NAHUNTA — Kat Montgomery, who was representing coastal conservation organization One Hundred Miles, spoke to county commissioners during the Tuesday work session.
Montgomery offered some insight to the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), Georgia’s official 10-year strategy to protect natural resources for both wildlife and communities.
According to Montgomery, the plan was developed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and more than 100 partners.
“SWAP identifies priority species in need of protection, maps habitat hubs and corridors, and outlines best practices for land and water management,” explained Montgomery. “The plan utilizes built-in monitoring to show measurable outcomes and breaks down specific threats to ‘Species of Greatest Conservation Need’. It is an excellent resource for sustaining Georgia’s unique ecosystems.”
Montgomery said the information is used to provide funding for communities like Brantley County to support stewardship of our diverse landscapes.
“As Georgia’s landscapes become increasingly fragmented by development,” she said, “it’s crucial to conserve wildlife hubs and corridors for flora and fauna. Brantley County boasts four different hubs and three different corridors where 54 rare plants and animals reside.”
According to Montgomery, Brantley County is uniquely situated between the two highest priorities for the area — the Okefenokee and the coastline — making Brantley County’s pine flatwoods and river floodplains essential to the health of the entire south-east ecosystem.
She said Brantley County is blessed with pristine habitat, especially along the Satilla River corridor.
Additionally, SWAP is much more than monitoring species. It provides a clear way to support clean water, open space, and outdoor recreation, so local, rural economies can thrive.
“Implementing SWAP is voluntary and is not required at the state or local level for planning initiatives,” she said. “As growth continues across the region, municipalities are increasingly faced with balancing economic development, infrastructure demands, and preservation of the natural resources which support community resilience and quality of life.
“Integrating conservation priorities into planning decisions today can help communities avoid costly future impacts, maintain their unique character, and ensure growth strengthens rather than diminishes the natural assets that make Brantley an attractive place to live.”
Montgomery said she spoke to Brett Albanese, Assistant Chief of Wildlife Conservation for DNR, to understand how the rapid expansion of the data center industry is affecting SWAP.
According to Montgomery, Albanese confirmed they are seeing state-wide habitat loss from hyper-scale data center developments.
“Proactive planning to protect SWAPdesignated hubs and corridors is imperative to the sustainability of our treasured ecosystems, especially in an ecologically-rich area like Brantley County,” she said. “Habitat loss is just one of many unknown factors regarding massive data center developments.”
She added that One Hundred Miles stands with community members who have asked the commission to implement a moratorium on data center development to allow Brantley County to adequately plan for a sustainable future that supports all flora, fauna, and folk.
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