Georgia
Georgia sea turtle nesting season begins, marking 60 years of conservation efforts – WABE
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WABE and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
Georgia’s first sea turtle nests of 2024 were found this weekend, with two on Blackbeard Island and one each on the Jekyll and Wassaw Islands.
The threatened and endangered turtles will continue to crawl up onto Georgia beaches and lay their eggs for the next few months.
This season marks 60 years of sea turtle conservation in the state. In 1964, Georgia’s sea turtle conservation efforts started with one scientist on one island, according to Mark Dodd, the wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources who coordinates the state sea turtle program.
The effort gradually expanded into the network still used today, tracking nests on all of Georgia’s barrier islands.
Back then, it was still legal and common to harvest and eat turtle eggs. At the time, turtles were washing up dead in large numbers and their populations were in decline.
Now, sea turtles are protected under state and federal law. They nest by the thousands on Georgia beaches each year, including a record of more than 4,000 nests two years ago.
Dodd said the turtles’ recovery is thanks to those decades of conservation work.
“Those folks were wise and they worked really hard and they collected a lot of data, and it led to a change,” he said. “They were able to turn it around.”
Those scientists’ data and advocacy helped drive a host of changes that have allowed more turtles to survive long enough to return to Georgia beaches to lay the next generation of eggs. These changes include legal protections for the turtles and their nests, special devices that save turtles from dying in shrimp nets and special streetlights that keep artificial light off the beach.
To keep nesting sea turtles safe, Dodd said Georgia beachgoers should avoid using artificial lights at night and stay far back from turtles crawling up the beach. It’s also illegal to disturb turtle nests or to interfere with the baby turtles that emerge once the nests start to hatch later in the summer.
CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. — Animal shelters in Northwest Georgia are running out of space, with Catoosa and Walker County unable to take in more animals as the number of strays rises during the summer months.
Catoosa County officials say the county’s animal shelter is maxed out and can no longer accept animals.
Image via Catoosa County Animal Control
The shelter has room for 80 pets but is currently over capacity, limiting how much it can help when large animal rescues happen in nearby areas.
“I can’t speak for everybody, but I can say that working in animal care, summertime is definitely one of the worst times for us and for the animals more,” Abby Lynch, the community outreach and kennel officer for the Catoosa County Animal Shelter says.
Catoosa County officials say summer is when dogs and cats breed because the weather is nice, leading to more strays than usual.
Image via Catoosa County Animal Control
The Walker County Animal Shelter is also dealing with capacity issues.
The shelter says it has brought in 73 animals since the beginning of July.
Image: Walker County Animal Shelter
“In that same time, we have done 28 adoptions, which 28 adoptions in two weeks sounds great. But when you’re doing the math of 73 animals in and 28 animals going out, not super great,” says Melissa Smith, director of the Walker County Animal Shelter.
Catoosa County has helped neighboring counties during past crises.
Image via Catoosa County Animal Control
“We’ve assisted Dade County in the past with similar situations, and that’s when really rescues and shelters help each other,” says Dylan McColollum, director of Catoosa County Animal Control.
Dade County only got an animal shelter this year.
Image: Walker County Animal Shelter
In Georgia, only 61 out of 159 counties have animal shelters, making it more important for shelters to have enough capacity to help their own communities and assist neighboring counties when needed.
“We’re just grateful that we have our own shelter and can take care of our our county and its needs, and we’re happy to assist if other counties need our assistance,” McColollum says.
Image: Walker County Animal Shelter
Adoptions at the Catoosa County Animal Shelter are currently free because of donors. See available animals here.
They were designed to hold a drink, but cups produced in Rome, Georgia, have become one of the FIFA Men’s World Cup’s most unexpected souvenirs.
Inside the Top Cup plant in Rome, millions of cups were created to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event.
“We made 10 million over 70 different graphics for the World Cup,” said Rome native and Top Cup General Manager Zach Dixon.
The plant in north Georgia produces up to 750,000 cups a day.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup … but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Top Cup CEO David Cuthbert.
Fans have been taking them home from matches. Some have even been listed for sale online.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup… but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Cuthbert.
Dixon said they begin the process with massive coils of aluminum, each weighing about 30,000 pounds. The metal is stamped, stretched, washed, and moved down the line.
The plant produces about 1,100 cups every minute.
Ricardo Marques, the senior vice president of marketing for Michelob ULTRA, said that there have been venue-specific, match-specific, and Finals-specific stadium cups for the World Cup. There are also three separate red, white, and blue designs available for fans at bars and restaurants around the U.S.
“We’ve seen an incredible response to the collection. Together, these commemorative cups give fans a unique keepsake and a lasting reminder of an unforgettable FIFA World Cup experience and the moments that brought millions of people together through the world’s game,” Marques said.
Cuthbert said his company has seen how the World Cup has done wonders for metro Atlanta businesses.
“Our team in Rome, Georgia takes tremendous pride in helping bring this fan experience to life for one of the world’s biggest sporting events,” he said.
So when soccer fans celebrate the surprise victory or mourn their last-minute loss, they’re doing so with a little piece of Georgia.
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