Armchair Activist

The significant Georgia conservation issues listed here have been reviewed and approved by the Conservation Policy Committee and are deemed to be in support of the GNPS mission statement: To promote the stewardship and conservation of Georgia’s native plants and their habitats through education and with the involvement of individuals and organizations.

Please let us know of any conservation issues in Georgia that we should consider sharing through our website.

Conservation Issues to Support

Flint River:

There is a proposal in Congress to authorize three dams on the Flint River, presently one of Georgia’s longest stretches of free-flowing river. The Flint drainage is filled with plants in the protected category, the most famous of which is the Shoals Lily (Hymenocallis coronaria). Others are Trillium reliquum in the Montezuma area and Silene polypetala in the Potato Creek area.

The Flint status has been upgraded by the American Rivers organization from one of the 10 most endangered to the #2 most endangered river in the US because of the revived threats to construct a series of dams near Thomaston.

Please find more information on the Flint Riverkeeper website.

Jekyll Island:

The beach and dune systems of Jekyll Island are the most important habitats to protect and restore on the island. There are development proposals affecting state-owned land on Jekyll Island which is a sensitive location–beach front of a Georgia barrier island that serves as important habitat for many forms of wildlife, including nesting areas for the loggerhead turtle.

Please find more information on the Save Jekyll Island website.

Stop I-3:

Congress has approved a study for a new interstate to connect Savannah GA to Knoxville TN (The Third Infantry Division Highway or I-3). Any feasible route would destroy numerous North Georgia plant habitats and the southern Appalachians as we know them today.

Please find more information on the Ways South website.