The Georgia Coast: Beauty and Pressures

Georgia has approximately 90 miles of sandy beaches and 384,000 acres of estuarine wetlands along its one hundred miles of south Atlantic shoreline. Coastal marshlands extend to an average of 4-6 miles inland and together with South Carolina contain one fifth of the remaining salt marshes on the East Coast of the US, and some of the most biologically diverse and productive ecosystems in the world. Salt marshes and coastal wetlands perform many critical ecological functions. They help to filter pollutants and to protect our coastal areas from damaging floods. Also considered essential habitat, they provide a nutrient rich environment for larval fish and shellfish including many commercially important species (e.g. mullet, sea bass, oysters, blue crab and shrimp). Wetlands also allow for many diverse recreational activities such as photography, fishing, and kayaking.

In recent years, marsh die-off events have caused the loss of approximately two thousand acres in coastal Georgia. Some researchers state that coastal marsh death may be attributed to multiple factors including the drought, the overuse of fertilizers, pesticides, and storm water run-off. Given the rate of coastal development, it is important that there are informed local and diverse citizens to encourage responsible wetland stewardship and management.

A Call for volunteers: Coastal Adopt-a-Wetland

The Environmental Protection Division's Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Program partners with the University of Georgia Marine Extension Service's Coastal Georgia Adopt-A-Wetland, to foster a sense of personal and community responsibility, and to allow government agencies and citizens to work together in the coastal counties of Bryan, Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, and Wayne. The program emphasizes the connection between land uses, stormwater runoff, and water resources and provides private citizens with the tools and training to monitor the health of adopted wetland habitats. Volunteers have documented invasive species, the salinization of the Upper Floridian Aquifer, incidents of marsh die-back, oil spills, trash and pollution, illegal poaching, illegal boat use, and fish kills.

There are many ways you can get involved.

Join us at one of our upcoming free training workshops to learn how to monitor water quality and receive all the equipment needed to adopt a site of your choosing:

1. Don't feed wildlife and always pick up pet wastes
2. Plant a natural buffer between your house and a water body
3. Limit the use of paved surfaces
4. Practice Xeriscape gardening and limit the use of fertilizers
5. Participate in one of our litter clean ups throughout the year.

For more information visit the Adopt A Wetland website at www.marex.uga.edu/shellfish/wetlandhome.htm,
or contact us at 912-598-2348 (ext.201).