Sierra Club Centennial Group Members & Friends

We will not have meetings in July & August and continue our monthly meetings in September.
 

Our June Picnic at East Cobb park featured speakers from GA Sierra Club staff members Adrien Webber and Shannon Carney on Georgia Chapter issues, including Data centers and Cumberland Island protection.  Food was provided by Gathering Industries, a non-profit which trains low-income, unhoused, and out-of-work individuals to prepare them for jobs.  
 

July News,  Events and Outings

Data Centers News:

Douglas County Grid Pressures: Highlighting the broader regional impact, the UN Secretary-General explicitly called out global AI carbon and water pollution, specifically referencing the massive Google Data Center complex in Douglas County (Lithia Springs) as a prime example of intense resource strain on local communities.

Marietta: 31 acre Bells Ferry Rd. plot in Cobb proposed and approved for data center. Ongoing opposition by residents against the Marietta City Council, claiming there was not enough transparency about the plan before the approval.

Milton & Sandy Springs Safeguards: Both cities are updating their land-use blueprints to protect resources, with Milton unanimously passing an emergency data center moratorium to explicitly prevent the type of un-notified industrial encroachment seen in neighboring counties.

Paulding County Loophole Backlash: Residents are packing commission meetings to fight newly discovered "Technology Park Overlay Districts". This zoning loophole allows developers to build massive, resource-heavy data centers right next to neighborhoods without sending the standard certified notification letters that traditional rezonings require.

Bartow and Coweta Counties:

Atlas Development, LLC, has proposed  a $17 billion data center proposed for development in Coweta County.

They also filed plans for another $4.5 billion data center, in Bartow County. 

How Data Center Devolopers staked their claim in rural Coweta County Georgia

See also Georgia Sierra Club  Data Centers web page

Recent Rainstorms caused e-coli surges in our rivers and lakes.

There was a temporary huge spike in E. coli bacteria in the Chattahoochee River June 19-20 after the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur dumped heavy rain.

As a standard best practice, avoid getting (you and pets) into rivers/lakes for at least 24 to 48 hours following heavy rains or check their safety.

Verify river water-safety during/after large rain events at:

ChattahoocheeRiverKeeper

Etowah River safety at Upper Etowah River Alliance Facebook  website.

Coosa River basin safety.

THIS INCLUDES THE LAKES FED BY THESE RIVERS!
 

Johns Creek Riverfront Deal: City Council approved $11.6 million purchase of 30 acres near Jones Bridge Road June 1st, saving sensitive riverfront land from subdivision development to expand the Chattahoochee greenway.

July Events:

July-August Chattahoochee Nature Center Butterfly Festival – continues until August 30^th tickets required by time-slot.

July 10^th 4:00-7:00 Upper Etowah River Alliance STORMFEST in Holly Springs at Cagle’s Farm.  See their facebook page or check their calendar.

Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy July Events Ranger-hikes, Bird Walks, River Cleanups + more. See CNPC_Events

Chattahoochee Nature Center July (their 50^th anniversary) outings, hikes, exhibits, films, canoe-trips and events.  Info at: CNC July Activities

Chattahoochee River Keeper cleanups, and other June events in and around the river.  See calendar at ChattRiverkeeper

The River Line Historic Area's Calendar: volunteer opportunities in 2 historic cemeteries, Shoupade Park and Nickajack Creek water monitoring in SE Cobb County.   See: https://riverline.org/calendar/

Sierra Club Centennial Group is looking for a volunteer Group Treasurer

If you can assist, e-mail Lynn Walston  lynnwalston22@yahoo.com

July Events:

 Currently scheduled Sierra Outings

Outings can be announced at any time and often fill up quickly. Get email notice of Sierra Club hikes

when announced, visit SierraClubGeorgiaOutings click Sign up for our Outings Email List.

July 11^th 8:00-10:30am Cool Morning hike on Gold Branch Trails by the Chattahoochee River in East Cobb.  Info/signup:  GoldBranchHike

July 11^th 6:30am-5:30pm  Join Cohutta Wilderness Trail Volunteers in clearing the Rice Camp Trail.  Info/signup: Rice Camp Trail Clearing.

July 18^th Highlands NC High Mountain Tops & Waterfalls hikes Info/signup: HighlandsMtnWaterfallsHikes

Okefenokee Bid for UNESCO World Heritage Center – See latest info at Okefenokee.

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, & Sharp Mountain creeks. The Etowah River begins near Dahlonega and runs 98 miles until it reaches Lake Allatoona. 

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.