Did you miss our monthly e-Panorama?                                                     Summer 2009    


Welcome to the Georgia Conservancy’s Coastal Newsletter,

highlighting our work for Georgia’s coast

 

Georgia Conservancy Speaks Up for
Right Whales
 Georgia Conservancy President Pierre Howard has called on the U.S. Navy to respond to the State of Georgia’s Coastal and Wildlife Management Program’s concerns over the planned Undersea Warfare Training Range (USWTR). Under federal law, all federally-funded projects must be consistent with the Georgia’s Coastal Zone Management Program.

No one disputes that the northern right whale, with a global population of 250-350 whales, is one of the most endangered species on earth, nor that the north Florida-Georgia coast is the right whale’s only known calving ground. The Navy claims that because the planned training range is in Florida waters, the State of Georgia’s concerns are irrelevant.

“The Navy takes the position that impacts from the USWTR are somehow cordoned by state boundaries, rather than admit the extent of the potential impacts on a highly endangered species,” Howard wrote (read the full letter). Ships’ movements, the use of sonar, and the use of entangling gear such as parachute-buoys, all represent identified risks to right whales and their calves. “So far the Navy refuses to even acknowledge the State’s standing, much less the mitigation measures it has proposed repeatedly. The Georgia Conservancy is glad to add its voice to that of the Department of Natural Resources on this issue,” said Howard. “The U.S. Navy needs to address the State of Georgia’s concerns as completely and quickly as possible.”

ADD YOUR VOICE TO OURS: PLEASE SIGN OUR E-PETITION TO BE MORE INVOLVED ON THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE.

Read “Dive Bombing,” an article written by the Georgia Conservancy’s Summer Teal Simpson for the Connect Savannah.
 

Coastal Georgia Land Conservation Initiative to Host Coastal Land Summit

The partners of the Coastal Georgia Land Conservation Initiative (CGLCI) will host a Coastal Georgia Land Summit in Savannah on October 22. It will be geared toward city and county government officials, planners and nonprofits in the coastal region. The event will highlight the importance of land conservation and provide guidance on implementing land conservation programs. 

The Association County Commissioners of Georgia, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia Conservancy will unveil the results of their CGLCI partnership mapping work to date and deliver a presentation showcasing the NatureServe program. Read more about the program.
 
Touring Cumberland Island Issues
Cumberland Island National Seashore  welcomed Fred Boyles as its new superintendent in June. The National Park Service also issued a “Finding of No Significant Impact,”  which declared that the proposal to run motorized trips through the Cumberland Wilderness Area will not undermine wilderness values. 

Proponents of the tours to the northern end of Cumberland believe that letting more people see that part of the island will result in more advocates for Cumberland’s conservation. Normally the Georgia Conservancy would agree.  But under federal law, wilderness designation carries special management directives intended to create an isolated, primitive experience that is largely untouched by humans.  As such, Cumberland is a singular coastal treasure, one that the Georgia Conservancy is proud to defend. Read more…


Area Planners and Architects to Partner for Blueprints Charrettes at Pinpoint

During three spring Blueprints for Successful Communities workshops in the Savannah’s Pinpoint community, the Georgia Conservancy helped community residents identify their assets, challenges, opportunities and threats, and then developed a community vision and goals. A team of planners and architects have volunteered to assist in the next phase of the Blueprints project—a series of charrettes where specialists will work with the community to design solutions and action strategies for achieving their vision and goals. This process will result in community recommendations, visual aids and maps for use in addressing many of Pinpoint’s identified needs and concerns. 

The charrette will take place in the late summer or early fall at Pinpoint Hall. To learn more about Blueprints for Successful Communities, visit our Web site. If you’d like to attend a Pinpoint Blueprints meeting, please contact Summer Teal Simpson at ssimpson@gaconservancy.org.    

Sapelo Island Member Trip  

Georgia Conservancy members play
Bocce on the beach of Sapelo Island.

On May 29, a group of Georgia Conservancy members and staff boarded the Meridian ferry for the 25-minute crossing to Sapelo Island. Passing through spartina marsh in a light breeze, they stepped back in time when they set foot on the 10-mile barrier island.  Accommodations in the R.J. Reynolds mansion, set in a magnificent stand of live oaks, contributed to great camaraderie all around. Weekend highlights included an evening lightning show on Nannygoat Beach, a visit to the 1820 lighthouse, recreational Bocce, storytelling by Hog Hammock community native, Walter Johnson, bowling in the Renolds Mansion basement, searching out loggerhead nests on Cabretta Beach, and dining on crab cakes, cole slaw, fried oysters, field peas, red snapper, rice, eggplant and the world’s best She Crab soup.

For those who missed the Sapelo Trip, more Coastal Tour events are just around the corner. On November 14, the Georgia Conservancy will host an exploration of Ossabaw Island that includes a ferry ride and an interpretive tour of the north end’s historical and natural history. This is an extraordinary opportunity

because Ossabaw welcomes visitors only under special circumstances. A special thanks to the Ossabaw Island Foundation for helping to arrange this trip. Sign up as soon as possible - this trip will fill up fast. For more information, please contact Bryan Schroeder, membership coordinator at 404.876.2900 ext. 110 or bschroeder@gaconservancy.org.
 

Learn More about Coastal Species: Tricolored Heron    

The Georgia Conservancy’s SWAP species of the week is the Tricolored Heron.  Formerly called the Louisiana heron, this medium-sized heron with a long, slender neck and bill is named for its dark blue-gray back and neck, white belly and chestnut-colored throat – a mix that sets it apart from North America’s other egrets and herons. Common along the Georgia coast and, during the breeding season, the eastern lower Coastal Plain, the heron prefers wetland areas, including swamps, coastal ponds, marshes and mudflats. Once among the most common herons in North and South America, tricolored herons have diminished in number since the early 20th century. Population declines led to the Southeast U.S. Waterbird Conservation Plan listing tricolored herons as a regional stewardship species.


 

Learn more about the Great Georgia Photo SWAP contest and the Georgia Conservancy’s involvement in the Georgia's State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) .

Do you know someone who cares about Georgia’s coast?  Please forward this e-newsletter to them