In the upcoming session of the Georgia General Assembly, action will be taken to adopt a Comprehensive
State Water Management Plan, which will serve as the legal framework for future water planning and management
in Georgia. Under a bill passed in 2004, a plan must be adopted no later than the upcoming session, or the
EPD draft plan will be adopted by default and become effective in July 2008. Due to serious deficiencies in
the EPD proposal (recommended by the State Water Council, which was established by the 2004 legislation),
it is extremely important that concerned citizens inform themselves and prepare to take action while the General
Assembly is in session from January to March 2008.
We will be notifying our members and supporters about progress of water planning and management proposals and
advising them on appropriate actions in communicating with their state legislators. The following statement
was submitted recently to the Water Council on behalf of the Center for a Sustainable Coast. Key requirements
that we support are
prohibition of inter-basin transfers (removing water from one river and discharging it into another),
requirements for planning boundaries that conform with watershed and aquifer features; and
maximum possible coordination of water management with other aspects of state government, including
energy policy and the promotion and regulation of development/land-use.
We are gravely concerned that state officials appear to be manipulating the water planning effort in
attempts to support unsustainable growth (especially around Atlanta), treating state water resources as
nothing more than water supply sources and discharge receptacles for waste water. Such an approach presents
a major threat to the health and diversity of Georgia's aquatic systems, especially those downstream,
including the coast. Coastal marshes and estuaries are vitally dependent on the flow and quality of water
in the five river systems that drain into our region as well as the Upper Floridan aquifer.
Please check back on our website or call the Center if you have questions as the water planning program
further develops. We also urge you to refer to the Georgia Water Coalition website
at www.gawater.org .
David Kyler
Center for a Sustainable Coast "Conserving Coastal Georgia's Natural Heritage
Investing in Our Children's Future"
Resolution and Petition for Action on Climate Change in Georgia
Georgia remains one of the few coastal states that has not made a commitment to protecting its citizens
and our future with a Climate Change Action Plan. (See www.pewclimate.org.)
The Center for a Sustainable Coast has taken the initiative to get Georgia on track by preparing a public
petition urging Governor Perdue and our state legislators to support the adoption of such a plan as soon as possible.
We urge all concerned Georgians to print, sign, circulate, and return a copy of this petition to the Center as soon as possible.
Hundreds of Georgians have already signed, but more signatures are needed. For more information, please call the Center at
(912)638-3612. Click for Petition
The Center for a Sustainable Coast was formed in 1997 by a group of public-spirited environmental professionals and concerned citizens.
The purpose of our non-profit membership organization is to improve the responsible use, protection, and conservation of coastal Georgia's resources - natural, historic, and economic.
We envision a region where the environmental
interests of all existing and
future Georgians are properly represented in decisions that affect them.
The Center believes that the public deserves the best possible protection of our environmental interests and quality of life,
while enjoying responsible use of this region's diverse natural resources.
Join the Center & Help Sustain
Coastal Georgia's Quality of Life
What We Do & Why Your Help is So Important!
Our work involves five essential kinds of activity.
All of these are needed to ensure the most effective
use of information to advance stewardship and
understanding of coastal Georgia's resources in
the face of rapid growth.
Educate coastal communities, voters, landowners, and
elected officials about the conditions and trends of coastal
Georgia's environment – natural, cultural, and economic.
Collaborate with other groups in advising citizens and
interest groups about threats and opportunities relevant to
safeguarding coastal resources and the many businesses
that depend on them.
Advise decision-makers and stakeholders about existing
and potential economic value of nature-based business and jobs.
Advocate
legislation and scientific research vital to improving
the accountability and reliability of decisions significantly affecting
the coastal environment.
Take legal action, as needed, to prevent or control unwise
activities threatening the quality, capacity, or diversity of our
region's resources.
Your support is essential to the Center's activities
- without it, we cannot continue our work.
Please take a moment now to send us your tax-deductible
contribution using the enclosed return envelope.
Our efforts are devoted to improving public policy and
environmental awareness so that future generations
can enjoy the natural beauty and life-sustaining benefits
of Georgia's coastal region.
Note: Your name and support are considered confidential unless you ask to be acknowledged
in our newsletter.
Staff & Working
Contributors
David
Kyler Executive Director
Helen Alexander
Administrative Assistant
Board of
Directors
Charlie
Belin Environmental
Educator and Marine Biologist
Les Davenport Ecologist, Professor of Biology
Armstrong Atlantic State University (retired)
Jim
Henry Coastal Geologist (retired) Founder of the Applied Coastal Research Lab,
Georgia Southern University
Charles Seabrook Environmental Journalist and Author Award-winning Columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nick Williams Retired Insurance Agent Local Environmental Advocate
Advisors
Jack Amason Owner &
Manager, Sea Garden Seafood
Alan Bailey
Local Landowner & Forestlands
Manager
Paul Glenn Consultant, Marine Management Co.
Kyla
Hastie U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service
Barrett
King Public
Administrator
Mitch
King U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service
Ron
Kneib Senior Marine
Research Scientist University of Georgia Marine
Institute
Rick
Krause Consulting
Hydrologist, Retired, U.S. Geological Survey
Jim
Reichard Hydrogeologist Georgia Southern University
Fred Rich
Geologist Georgia
Southern University
David
Rutherford Effingham
County Administrator
Becky
Shortland Outreach
Coordinator, Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary
Altamaha River ~ Wayne/Long
County, Georgia
Your support is needed to help the Center - If you
haven't already, won't you please join us today?
Make a tax-deductible donation to the Center
on-line through our non-profit partner, Network for
Good, by clicking on their icon below (Note: this
link is secured for your protection.)
With your support, we will continue promoting new policies to help redefine "progress" in coastal Georgia.
Reconsidering the goals and standards that determine how our vital natural resources will be used, conserved, and protected is a continuous process.
This reassessment is more urgent under several current trends, which are combining to produce long-term impacts. Consider the following:
Population of Georgia's coastal region will double to more than one million within 30 years. On average, that will be at least 16,500 more people every year demanding housing,
water, roads and land in this environmentally fragile and naturally beautiful place we call home. Rapidly developing upriver areas of Georgia are also imposing ever-greater threats on downstream areas.
Good environmental science is not always used to support more reliable protection of our precious natural resources.
To address this problem, the Center is working to (1) promote funding and use of new research needed to improve decisions affecting our environment, (2) introduce scientific expertise into the review of environmental permits,
(3) prevent premature permitting by thoroughly analyzing risks before permits are issued, when threats to resources are potentially significant, and (4) place the burden of proof on resource users.
Nature-based businesses are a major economic force in coastal Georgia, although some segments are in decline, largely due to environmentally disruptive, negligent land uses and related activities.
The Center is an essential voice in advocating protection of some 40,000 jobs supported by seafood processing, fishing, tourism, and recreation.
These jobs depend directly on the diversity and health of coastal ecosystems. We oppose unwise activities threatening water quality, air quality, and ecosystems that are indispensible to both nature-based businesses and public health. And we promote innovative policies that balance environmental and economic objectives
to serve the broad public interest.
We express
our utmost gratitude to all those who have shared their views and
funding resources with the Center since our establishment in June,
1997.
The board, advisors, and staff look forward to your growing
involvement. We invite you to become more actively engaged in the
Center's work as a volunteer, advocate, and contributor.
Note:
Membership information is protected by our policy of
confidentiality, and contact information about our members is never
disclosed unless approved in advance by members.
All Wildlife
Illustrations on this site are protected by copyright of Jennifer
Smith, Artist ~ All Rights Reserved
