Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue gave the keynote address at the Academy’s Savannah River at Risk Public Forum on Tuesday, June 21 at Savannah Rapids Pavilion. The forum offered stakeholders an opportunity to meet and hear key officials outline challenges and strategies to managing Savannah River water in a comprehensive manner. Stakeholder representatives from the upper, middle, and lower Savannah River reaches provided regional perspective on the economic, regulatory, and ecological issues associated with management of Savannah River water. In his speech, Governor Perdue stressed that the Savannah River should be “a bridge and not a boundary” one that “connects rather than divides.”

After welcomes by Academy Board member and forum moderator Braye Boardman, Columbia County Commision chairman Ron Cross, and Augusta Commission member Don Grantham, Governor Perdue’s keynote address was followed by a forum overview by Dr. Gene Eidson, Academy President and CEO, and presentations from stakeholder representatives from the upper, middle, and lower Savannah River reaches with regional perspective on the economic, regulatory, and ecological issues associated with management of Savannah River water. (See list below.)

As the day’s final speaker, Dr. Eidson recognized the importance of river resources issues to all river stakeholders and outlined the Academy’s Savannah River at Risk Initiatives, a $1.8 million research and education effort. He highlighted the Academy’s plans to focus its efforts on leadership, research, and education in order to improve understanding of a healthy river system, develop science-based sustainable management practices that will support economic growth, and encourage participation in shaping water policy.

The Public Forum provided the foundation for an important dialogue to follow between the Academy, Savannah River stakeholders, and local and state lawmakers. The Academy is looking forward to hosting a second forum Summer 2006 in order to continue this dialogue.

Public Forum Participants

Jeff Allen, Clemson University’s Strom Thurmond Institute
Dr. Carol Couch, Director, Georgia EPD
William L. Cox, Director, EPA Region 4, Watershed Management Office
Dr. Gene Eidson, President, Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy
Laurie Fowler, J.D., Co-Director, River Basin Center, University of Georgia Institute of Ecology
Mike Gray, Hartwell Lake Chamber Coalition
N. Max Hicks, Director, Augusta Utilities Department
Earl Hunter, Commissioner, South Carolina DHEC
Mayor Lark Jones, North Augusta, South Carolina
Paul Lamarre, Georgia EPD
Michael McShane, Chairman, South Carolina DNR
Dean Moss, G.M., Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority
Bob Scanlon, City of Savannah and the Savannah Harbor Committee
Bob Waldrep, Chairman, Savannah River Basin Coalition
Major Vance C. Williams, Savannah District Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Amanda Wrona, Director, Savannah River Basin, The Nature Conservancy of Georgia.