2024 Year in Review

As 2024 comes to a close, we reflect on an incredible year of progress, collaboration, and action for the St. Marys River and our communities. 

Guided by our mission to protect the St. Marys River now and for the future, we have achieved significant milestones that strengthen our role as stewards of this vital ecosystem. 

Here’s a look back at just a few of our accomplishments this year:

Strategic Plan Launch: Charting the Future for St. Marys Riverkeeper

Thanks to input from all of you, we proudly launched our strategic plan, a roadmap that will guide St. Marys Riverkeeper’s efforts over the next five years. This plan reflects our commitment to protecting the St. Marys River and its watershed while addressing the challenges of a changing environment and growing communities. View Strategic Plan presentation

The strategic plan focuses on three core pillars:

 

• • Community Engagement: Create a deeper sense of community and connection to the St. Marys River.

• • Capacity Building: Grow and strengthen an effective St. Marys Riverkeeper organization.

• • Fund Development: Develop a sustainable funding model for the short-term and long- term.

 

The Strategic Plan is already strengthening our efforts in several key areas: 

Community, Volunteer and Donor Engagement

 

• • At our River Clean-up in April, 400 volunteers pulled six tons of trash and debris from the river and surrounding areas. See the positive impact from our 2024 cleanup on our blog.

• • River tours welcomed participants of all ages, teaching them about the river’s unique biodiversity and the challenges it faces.

• • Our Toast to Clean Water was a big success (see photos) and we premiered a “Sneak Peek” of “Tail of Two Rivers,”  a documentary about federally endangered Atlantic sturgeon in our River. This short documentary sets the stage for a larger project in the works for 2025: a full-length feature documentary. Register for our 1Q Advocacy Webinar on Jan. 15 to see it!

• • Our Development committee is looking to cultivate more sustainable revenue streams to ensure long-term impact.

• • Our success this year would not have been possible without the passion and generosity of our community, donors, sponsors and local media, and we’re on track to accomplish our goal of monthly communications with you all.

Water Quality Monitoring

 

• • Work is underway to recruit our first-ever Water Quality Coordinator, which will allow us to more effectively manage volunteers and potentially increase the number of monitoring sites across the watershed. Please send great candidates our way!

• • This year, we expanded our water quality testing program to identify new sites across the St. Marys River watershed, providing critical data for tracking the health of our waterways. With the dedication of our trained volunteers, we’ve consistently tested across both Georgia and Florida using standardized protocols from Adopt-a-Stream and the Florida DEP. 

• • These efforts have enhanced our ability to identify pollution sources, advocate for necessary action, and share meaningful findings with the community. See some of our wins below.

• • We trained more than 20 new citizen scientists through hands-on workshops, and look forward to onboarding them in the coming year.

• • We’re also able to invest in advanced testing and reporting technologies and community science training.

Advocacy in Action

 

• • Partnerships with each county Emergency Management Agency (EMA) ensure our watershed is not only protected during crises but also prepared to thrive in the face of long-term environmental challenges. This is especially important in light of more intense hurricane seasons (read 2024 Recap). EMA partners in our watershed partners include: Baker County, Camden County, Charlton County, and Nassau County. Watch for much more in 2025. 

• • Water Quality wins include the City of Fernandina Beach removing Escambia Street. This should improve waterway water quality and the resilience of the city. Work is scheduled for Jan-April, 2025. This is directly connected to our consistent water quality testing. Regular reporting to the state resulted in the waterway being listed as impaired leading to community pressure for the city to find a solution.The solution is to daylight the creek (ie remove the street). Read more on our blog. 

• • The ‘Horsepen Creek Improvement Team’ was recognized late in 2023 as a recipient of Georgia Water Coalition’s Clean 13 Award, and the work continued through 2024. Other members of the team include: Camden County and its Department of Health, St. Marys River Management Committee, University of Georgia, GA EPD, Superior Septic, and the watershed community of Horsepen Creek. Read more on our blog.

• • Command Navy Region Southeast, Naval Submarine Base (NSB) Kings Bay, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently hosted a dynamic stakeholder engagement at Crooked River State Park, Georgia. The event brought together local, state, and federal experts to explore the Beneficial Use of Dredged Material (BUDM) and its potential to address both navigational and ecological challenges. Annually, approximately 1 million cubic yards (MCY) of sediment are dredged from the NSB Kings Bay channel to maintain safe navigation. This volume is projected to double by 2050 due to sea level rise. At the same time, surrounding marsh habitat has experienced significant loss—770 acres since 1932, with another 500 acres projected to disappear by 2050. The group reviewed findings showing the promise of utilizing dredged material to restore marsh ecosystems and reduce shoaling by up to 75%. This innovative approach aligns with efforts to preserve critical habitats such as for the Atlantic sturgeon, which St. Marys Riverkeeper requested to be added to the endangered species list.

• • We recently learned we received a $716,000 grant from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through their National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) to support planning and capacity building for nature-based solutions for coastal resilience in the St. Marys River watershed. This grant will help us and community partners prepare for increasing coastal flooding and more intense storms, while improving riverine habitats for fish and wildlife over the next 2.5 years. NCRF grants are awarded in partnership between NFWF and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Shell and Oxy. With the help of University of Georgia Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems, we will develop a Watershed Resilience Plan including:
    

     

    • • Prioritizing 10 nature-based solutions for implementation
    • • Developing protocols to augment sediment, restore wetlands, complete stream daylighting, improve critical habitat of Atlantic Sturgeon, and protect flood-prone communities
    • • Protecting flood-prone communities and enhancing resilience

We are thrilled to lead these efforts to safeguard our St. Marys River and watershed communities!

Looking Ahead to 2025

Even with all our successes, big challenges are on the horizon. Key goals for 2025 include:

 

• • Expanding water quality testing and reporting to reach more watershed communities.

• • Launching new advocacy campaigns focused on climate resilience.

• • Opposing the Twin Pines Mining Permit, issued by Georgia EPD

• • Deepening our partnerships with local governments, businesses, and schools to drive greater impact.

Save the Date

Q1 Advocacy Webinar (#9): January 15, 2025; noon-1p
A Tail of Two Rivers Short Documentary “Sneak Peek” Register here

See A Tail of Two Rivers with NEW footage from recent Fall Sampling (spoiler: it’s really good!). You’ll also be treated to a behind-the-scenes look at these resilient creatures that have been navigating our River for millions of years. We’ll also share updates on the full release, supported by The Nature Conservancy.

St. Marys River Cleanup (27th Annual): April 19, 2025; 9a-11a

All four counties participate in this watershed wide cleanup. In 2024, 400 volunteers pulled six tons of trash. Join us afterwards for volunteer appreciation at White Oak Conservation. More info coming soon!

Thank you for being part of our journey!

Finally, we would like to thank our partner organizations and sponsors (see below). Together, we are making a difference, ensuring the St. Marys River remains a vibrant ecosystem for generations to come. 

Here’s to an even more successful 2025: together we can build a stronger, more resilient future!

Emily Floore, Executive Director and Your St. Marys Riverkeeper Team

More Special Thanks

Partner Organizations:

National and Regional Environmental & Riverkeeper Organizations

The Nature Conservancy (TNC): Nature Conservancy

Waterkeepers Alliance: https://waterkeeper.org/ 

Georgia Water Coalition: https://www.gawater.org/ 

Waterkeepers Florida: https://www.waterkeepersflorida.org/

Local and State Environmental Organizations

Georgia Rivers: Georgia Rivers

Okefenokee Swamp Park: Okefenokee Swamp Park

Florida Wildlife Federation: Florida Wildlife Federation

Georgia Conservancy: Georgia Conservancy

Educational and Research Partners

University of Georgia (UGA): UGA

Jacksonville University Marine Science Research Institute

Government and Agency Partners

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): NOAA

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS): USFWS

National Park Service (NPS)

Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR): Georgia DNR

Georgia Adopt-A-Stream

Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP): Florida DEP

St. Marys Riverkeeper Golf Invitational Sponsors:

Title Sponsor:

White Oak Conservation

Rayonier

Day Sponsor

MacCurrach Golf Construction Inc

Group Sponsor:

Advanced Technology Services (ATS)

Bulldog Liquors

First Tee North Florida

Haskell

Royalty Auto Service

Church of Eleven22

PA Financial

Steve Brockman & Friends of the Riverkeeper

Event Sponsor (non-golfing)

Prudential Financial

Toast to Clean Water Sponsors:

River Defender: 

Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau

Headwaters Hero:

Rayonier, Traders Hill Farm, Wildlight, Live Wildly Foundation

Estuary Guardian: 

Embers Group, Chemours, Settlement Group

Current Champion: 

Bulldog Discount Liquors, Amelia Island Brewing Company, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge World Heritage Bid, Yamaha Rightwaters 

Tributary Contributor: 

JGE Family, Georgia River Network, Southern Environmental Law Center, Amelia Events, Avant Catering, Luxe Picnics, eWheelz, Launch Design & Promotions, The Farm at Okefenokee, Ameris Bank, Pineland Bank, Cumberland Services