Sierra Club Centennial Group Members & Friends
No scheduled in-person Centennial Meetings in July or August as we take a Summer break - See you September 5!

Other News, Events and Outings
 

Sierra Club Centennial Group has received an Adopt a Stream Award for our partnership with Life University.  Life University (Life U) takes immense pride in their collaboration with the Sierra Club Centennial Group. Our group was honored with the Adopt-A-Stream Award from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources at the Rivers Alive Awards Luncheon.  Great thanks to Life U’s Dr. Deidre Meigs for allowing the Centennial Group to meet at Life U. and collaborate in environmental issues.  Read about our collaboration with Life University at:  About Our Award

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. 

July Events

Saving the Chattahoochee WABE-TV July 2 8pm A documentary film by Hal Jacobs with the exclusive extended conversation between your Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Jason Ulseth, and CRK’s Founding Riverkeeper, Sally Bethea, as they delve into the past, present, and future of the Chattahoochee River. https://bit.ly/3xED0jy

Chattahoochee RiverKeeper –July paddling events (register via link)   

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

See:  RiverLine July 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 July Canoe Outings Saturdays & Sundays.  Registration/fee required. See: Canoe Trips

Chattahoochee Nature Center Butterfly Encounter thru August 11^th free with Center admission.  Info/signup at:  Butterfly Encounter

Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy Paddle the Park Guided paddles. Info/Registration at: Paddle The Park

Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy July Events include paddling, pollinators, frogs and river cleanups– See CNPC_Events

Hear Environmental Rap/Reggae/Funk/Poetic songs at:   Environmental Rap Songs

Ocmulgee Mounds National Park?  An effort introduced in both houses of Congress, to give Georgia its first national park, protecting the ancestral lands of the Muscogee Nation. The bills would elevate Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park in Macon. More significantly, they would not only preserve the sacred sites and mounds of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation—the fourth-largest federally recognized sovereign tribe in the US—but let the Muscogee people tell their ancestral story in their own voices.

Take Action Add your voice to support an Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve

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

Currently scheduled upcoming Outings

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 SierraClubGeorgiaOutings and click Sign up for our Outings Email List.

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. 

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.