Buc-ee’s Travel Center at Exit 42

Share the facts with the public—your neighbors

The reality is that the public knows very little about this project. While Buc-ee’s and local developers benefiting from the project have included a few numbers in their proposal and rhetoric, no comprehensive economic, environmental, or traffic assessments have been conducted.

The October 7, 2021 Development of Regional Impact (DRI #34713) developed for this project states, “The ARSA {Area Requiring Special Attention} map indicates that the project site is designated as an Area of Significant Natural Resources. This designation is defined as where Regionally Important Resources (green infrastructure, groundwater recharge areas, wetlands, priority forests, floodplains, and conservation areas) are likely to be threatened by development” (emphasis added).

You’ll also notice on the DRI that there are quite a few “TBD”s on how to mitigate those threats.

Investigate the full impact of projected traffic increases

Apart from the projected 20,000 cars a day, it was shared in a January 2023 Glynn County Commission meeting that RVs are “very very important to Buc-ee’s” and “part of their business model.”

While there is nothing wrong with traveling via RV, the infrastructure required to support thousands of RVs moving in and out will likely stretch beyond the Buc-ee’s site, increasing the overall environmental and infrastructural impact of this project. The two accompanying RV sites have the potential to bring in 800-1000 RVs daily.

20,000+ carloads a day is an enormous customer volume expected at this facility on a daily basis. Buc-ees and other developments in the area must contribute to state-of-the-art industrial wastewater treatment system that will sufficiently address the needs of the area residents and increased visitors and ensure protection of the Altamaha River.

Again, no full traffic assessment has yet been released to the public for this specific site.

Protect the surrounding rivers, wetlands, and communities

Establish protective buffers. Implement buffers as recommended by the US Department of Agriculture. Buffers offer windbreaks, noise control, and visual screening to prevent this large commercial property and high-volume traffic from diminishing the quality of life for surrounding residents.

Protect our precious water resources. Construct stormwater management systems to capture and treat runoff from the 24 acres of pavement polluted with oil, suspended solids, sediments, and metals. Employ extra protections to prevent spills & overfill, detect leaks, & protect against corrosion for the underground storage tanks associate with Buc-ees’ 120 fuel tanks. Contribute to a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment system that will protect the Altamaha River from any direct wastewater discharge.

Minimize light pollution. Apply lighting practices that will protect sea turtles, migratory birds, and wildlife experiences as recommended by Georgia scientists at federal and state agencies, such as directional, non-invasive lighting schemes. Minimize the sky glow which could alter the dark night sky so characteristic to the surrounding rural neighborhoods.

Megan Desrosiers

President and Chief Executive Officer

Megan Desrosiers is the founding President/CEO of One Hundred Miles, Georgia’s coastal advocacy organization. In an effort to elevate the Georgia coast as a recognized place of historical, cultural, and biological significance, Megan spends her time working in local communities, on regional collaboration projects, and lobbying in Atlanta.

Megan and her team have accomplished a remarkable amount since the organization’s inception in 2013. One Hundred Miles is responsible for improvements to the Erosion and Sedimentation Act which now requires a 25-foot buffer for all salt marsh, galvanizing statewide opposition to offshore drilling, and preventing the US Army Corps of Engineers from dredging during the summer when Georgia’s sea turtles come home to nest. Under her leadership, One Hundred Miles has built a network of more than 16,000 advocates who stand ready to respond to bad and promote good ideas that will affect our coast. In six short years, the organization has grown from two employees to ten, an annual budget of $250,000 to more than $1 million, and a donor base of six to one of more than 1,100 today.

Before coming to Georgia’s coast, Megan spent 10 years at the Coastal Conservation League (CCL) in South Carolina. She was instrumental in efforts to conserve land in the Ashley River Historic Corridor and on Johns Island. She also worked to establish the organization’s first climate and energy and agriculture program agendas.

Megan has worked through the years to help start up organizations form and become sustainable coastal advocacy partners in Georgia and South Carolina. In addition to forming One Hundred Miles, she worked with a team to start GrowFood Carolina, South Carolina’s first local food hub, and collaborated with a group of diverse leaders to initiate Charleston County’s Greenbelt Program. Megan has also served on the founding boards of the South Carolina Outdoor Education Program (SCOEP) and Charleston Moves, a bicycle/pedestrian advocacy organization.

Stephanie Chewning

Coastal Education Coordinator

Stephanie’s love for the ocean started at a very young age on the beaches of Stone Harbor, New Jersey, searching for and collecting shells with her Nana. This childhood passion never stopped, and she followed her interest in the outdoors by pursuing a degree in Marine Science from American University in Washington, D.C.

After college, Stephanie spent time teaching environmental science in Florida, California, and Georgia. Ultimately settling on the Georgia coast, she worked at Driftwood Education Center on St. Simons Island as the Program Director and later with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources as a Naturalist on Sapelo Island. Stephanie continues to share her love of our coast as a part of the One Hundred Miles education team.

Kristen Clark

12th Grade, South Effingham High School

What Three Words Best Describe You?

Adventurous, Creative, Assiduous

What Is Your Dream Career?

I don’t know exactly what it is I want to pursue later in life, but I know I want it to be something that gives me the freedom to travel and explore the world while still making a difference. I want to do something that allows me to be creative and pursue my passions, something more than just a standard desk job.

What Is Your Claim to Fame?

I’ve participated in South Carolina’s Olympic Development Program for soccer for the past two years.

What Is Your Favorite Place Along Georgia’s Coast? What Do You Like Most About It?

My favorite place probably has to be Saint Simon’s Island. It’s not just about how beautiful and serene it is, though. I like how being there makes me feel. I like that it makes me feel at peace with myself and lets me escape from the world around me.

What Coastal Issue(s) Are You Most Passionate About? Why?

I think that major coastal issues to be concerned about primarily surround plastic pollution and the degradation of beaches and coastal lands. There are so many issues that are important and worthwhile, but I feel that plastic pollution is especially important. It threatens wildlife and chemicals leeched can harmfully impact human health, as well.

What Advice Would You Give to Other Students Who Want to Be Leaders or Make a Difference?

You are never too small to make a difference. Every movement and every change in history has started with one action, one idea, that was built upon to create change. All contributions, big or small, have the power to make a difference.