PRESS RELEASE: ORK and City of Savannah host second rain barrel giveaway

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10/03/2022
Contact: Meaghan Walsh Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER, CITY OF SAVANNAH HOST SECOND RAIN BARREL GIVEAWAY
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. As part of that effort, ORK and the City are holding their second rain barrel giveaway at Joseph Tribble Park on Wednesday, October 19, 2022. Area residents can pick up a free rain barrel from 5 – 7 p.m. The barrels collect rainwater for later use. They can also mitigate flash flooding by slowing water runoff from roofs. Barrels will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. 

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. The Windsor Forest area drains into the Little Ogeechee River and the Vernon River, which flow out to the ocean.

“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, 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. 

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, Wilshire,  and Harmon Canals. These traps are cleaned out regularly and the litter is sorted, analyzed, cataloged and then recycled or disposed of responsibly. Since February, the litter booms have caught nearly 2,000 pounds of trash. The most common material is polystyrene, with an average of 292 pieces per cleanup. 

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. 

“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 21 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.


PDF of press release

ORK received $10,000 Bass Pro Shops Grant

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.

PRESS RELEASE: Ogeechee Riverkeeper awarded prestigious Fish & Wildlife Foundation grant

February 1, 2022
Ogeechee Riverkeeper
Contact: Meaghan Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

 

OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS FISH & WILDLIFE FOUNDATION GRANT

ORK will work with municipalities, stakeholders to improve Vernon River watershed

Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) was awarded a Five Star grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) in support of its ongoing Protect The Vernon project. The grant, totalling $93,200, includes more than $45,000 in matching funds and on-the-ground support from local experts, municipalities, and organizations. The funding will allow ORK to engage stakeholders in a scientific plan and help move the Vernon River toward greater ecological health. Ultimately, ORK envisions this restoration project to serve as a model for restoring other water bodies in our basin. 

Aspects of the project include:

  • Installation of multiple litter booms to capture litter and plastic pollution before it reaches larger water bodies
  • Analyze captured litter for possible mitigation solutions
  • Monitor bacterial levels at multiple locations to  identify and respond to pollution sources
  • Train and engage community volunteers to monitor water quality 
  • Educate and engage young people via K-12 classroom settings
  • Provide collegiate internships in data collection and analysis

The representative group of stakeholders and partners includes ORK, Skidaway Institute for Oceanography, City of Savannah, Chatham County, Savannah State University, Chatham Academy, Heard Elementary, Town of Vernonburg, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream, and Cuddybum Hydrology.

“The goal of this project is to reduce bacterial and plastic contamination from entering into the Vernon River and our coastal marshes and we are involving the many great community partners to accomplish this” says Damon Mullis, riverkeeper and executive director. “With the support of this grant we will be able to reach people of all ages and backgrounds, making these efforts a long-term, sustainable solution.” 

The NFWF Urban Waters Restoration Program helps develop community capacity by providing modest assistance to diverse local partnerships for river, wetland, riparian, forest and coastal restoration, and wildlife conservation. Water monitoring, stormwater management, source water protection, urban tree canopy restoration, and projects designed to prevent trash from entering waterways are just some of the types of projects that are awarded grants.

More details about the Protect the Vernon project and continuing updates are available at 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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