Beachwalk Project Joins Altamaha Riverkeeper to
Support Jekyll
Island Protection
Altamaha Riverkeeper's work to protect Georgia's coastal environment
is a shared goal of Beachwalk project members doing a 1600 mile paddle/walk
of the East Coast.
April 28, 2007
Press Release
Jekyll Island, GA (PRWEB) April 28, 2007 -- Protecting Jekyll Island
for future generations was the focus of Altamaha Riverkeeper's (ARK)
(www.altamahariverkeeper.org) recent Celebrate Jekyll gathering. ARK
and Beachwalk Project members braved high winds on the island's undeveloped
south end to urge citizens to support protection of Jekyll, one of
Georgia's most accessible natural beaches.
Beginning in February 2007, Beachwalk Project members Stein Kretsinger
and Robert Weinman launched a 133-day, 1600-mile walk/kayak journey
along the entire eastern seashore from Miami, FL to New York, NY to
support the environment.
After being on their trek for 8 weeks, the paddlers joined Altamaha
Riverkeeper for the April 15th celebration. Weinman, a Seattle-based
teacher when not paddling, expressed how wonderful it was to discover
an island as pristine as Jekyll; "The landscape in Georgia is
beautiful and natural, especially after coming from Florida where it
is so developed."
Their stop on Jekyll was made to highlight the importance of protecting
Georgia's barrier islands from beachfront development. Krestsinger
said, "In Florida we saw first hand how development has driven
the spending of millions of dollars to re-nourish beaches that are
naturally eroding. Because numerous structures are built too close
to the beach, now residents are paying the costs of bringing in more
sand to keep the structures from falling into the ocean."
"We know how special Jekyll Island is to Georgians but learning
from our guests about development problems on Florida's beaches renews
our commitment to protecting the island for the thousands of visitors
who come to enjoy its undeveloped nature," said Billie Jo Parker,
the Coastkeeper of the Altamaha Riverkeeper.
In the last month, the Altamaha Riverkeeper joined thousands of citizens
from throughout Georgia to support legislation to protect the south
end of Jekyll from proposed development. The effort came after members
of the Jekyll Island Authority began publicly discussing their plans
to seek a master developer to create a development plan for the island.
In the last hours of the 2007 General Assembly, Senator Jeff Chapman
of Brunswick amended legislation aimed at facilitating Jekyll's development.
These amendments will protect the island against inappropriate development.
The Beachwalk project is continuing and its route will take Kretsinger
and Weinman along the world's longest barrier island chain, marked
by beaches, swamps, estuaries and wetlands. Along the way, they are
meeting with other waterkeepers, leaders, and educators in coastal
communities. Part of their goal is to raise support for Waterkeeper
Alliance, a grassroots advocacy organization with 155 local clean water
advocates, such as the Altamaha Riverkeeper, who patrol waterways and
protect the publics right to clean water. Beachwalk project is also
using the expedition to promote healthy water and wind-based activities
to children including: fishing, kayaking, surfing, windsurfing, kite-boarding
and sailing.
Kretsinger and Weinman have a long history of outdoor sports under
their belts and say every day is an adventure. When asked about planning
for the trip, Kretsinger laughed and said that even though neither
one of them started out as expert paddlers, they would be by the end
of the trip.
If Kretsinger seems confident, it may be because he is no stranger
to success. In 2000, he co-founded Advertising.com, an on-line marketing
company, which was sold to AOL/Time Warner for a sunny $435 million
in 2004.
The planner in the group seems to be Evelyn Weinman. She is following
in the escort vehicle, organizing all public relations events, and
arranging their overnight stays on beaches and in national and state
parks. From Guam, Evelyn is also the chief cook and prepares her healthy
native food in the RV, which serves as their home away from home.
Evelyn says, "You have to respect the water. It has its own spirit.
Today in Guam, the water is so polluted with discharge from large ships
it is not healthy for the natives to use the water for fishing anymore.
We want to raise environmental awareness and encourage children and
community members to become involved with programs, like the Altamaha
Riverkeeper to promote responsible watershed stewardship."
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