The proposed Nacoochee Village development in White County is getting plenty of attention, as reported in the White County News-Telegraph.
The first round of comments from agencies and organizations was largely negative, centering on water and waste treatment needs and transportation difficulties. Only the Board of Directors of the Georgia Mountain Regional Development Center (GMRDC) approved the proposed plan.
In this round, the use of roads came under closer inspection. A representative of the DOT criticized the use of Bean Creek Road as a residential and construction access road. During the first part of the proposed project, sixty single family homes would be built on 150 acres. All the materials and vehicles needed for the construction would travel along narrow, winding, two-lane Bean Creek Road. Even after construction, subdivision residents would have to use this same road as their entrance for years.
GMRDC Transportation Planner Jerry Presley pointed out that the pavement would crumble under the heavy usage. He said, “There’s not room for a heavy truck and car to pass. In my assessment, Bean Creek Road is not suitable. The comissioners should require development of the project from the southern portion of Highway 17 going north.”
New homes are already increasing traffic load. Rabun Road is congested, its gravelled surface has deteriorated, and there is no current plan to pave it. It is a narrow road, as is Bean Creek Road, and at significant risk is the safety of children and current residents, as traffic often travels too fast.
The next commission meeting on April 12 could be a contentious one.
The
Final Proof: Global Warming is a Man-Made Disaster
Spring
2005
Scientists have found the first unequivocal link between man-made greenhouse gases and a dramatic heating of the Earth’s oceans. The researchers - many funded by the US government - have seen what they describe as a “stunning” correlation between a rise in ocean temperature over the past 40 years and pollution of the atmosphere.
The study destroys a central argument of global warming skeptics within the Bush administration - that climate change could be a natural phenomenon. It should convince George Bush to drop his objections to the Kyoto treaty on climate change, the scientists say.
Tim Barnett, a marine physicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego and a leading member of the team, said: “We’ve got a serious problem. The debate is no longer: “Is there a global warming signal?” The debate now is “What are we going to do about it?”
The findings are crucial because much of the evidence of a warmer world has until now been from air temperatures, but it is the oceans that are the driving force behind the Earth’s climate. Dr. Barnett said: “Over the past 40 years there has been considerable warming of the planetary system and approximately 90 per cent of that warming has gone directly into the oceans.”
He told the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington: “We defined a ‘fingerprint’ of ocean warming. Each of the oceans warmed differently at different depths and constitutes a fingerprint which you can look for. We had several computer simulations, for instance one for natural variability: could the climate system just do this on its own? The answer was no.
“We looked at the possibility that solar changes or volcanic effects could have caused the warming - not a chance. What just absolutely nailed it was greenhouse warming.”
America produces a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gases, yet under President Bush it is one of the few developed nations not to have signed the Kyoto treaty to limit emissions. The President’s advisers have argued that the science of global warming is full of uncertainties and change might be a natural phenomenon.
Dr. Barnett said that position was untenable because it was now clear from the latest study, which is yet to be published, that man-made greenhouse gases had caused vast amounts of heat to be soaked up by the oceans. “It’s a good time for nations that are not part of Kyoto to re-evaluate their positions and see if it would be to their advantage to join,” he said.
The study involved scientists from the US Department of Energy, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as the Met Office’s Hadley Center.
They analyzed more than 7 million recordings of ocean temperature from around the world, along with about 2 million readings of sea salinity, and compared the rise in temperatures at different depths to predictions made by two computer simulations of global warming.
“Two models, one from here and one from England, got the observed warming almost exactly. In fact we were stunned by the degree of similarity,” Dr Barnett said. “The models are right. So when a politician stands up and says ‘the uncertainty in all these simulations start to question whether we can believe in these models’, that argument is no longer tenable.” Typical ocean temperatures have increased since 1960 by between 0.5C and 1C, depending largely on depth. Dr. Barnett said: “The real key is the amount of energy that has gone into the oceans. If we could mine the energy that has gone in over the past 40 years we could run the state of California for 200,000 years... It’s come from greenhouse warming.”
Because the global climate is largely driven by the heat locked up in the oceans, a rise in sea temperatures could have devastating effects for many parts of the world.
Ruth Curry, from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said that warming could alter important warm-water currents such as the Gulf Stream, as melting glaciers poured massive volumes of fresh water into the North Atlantic. “These changes are happening and they are expected to amplify. It’s a certainty that these changes will put serious strains on the ecosystems of the planet,” Dr. Curry said.
— Steve Connor, February 19, 2005, http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0219-01.htm
Georgia
Legislature Update
Winter
2004/2005
The Sierra Club tracks environmental bills as they come through our Georgia legislature. Already there are bills to watch for, both pro and con.
SB 9 Georgia Smokefree Air Act — support
HB 55 River Basin Protection Act — support
HB 53 Intrabasin Transfer Bill — support
HB 21 Hybrid Tax Credit — support
SB 5 Georgia Public - Private Infrastructure Act of 2005 — oppose*
* The other name for SB 5 is Eminent Domain Abuse. Under it, the power of eminent domain could be used to take the private property of one person in order to sell it to another. A private operator could designate private property, the local government would condemn the land, and it is then sold to the operator. But then the project could have a wholly “private” component, as long as there is a “public purpose” in its final form. Public and private credit are mingled in ways that are hard to sort out and open to possible corruption.
Time is short; please let your legislator know your preferences. Your district numbers are on your voter registration card, or call your county registrar. Then call 404-656-5040 (Secretary of the Senate) or 404-656-5015 (Clerk of the House) to find your legislator in Atlanta. You might also tell them that money set aside in the Hazardous Waste Fund should be used for that purpose, not to balance the state budget. Otherwise it might be called fraud.
You can sign up to get the Sierra Legislative Newsletter directly from the Sierra Club at 404-607-1262 or http://www.georgia.sierraclub.org or georgia.chapter@sierraclub.org. Donations are requested.
Sautee
Nacoochee Valley Development
Winter
2004/2005
One of the biggest developments ever proposed for the Valley is under serious scrutiny by state and county agencies, as well as local organizations. The ‘Nacoochee Village’ proposal is for 858 acres between Helen, SR 75 and SR 17 with the Chattahoochee River right in the middle — 300 single family houses, one or more hotels, a conference center, and many shops and restaurants. Three entrances are planned. One would be off SR75 near the present winery, entailing moving that road westward for the commercial area. Another one would be off SR 17, just east of the historic Hardman property. The third entrance would be off Bean Creek Road opposite historic Bean Creek Missionary Baptist Church.
Only the director of the Georgia Mountain Regional Development Center (GMRDC) called the proposal “in the best interest of the state.” Opposition came from the staff of GMRDC, all five commissioners of the City of Helen, Chattahoochee Headwaters Association, Friends of Bean Creek, Upper Chattahoochee River-keeper, Sautee Nacoochee Center, and specialists with the Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) and EPD’s Water protection Branch. White County Commissioners will have the final say.
Many comments centered on the need for water and waste treatment — 500,000 gallons of each per day. Kevin Farrell of the DNR wrote, “It is not easy at all to find wells that could yield this additional need when required to stay quite a distance from any stream when siting any potential well. The White County Water Authority is already at their permitted surface water withdrawal limit on Turner Creek.”
Jeffrey Durniak, Regional Fisheries Supervisor, saw “the potential for significant negative impacts to occur to downstream waters, including the Chattahoochee River and Lake Lanier, unless development is very carefully designed and constructed. Sediment loss from the site during construction and increased storm water runoff due to increased impervious surfaces are major concerns. The applicant also has not determined how water and sewer are to be provided.”
Mark Beebe of EPD noted missing information. “EPD does not approve this project. The developer must document the ability and will of the City to provide wastewater transport and treatment capacity.”
Andy Allen, President of Friends of Bean Creek (FBC), provided the most detailed critique of the Nacoochee Village Project, beginning with the developer’s lack of interest in meeting with residents before presenting his plan. Nor did he answer concerns about impacts on quality of life in the Bean Creek Community.
Effect on traffic on Bean Creek and Rabun roads was not addressed, though new homes are already increasing traffic load. Rabun Road is congested, with washboard surface and ruts in wet weather and clouds of dust in dry weather. The one new commercial establishment has destroyed archaeological sites, increased strain on the aquifer, and added noise and light pollution. The health of local residents has already attracted the attention of scientists from many agencies, and new development could only aggravate the problems.
Placing the project’s entrance in this residential area, opposite its center, Bean Creek Church, would “direct traffic of the privileged and wealthy through the impoverished and disadvantaged African American community at the expense of its most vulnerable residents. The impact on property values and taxes would put additional pressure on an economically depressed community, increasing the potential for displacement. Without county guarantees or special tax district designation, residents are in danger of being displaced.”
The Bean Creek community should have been included in the Historic District when the Sautee and Nacoochee Valleys were put on the National Register of Historic Places.
This project hardly qualifies as a Regional Economic Assistance Project (REAP) until its full scope is known. Possible job creation is another unknown — there is no history of hiring black people, providing job security or employee health care benefits. FBC opposes blanket approvals of incomplete development proposals or grandfather clauses for developments subject to change. Incomplete plans should raise a red flag. The group commends commissioners and the GMRDC for initiating a fresh DRI (Development of Regional Impact) review.
Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s Darcie Holcomb concluded “the proposed action is not in the best interest of the state,” because of impact on the environment and local communities, lack of details in the configuration and uses of the 858 acres, commercial development within wetlands and floodplain and in plain view of Hardman Farm and the Indian Mound, demand for water supply and sewage treatment on the City of Helen (which is already under a consent order with the state EPD), impact on traffic, erosion and sedimentation already evident at Habersham Winery, and the amount of impervious surface projected that could impair the primary trout stream.
Helen Commissioners agreed that too much information is lacking on water and waste infrastructure, as well as the suggestion of annexation into the city which requires public hearings. The critical factor was the failure of the developer to provide the city with information on the needs of the project, and the failure of the developer to commit any funding for the infrastructure.
Alan Sykes of the Chattahoochee Headwaters Association added his concern that the DRI cover sheet erred in saying the development was not in a protected river corridor. He, too, questioned how sewage on the west side of the river would be handled.
White County Commissioners will make the final decision. Please make plans to attend the summit meeting on this project and to raise questions and concerns vital to the environment and local communities.
— Adele Kushner and Joanne Steele
Ever since he founded the WorldWatch Institute in 1974, Lester Brown has been preaching doom. He is still doing it but this time with a detailed plan that could save us.
Even as the glaciers melt, the deserts expand, and our aquifers shrink, he has not lost hope. He believes our economy can still be restructured to be part of the environment but the process must begin soon. His data show that resource demands in 1999 already exceeded the world’s capacity by 20%. What action can reverse this trend? A reform like the one that saved India from famine following the monsoon failure in 1965. That reform enabled India to double its wheat harvest in seven years, going from being the world’s largest wheat importer to being self-sufficient in wheat.
The first indicators of trouble will show up, he predicts, as declining aquifers cause reductions in the grain harvest and higher grain prices. Then will come spreading hunger and unrest.
Emerging water shortages rarely hit the headlines because they are treated as local events — rivers drying up, wells going dry, or lakes disappearing. Wells have already gone dry on thousands of farms in the southern Great Plains. In parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas the underground water table has dropped by more than 30 meters (100 feet). In India the water table dropped a meter a year, between 15 and 400 meters over the last three decades. China has already had a decline in grain production and is dipping into stocks.
What is Mr. Lester’s plan? The titles of his chapters provide an outline:
Raising
Water Productivity
Raising Land Productivity
Cutting Carbon Emissions in Half
Responding to the Social Challenge
The amazing thing is that he has seen these steps work all over the world.
The book is Plan B: Rescuing a Planet under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble.
Mountain
Protection Plans
Fall
2004
White County Planning Commission and County Commissioners are taking up the tedious task of a Mountain Protection ordinance. It is part of the minimum environmental standards counties and municipalities must adopt or face losing “Local Government Status” eligibility for many state grants and funds.
When development is allowed on steep slopes where poor soil conditions exist, erosion and runoff are more likely to occur, causing costly problems on adjacent property, and degrading rivers and streams.
These plans must address, at a minimum, the effect of activities within the protected mountain areas on:
1.
public health, safety and welfare, and private property rights;
2. any characteristics that make it unique or significant in the conservation
of flora and fauna including threatened, rare and endangered species.
The plans shall establish the local government’s policies regarding
such flora and fauna rather than identifying specific sites containing
them;
3. ground water or surface water quality;
4. visual esthetics;
5. whether effects of activities are temporary or permanent in nature,
and if temporary, the length of time of impact;
6. consider preservation of significant state historical and archaeological
resources (eligible for the National Register of Historic Places);
7. effect of activities within protected mountain areas in immediately
adjacent sensitive natural areas, and establish local government’s
policies regarding adjacent sensitive areas.
The minimum requires identifying land above 2,200 feet as a line of delineation and slope of 25% or greater for at least 500 feet horizontally as shown on US Geological Survey data or maps. That would protect only the very tops of the highest mountains in White County. A draft proposal on mountain and hillside development recommends 1,700 feet elevation. A case study of White County by UGA graduate student, Sheena Logothetti, entitled, “It’s All Downhill from Here: Developing Hillside Protection Guidelines,” also recommends no greater slopes than 15% because soil types on slopes greater than 15% in White County are not suitable for home foundations or septic tanks, due to erosion potential according to the USDA Soil Conservation Service. Slope should be a consideration apart from elevation.
A newspaper ad by the Sautee Nacoochee Community Association states, “If steep slopes are dangerous at 2,200 feet, they’re dangerous at 1000 feet. The fact is, our landmark mountains like Sal, Yonah, Lynch, Pink, Long, Wauka and others have their own individual needs and vulnerabilities.”
The Planning Commission has a big job ahead of it. Developers are concerned about the unknowns. Design plans for developing tracts of land that are between 1,500 and 2,200 feet with steep slopes may be in question for home sites. Now land in the mountains with a view is desirable. A developer may be able to sell these lots, but the new property owner would have to meet whatever requirements the ordinance requires.
All the Planning Commission meetings are open to the public. During work sessions they discuss proposed developments and mountain protection, but no decisions are made to approve or deny until the official meetings. Planning Commission meetings are first Monday of the month, 6 PM in the County Courthouse Grand Jury room. Work sessions are last Monday at 6 PM in the Grand Jury room. Commission recommends a draft ordinance, it goes before the County Commission and public hearings are scheduled.
We urge ACE members to check the newspapers and the SNCA website, www.snca.org/main, for updates and to show up for public comment at county meetings.
— Joanne Steele
Mountain
Protection Comments
Fall
2004
From the Gainesville Times article by Debbie Gilbert on Nov. 7, 2004:
“By adopting stricter standards, it will give us some of the most attractive property in the Southeast. A homeowner may want to cut all the trees around his (mountaintop) house to enhance his own view. But think what would happen if everybody did that. You’d look out and see big holes all over the mountains, and it ruins the view for everyone.”
— David Sutton, director of community development, White County.
“Developers in Towns County cut trees far beyond what is required for those lots. Most clearing is done for the convenience of the builder. But to preserve the ridgeline, you’ve got to leave enough room to have trees behind and between houses.”
— Barry Blalock, White County real estate developer.
“We are not against all regulations, but we object to the way this is being done. We believe local authorities should be able to govern themselvesÉ (But) they are acting under the auspices of state government.”
—Peter Both, former White County resident and business owner.
“You’re balancing the public good against people’s property rights, and sometimes that’s difficult.”
— Michael Gleaton, Georgia Dept. of Community Affairs.
Mount Yonah Elementary, the newest school in White County, has an active science study and support team, made up of teachers, parents and community volunteers. Within its ranks are botanists, an entomologist, birders and avid gardeners, in addition to the first and fourth grade teachers, Joyce Etheridge and Valerie Williams.
One of the goals of the team is to help design six garden sites on campus, one for each grade. Last year Audrey Moyen donated blue bird houses that were strategically placed around the school, and students have observed blue birds and house wrens nesting and raising their young.
In September, three team members attended the Georgia Wildlife Federation (GWF) Schoolyard Ecology Symposium at the Alcovy Conservation Center in Covington, GA. GWF assists schools in creating outdoor classrooms.
Members shared resource materials and case studies from around the state, and small groups discussed ways to meet curriculum requirements for outdoor learning. Successful outdoor classrooms depend on community support, student involvement, teacher training and interest, administrative support, funding, and careful planning. The sites must function as multipurpose areas that are accessible to all grade levels and abilities. Studies show that students who learn in outdoor classrooms show improvement in science and math.
Amanda Kail of GWF visited the school in October and provided resource information about the National Wildlife Curriculum. From the beginning of the project, teachers and students discover how to learn outside the school building. We looked at drainage, irrigation, foot traffic flow, sunlight and noise sources. Ground maintenance crews must be aware of where the borders of outdoor classrooms are. School boards must be informed also.
A parent of one of the kindergarten children in Erica Eggert’s class has donated funds to develop a butterfly garden. Jackie and Ernie Sprague have donated perennials to go into the garden, and the master gardeners and Amanda Kail suggested other native plant species and where to order them.
The first and fourth grade classes have already tested soil pH, added composted manure, and planted a winter garden bed with radish seeds, and broccoli, collard and cabbage plants. Hands-on education helps develop children’s skills, vision and awareness that will help protect pollinators, native plants and animals.
— Joanne Steele
