Dr. Karen Bell

Keep Liberty Beautiful

2025 is here, and I am excited to see what is coming. Last week, I had the opportunity to experience the annual sugar cane grind event on Limerick Road in Midway on Mickey’s Farm.

Although it was raining in the morning, it turned out to be a beautiful day. Seeing the process from start to finish was amazing to me, and I was able to participate in every station until the syrup was ready.

While graining the sugar cane and making the syrup, I saw how recycling was a part of this process, from using the juice from the cane to using the pressed outer part of the cane to give to the hogs. I also used a small pressed piece to get some of what they called “candy” from the cast iron pot. Some people reuse containers to store the juice and syrup in. Also, we cleaned up as we went through the process to ensure the area was clean and that no unwanted items were washed away during the rain.

The family’s collaborative effort in completing the sugar cane process was truly inspiring. Their stories, rich with history, should be documented in a book. The growing crowd at the annual sugar cane grind event is a testament to our community’s dedication to environmental stewardship. Their actions, often unnoticed, are a cause for celebration and should inspire us all to be better stewards of our environment.

Every year, Keep Liberty Beautiful’s Adopt Liberty program grows, and we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the groups and individuals who support this program. The Adopt Liberty Program is a community initiative where groups and individuals can volunteer to clean up designated areas in Liberty County. The Adopt Liberty groups are cleaning up the community on the weekends, and so far, 62 miles of roadway have been cleaned each quarter. We still have more roads and ponds to clean in Liberty County, and these groups are good stewards of the environment, too! Your support and dedication are truly appreciated and make a significant difference in our community.

With the amount of rain we get, sometimes out of the blue, the ponds in Liberty County, like the ones at Bryant Commons in Hinesville, catch a lot of litter and debris flowing in the pond from city storm drains. It takes volunteers to keep the ponds free of cigarette butts, cups, bottles, cans, fast food trash, and other nasty litter that people toss on our sidewalks and streets and, ultimately, end up traveling down city storm drains. All of these items are part of a problem called nonpoint source pollution.

Unfortunately, the most significant danger to our local waterways is these “nonpoint sources” (NPS), which are challenging to control. What are nonpoint sources of pollution? Nonpoint pollution develops mainly in our homes, backyards, roads, businesses, farms, and more heavily populated areas. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or irrigation moving over and through the ground. As the water runoff moves, it picks up. It carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into creeks, lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground water sources. It is often called stormwater pollution because those little downpours of rain wash the pollution and debris into our groundwater and waterways.

These pollutants include: * Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production * Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding stream banks * Salt from irrigation practices and acid drainage from abandoned mines * Bacteria and nutrients from animals, pet wastes, and faulty septic systems * and, of course, litter. According to the EPA, nonpoint source pollution is the leading cause of water quality problems. Nonpoint pollution is known to harm drinking water, wildlife, and our sport and seafood fisheries. As urbanization continues, the effects of nonpoint pollution only worsen unless we change many of our harmful daily habits. But there is hope. We can create positive change by looking for proactive ways, like our Adopt Liberty groups. We can inspire others to join us in this important mission.

There are still many ways you can contribute to positive change in Liberty County. You can organize a cleanup in your neighborhood or join the Adopt Liberty Program. Keep Liberty Beautiful provides all the necessary supplies and support for these cleanups. Your involvement is crucial in our collective effort to make our community healthier, safer, and brighter. Contact Keep Liberty Beautiful at (912) 880-4888 or email klcb@libertycountyga.gov for more information.

We can make a difference together, and I look forward to seeing you at the February sugar cane grinding event!