Crowdfunding Produces Win for Shorebird Conservation

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Thirteen donors joined forces in a crowdfunding effort to raise $10,000 toward equipment needed for shorebird conservation on Cumberland Island.  The concept emerged during the 2016 Conservation Donors Roundtable when it was announced that the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) had awarded $75,000 for the first year of a 3 year collaborative shorebird conservation effort led by Georgia DNR’s Non-Game section.  With NFWF funding and in-kind support from partners the project had everything needed for Year 1 except a four wheel drive all terrain vehicle (ATV) for use on Cumberland Island and trail cameras.  An ATV is essential for covering Georgia’s longest beach — nearly 18 miles.  High definition, infrared cameras are needed for placement near nests to confirm cause(s) of breeding failure or success.

With the donated funds, a new Kawasaki 4×4 “Mule” was purchased and delivered to Tim Keyes of Georgia DNR’s Non-Game section along with nine Cuddeback E2 IR Long Range Trail Cameras.  The beautiful thing about crowdfunding this type of project is that every dollar matters.  Gifts ranged from $250 to $2,000 and included matching grants from two private foundations.  The following conservation donors contributed to the project’s success:  a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, Boog & Sam Candler, Beth Holder, Wanda Hopkins, Cody Laird and the Dobbs Foundation, Jeannie Kauffman Manning, Joe Massey, Jim & Sally Morgens and the Morgens West Foundation, and David Weitnauer.

The project’s success is also due to growing collaborative efforts by the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation (CCGF) and Stewards of the Georgia Coast.  Many thanks to Paul White, CEO of CCGF and his predecessor, Valerie Hepburn.

Crowdfunding bears out the old adage: many hands make for light philanthropic work!

Donors Learn Together: Right Whales & Philanthropy

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An enthusiastic group of 55 participated in the 2nd Annual Conservation Donors Roundtable on March 9th at the A. W. Jones Heritage Center on St. Simons Island.  Co-sponsored by Stewards of the Georgia Coast and the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation, the Roundtable is an opportunity for donors to learn together about coastal conservation and the varied ways that donors go about their conservation philanthropy.

This year’s program featured conservation efforts on behalf of Georgia’s state marine mammal, the North Atlantic Right Whale.  The speaker was Clay George, a biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section and Coordinator of DNR’s Marine Mammal Program.

With a population estimated at roughly 450, right whales’ status as a critically endangered species is a legacy of the commercial whaling industry.  Contemporary threats include entanglement with fishing gear and collisions with ships, though the latter has been diminished somewhat by the adoption of mandatory speed limits.

Right whales spend much of the year in waters off Canada and New England but they migrate each winter to the Georgia and Florida coasts to give birth.  DNR biologists, along with their partners at NOAA, Florida Fish & Wildlife and Sea to Shore Alliance, monitor the population by flying aerial surveys and doing research from small boats.  They are particularly interested in documenting calving rates and searching for whales that arrive entangled in commercial fishing rope.  When possible, they work to free the whales by cutting away heavy rope and other gear, much of which originates in Canada and New England.  (View a dramatic video that captures such a rescue.)

When asked about options for funding right whale conservation, George explained three options.  “Georgia residents can purchase hummingbird and bald eagle license plates for their vehicles.  Donors can make contributions via T.E.R.N. (The Environmental Resources Network), the friends group which raises funds for DNR’s Nongame program.  They can also contribute directly to right whale conservation by supporting Sea to Shore Alliance, a small nonprofit that runs our aerial survey project.”

Following Clay George’s presentation, a donor panel featured Walter & Judy Hoyt, longtime donors to Georgia DNR’s Nongame program. With a shared interest in science and nature and a love of the outdoors, it’s not surprising that conservation philanthropy has been a longtime passion.  Reflecting on their philanthropy, they emphasized the importance of volunteerism with their children and observed they they’ve typically provided philanthropic support for organizations for which they volunteered first.  Having vacationed on Sea Island over the years, the Hoyts have been impressed with DNR’s nongame conservation work which is funded primarily by federal grants, license plate revenues and private donations.  True to form, Walter volunteers as a board member of T.E.R.N.  Nongame DNR’s friend’s group has become the Hoyts’ primary vehicle for conservation philanthropy on the coast.

Challenging the Storage of Coal Ash In Wayne County Landfill

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Coastal residents and conservation organizations are continuing to challenge plans for a Wayne County landfill to accept up to 10,000 tons of coal ash per day from neighboring states.  This represents a more than 500% increase of their current daily intake of 1,800 tons of municipal solid waste.

The Broadhurst Landfill is nestled within a complicated system of connected wetlands and sits squarely between the pristine Satilla and Altamaha Rivers, just south of Jesup. The proposed quantity of coal ash to be moved into this small landfill combined with the hydrology of the area presents a significant threat to the region’s drinking water, groundwater and wetlands.  In addition to the massive influx of coal ash, there is concern about how to protect the surrounding wetlands from coal ash being washed off of 100+ rail cars a day at a proposed washing station adjacent to the landfill.

Coal ash storage is a problem all across the South where coal fired power plants have produced hundreds of thousands of tons of toxin-laden waste.  Much of the region’s coal ash is stored in a wet form or “slurry” in large ponds or lagoons adjacent to major rivers.  These pools are often unlined allowing contaminants such as arsenic, mercury, thallium, and selenium to leach into the rivers and underlying groundwater.  Activists all over the country are fighting to have coal ash moved from storage ponds to lined landfills.  Although the Broadhurst Landfill is lined, it is surrounded by wetlands and has a relatively high water table.  Flooding of the landfill presents the greatest risk as it would likely result in toxic coal ash washing into the Altamaha and Satilla Rivers and impairing wildlife that are regularly harvested from these rivers for food. If Broadhurst’s lining were inadequate or compromised, coal ash toxins could also leach into underlying groundwater thereby compromising the area’s drinking supply.

The Board of the Department of Natural Resources passed new rules on October 26 that regulate the storage of coal ash in Georgia.  While regulations were needed, the new rules lack necessary protections for communities living around Muncipal Solid Waste Landfills such as Broadhurst.  One Hundred Miles and fellow members of the Georgia Water Coalition are working to build support for a state legislative amendment that addresses the loophole that allows coal ash to be stored en masse in Municipal Solid Waste landfills.  This will likely become an issue of concern for local communities throughout Georgia’s coastal region.  For more information on how you can help, please visit the One Hundred Miles website:  http://www.onehundredmiles.org/coal-ash-in-wayne-county/

ILLUSTRATION BY POWELL

Coming to a Screen Near You: “Cultivating The Wild: William Bartram’s Travels”

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More than two centuries have passed since the publication of botanist William Bartram’s Travels in 1791. Bartram’s descriptions of his journey through the American South between 1773 and 1777 continue to ignite the imagination of those who love nature and the thrill of discovery. In addition to Bartram’s catalogue of the region’s flora and fauna, Travels also contains some of the first written descriptions of early American society and the culture of both Cherokee and Creek Indians. A moral visionary, Bartram countered the notion of American Indians being “savage” and in need of civilization. His writings are still examined by scientists and historians seeking a better understanding of the Southeast.

A new documentary film, “Cultivating The Wild: William Bartram’s Travels,” is now in production.  Co-produced by Eric Breitenbach and Dorinda Dallmeyer, the film presents a scholarly examination of the scientist’s life and work as well as a meditation on what has come to pass in the more than two hundred and twenty years since Bartram traversed the pre-Colonial South.  The differences between the landscape Bartram experienced and described and what we know today are striking.  Sadly, the region’s natural resources have suffered mightily from neglect and exploitation. The film will make a committed stand for protecting our natural world by telling Bartram’s story and the stories of select modern day “Bartrams” – people who continue his work and philosophies today.

This independent film is being made possible by the dedication of its co-producers and the generosity of a host of donors who contributed over $30,000 by way of a “Kickstarter” campaign. With its focus on bringing creative projects to life, Kickstarter.com is one of several web-based crowdfunding platforms where entrepreneurs seek financial support for their projects and ventures from a large number of people.  It’s estimated that crowdfunding campaigns generated over $34 billion in 2015.

The Bartram Kickstarter campaign drew support from as far away as Iceland and India and included contributions from direct descendants of the Bartram family.  The project also has strong coastal ties.  William Bartram visited Wormsloe Plantation with his father, John Bartram, 251 years ago in 1765. William returned to Savannah in April of 1773 to spend a full year exploring the natural communities along the coast of Georgia. He left us with a rich legacy of our biological heritage. Reinforcing the durability of ties to William Bartram in coastal Georgia are substantial donations to this film from the Wormsloe Foundation and the Wormsloe Institute for Environmental History.

If you are interested in learning more about the project or making donations to defray post-production costs, please visit the film’s website: www.cultivatingthewild.com.

ILLUSTRATION: WILLIAM BARTRAM, TRAVELS

Directory Of Coast-Serving Conservation Non-Profits Available For Download

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Stewards of the Georgia Coast has produced a Directory of Conservation Non-Profits serving the Georgia Coast.  Meant to be a quick reference for donors, the Directory includes each organization’s mission and contact information.  As a bonus, the Directory is filled with beautiful coastal images by Christa Hayes. Download a copy here.

52 Paintings of Coastal Habitats on Display at Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art

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The Wild Treasury of Nature, a body of work by Philip Juras that includes 52 paintings of Little St. Simons Island, will be on display this summer at the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art in Marietta, Georgia from July 9 – September 11. The Wild Treasury of Nature continues Philip Juras’s exploration of the pre-settlement wilderness of the American South as the earliest naturalists would have encountered it.  His paintings illuminate the wild beauty and importance of Georgia’s coastal habitats through the lens of Little St. Simons Island, an undeveloped barrier island on the Georgia coast. Read more

Offshore Testing and Drilling

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Offshore drilling has been taken off the table for Georgia and other Southeastern Atlantic States by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for at least five years.  It is a tremendous victory for marine wildlife and Georgia fisheries, especially bottle-nosed dolphins and right whales.  But it’s temporary and the threat of seismic testing remains. Read more

Altama Conserved

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The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) have partnered to protect a 3,986 acre tract along Georgia’s Altamaha River, in Glynn County. Read more

Donor Roundtable A Success! Plans Underway For Similar Event In 2017

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Stewards of the Georgia Coast and Coastal Georgia Partners in Philanthropy (CGaPIP) joined forces to host a Conservation Donors Roundtable on March 10, 2016.  Held at Musgrove Plantation on St. Simons Island, the Roundtable attracted a capacity crowd of interested private and corporate donors.  Read more