GIVE your river a voice todd! | |
Help us close out 2024 stronger than ever! | | |
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Join our biggest campaign of the year! | Our goal is to raise $15,000 between now and Dec. 31 for #GAgives and #GivingTuesday. We are on Benevity (employee match), 1% for the Planet, and Charity Navigator. Your investment ensures that whenever the St. Marys River watershed needs us, we'll be able to be there—every time. | |
BIG NEWS: St. Marys Riverkeeper is hiring! | |
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St. Marys Riverkeeper is hiring a part time Water Quality Coordinator to manage our water quality program across four watershed counties. We are so excited to bring on a great person to help our amazing Citizen Science Team be even better.
Thank you, Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and Rayonier for selecting St. Marys Riverkeeper for your Community Impact Grants, so we can grow our capacity to serve our River and those who call the watershed home!
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Please click here to read our job description and apply! | |
EVEN MORE BIG NEWS
We're so thrilled to announce St. Marys Riverkeeper received a grant from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through their National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) to support planning and capacity building for coastal resilience.
This grant will help prepare for increasing coastal flooding and more intense storms, while improving habitats for fish and wildlife. NCRF grants are awarded in partnership between NFWF and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Shell and Oxy.
With the help of University of Georgia Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems, we will build a comprehensive Watershed Resilience Plan including:
• Prioritizing 10 nature-based solutions for implementation
• Developing protocols to augment sediment within the watershed, restore wetlands, complete stream daylighting, improve habitat of Atlantic Sturgeon
• Protecting flood-prone communities and enhancing resilience
We are thrilled to lead this effort to safeguard our St. Marys River watershed from climate impacts. Watch for much more in 2025.
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River Cabin
by: Judy Clausen,
Local Artist and Author
Amazon link
Please email us for
quantity purchases
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Looking for a holiday gift that also benefits St.Marys Riverkeeper?
How about a children's book
with a story about a cabin on our River?
In NYC, Daisy Dog and Juliette are never apart. They prance through the park, twirl in ballet, wander art museums, and sip cocoa in cafés. But when they move far away to a cabin on the St. Marys River, Daisy Dog finds herself alone … with scary strangers like bullfrogs, bobcats, and bears! Suddenly, they're surrounded by the sounds of nature. Who will Daisy Dog play with now? New adventures await as they discover new friends, both two and four-legged.
We're so thankful for this opportunity and will share more soon!
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Water Quality Win
Shoutout to our Citizen Scientists!
The City of Fernandina Beach has received permits to remove Escambia Street. This should improve waterway water quality and resilience of the city. Work is scheduled for Jan-April, 2025.
This is directly connected to our consistent water quality testing. Regular reporting resulted in the waterway being listed as impaired, leading to community pressure to find a solution: to daylight the creek (i.e. remove the street).
For years, St. Marys Riverkeeper citizen scientist volunteers have been testing the water quality of Alligator Creek and reporting results to Nassau County Dept. of Health, City of Fernandina Beach government and community, and Florida DEP in hopes of a solution to bring the creek's health back to meet state water quality standards. Read more on our blog.
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Collaboration and Advocacy in Action
Command Navy Region Southeast, Naval Submarine Base (NSB) Kings Bay, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently hosted a dynamic stakeholder engagement at Crooked River State Park. The event brought together local, state, and federal experts to explore Beneficial Use of Dredged Material (BUDM) and its potential to address both navigational and ecological challenges.
Annually, approximately 1 million cubic yards (MCY) of sediment are dredged from the NSB Kings Bay channel to maintain safe navigation. This volume is projected to double by 2050 due to sea level rise. At the same time, surrounding marsh habitat has experienced significant loss—770 acres since 1932, with another 500 acres projected to disappear by 2050.
The group reviewed findings showing the promise of utilizing dredged material to restore marsh ecosystems and reduce shoaling by up to 75%.
This innovative approach aligns with efforts to preserve critical habitats for wildlife and fish such the Atlantic sturgeon. Read more
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Plug Power
Public Hearing
Dec. 12 @ 1:00p
Based on several requests to hold a public hearing, GA EPD announces a public hearing for the Draft Groundwater Withdrawal Permit for Plug Power.
Plug Power is located in Woodbine and has filed New Groundwater Withdrawal Permits for 1.100 MGD/ 1.100MGD (Monthly Avg/Annual Avg in millions gallons per day) from two wells in the Floridan Aquifer for the purpose of cooling water and process water for a hydrogen power facility.
EPD will be accepting comments on the draft permit until Dec. 30, 2024.
Read the Draft Permit; Read the Notice of Public Hearing
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Sonofarious presents
“CURRENTS & TIDES,”
A Musical Tribute to Our Waters
Dec. 27 & Dec. 29 • 3-4:30 pm
STORY & SONG ART GALLERY
1430 Park Ave.
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Celebrate our region’s bountiful ocean, rivers, creeks and marshes, presented by the eclectic ensemble, Sonofarious, in recognition of Nassau County’s and Fernandina Beach’s 200th birthdays. Guest instrumentalists, singers, dancers, and storytellers will join in this fun look at the critical, continuing role water plays in history, health and prosperity.
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Join us after for volunteer appreciation at White Oak. See impact from our 2024 cleanup on our BLOG | |
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Save the Date:
St. Marys River Cleanup
April 19, 2025; 9-11a
Join us for the 27th Annual St. Marys River Cleanup. This is a watershed- wide cleanup with participation in all four counties.
In 2024, 400 volunteers pulled six tons of trash and debris from the river and surrounding areas.
Watch for more soon to make a lasting impact on the St. Marys River.
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Advocacy Webinar (#9): January 15, 2025; noon-1p
From Rivers to Raves: A Tail of Two Rivers
Short Documentary “Sneak Peek” Makes a Splash!
Thanks again to everyone who joined us at Toast to Clean Water for the exclusive sneak peek of A Tail of Two Rivers, the much-anticipated sturgeon short documentary “sneak peek” that dives deep into the life and legacy of these ancient fish in the St. Marys River. It premiered to rave reviews!
Couldn’t make it? We’d love for you to catch up! Or maybe you’d like to see it again with NEW footage from our recent Fall Sampling (spoiler: it’s really good!)
January 15, 2025; noon-1p Please register here (it's free) and share with friends!
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We are so thankful for you during this season of gratitude. Your ongoing support ensures we’re ready to do whatever it takes to protect our St. Marys River.
This month we also published a re-cap of the 2024 Hurricane Season and next month our e-newsletter will feature a re-cap of 2024, it has been such an amazing year thanks to your support.
See you on the river soon!
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Emily Floore, Executive Director, and your St. Marys Riverkeeper Communications Team | | | | |
