A Year of Success, Exciting New Programs, and Fun!

2009 was a fantastic year at Georgia River Network. Read on to learn about our exciting year in words and in photos!

Paddle Georgia 2009 paddlers at the End of Trip Celebration in Rome, GA on June 26, 2008.

In 2009, we completed our 5th annual Paddle Georgia, a 7-day educational journey where 325 participants paddled down the Coosawattee and Oostanaula Rivers. Paddle Georgia has now become the largest week-long canoe/kayak camping adventure in the country. Over the past 5 years, we have directly introduced more than 1,500

2009 Annual Report

individuals to Georgia’s rivers and generated more than $65,000 for river protection efforts in Georgia. The event consistently sells out year after year.

In 2009 we started a new Water Trails program. Water trails are trails that are on the water and traveled by boat. They are valuable not only for protecting water resources and providing recreation, but also for their economic and tourism potential.

We are creating an on-line clearinghouse that will give Georgians a central place to go, on the web, to learn about where and how they can get on Georgia’s rivers. We will also support and encourage communities and groups to designate water trails on their local rivers. All of this is with the goal of engaging more people in the protection of our rivers.

Georgia River Network’s Watershed Support Coordinator, Jesslyn Shields, worked with dozens of Georgia’s river groups in 2009 to empower them to protect their watersheds. She does this by providing

direct assistance, training, resources and tools for river protection. She also organized the annual conference

and workshops on grant writing.

EMPOWER: GRN Supports Georgia’s 30+ River Groups

Georgia River Network, 126 S. Milledge Ave., Suite E3, Athens, GA 30605, 706-549-4508, Fax: 706-549-7791, info@garivers.org, www.garivers.org

Dana Skelton, GRN’s Director of Administration and Outreach, Dana Skelton, GRN’s Director of Administration and Outreach,

and Joe Cook, Paddle Georgia Coordinator, gave the keynote and Joe Cook, Paddle Georgia Coordinator, gave the keynote

speech at the 2009 Southeastern Water Trails Conferencespeech at the 2009 Southeastern Water Trails Conference

Jesslyn assisted Elbert County residents fighting a proposed Jesslyn assisted Elbert County residents fighting a proposed

trashtrash--toto--energy incinerator in their watershedenergy incinerator in their watershed

Each year, we organize the GRN Annual Conference for Georgia’s river groups and river advocates. Over 120 people from all over Georgia attended the 2009 conference in Athens to learn how to better protect their rivers, tell their stories, and celebrate their successes.

2009 was a year that kept water in the headlines and made our work fighting for clean water protections more important than ever. We were a voice for Georgia’s rivers at the Statehouse, in Metro Atlanta, and with state agencies. One great example is our work with the Georgia Water Coalition to pass Well Water Protections during the 2009 legislative session. A bill was passed that places a 5-year moratorium on pumping chemically treated sewage and river water into our groundwater. This practice can contaminate vital drinking water sources for many Georgians.

ADVOCATE: GRN Fights for Protections for GA Rivers

Georgia River Network, 126 S. Milledge Ave., Suite E3, Athens, GA 30605, 706-549-4508, Fax: 706-549-7791, info@garivers.org, www.garivers.org

Thanks to funding from the Turner Foundation, Georgia River Network provided grants to Georgia river groups. We were able to re-grant $60,000 to these river groups to address pollution and promote water efficiency :

Altamaha Riverkeeper – Darien

Coosa River Basin Initiative – Rome

Ogeechee Canoochee Riverkeeper – Statesboro

Satilla Riverkeeper –Waynesville

Savannah Riverkeeper – Augusta

Little Tennessee Watershed Assoc.— Clayton

EMPOWER: GRN Makes Grants to River Groups

Photo Credit: Joe Cook

Photo Credit: Joe Cook

Thanks to Our 2009 Financial Supporters Foundations and Grantmakers Charles Stewart Mott Foundation * David B. Kahn Foundation * Environmental Support Center * Mohawk Foundation * Sapelo Foundation * Sweetgrass Foundation * Turner Foundation * Weathertop Foundation Corporate Donors Butler, Wooten, & Fryhofer * Atlanta Road Automotive * Boss & Son Welding & Fabrication Inc. * CoreComm PR * Earth Fare * Environmental Site Management * Global Underwater Explorers * Gunter Technical Services * Hennessy * High Falls BBQ * International Paper * Norfolk Southern Foundation * Northeast Sales Distributing Company * The Rain Barrel Company * REI * REM * StreamTechs, LLC Organizational Donors American Rivers - Southeast Field Office *Athens Grow Green Coalition * Atlanta Woman's Club * Broad River Watershed Association * Center for a Sustainable Coast * Clean Water Network * Community Boating of Athens * Coosa River Basin Initiative * Georgia Conservancy * Georgia Conservation Voters * Georgia Mining Association * High Falls Towaliga Watershed Alliance * Lake Burton Civic Association * Lake Lanier Association * Ogeechee Canoochee Riverkeeper, Inc. * Pepsico Foundation Matching Gifts Program * Satilla Riverkeeper * Soque River Watershed Association * The Wilderness Society * TN Valley Canoe Club * Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper * Upper Oconee Watershed Network River Heroes ($1000 or greater) Thomas Beman * Dac Crossley * Bill Eisenhauer * Bert, Debbie & Callie Ellis * Florence Melear * Terry Perenich * Donald Stack River Guardians ($500 or greater) Ryan & Pam Boland * Phyllis Bowen * Jean Brown * Tom & Lacy Camp * Dorinda Dallmeyer * Bud & Mary Freeman * Dan & Imogene Ingle * David & Jennifer Kahn * Parrie Pinyan * Cynthia McEwen & John Schmidt * Ron & Gay Shook River Supporters ($250 or greater) Andy Anderson * Chuck & Charli Budd * Gail Cowie * Bradley Currey * Forrest Dixon * Marty & Anne Emanuel * Mike Hagues * Sandy Layton * Bobby Marie * Ken & Diane Saladin * Linda Simmons * Charles & Patsy Stripling * David Wenner River Friends ($100 or greater) John Barfield *Ann Hollifield & Lee Becker * Patty Berkovitz * Bruce Boggs * Edward Boshears * John & Joyce Branch * Karen Branch * John Branch * Lorna Campbell * Patrick & Ann Carey * Ann Carr * Mitt Conerly * Walt & Bertha Davis * Violet & Donald Dawe * Ellen Deely * Katherine Ebner * Dick & Susan Field * Peter Fitzpatrick * Laurie Fowler * John & Kitty Gamble * Betty George * Katherine & Hank Green * Greg Gregory * Ed & Mary Griffin * Barb Grimm * Daisy Guthrie * Charles Haddon * Linda Haddon * Dudley Hartel * John Helms * Mary Herrington * Mark & Yvonne Hunter * Victor Johnson * Charles Jones * Jan Kearce * Marty & Maryann Kearns * Anne Kinder * Donna King * Scott & Heather Kleiner * Martha Kreitzer * Jean Smith & Sam Linhart * Judy Lockhart * Bill McHenry * Anna Miller * Hilda Moore * Peter Morgan * Clifford & Nanci Moseley * Jim Nuckolls * Ron & Gail Nuse * Doug Oetter * Stephen Olson * Flora Outlaw * Vincent Payne * Patrick Phelps * Paul Pinegar * Bud & Niki Queen * Tiffany Rhagnanan * Rick & Amy Rosemond * Barclay Rushton * Carole Rutland * Bob Saveland * Poni Shannon * Annie Shields * Julie & Bryan Stuart * Kay Giese & David Sweat * Gene & Roberta Teany * Hap Tietjen * Meranda Tillmon * Larry Tomlinson * John Train * Wayne & Linda Trowell * Frank Vanek * Bill Vang * Maxine Watkins * Shirley Weaver * Dr. Loren Hunt & Deb Weiler * Marie Westmoreland * Harriett & Fielding Whipple * Cheri Williamson * Richard Willsea * Linda Witt * David Youngerman