Sierra Club Centennial Group Members & Friends: The next Centennial Group Meeting will be Thursday, May 2nd 7:00-8:30pm.

East Cobb Park Garden & Nature Club: Updates on East Cobb Park & Greenspace

Joyce Howard & Lyn Cohen of the ECP Garden Club will show photos of projects installed since starting the Club in June 2023, and explain their mission statement and plans for the year. Included are documented photos of native and invasive species throughout the park and observations along the trails and less formally used areas of the land.  They will conclude with highlights of next projects and concerns for the park in the future, as it relates to flora and preservation.

This meeting will be both IN-PERSON at LIFE UNIVERSITY and ONLINE via Zoom.  Life University Graduate & Undergraduate Studies (Bldg 9 on Campus Map) Rm 119, 1250 Life’s Way Marietta or online via Zoom. We recommend you use the large parking area M on the Barclay Circle side of the building at 1269 Barclay Circle. See the green Sierra Club signs on the Barclay Circle entrance to parking area M and follow them to the building and meeting room. (Note: Road Work has closed South Cobb Drive at Cobb Parkway)  Social and Refreshments at 7:00pm  The ZOOM meeting will begin at 7:30pm.  Please Signup/RSVP and specify in-person or Zoom online attendance at East Cobb Green Space Initiatives.

Other News, Events and Outings

Apr 30th  Lecture - Coyotes: Our Wild New Neighbors - Fact vs. Fiction 
Dr. Chris Mowry, co-founder of the Atlanta Coyote Project, will separate myth from reality.  6:50-7:50pm in-person event at Switzer Library in Marietta.  Info/Signup at: Coyotes Our Neighbors
 

Recycling all your textiles!  Check your community for dropoff bins that accept all textiles (torn clothes, sheets, etc) for reuse AND recycling.

Save the Birds!! Millions of birds die every year from building collisions & confusion from metro-lights during their nighttime migration. Turn off unnecessary lights during migration seasons: March 15 – May 31 & August 15 – Nov 15^th.  More info at:  Lights Out Georgia

Read-up and comment on Cobb County Transit Planning at: Cobb Transportation

The Upper Etowah River Alliance (UERA). The Upper Etowah River Watershed encompasses 610 square miles or 390,400 acres. It includes parts of five counties — Lumpkin, Pickens, Dawson, Forsyth, and Cherokee — and over 100 tributaries, including Shoal, Amicalola, Yellow, Setting Down, Long Swamp, and Sharp Mountain creeks. The river begins near Dahlonega and runs 98 miles until it reaches Lake Allatoona. 

May Events

Early voting started April 29.  You can request absentee ballots until May 10 for the May 21^st Election.

Check your registration, find your voting location & get your sample ballots from your county website or go to mvp.sos.ga.gov

Chattahoochee RiverKeeper – Join volunteers to keep the Chattahoochee clean.  Register for next cleanup event May 4^th.

May Events for The River Line Historic Area volunteers include Nickajack Creek water sampling and cemetery restoration efforts. 

See:  The RiverLine May Calendar    Do you have leadership ambition to advance environmental stewardship in SE Cobb County? If so, contact Roberta Cook at RiverLineGA@gmail.com at The River Line Historic Area nonprofit to learn about an Executive Director position opportunity.

Chattahoochee Nature Center Weekend May Canoe Outings Saturdays and Sundays.  Registration/fee required via calendar at: Canoe Trips

Currently scheduled upcoming Outings

May 18^th Hike the hills and valleys of Pickett’s Mill Battlefield Park   Info/Signup:   Picketts Mill Hike

Outings can be announced at any time and often fill up quickly. To receive email notice of Sierra Club hikes as they are announced, visit Sierra Club Georgia Outings and click Sign up for our Outings Email List.

Other news:

Plant Bowen (near Cartersville) AP-1 Coal Ash Permit Draft has been Released! Details at:  PlantBowenCoalAshInfo  Also more info at Why It Matters

Georgia Power wants to close the largest coal ash site in Georgia by installing a liner and capping an ash pit that sits on top of unstable karst, which is prone to sinkholes.  In 2002, a four acre wide, 30 foot deep sinkhole opened up underneath Plant Bowen’s coal ash pit.

2.25 million gallons of toxic coal ash leaked into Euharlee Creek which flows into the Etowah River.  The Etowah River passes Cartersville and the Etowah Indian Mounds then flows to Rome where it meets the Oostanaula River  and forms the Coosa River.

After the spill, arsenic levels rose to 1250 parts per billion, exceeding federal drinking water standards by 120 times. Downstream drinking water intakes were forced to suspend operation. Leaving the coal ash in place on unstable ground at Plant Bowen puts our water and health at risk.

Urgent Issue – Okefenokee Twin Pines Mining proposal:  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided the area where Twin Pines wants to set up its mine is no longer under its jurisdiction. Essentially, new federal rules issued by the Trump administration mean the proposed project area is no longer a federally protected wetland.

This means Twin Pines no longer needs federal approval to get started, so it’s up Georgia officials (and us to voice our concerns). There are still several state permits the company needs from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). Chemical company Chemours (a Dupont spinoff) is a potential buyer of the Twin Pines mine project and its products. Help us pressure them to publicly oppose the project.  Sierra Club Georgia keeps an update on efforts to prevent the mine at: Sierra Club Georgia Okefenokee

The Georgia Water Coalition has a way for folks to send a message to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp asking him to take action to protect the Okefenokee. The Georgia EPD director is appointed to the job by the governor, so we’re asking Gov. Kemp to get involved.  Click here to send a message to Gov. Kemp urging him to protect the Okefenokee.

Transit Planning in Cobb County:  Please provide feedback to the Cobb County Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP). The CTP is a series of county transportation projects that will be considered for future implementation, up to 30 years.  Make sure to get involved by having your opinion heard!   Take the on-line Cobb Transit Survey at:   Cobb Transit Survey

Georgia Legislative resources:

Georgia Water Coalition Dirty Dozen publishes the list as a call to action, highlighting the worst offenses to Georgia's water - offenses that are the consequences of an under-funded state environmental agency and a lack of political will to enforce laws that protect our water, land, air, and people. Check out water-protecting action items from Protect Georgia

Drawdown Georgia– Drawdown is that point in the future when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline.  Drawdown is working on Climate Change solutions sponsored by Ray Anderson Foundation.  Join them and be an early mover in bringing climate solutions home.  Drawdown Georgia is the first, state-centered effort to crowdsolve for climate change, with 20, high-impact solutions that are tailored to Georgia’s unique natural, economic, and social resources. See: Draw down Georgia 

See our Centennial Facebook page and Georgia Sierra Club Meetup page.  

Cobb 4 Transit revamped & launched: The Centennial Group Sierra Club is supporting the launch of Cobb 4 Transit, a new citizen-led initiative to bring transit to Cobb County, and continue to highlight the county's plans for future transit initiatives. Learn more here: www.cobb4transit.org. 

Click HERE to join the Sierra Club today!

We meet on the first Thursday of each month to host a variety of programs related to our environmental goals of resource conservation and wilderness preservation. We also conduct free outdoor trips. Members and nonmembers are welcome!  The Sierra Club Centennial Group is part of the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter and serves Northwest Metro Atlanta. For more information about the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter.

The Centennial Group of the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club was organized in 1992, the one hundredth anniversary year of the national Sierra Club. Our members from Cobb, Cherokee, and North Fulton counties volunteer to educate, enable, and encourage our fellow citizens to protect Georgia's environment "for our families and our future".  We meet on the first Thursday of most months at Life University. We host a variety of programs relating to our goals and our appreciation of Georgia's natural beauty and resources. We also host free outings for members and nonmembers.