Spring 2016 Newsletter

Photo by Joe Cook
PROTECTING, RESTORING AND EDUCATING ABOUT THE
BEAUTIFUL AND ECOLOGICALLY UNIQUE SATILLA RIVER
Celebrating victories!
By Ashby Nix Worley—Satilla Riverkeeper
This year we have had some great victories for our Satilla
River! Just after the legislative session ended in late March, Kinder
Morgan announced the suspension of the Palmetto Pipeline, their 360mile long petroleum pipeline which would have moved 167,000 barrels of oil daily underneath 5 major rivers along coastal Georgia on its
way to the Jacksonville port. The company threatened eminent domain to numerous landowners along the path. This was announced
after important legislation was passed this year restricting the pipeline’s ability to obtain permits and after a Supreme Court Judge sided
with landowners and environmental groups by limiting the use of eminent domain by the private company. That same week, the Bureau of
Ocean Energy and Management removed the Southeast Atlantic (NC,
SC, and GA) from their 5-year plan for offshore drilling. These ‘wins’
for our rivers and private properties are worth celebrating and are due
to the collaborative efforts of people like you and the organizations
that represent your concerned and interested voice! Thank you!
A naturalist’s account of 18th-century
Satilla River.
Taken from The Travels of William Bartram. Ed. by Mark Van
Doren. Bartram, William, 1739-1823.
"Being safely landed on the opposite bank, I mounted my
horse, and followed the high road to the ferry on St. Ille, about sixty
miles south of the Alatamaha, passing through an uninhabited wilderness. The sudden transition from rich cultivated settlements, to high
pine forests, dark and grassy savannas, forms in my opinion no disagreeable contrasts; and the new objects of observation in the works of
nature soon reconcile the surprised imagination to the change. As
soon as I had lost sight of the river, ascending some sand-hills, I observed a new and most beautiful species of Annona, having clusters of
large white fragrant flowers; and a diminutive but elegant Kalmia."
"The dens, or caverns, dug in the sand-hills, by the great land
-tortoise, called here Gopher, present a very singular appearance:
these vast caves are their castles and diurnal retreats, from whence
they issue forth in the night, in search of prey. The little mounds, or
305 Bedell Ave, Woodbine Georgia 31569
Satilla
RIVERKEEPER®
Spring 2016
Success was also found during the 2016 legislative session. While we
did not see the passage of important bills such as the groundwater
protection bill (SB 36), which would have required EPD to assess any
loopholes in groundwater protection, nor the passage of a bill that
would reinstate critical buffers on our South Georgia streams and rivers (HB 966); we can celebrate the success of other important legislation. House Bill 1028, introduced in response to concerns in Wayne
County, will require the owner or operator of a municipal solid waste
landfill to notify local city and county governments of “any release…
which is likely to pose a danger to human health” within 14 days.
House Bill 1036 will place a temporary moratorium on the use of eminent domain by private petroleum pipeline companies in Georgia and
establishes a study committee to review the laws and regulations surrounding the use of eminent domain by these companies. Please thank
the legislators who voted in support of these two bills and urge them
to consider groundwater protection and enforcement of buffers on our
rivers next legislative session.
hillocks of fresh earth, thrown up in great numbers in the night, have
also a curious appearance."
"In the evening I arrived at a cow-pen, where there was a
habitation, and the people received me very civilly. I staid here all
night, and had for supper plenty of milk, butter, and very good cheese
of their own make, which is a novelty in the maritime parts of Carolina and Georgia; the inhabitants being chiefly supplied with it from
Europe and the northern states."
"The next day's progress, in general, presented scenes similar
to the preceding, though the land is lower, more level and humid, and
the produce more varied: high open forests of stately pines, flowery
plains, and extensive green savannas, chequered with the incarnate
Chironia pulcherrima, and Asclepias fragrans, perfumed the air
whilst they pleased the eye. I met with some troublesome cane
swamps, saw herds of horned cattle, horses and deer, and took notice
of a procumbent species of Hibiscus...Lupin...",
"Turkeys, quails and small birds, are here to be seen; but
birds are not numerous in desert forests; they draw near to the habitations of men, as I have constantly observed in all my travels. I arrived
at St. Ille's in the evening, where I lodged, and next morning, having
crossed over in a ferry boat, sat forward for St. Mary's."
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Atlantic Sturgeon in the Satilla River
By Adam Fox—UGA Researcher/PhD
Pictured: Adam
Fox with an adult
sturgeon on the
Ogeechee River.
The Satilla
River is home
to one of the
southernmost populations of Atlantic Sturgeon. Atlantic Sturgeon are veritable river monsters – they can grow over 8 feet
in length, and live 30-60 years. Unfortunately, in most of their
range, including the Satilla, sturgeon populations are federally
endangered. Historically, sturgeon were heavily overfished
for meat and caviar, and commercial exploitation in southern
rivers in the 1970s and 1980s caused major population declines, from which most rivers have never recovered.
Atlantic Sturgeon have a complex life cycle. Adults
spend most of their lives in the ocean, but return to the river
where they were born in order to breed. Spawning occurs
many miles upstream. After hatching, juvenile sturgeon
spend a few years in the estuary before heading out to sea. It
can take more than ten years for a sturgeon to become mature
enough to reproduce. The construction of hydroelectric dams
in many East Coast rivers prevents adult sturgeon from accessing spawning grounds, further contributing to population
declines.
Dr. Doug Peterson’s lab at the University of Georgia
has spent many years studying Georgia’s sturgeon populations. Much of our research has focused on the Altamaha
River, which we now know hosts the largest sturgeon populations in the Southeast. However, the status of sturgeon in other Georgia rivers, including the Satilla, is almost completely
unknown. Current research in the Satilla River is aimed at
assessing population size, evaluating population trends, and
determining habitat use by juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon. This
research, which is funded, by the National Marine Fisheries
Service, will fill some vital gaps in knowledge about sturgeon
in southern rivers, and is mirrored by similar projects in the
Savannah, Ogeechee, Altamaha, and St. Marys Rivers.
The UGA sturgeon lab fishes for sturgeon all summer, using nets designed to catch juvenile sturgeon. Every
fish we catch is implanted with an individually numbered PIT
tag – just like the microchip in a pet cat or dog – that we use
to keep track of fish that are recaptured. Based on ratio of
recaptured fish to the total number of fish captured, we can
calculate the size of each year’s cohort of juvenile sturgeon. Our preliminary results from the first two years of research show that there are still Atlantic Sturgeon reproducing
in the Satilla, but the population remains very small.
Spring on the Satilla Huge Success
By Mary Freund – Satilla Riverkeeper
We had a blast at the first Spring on the Satilla watershed outreach paddle trip this past April! Together Georgia
River Network and Satilla Riverkeeper raised over $10,000!
We had over 130 paddlers from all over Georgia and other
neighboring states down on the lower reaches of the Satilla
River for a two-day 17-mile paddle. Four students from Camden County High School also got sponsored to join us on this
weekend trip! We all camped at the Satilla Lodge thanks to the
Gowen Family. Weekend activities included an informal
presentation by Mr. Don Berryhill of the Okefenokee Swamp
Park about the many animals that you might find at the Okefenokee and throughout our watershed, an awesome corn hole
tournament, a day of water quality monitoring with the AdoptA-Stream state coordinators, a live auction, music by Karl Davis, and some seining around a few sandbars during the paddle.
We were thrilled that we could showcase our beautiful Satilla
River during this event and are looking forward to making this
an annual trip with Georgia River Network!
Photos Courtesy of Joe Cook – Georgia River Network
305 Bedell Ave, Woodbine Georgia 31569
www.satillariverkeeper.org
912-510-9500
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The threat of landfills and coal ash in the
Satilla basin
By Ashby Nix Worley—Satilla Riverkeeper
Earlier this year, Satilla Riverkeeper and the general
public were made aware of the plans to expand a rail spur in
Wayne County that would allow Republic Services to bring up
to 10,000 tons of coal ash per day to be disposed of at the nearby Broadhurst Landfill. This news concerned many both locally and state-wide, as the news about dangers of unlined coal
ash ponds bursting and leaking into nearby waters in other
states such as Tennessee and North Carolina had been quite
disturbing. Satilla Riverkeeper became involved and concerned
because of the location of this facility to the Little Satilla River,
groundwater recharge zones and the leachate that is processed
at the Waycross Wastewater Treatment Plant.
It turns out that more and more of this dangerous material is being moved into lined landfills as power companies
begin complying with EPA’s new coal ash rule and moving
this material from their current ill-sited locations next to rivers
where it has been stored for decades. This also means that millions of tons of this material is being increasingly transported
via rail and truck, and communities near landfills are being increasingly exposed to the risks associated with this heavymetal laden material. Wayne County’s concerns were made
clear by the over 500 individuals who attended the Army Corps
of Engineers public hearing on the permit request in Wayne
County last month; including many community leaders who
spoke passionately about their concerns for the drinking water,
property values, beloved rivers and wetlands, and health and
safety of their community.
In response to the concerns of Wayne County and other
Georgia communities near landfills accepting coal ash, Georgia
305 Bedell Ave, Woodbine Georgia 31569
congressman Hank Johnson introduced the Coal Ash Landfill
Safety Bill (H.R. 4827) which will protect citizens from dangerous coal ash disposed in municipal landfills that are not
equipped to handle the toxic substance. Congress should respond to the concerns of the communities near these facilities
which deserve the minimum protections established by EPA’s
coal ash rule; not a federal loophole that will leave them less
protected. The Coal Ash Landfill Safety Act would require
public disclosure of coal ash dust prevention measures, relevant
groundwater monitoring, and prohibit coal combustion residuals within five feet of groundwater. This bill should be passed
this congressional session in order to protect our communities
facing these challenges now and those who will be dealing with
this concern in the future.
At the time of this writing, the Army Corps of Engineers has closed their comment period on the rail spur proposal
but has not yet released their decision on allowing the rail spur
that would allow the movement of greater amounts of coal ash
to the area. Simultaneously, Brantley County, the county just a
few miles south of Wayne County and the Broadhurst Landfill,
is considering creating their own landfill and the concerns
among the residents on the questionable need of this project
and the threat it may bring to their county is growing. Finally,
local congressmen have not yet stated their position on the
Coal Ash Landfill Safety Bill that would help protect our communities from the loophole in coal ash disposal. Our community leaders need to be fighting for both the safety of our rivers
and the health of our communities. We hope you will join us on
this issue and urge your leaders, at both the national and local
level, to make decisions that protect us from the dangers of
coal ash.
www.satillariverkeeper.org
912-510-9500
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Board of Directors
Jim Cottingham
Roger Lloyd
Clay Montague
Carol McNeary
Billy Michael Lee
Guy Moorman
Beth Roach
George Varn
Wilton DeLoach
This newsletter sponsored by
Southern Eagle Distributing LLC
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Requested
Staff
Ashby Nix Worley
Mary Freund
Rachael Thompson
Intern: John Blount
Leaving my Roots
Upcoming Events
By Mary Freund – Satilla Riverkeeper Watershed Outreach
My entire life has revolved around the Satilla River.
Growing up in Woodbine, exploring the river was pretty
much the only thing there was to do. My favorite pastime is
fishing with Daddy. He taught me everything about the river. We always went fishing in the St. Andrew Sound. It
was always a competition to see who could reel in the big
one; I always did. As an adolescent, I never thought that I
would grow to study the river, scientifically, or even work
for an organization whose mission it was to protect it. The
time I’ve spent at Satilla Riverkeeper has given me so much
over the past two years. Alas, all good things must come to
an end and mine has come. I
will be interning at MOSH
Museum in Jacksonville FL
this summer and starting a
masters program in Marine
Sciences at Jacksonville University this fall. It has been
my utmost honor to serve this
organization and my home,
the Satilla River. I will always
look back to my roots as I
Photo by Mary Freund
continue my education and
career development.
305 Bedell Ave, Woodbine Georgia 31569

The Quarterly Satilla Paddle on Saturday, June 11th.
— Join us on the river for a day of paddling and exploring the
Satilla River. Limited spots available, and some kayaks available
first, first serve. Please RSVP via the riverkeeper office.

Friends of the Satilla River Cleanup on Saturday,
June 18th.—Join this group of passionate river rats for a
cleanup on the Satilla River. Location TBD depending on water
levels. Checkout their facebook page for more timely info.

The Satilla River Raft Race on Saturday, July 2nd.—
Will your raft rule the race? Join Brantley County Recreation
Department for a raft race from Warner’s Landing to Hwy 82
Bridge. A portion of the proceeds will go to Satilla Riverkeeper

Save the DateThe 12th Annual Satilla
Riverkeeper
Gala on Saturday, August
20th.—Don’t
miss our biggest
and best event of
the year at the
Strickland’s Satilla
Lodge! Invitations to follow. Satilla Spider Lilies , Photo by Wayne Morgan
www.satillariverkeeper.org
912-510-9500