinder Morgan’s Palmetto Pipeline.
Telling that back story is what motivated filmmaker Mark Albertin to set off traveling all over the states of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida - the areas that would be most affected by the proposed Pipeline. Albertin spoke with dozens of landowners, most of them sharing the same concerns: a private company using eminent domain to run a pipeline through their land. He states “Basically that’s how I got started; I became emotional and became attached to what I was hearing from these people. When I heard these stories, I felt like their story needs to be told. Kinder Morgan declined going on camera for this documentary. I gave them that option, to hear their side of the story.”
Mr. Albertin will join us at this event.
Friday, January 15th
7 pm
Theatre by the Trax
1100 Osborne St.
St. Marys, Ga
Admission: free of charge - seating is limited to 160

November 14, 2015, E-Scrap & Paper-Shredding Event

It’s the Great Pre-Holiday Clean-Out!

What to do with those old paper-files, flat-screen TVs, mystery wires, computers and laptops, electric hedge-trimmers, vacuum cleaner, gadgets, cell phones, and other broken or out-dated electronic “stuff”?

Hold on to it all and then bring it to the next St. Marys EarthKeepers/Tribune & Georgian E-Scrap Fair!

When: Saturday, November 14, from 10 am to 4 pm.

Where: St. Marys Aquatic Park (Herb Bauer Dr.)

What: All ELECTRONICS. If it has a plug we accept it – with the exception of old tube televisions. Don’t forget to include anything that requires batteries, even the old batteries themselves.

Sentry Data (NAID AAA Certified) will dispose of your PAPER FILES securely. And don’t worry about the paper clips, staples, binder clips, etc. – we’ll take care of that.  

(Feel free to bring along those piles of MAGAZINES that have been gathering dust in your home and office.)

Please note: We will not be collecting paint and household hazardous materials.

A suggested $5 donation to the St. Marys EarthKeepers would be greatly appreciated.

Hosted by the St. Marys EarthKeepers and The Tribune