Brantley County and Municipalities
Coastal Incentive Grants:
The following Coastal Incentive Grant projects were either submitted directly by one of the Brantley County local governments or by one of the government agencies that provides services to Brantley County and its municipalities.
Satilla River Recreational and Historic Resources Survey; submitted by the Brantley County Board of Commissioners and funded in April 1998. GA DNR CRD provided $20,000 for documentation and mapping of recreational, historic, and visible archaeological resources along the Satilla River in Brantley County. The project included development of brochures and booklets for distribution to the public.
Satilla River Boat Landing; submitted by the Brantley County Board of Commissioners and funded in October 2002. GA DNR CRD provided $13,815 to plan and construct a new boat ramp on the Satilla River at the Highway 82 crossing in the eastern portion of Brantley County. The ramp area will include a low impact, unpaved drive and parking area, and a concrete river access ramp suitable for small recreational boats and canoes. * Note: These two projects are the only projects that have been submitted for consideration by any of the local government entities in Brantley County.
Conservation Education Program; submitted by the Satilla River Soil and Water Conservation District and funded for 2 years in October 1999 and in October 2000. This project provided a number of Best Management Practice workshops for landowners, local government staff and students in the Satilla River SWCD service area. Workshops focused on: Erosion & Sediment Control for construction sites (scholarships were provided for local government staff to attend), Conservation Tillage (No-Till Drill) Demonstrations and Litter Spreader Demonstrations for agricultural interests, and Forestry Best Management Practices. The award provided various conservation brochures and materials for distribution in the service area.
Technical Assistance to Brantley County and Municipalities
The Technical Assistant for Brantley County is Jill Huntington, whose activities within the county have included:
• Presenting at the 2001 and 2002 Leadership Brantley classes. The topic of both presentations was the protection of natural resources within the county, most particularly the Satilla River, and how citizens can be involved.
• Demonstrating GIS technology to the Brantley County Development Authority, and discussing the types of assistance available to the Authority in selecting appropriate sites for local industrial/commercial development.
• Meeting with County Commissioners to discuss Coastal Incentive Grant opportunities, and assisting the County in preparing a Coastal Incentive Grant application for a new boat ramp to enhance pubic access to the Satilla River.
• Displaying the Coastal Ark at the Okefenokee Rural Electric Membership Corporation (OREMC) annual meetings/festivals.
• Assisting the citizens of Brantley County on organizing a 2002 Rivers Alive clean-up event at Satilla River/Lake Herrin Landing. More than 55 bags of trash were pulled from the riverbank. Additional clean-up events are currently being planned.
• Organizing a meeting for elected officials of Brantley County, Hoboken, and Nahunta, and for teachers and citizens to meet with Dr. Joe Richardson of Savannah State University/Coastal Adopt-A-Stream training center. Dr. Richardson discussed the different levels of participation in an Adopt-A-Stream program. Harold Harbert of DNR-Atlanta was also present to talk about Rivers Alive and other volunteer opportunities. The meeting also served as a public meeting for three TMDL implementation plans affecting local waterways.
• Meeting with local elected officials and the Southeast Georgia Regional Development Center to discuss issues and possible solutions related to septic and trash pollution of the Satilla River.
• Meeting with elected officials from the Cities of Nahunta and Homeland (Charlton County), and Brantley County commissioners to discuss a project to restore hydrology to the Little Okefenokee swamp.
• Attending numerous County Commission meetings and offering assistance to the Planning Commission.
• Participating in Brantley County's Community-Wide Strategic Planning Workshops. This workshop provides a forum for citizens and elected officials to discuss how to improve county services and enhance its natural resources.
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