Category: Press Releases

Fellowship, Press Releases ,

RELEASE: Applications For $25,000 Fellowship At Ogeechee Riverkeeper Open

by Ogeechee Riverkeeper September 14, 2022

09/14/2022
Ogeechee Riverkeeper
Contact: Meaghan Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

APPLICATIONS FOR $25,000 FELLOWSHIP AT OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER OPEN
The annual fellowship provides research opportunities in the watershed

Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) is accepting applications for the annual research fellowship through October 15, 2022. The fellowship, which runs through the 2023 calendar year, is designed to support research activities for graduate students conducting work in the Ogeechee River Basin as part of their degree program. The $25,000 fellowship will be awarded to a single student. 

“Research is important to our mission to protect the waterways in our basin,” said Damon Mullis, executive director and riverkeeper of ORK. “This fellowship will spur more interest in our basin and result in more academic research projects.”

In January 2022, ORK launched a new research fellowship to be filled each year. The 2022 fellowship focused on different native crayfish species, including Procambarus petersi, an endemic species commonly called the Ogeechee Crayfish. The fellowship is underwritten by investments secured from the 2011 fish kill settlement. 

Students can find guidelines and application details at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/fellowship.

About Ogeechee Riverkeeper: Ogeechee Riverkeeper 501(c)(3) works to protect, preserve, and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River basin, which includes all of the streams flowing out to Ossabaw Sound and St. Catherine’s Sound. The Canoochee River is about 108 miles long and the Ogeechee River itself is approximately 245 miles long. The Ogeechee River system drains more than 5,500 square miles across 21 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.

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Press Releases , , ,

PRESS RELEASE: Ogeechee Riverkeeper Releases Comprehensive Tool Kit For Citizen Advocacy

by Ogeechee Riverkeeper September 7, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

09/07/2022
Contact: Meaghan Walsh Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER RELEASES COMPREHENSIVE TOOL KIT FOR CITIZEN ADVOCACY
The kit includes contacts, ordinances, and other tips for protecting water quality
 
Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) launched a county-by-county campaign to update planning and zoning ordinances in 2020. While these efforts are ongoing, ORK is adding resources for citizens to organize and conduct advocacy on their own.

“With 5,500 square miles to cover, ORK relies on the assistance of residents across the watershed,” says Damon Mullis, executive director and riverkeeper. “Reporting pollution issues to attending local municipal meetings to sending photos from a day on the river – all of this helps us keep our waterways safe.”

This tool kit compiles county contacts and ordinances but it also provides lists and ideas for checking the compliance of the proposed project.

“ORK will continue to work with local governments and citizens to pass updated ordinances, but this will give citizens a blueprint for expressing their concerns today,” says Meaghan Walsh Gerard, communications and administrative director. “It’s key that residents know they do not have to simply accept destructive development practices.”

The tool kit is available for download at: https://www.ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/tool-kit-for-citizens/

The contacts and links will be updated on a regular basis, as needed.

About Ogeechee Riverkeeper: Ogeechee Riverkeeper 501(c)(3) works to protect, preserve, and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River basin, which includes all of the streams flowing out to Ossabaw Sound and St. Catherine’s Sound. The Canoochee River is about 108 miles long and the Ogeechee River itself is approximately 245 miles long. The Ogeechee River system drains more than 5,500 square miles across 22 counties in Georgia. 

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Blog Post, Press Releases , , ,

ORK received $10,000 Bass Pro Shops Grant

by Ogeechee Riverkeeper August 2, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
08/02/2022
Contact: Meaghan Walsh Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER RECEIVES $10,000 BASS PRO SHOPS GRANT
Funding will be dedicated to Protect the Vernon project

Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund. The grant will fund ORK’s on-going Protect the Vernon project that has connected numerous community stakeholders with The ultimate goal to reduce pollution to the point that it will be delisted by the Georgia EPD as ‘impaired.’ 

So far, a total of 1293.18 lbs of trash has been collected from the creeks and canals leading to the Vernon. Styrofoam is the most common litter collected in litter booms, with an average of 292 pieces per clean up. There are a total of 61 unique bacterial sampling sites within the Vernon River watershed that ORK and Adopt-A-Stream volunteers are monitoring. Additionally, ORK has engaged 420 students at 2 different schools in 5th and 9-11th grades with onsite water quality education programming. The grant from the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fund will help ORK continue and expand these efforts.

“We’re pleased to partner with Bass Pro Shops on this project,” said Meaghan Walsh Gerard, communications and administrative director for ORK. “You can see the waterways we are restoring from the front doors of the store – it doesn’t get any more local. We know Bass Pro Shops is dedicated to conservation efforts and their customers are equally enthusiastic about protecting the environment we all enjoy.”

Details about the Protect the Vernon project can be found at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/vernon.

About Bass Pro Fund: Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charity. When customers round up loose change at the register, we’re uniting more than 200 million customers in supporting key conservation programs across North America.

About Ogeechee Riverkeeper: Ogeechee Riverkeeper 501(c)(3) works to protect, preserve, and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River basin, which includes all of the streams flowing out to Ossabaw Sound and St. Catherine’s Sound. The Canoochee River is about 108 miles long and the Ogeechee River itself is approximately 245 miles long. The Ogeechee River system drains more than 5,500 square miles across 22 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.

Blog Post, Press Releases , ,

PRESS RELEASE: Milliken announces closure of facility located on the Ogeechee River

by Ogeechee Riverkeeper July 14, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
07/14/2022
Contact: Meaghan Walsh Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

MILLIKEN ANNOUNCES CLOSURE OF FACILITY LOCATED ON OGEECHEE RIVER
Facility plans to move its manufacturing process in Sylvania to South Carolina

On July 13, 2022, Milliken & Company announced the closure of the Longleaf plant located on the Ogeechee River in Screven County, Georgia. 

Milliken purchased the former King America Finishing plant in 2014, along with its existing permit to discharge treated industrial effluent into the Ogeechee River, one of the last remaining free-flowing blackwater rivers in the nation. Beginning in early 2015, in an effort to modernize the existing and outdated plant, Milliken undertook extensive renovation and capital improvements of the facility. 

Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) considers the closure of the Longleaf facility to be an overall positive step for the health and cleanliness of the watershed, while acknowledging the impacts to the local economy that such a closure will necessitate. 

“Milliken Longleaf is the only large-scale permitted industrial polluter on the Ogeechee River,” said Damon Mullis, Executive Director and Riverkeeper. “Our organization’s mission is to preserve, protect and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River. It is with mixed emotions that we receive this news, recognizing the long term benefits to the river while acknowledging the social and economic impacts to the community. That said, this removes the primary source of industrial effluent into our river.”

“We know this will be a difficult time for the families affected, so we are pleased to hear that Milliken will be offering assistance to them and to the community,” Mullis added. According to Milliken’s press release, approximately 260 employees will be offered positions at other company locations. For those who do not wish to transfer, Milliken has offered to help connect associates with competitive jobs in the immediate area. 

Milliken has stated they will continue to own the Longleaf property for the foreseeable future.  “ORK will continue to carefully monitor the status of the discharge as the factory undergoes decommissioning and closure. It is our hope that Milliken will work with Ogeechee Riverkeeper to ensure that this phase-out process is done under careful oversight, and that the facility is decommissioned with the utmost attention to responsible waste disposal, ensuring long-term sustainability and avoiding unnecessary contamination or further negative impacts to the fragile Ogeechee River ecosystem.” Mullis continued. 

About Ogeechee Riverkeeper: Ogeechee Riverkeeper 501(c)(3) works to protect, preserve, and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River basin, which includes all of the streams flowing out to Ossabaw Sound and St. Catherine’s Sound. The Canoochee River is about 108 miles long and the Ogeechee River itself is approximately 245 miles long. The Ogeechee River system drains more than 5,500 square miles across 22 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.

PDF of press release

Blog Post, Press Releases , ,

PRESS RELEASE: ORK, City of Savannah install litter traps to Protect the Vernon

by Ogeechee Riverkeeper February 28, 2022

OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER, CITY OF SAVANNAH INSTALL LITTER TRAPS TO PROTECT THE VERNON
Effort is part of a long-term project to improve the health of the Vernon watershed 

Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) and the City of Savannah are partnering to lead a long term project to protect the water quality and ecology of the Vernon River. Two litter booms were recently deployed in an effort to catch litter before it reaches the river or the ocean. The booms were installed in the Chippewa and Harmon Canals. These traps will be cleaned out regularly and the litter will be sorted, analyzed, cataloged and then recycled or disposed of responsibly. 

The booms were designed and installed by Osprey Initiative, and were paid for by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). ORK received the 5 Star grant from NFWF for its comprehensive plan involving multiple stakeholders in the area. 

In 2021, ORK the City of Savannah, and other stakeholders set out to restore the waterways in the Vernon River basin to the point that it can be delisted as an impaired waterbody by GA EPD; and to reduce the amount of litter and plastic pollution entering the waterways. The canals and tributaries that feed the Vernon River are highly impacted by urban development.

“All of Savannah’s stormwater infrastructure flows into a public waterway,” says Laura Walker, Water Resources Environmental Manager for the City of Savannah. “These waterways are lifelines to Savannah’s environmental and economic health. We work hard every day to try and keep them fishable and swimmable. But we need everyone to treat the storm system with care. We need everyone to protect the storm drains, ditches, and creeks and keep them clean.” 

The Vernon River receives a significant amount of the stormwater leaving the City of Savannah, via Wilshire Canal, Harmon Canal, Casey Canal, and Hayners Creek, all part of the Ogeechee River watershed. The goal is to improve water quality, restore ecological habitat, and “Protect The Vernon” from current and future threats. 

“We are so grateful for the broad group of stakeholders working with us to minimize the threats that urban runoff, and litter and plastic pollution pose to this special waterbody,” says Damon Mullis, riverkeeper and executive director. “Local residents are encouraged to volunteer for litter cleanups, citizen science programs, educational events, and more in the coming months.”

Sign up to volunteer, view data, watch an installation video, and view the successes to date: https://www.ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/vernon

About Ogeechee Riverkeeper: Ogeechee Riverkeeper 501(c)(3) works to protect, preserve, and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River basin, which includes all of the streams flowing out to Ossabaw Sound and St. Catherine’s Sound. The Canoochee River is about 108 miles long and the Ogeechee River itself is approximately 245 miles long. The Ogeechee River system drains more than 5,500 square miles across 22 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.

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