To protect the coast of the Altamaha River Watershed, the MalcolmFraser Foundation is challenging the Altamaha Riverkeeper and itsmembers to match a grant of $50,000 to establish a new AltamahaCoastkeeper staff position and program. Georgia’s coast is less than a hundred miles long, yet it contains onethird of the eastern United States coastal salt marsh. The small creeksand streams that feed the Altamaha River’s bountiful estuarine ecosystemcontain one of the most productive habitats in the country. The estuary
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Summer 2006 Newsletter
Help Protect our Priceless Marsh and Estuary
Our watershed and the biodiversity it supports are at risk
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n these parts, Wendell Berryhill is well known for hisvolunteer work in the environmental community. Nowthis Cochran resident is well known nationwide.Likewise, the Altamaha Riverkeeper (ARK) is also wellknown in Georgia for working to protect habitat and solvewater quality problems throughout Georgia’s largestwatershed. ARK is nationally renowned, thanks to Berryhill,who was selected as the 2006 Budweiser Conservationist of the Year.Along with the title comes $50,000 in grant fundingfrom Budweiser and the National Fish and WildlifeFoundation to give to the conservation group of his choice.“It is an honor to be named Conservationist of the Year,”said Berryhill. “But, the best part is being able to turn themoney over to the Altamaha Riverkeeper so that it can beused to protect our watershed.” It’s clear that the newly bestowed recognition hasn’tgone to Berryhill’s head.“I will continue to volunteer every day,” he said. “I amthoroughly committed to the work. It inspires me.”Many other people nationwide are also inspired andcommitted to conserving the environment and the greatoutdoors. In fact, Budweiser received a large number of nominees who have made exceptional efforts towardsconservation over the last year.Acommittee selected and publicized its selection of thetop four nominees. Besides Berryhill, finalists were DavidZentner of Duluth, Minnesota; Corky Logan of Anaconda,Montana; and Gene Hartman of Knoxville, Tennessee.Citizens across the nation were invited to cast their votesfor Conservationist of the Year through an open ballotprocess. Altamaha Riverkeeper’s friends, colleagues,families, and associates worldwide were enlisted to vote for Berryhill. Fellow ARK volunteer Emmy Minor led the wayin the final months of the campaign, enlisting the GardenClub of Georgia and urging staff and board to keep up themomentum.When all was said and done, Berryhill walked awaywith the most votes. And, on February 10, he was recognizedas 2006 Conservationist of the Year during Budweiser’sannual “Shooting, Hunting and Outdoors Trade Show” inLas Vegas, Nevada.Budweiser officials presented him with a symbolic$50,000 check. The runners-up each received $5,000 checksto present to conservation groups of their choice. Here at the Altamaha Riverkeeper office in Darien,campaign work had been ongoing for some time and hadpaid off.“We appreciate everyone who voted for Wendell,” saidARK Development Director, Constance Riggins “There weresome excellent finalists from much larger conservationgroups and the competition was stiff. We want to thankeveryone who stepped up to the plate, helped spread theword, and played an integral part in making both WendellBerryhill and the Altamaha Riverkeeper winners.”Riverkeeper’s very first volunteer has activelyinvestigated water pollution problems by conducting fieldresearch and collecting hundreds of water samples. Berryhillnot only espouses ARK’s philosophy, but Riggins says hepossesses skills that have helped ARK put its philosophy intoaction.
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2006 Conservationist of the Year
How ARK Works: Assisting citizens with water pollution problems, the Altamaha Riverkeeperinvestigates sites to stop pollution. ARK’s workincludes water testing, documentation, and followup reports to local, state, and federal regulatoryagencies to encourage the enforcement of waterquality laws. Through education, environmentaladvocacy, citizen action, negotiation, and if necessary, legal action, ARK finds solutions to protect the health of our rivers and estuary.
The Altamaha is working to protect and restore thehabitat, water quality, and flow of the mighty Altamaha from itsheadwaters in the Oconee, Ocmulgee, and Ohoopee to its terminus atthe Atlantic Coast.
Wendell, Kathleen, Bailey and Bruce Berryhill
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by Constance RigginsThe red carpet was rolled out for Wendell Berryhillwhen he arrived at Emmy and Al Minor’s Pine Harbor homeon the Sapelo River. Over 100 well wishers were on hand atthe celebration on April 8 to congratulate the 2006Conservationist of the Year for his river protection work.Riverkeeper James Holland told the crowd that he andWendell had grown up together in Cochran, Georgia, andspent their childhood hunting and fishing on the OcmulgeeRiver. After the Altamaha Riverkeeper’s founding boardestablished the organization in 1999, Wendell was amongARK’s first members and immediately volunteered to helpJames in Ocmulgee River fieldwork. The two have beenworking on protecting the river together ever since. While the weather brought lots of wind and some muchneeded rain, the guests continued to enjoy the fare of crabsand shrimp from the estuary the Riverkeeper works so hardto protect. Budweiser graciously donated liquid refreshmentfor the event.
River Celebration
“Wendell’s boating skills have helped him navigatewatershed rivers,” she said. “And his fishing skills havehelped him document the aquatic species that are impactedby pollution. As an avid angler, he fully understands theimportance of a healthy watershed, and he has raised publicawareness of watershed problems caused by pollution.”Berryhill encourages his fellow sportsmen to becomebetter stewards of the outdoors by reporting problems in thewatershed, whether it be a polluted stream or a devastatedwetland.“Everyone can perform simple acts like complying withhunting and fishing regulations or picking up litter,” he said.“These may be small things, but they make a big difference.We must all work together to protect our rivers, trees, andstream buffers. These are things that have an impact on thewildlife we all love.”
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Mr. Jefferson would be proud of citizens in the Altamahawatershed. From the headwaters to the sea, citizens areorganizing to take back their environment and protect their water quality and their communities. It is often said that allpolitics are local. As Georgia’s communities faceexponential growth, the politics of local land-use planningbecome critical to water quality protection. It takes citizenadvocacy and well-informed and active local officials toprotect communities and their environment from unplannedand destructive developments. Election season is upon us.One of the most important things you can do is to electdecision makers who protect water quality. Please getinvolved in your local elections now. Find out who isrunning for your local offices and elect those who protectyour community’s natural and cultural resources. In this newsletter, we include the work of citizens inEastman, Darien, Dublin, Macon, and Houston County whoare in different stages of organizing to address very realwater quality problems in their own communities. We hopeyou find encouragement and inspiration in their progress. ARK applauds the work of our watershed residents andencourages everyone to take the time to get involved in localefforts to protect water quality. Working together we cankeep Georgia’s waters fishable, swimable, and drinkable.
FROGS Leap Ahead in Eastman
Friends and Restorers of Gum Swamp (FROGS) formedin Eastman to defeat a plan to create a new Land ApplicationSystem (LAS) to discharge partially treated sewage ontotimberland. This “solution” for wastewater disposal wascreated in response to concerns about an existing sewagetreatment facility’s role in pollution of Gum Swamp Creek.The Creek cannot be designated for additional pollutingdischarges because it has been identified by the EPA’s TotalMaximum Daily Load (TMDL) process as having lowdissolved oxygen. Altamaha Riverkeeper James Holland was requested byFROGS to investigate pollution in Roach Branch, whosesource was suspected of being run-off animal waste fromanimal production operations. After investigating the initialproblem, FROGS asked Holland to assist their citizencoalition in defeating the LAS system in their community. In support of FROGS, Holland conducted monthly water sampling to determine the cause of high fecal coliformcounts found upstream of the existing treatment facility.Holland urged citizens to get to know their local officials andattend City Council meetings to express their concerns.They began to learn everything they could about sewage andlocal and state decision-making on wastewater handling. Asmore and more citizens began to speak up, local officialsbegan to listen.During the investigation, Holland discovered a leakingsewage pipe that was sending sewage into water upstream of the sewage treatment facility. The discovery and its cleanup,along with continued advocacy from the local citizens, isleading to a re-evaluation of the proposed LAS.
Middle Georgia Speaks Out
The Altamaha Riverkeeper is seeing a lot of HoustonCounty and the City of Perry lately. Citizens there arecoming together to address concerns that their public andprivate creeks, streams, and lakes are not being protected bythe responsible government agencies. They are concernedabout the lack of infrastructure to support the incomingdevelopment including costly streets, water, sewer, andstormwater. Like other citizens from around the state, locals aretaking time to attend and participate in Planning & ZoningCommittee meetings, City Council meetings, and CountyCommission meetings as well as standing up and voicingtheir opinions about the over-development occurring aroundthem. As in other places, the initial response of officials wasto ignore the concerns. With continued focus and growingnumbers, Houston County citizens are slowly gaining avoice in their local land use decisions. ARK appreciatestheir efforts and looks forward to supporting their progress.
Altamaha Watershed Citizens Get Involved
“When things get so far wrong as to attract their notice,
the citizens,
when well informed, can be relied upon to set them right.”Thomas Jefferson