The Current: Camden rejects Cumberland land swap

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Mar 18, 2026, 9:16:09 AM (2 days ago) Mar 18

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From: The Current GA <st...@thecurrentga.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 6:12 AM
To: neillh...@earthlink.net
Subject: Camden rejects Cumberland land swap

Without county approval, land deals can't move forward on Cumberland

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Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Good morning! We trust you've recovered from a good, if chilly, St. Patrick's Day and are ready for a different sort of green news. We've got you covered with a surprising decision about Cumberland Island out of Camden last night. We also have an update on the Ogeechee Riverkeeper monitoring for Hyundai pollution, plans for putting gray water to use fighting fires in Liberty County, and new protections for land near the Okefenokee.

Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.l...@thecurrentga.org

NEWS: ENVIRONMENT

Live oaks and palmettos in the maritime forest on Cumberland Island. On October 27, 2024.

The Camden County Commission on Tuesday voted down a letter of support for the National Park Service's proposed land swaps with private landowners at Cumberland Island National Seashore. In urging the rejection, county residents and environmental groups cited a lack of clarity about the exchanges as well as concerns about potential commercial development on Georgia's largest barrier island.

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FEATURE: ENVIRONMENT

Justin Taylor/The Current GA/CatchLight/Report for America

Michelle Lowery, an environmental scientist with Ogeechee Riverkeeper, wades in the water to calibrate the device used to test water samples. In Ellabell on March 2, 2026. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA/CatchLight/Report for America

Trust but verify on Ogeechee

The Ogeechee Riverkeeper is monitoring the Ogeechee River for any potential pollution from the Hyundai plant in Ellabell, which recently began sending its wastewater through the newly constructed Bryan County wastewater treatment facility. With three years of baseline data to look back on, Riverkeeper Damon Mullis is confident they'll be able to detect changes, as The Current GA's Mary Landers reports.

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EXPLAINER: PUBLIC SAFETY

The Islands Fire Station, built in 2021, is a small fire station meant to service the wide expanses of east Liberty County and Tradeport East. Officials say it has no water tank of its own.

Saving water, fighting fire

Liberty County in Georgia is considering using recycled water from a proposed water treatment plant to solve problems with both its wastewater treatment capacity and its gaps in fire protection, as The Current GA's Robin Kemp reports. The plant would process up to 3 million gallons of water per day and provide the necessary infrastructure for firefighters to access the recycled water. However, funding is a sticking point.

CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY

Twin Pines Minerals plans to mine along Trail Ridge near the swamp.

Twin Pines Minerals once planned to mine along Trail Ridge near the swamp.

New state wildlife area near Okefenokee

About half the 8,000 acres the Conservation Fund bought from mining interest Twin Pines last year is being bought by Georgia to create a new Wildlife Management Area near the Okefenokee Swamp. The new WMA doesn’t have a name yet and won’t be open to visitors until 2027, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Drew Kann reports here. But the goal is providing “high-quality wildlife habitat,” as well as hunting and fishing opportunities.

Also noted

Chatham County Native Plant Sale & Tree Giveaway will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 21 at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, 2 Canebrake Road, Savannah. Attendees can receive up to two free trees per household, provided by the Savannah Tree Foundation. Species available in 3-gallon pots: sycamore, overcup oak, willow oak, white oak, nuttall oak, Ann magnolia, Jane magnolia, blackgum, swamp chestnut oak, tulip poplar, red maple, Eastern redbud, brown turkey fig, and Drake elm. Native plant vendors at the event will be: Flourabundance, All the Buzz, Victory Gardens, Naturescapes of Beaufort, Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens.

Zooplankton are the tiny creatures that shape marine ecosystems and coastal economies. Adam Greer, an associate professor in UGA’s Department of Marine Sciences and a faculty member at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography will lecture on how zooplankton powers our ocean ecosystem. Welcome reception starts at 6:30 p.m. Talk starts at 7 p.m. March 24 at SkIO Library Auditorium, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411 RSVP here.

Savannah Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier will host an environmental town hall meeting from 6-8 p.m. March 31 at the Coastal Georgia Center, 305 Fahm St., Savannah.