Ogeechee Riverkeeper®

Newsletter
January 2024

Protections for Georgia Marshes

Coastal Resources Division (CRD) has requested a rule change which could result in less marshland protection. ORK and other organizations are requesting a stakeholder group be formed to consider the issue and propose a solution that better represents impacted communities. 

Types of water

With so much development and expansion come significant questions about where clean water will come from and how it will be protected. But not all sources of water are the same and it’s important to understand the different terms.

Photo contest album

Ogeechee Riverkeeper chose the best photographs from across the 5,500 square mile watershed submitted for the annual photography contest. Judges sorted through images that highlighted what makes the Ogeechee and Canoochee Rivers, and the surrounding areas, ecologically and aesthetically remarkable.

Look up your legislators

ORK has two ways to help citizens find their legislators. Enter your address and zip code for a list of representatives, or view a special map that shows where each legislator works. 

Start now.

Legislative priorities

Georgia's legislative session has opened. ORK will be working with Georgia Water Coalition on these priority issues:

• Passing HB 71 to protect the Okefenokee from surface mining.
• Advancing regulation of soil amendments (HB 477) to protect rural communities from industrial waste.

Project WILD Educator Workshop

Join the workshop scheduled for January 27. Participants receive a set of supplementary activity guides which includes a basic guide and an aquatic activity guide. $32 registration fee includes Project WILD & Aquatic WILD Guidebooks.

Legal advocacy

As part of Ogeechee Riverkeeper’s mission to protect, preserve, and improve the water quality in our basin, ORK makes official comments. Recent comments:

• Loves Travel Stop DRI
• Keller PD DRI
• Guyton WPCP expansion
• Wyndham PUD DRI

Blackwater Barons

ORK has teamed up with local artist Juliana Smith to create a custom artwork entitled “Blackwater Barons” featuring the plants and wildlife in the Ogeechee River watershed. Juliana designed the piece, carved the linocut by hand, and pulled a limited number of prints. Each print is signed and numbered by the artist.