History of the Formation of Satilla RIVERKEEPER®

In 2000, James Holland, Jack Sandow, Dr. Guy Moorman, Chip Sasser, Richard Sasser, Larry Purdom and Charles Lagoueyte, got together to try and form a RIVERKEEPER® organization for the Satilla. All wise river-men with a strong love and history of being on the river, they could see that things were going from bad to worse and that their beloved river was in deadly peril.

The Satilla was a beautiful but forgotten river. No one outside this small group seemed to feel that any thing could be done for it. Jack Sandow along with Larry Purdom and others worked diligently on solid-waste issues in Waycross, bringing a lot of press and great pressure to bear on waste generators, and on the City, to slow down or stop the tremendous amount of garbage and trash washing into the river, including medical waste. The momentum was slowly building to do great things for the Satilla.

Things took on a new light in 2002, when a notice was put in the Brantley Enterprise thata titanium mine was going to be permitted in the Satilla River basin.

Gloria Taylor, who resides on the banks of the Satilla, gathered friends and they went to a Brantley County Commission meeting, where they were told that it was a done deal and that nothing could be, or should be, done to stop the mine.

The group made many phone calls and sent to the Army Corps of Engineers for information about the mine under the Freedom of Information Act. The group was shocked to find that they had very little say about their river.

Taylor hung a hand-painted sign off her deck that simply said "no mine." Terry Dickson, a Georgia Times Union reporter, was boating by Taylor's house, and since she was out in her yard, he pulled up his boat, and they talked. Terry wrote an article for his paper and Taylor began to get phone calls.

Soon there was an organized group that called itself Save Our Satilla (SOS). They began to call and email other environmental groups for help and information. James Holland, the Altamaha Riverkeeper, Dave Kyler of the Center for a Sustainable Coast, Frank Quinby and Sam Booher of the Sierra Club, plus all of the original river friends, answered the call (and have been a part of "Saving the Satilla" ever since).

The entire bunch eventually were granted and attended a public hearing at the Brantley County courthouse. David Dockery and Rosemary Griggs joined in and helped to get an article on the front page (above the fold) in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, written by Stacey Shelton.

By this time, the steering committee of SOS included: Gloria Taylor (Chair), David Dockery (Vice Chair), Rosemary Griggs, Cynthia Gwinn, Charlie Summerlin, Ron Easton, Mike Lee, Jack Sandow, Patti Sandow, R.D. Gibson, Lois Groszmann, and Doug Tarver.

These folks were from all over the watershed, a true grassroots group, and they decided that they must take responsibility for the whole watershed Ð portions of 13 counties. Their goals were: 1. free membership, open to all; 2. a children's membership in which children promised to be good stewards of the river; 3. a mission statement that said "Our mission is to protect, preserve and restore the Satilla River Watershed Ecosystem"; 4. use the following methods Ð education and public awareness, watershed monitoring, promotion and sponsorship of regular clean ups, networking with other organizations including environmental groups, governments, industries and the public; and 5. use political activism to promote ecologically sound water management and use of the river.

Most of the original members remain active and many more have joined. The membership is around 250, and SOS has a solid presence in the community, and in the state. But more and different things needed to happen, something else was needed to bring the Satilla into the forefront of people's minds, and a funding mechanism was needed to push the River's agenda forward.

An opportunity arose during the opposition to the titanium mine. SOS, the Altamaha RIVERKEEPER®, the Center for Sustainable Coast, and the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club filed an appeal of the state permits for the mine and a settlement was reached. Don Stack, a very able environmental attorney, performed admirably. The settlement helps ensure that the mining process is inspected, and that stronger measures to make sure the land is harmed as little as possible are in place. The owners of the mine agreed to be a good environmental partner, assuring that strong "Best Management Practices" (BMPs) are followed. And, they put their money where their words were by providing funding to start a Satilla RIVERKEEPER®, or other watershed organization.

The original idea of the wise river men was now becoming a reality!!

In 2003 and 2004, this blossoming opportunity was capitalized upon by key members of SOS, the Center, Altamaha RIVERKEEPER®, and the Sierra Club. They formed an entity, incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia, called the Satilla Riverwatch Alliance, to conduct formal, nonprofit business concerning the Satilla River. They formed a Board to govern this business. The Board met many times, and agreed that a strong RIVERKEEPER® organization was the only way to insure that the methods, goals, and mission of SOS were used, followed, and met. "Keeping" has a proven track record in many and diverse watersheds, and the good name of the keeping movement carries with it respect and power among those who are inclined to use water resources without proper respect for the resource and the future.

The Board applied to the WATERKEEPER® ALLIANCEfor approval to become a keeping organization, and received the license in July of 2004. The first director and RIVERKEEPER®, Gordon Rogers, was hired in September of 2004, and a circle was completed. The parallel paths of many folks that love the Satilla began to bend toward a common intersection.

For what most of the Board, and many of the founding workers, did not know is that Gordon was also a child of the Satilla. He had caught his first fish in her, canoed her as a youth, conducted scientific research in her lower reaches, and had lived near her for the better part of a decade, taking his family including their own small children fishing and swimming there. But most astoundingly, during the late 1990s, Gordon and James Holland had agonized over the formation of the first keeping organization in South Georgia, wondering if the Satilla was the right choice.

James and Gordon had met in the late 1980s, while James was a professional crabber in the lower Satilla and Gordon a fisheries biologist at GA DNR. They both shared a common concern for the loss and deterioration of wetlands and rivers in South Georgia. Later, as Gordon left DNR and James' business declined dramatically, they realized that the citizens of South Georgia must be organized and stimulated in some way to turn things around. They were both in discussion with others of like mind, and they realized that they must have as wide an impact as possible. Gordon was neck deep in a new career, but James was a "free agent", able to turn his energy in any direction, focusing for maximum effect. There was a dilemma, for you see, both James and Gordon, like anyone else who has ever seen her and enjoyed her pleasures and treasures, had a special place in their hearts for the gracious Satilla.

But politics and perception are reality, and they realized that the mighty Altamaha is the crown jewel of Georgia, and by focusing on her they could tie North and South Georgia together in awareness of Georgia's rivers as systems, hopefully benefiting all of the forgotten rivers, including the Satilla, and strengthening, to a statewide level, the strong and effective keeping work started on the Upper Chattahoochee, several years before. Gordon and many others advised James to pursue the formation of an Altamaha RIVERKEEPER® organization. James became the RIVERKEEPER®, and Gordon, along with many other devoted persons (see also "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood" by Janisse Ray. 1999. Milkweed Editions, Minneapolis, Minnesota) served as a founding board member. They did this with great anticipation for success, and there was great excitement among the citizens of the Altamaha watershed as the effort moved forward.

But James and Gordon bore a great sadness at "leaving" their beloved Satilla. They discussed it often. But the sadness was only for a season, because they somehow knew, and they promised themselves and each other, that they would return to her.

James, Deborah Sheppard, and many others built a strong Altamaha effort. Don Stack and others formed a Canoochee RIVERKEEPER® (which has now joined with Friends of the Ogeechee to protect the entire Ogeechee watershed.) An effort got started on the beleaguered Savannah. And James kept his promise to not forget the Satilla, lobbying the Georgia legislature to provide funds to study her lower reaches, where work by UGA and Skidaway Institute continues today.

Then the events outlined above began to unfold, people with a common concern and love for the Satilla began to meet and work together. Jack, James, Guy, Larry, Charles, the Sasser brothers, Gloria, and all the members of SOS began to do their good work.

James was involved, but Gordon was absent, following events in the papers, and in conversations with James, but not involved. Nine years had passed since Gordon left DNR, and seven years had gone by from when Gordon and James first discussed "which river" to focus upon. Gordon was not keeping his promise, "lost" in his new career. Then, he suddenly lost his career and livelihood. The timing was amazing. Gordon became unemployed in June of 2004. Someone wanted him involved in the Satilla effort.

Today, James and Gordon shake their heads at how Providence has guided their lives. Gordon has now met the other highly dedicated folks, who have poured so much personal time and treasure into saving the Satilla. He realizes that the Satilla is not only special, but deserves to have promises made to her, kept. They all marvel at how their paths have weaved back and forth, and then crossed, at how a Power beyond what mere humans can muster is surely involved.

So, Satilla RIVERKEEPER® was launched, an official effort dedicated to the expensive and time-consuming business of conserving and restoring our precious river. SOS continues to be the backbone source for membership, and a force for citizen action and education, staying true to its mission and working with the new RIVEKEEPER®. The main change to the effort is the realization that like freedom, caring for and improving the Satilla is not "free." Satilla RIVERKEEPER® is a grassroots organization, but membership must be paid for, because effective, professional keeping is expensive. The many individuals who worked so hard, pursuing their passion for a clean, healthy Satilla, now work together under the Satilla RIVERKEEPER® standard: Jack has spent hours advising and encouraging Gordon. Gloria and James are involved nearly every day. Don is involved in new and continuing actions in the Satilla River valley. Chip Sasser in on the Board, and Richard is both a major contributor and hosts a website -- www.satillariver.com -- featuring the Satilla (and holding up his end of the load until we got ours up!!). Guy has spent hours advising Gordon, dialing him into issues in Coffee County, and made arrangements for public presentations in the upper watershed. Doug is on the Board and has been instrumental in fundraising, plus early efforts to establish a protected river corridor. Cindy, David, Rosemary, Charlie, Mike, . . . . . . and as of this writing (September 2005) nearly 200 paid memberships representing nearly 500 warm bodies are all pulling their weight and moving forward as a strong force for a delicate lady. Please join us . . . . . . NOW!

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