Once home to Native Americans, Spanish, and French inhabitants, today Georgia’s coast is an unparalleled natural, historical, and cultural wonder of the world. Our extensive dune systems, maritime forests, major riverine systems, and other coastal habitats support critical wildlife habitat for 71 high priority animal species and 91 high priority plant species. Our iconic wildlife includes critically endangered right whales that migrate to offshore calving grounds each winter and loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings that emerge from nests on our barrier island beaches every summer.
Our 100 miles are home to some of the most diverse and species-rich ecosystems on the planet.
Our coast provides clean water for fishing, drinking, swimming, and boating. In fact, the most prominent feature of Georgia’s coast is the nearly 400,000 acres of marshland between its mainland and string of fourteen major barrier islands. This massive ecosystem makes up one-third of the salt marsh remaining on the Eastern Seaboard. In total, our salt marsh, sounds, and mud flats provide a nursery for nearly 70% of the species that are fished off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. This dynamic system sustains commercial and recreational fishing that contribute approximately $400 million a year to Georgia’s economy.
Our coast creates recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike. Whether kayaking through the salt marsh or watching the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean, Georgia’s coast supplies the backdrop for irreplaceable memories with family and friends. In 2012 alone, nearly 15 million people visited our coast, contributing over $2 billion a year through the tourism industry. Large majorities pointed to our natural resources – and unique ways to connect with these resources – as primary reasons for their trip.
Our coast deserves our pride and needs our stewardship. Please join us and make a difference for our 100 miles. The future of the coast we love depends on the action we take today.
Why It Matters
Our Rich History
Georgia’s coast has more stories than grains of sand, more twists and turns than a tidal river meandering through a salt marsh. Our coast is rich in the history of our people. From the Creek and Oconee Native American tribes to the first Spanish garrisons and missions on the Sea Islands to the first English settlement in Savannah to Civil War battlefields to the African-rooted Gullah Geechee culture and the birth of the New South. These stories are retold everyday and everyday new stories are written.
6-10 Foot Tides
Our dramatic high and low tides are a result of coastal Georgia’s unique location at the approximate center of the Atlantic coast. A curvature known as the Georgia Bight.
What Our Coast Contains
- Nearly one third of the remaining salt marsh on the Atlantic Seaboard.
- Calving, grazing, and nesting sites for right whales, manatees, and sea turtles.
- A tremendous diversity of wildlife and wild places, including a sanctuary for millions of birds.
- Thousands of marsh hammocks, acres of freshwater marshes, and tidal creeks and estuaries.
- The largest tracts of intact maritime forests in the nation.
What Our Coast Is Home To
- Estuaries that provide nutrients for 70% of fish and shellfish harvested on the Southeast coast.
- Attractions for outdoor enthusiasts, such as paddling along tidal rivers.
- Natural resources have provided sustenance to generations of coastal residents.
- Breeding and calving grounds for threatened sea turtles and the endangered North American Right whale.
- A place for businesses to provide a high quality of life for their employees and families.
Our Uncertain Future
Our coast is the new frontier in the Southeast for developers seeking affordable land.
Sea level rise looms over the head of coastal residents and the future of our way of life.
Clean water resources for drinking and wildlife face pollution, excessive use, and saltwater intrusion.
Proposed drilling off Georgia’s coast threatens our coastal communities and endangered marine mammals.
Lack of harmony between development planning and conservation could alter our way of life and ecosystems forever.
Compared to neighboring states South Carolina and Florida, Georgia’s coastal landscape remains largely undeveloped and pristine. But not for long. Rapid growth combined with inadequate planning threaten our coast as never before.
What OHM Is Doing
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90 Miles of Beach
Our 14 major barrier islands — only four of which are accessible by car — are undeveloped jewels that hold miles and miles of sandy beaches in a constant state of change.
Here you see
