2016 Supporters
Financials
2016 AN N UAL R EPORT
$2,000 or More
REVENUE
C O O S A R I V E R B A S I N I N I T I AT I V E
Todd Carroll • Floyd Medical Center • Georgia River Network • Harbin Clinic • Heritage Auto Group
Mohawk Carpet Foundation • The Pool Store • Sapelo Foundation • Shaw Industries
Soymet 101 • State Mutual Insurance • Sweetwater Brewing Company
Clean Coosa
Campaign
Membership 12%
(Major Donors)
16%
$1,000 to $1,999
103.1 Radio M • Anheuser Busch • Ball Corporation • Blue Sky Outfitter • Cedar Creek RV & Outdoor
Center • Eagle Rock Distributing • Euharlee Creek Outfitters • The Finnell Firm • International Paper
Jerry on the Moon • Marglen Industries • McRae Stegall Peek & Harman • Mitigation Management
Mt. Vernon Mills • OTR Wheel • Q102 • River Dog Paddle Co. • WLAQ/The Ridge 95.7
Grants 17%
Fundraisers 55%
$250 to $999
Alfa Insurance • Mike & Julianne Bailey • Barefoot Wine & Bubbly • Frank Barron • Susan Berry • Big Money’s
BBQ • Bob’s Taxidermy & Day Care • Brown & Brown Insurance • Paul & Janice Carter • Coosa Valley News
Davis & Davis Attorneys at Law • Dr. N.B. & Marion Dobbs • Cook & Connelly Law • Gary Evans • Shauna & Tom
Farmer • Fast Printing & Signs • Steve & Lynn Finn • Hon. Normon & Dorothy Fletcher • Dr. George & Nancy
Goldin • Madge Hand • Dr. Buford Harbin • William P. Harbin • Heritage First Bank • Edward Hine • Steven &
Ansley Kelley • Dr. & Mrs. Stephen Klasson • John & Susan Lee • Chad Johnfroe & Chris Lewis • The Local Bar
& Grill • Dr. Mary Lucchese • New Belgium Brewery • Dr. Dan & Melissa Phillips • Jim & Joanne Pugh • Purple
Mountain Natural Foods • Thomas Sheffield • Monica Sheppard • Susan & Kenneth Snead • Tally Sweat
V3 Magazine • Venue Dog • Jack & Pat White • Dave & Lisa Wilson • Dr. & Mrs. Clayton B. Wimberly
$50 to $249
EXPENSES
Administration 7%
Fundraisers
18%
Programs
(Advocacy,
Education,
Water Monitoring,
Restoration) 75%
Elaine Abercrombie • Laura Adams • Samuel Adams • Clinton & Gena Agnew • Ben Arp • Luke Chaffin & Jeb Arp
James Auld • Bill Avra • David Baggett • Richard & Guill Bailey • Carole & Britt Baker • Lee Ballew II • Charles Barnes
Kimberly & Russell Bates • Frank & Margaret Beacham • Eddas Bennett • Robert & Judy Benowitz • Andrea Black
Steven Blackburn • Janet Blackmon • Ronnie Blake • Robert Bolding • Jill Borchert • Melissa & Glenn Bowman
Mike & Sharon Britton • David Brown • Jeremy Brown • Brenda Budlong • Star Byrne • Brian & Amy Campbell • Brian
& Ellen Cardin • Patrick & Ann Carey • Blair & Heather Carter • Lee & Cassidy Carter • Dwight & Jeanie Cassity
Stacy Cates • Dr. Robert M. & Martha T. Cates • Rick & Patti Causey • David & Tracy Cavanah • Vicki & Carrie Cheeks
Daniel & Susan Comer • Joe & Leanne Cook • Dr. Gayland Cooper • Bennie Corntassel • Tom & Linda Couch • John
Countryman • Albert Craig • Miles Crook • JC Cutts • Rick & Susan D’Arezzo • Jim Dent • Whitney Maxwell & Dominic
Distretti • Hans & Tiffany Doerr • Robert & Virginia Dooley • Kevin Doyle • Jodi & Kurt Drobisch • Elizabeth A.
Dutton • Gary & Mary Lee Eady • Lulie Ebaugh • Morgan & Blake Edwards • Hunter Edwards • Dave & Patricia Elvers
Martha Etchells • Wayne & Ronda Evans • Tre & Stephanie Faaborg • Deanie & Bill Fincher • Jane & Richard Finger
Greg & Kim Free • Mary Freeman • Elena & Corey Fricks • Sonja Fuquea • Laura Gaines • Ellen Garrard • Sharon &
Matt Gayler • Edgar C. Gentle, III • Sam Gentsch • Peter & Suzy Gilbert • Jeff & Ann Glass • Kay Goldberg
Calandra Goss • Nicole Graham • Angie & Farrel Grayson • Green Highlands • Carolyn Greene • Vincent Gregoire
Jill & Phil Griffin • Linda Haddon • Jordan Hale • Anna Harbin • Linda & Kent Harris • Ben & Jackie Harrison
Deborah Hawkins • Jo Heller-Orr • Bryant & Nita Henry • Jim Hipp • Villa Hizer • Jon Hogan • Todd Holcomb
Bernie Hrul • Laurie & Max Hulsey • David & Nancy Hunter • Gerry & Skip Jackson • Jamie Jackson • Tom & Kathy
Johnson • Hilary & Walt Johnson • Trey Johnson • Elliot Jones • Steve Jordet • Todd & Hallie Kelley • William & Mary
Kelly, Jr. • Chris Kerr • Joe Kidd • Colleen Kiernan • Landon Knight • Chris & Amy Knitig • Frederic & Patricia Lamb
Scott Landes • Bettina & Barry Langham • Mitch & Elisabeth Lawson • Terry & Joan Ledbetter • Jeffrey Lidke
Coosa River Basin Initiative
Eric & Jessica Lindberg • Mandy & Kevin Loorham • KC Love • Daniel Lovingood • Josh Lovvorn • Monica Ludwig
408 Broad Street
Linda Lullie • Lindsey & Emma Maddox • Urs & Mary Maire • Lonny & Rhonda Martin • Dr. Zachary & Colleen Martin
Rome, GA 30161
Susan Mayne • Phoebe Maze • Michael & Mary McCarthy • Russell McClanahan • Cindi McCollough • Julie
706-232-2724
McCormick • Kit & Ann Louise McCormick • Sheila McCoy • Katie Poston & Evan McElreath • Ken & Kelly McKibben
Joel Megginson • Joel Megginson Sr. • Tom & Cheryl Melton • Ryan Melton • Leh & Stephanie Meriwether • Will
www.coosa.org
Merrill • Cathy Borer & Ron Miller • Grant Miller • Lois Mitchell • Patrick Moloney • Joe & Rebekah Montgomery
Charles Moody • Kelly Moore • Keven & Teresa Morang • Peter Morgan • Katja Morgenstern • Michele Morris
CRBI is a grassroots environmental
Winfield & Dena Myers • Brittney & Ross Nelson • Kay New • Bill & Cheryl Norris • Doug Oetter • Katie & Matt
organization that works to inform and
Owens • Debra Owens • Jill Packer • Debbie & Mike Parsons • Harriet Peacock • Jeffrey & Shelly Peller • Jonathan
empower citizens to preserve, protect
& Amber Pewitt • Dylan Pierce • Frank & Ruth Pinson • Gail Posey • David & Katherine Powell • Jim & Cathy Powell
and restore North America’s most
Jonathan Price • Gail Priest • Steve & Betsy Pruett • Ann Pullen • Brent & Jennifer Pullen • Bonny Putney • Frank
biologically diverse river basin. CRBI
& Tish Redwine • Lila Moore & Casey Reemsnyder • Alan & Barbara Reeves • Peggy & John Reiners • Ian Robinson
is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Amber & Frank Robinson • Chip & Laura Robison • Rome High School Bear Club • Jan Routledge • Catharine Rowsey
All donations are tax-deductible.
Hal Ruland • Robert Rutledge • Thomas Ryan • Reg Salsman • Jeremy & Jill Salter • Dedee Sanderson • James D. Satterfield • Ken & LaDonna Sawyer • Tom & Leslie Schell • Jennifer Scoggins • Dr. Stanley J. & Mrs. Patricia Self Terrell
& Sheila Shaw • Brannon Shaw Byron & Misty Shinall • Cindy & Paul Shumpert • Amy & Ben Simmons • Luke Simmons • Tommy & Ann Simpson
Ruth Sims • Stacey Sinkiewicz • David & Devon Smyth • Mark Spota • Bob Springfield • Randy & Cathie Stahler • Bob & Kathy Steinbruegge • Mary Ann
Stillerman • Bill & Mary Stolte • Camm Swift • Virginia Tacchi • Bill & Brooke Temple • Mary Hardin Thornton • Celeste Tibbets • Jamie & Rod Trout
Bob & Virginia Troy • Amos & Sarah Tuck • Tony & Gwen Tuck • Kikki & Craig Tucker • Bert & Anne Vaughn • Deanne Barr & Kenneth Walters • Jim &
Amber Ware • Susan & Jim Watkins • Allison Watters • Vickey Watts • Jane Wentworth • Susan Williams • Joe Geddings & Blaine Willis • Leah Wilson
Grey Winstead • Penny Wofford • Adrian Wood Laine Kirby Wood • Mark Woodall • Amy Yarber • Annie Shields & Pat York • Mirna Young
In Memory of David Brown - Tim Homan
In Memory of William DuPre III - Wendy & Paul Alexander • Bell Family • Albert & Barbara Briley • Dean Family • A. Josef Delisle
Ladre Floyd • Fuqua Family • Suzy & Pete Gilbert • David & Nancy Hunter • Frances Knight • Irby Ledbetter • Linginfelter Family • Sue Mann
Mikhalevsky Family • Miller & Martin Attorneys • Elizabeth Mulvaney • Pritchard Family • Ron Sinnock
Persevering to Protect Our Rivers
“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of
doing the hard work you already did.” — Newt Gingrich
In 2016, CRBI persevered. After nearly 10 years of working to
protect 80 acres of wetlands and floodplain forest in Rome
slated for development into a regional shopping center, we
finally succeeded.
Over those ten years, CRBI was vilified by local press and called
names by city leaders and developers. The end result of our
perseverance: more than 70 acres of permanently protected
greenspace for Romans.
In September, developers agreed with the city to build on just
8 acres of the city’s “Burwell Creek” property and preserve the
remaining 72 acres in a permanent conservation easement—a
compromise CRBI suggested to the developers earlier in the year.
Thus ends a saga that shifted the political landscape in Rome
during the 2015 city elections and elevated the importance
of preserving the city’s natural areas and developing passive
recreation areas for its residents and visitors.
It was a difficult and prolonged battle, but CRBI’s perseverance
paid dividends.
As soon as one threat to our communities is eliminated,
however, it seems another rears its head. In 2016, the threat of
natural gas exploration in northwest Georgia and the potential
Advocacy
CRBI began 2016 by holding
a New Year’s Day paddle trip
into the flooded Burwell
Creek property after Mother
Nature made a statement
about the wisdom of plopping
down shopping centers in the
middle of floodplains. That
week, the Oostanaula River
crested at nearly 30 feet, its
highest level in nearly two
decades, covering much of the
proposed building site in more
than eight feet of water.
It was a prophetic start to the year because within nine months
the long-standing plan to build a shopping center atop the
entire Burwell Creek property was sunk.
In the Spring, CRBI suggested to the developers that purchasing
the property and then preserving it in a conservation easement
could pay them big dividends in tax benefits. By September, the
developers were proposing that very plan.
At the state level, CRBI embarked on an effort to secure
use of hydraulic
fracturing, or
“fracking,” to
extract that gas
became CRBI’s
focal point.
A thorough
review of
Georgia’s laws
regulating oil
and gas drilling
prompted CRBI to
initiate an effort
to update a
40-year-old state
law that fails to protect our water and our communities from the
risks associated with modern-day drilling techniques.
During the later half of the year, CRBI secured passage of
resolutions by 11 local governing bodies in northwest Georgia
urging the Georgia General Assembly to fix the state’s 1975 Oil
and Gas and Deep Well Drilling Act.
Going into 2017, we are poised to introduce and secure passage
of new laws that will better regulate fracking and protect our
local water and rural communities.
passage of new state laws to address the risks associated with
fracking for natural gas in northwest Georgia’s Conasauga
Shale formation reported to hold some 625 trillion cubic feet of
natural gas.
Working with the Southern Environmental Law Center, CRBI
drafted legislation and provided it to local legislators to refine
and introduce during the 2017 Georgia General Assembly session.
Additionally, CRBI secured passage of resolutions by local
governments urging the General Assembly to address this issue.
Governing bodies in the cities of Rome, Cave Spring, Cedartown,
Chatsworth, Lyerly, Chickamauga, Ringgold, Calhoun as well as
Floyd, Gordon and Dade counties joined CRBI’s effort to protect
northwest Georgia communities.
CRBI also worked to educate local citizens about the risks
associated with fracking, hosting an information meeting
in Armuchee attended by nearly 100 local residents and
participating in three panel discussions about fracking and
clean energy organized by Berry College students.
During the 2016 Georgia General Assembly session, CRBI worked
with more than 200 other Georgia Water Coalition (GWC)
member organizations to thwart efforts to weaken the state’s
environmental protections. CRBI and other GWC citizen lobbyists
stopped bad bills that would have gutted the state’s erosion
and sedimentation act and undermined the City of Atlanta’s
water and energy conservation ordinance.
Other bad measures were amended to mitigate their impacts,
including a bill that would have weakened the Georgia
Environmental Policy Act and another measure that would have
allowed cutting of trees in front of certain billboards.
The biggest victories came when GWC members pushed
legislators to take a stand against the use of eminent domain
by petroleum and natural gas pipeline companies. The House
voted not to convey easements on public land to the builders
of the Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline in southwest Georgia
and the full legislature adopted HB 1036, a measure that puts
a temporary moratorium on the construction of the Palmetto
petroleum pipeline through coastal Georgia.
During the session, CRBI worked with other GWC members to
host Capitol Conservation Day, in which dozens of citizens from
across the state, including CRBI members, visited the Capitol to
meet with and talk to their legislators.
In Dawson County, CRBI was instrumental in installing two
new map/information kiosks at public access points along the
Etowah River in a continuing effort to develop the Etowah
River Water Trail, a 163-mile long boating trail stretching from
Lumpkin County to Rome.
In Murray County, we monitored the activities of the Georgia
Ports Authority as it began planning construction of an inland
rail port near the Chattahoochee National Forest and adjacent
to Sumac Creek, an important tributary of the Conasauga River.
In Bartow County, we prompted an EPD investigation into a
sediment discharge into the Etowah River from a Georgia Power
Co. cooling water holding pond. The problem was identified and
corrected by Georgia Power.
Education
CRBI reached
more than 2,600
elementary, middle
and high school
students from
across the upper
Coosa River basin
through in-schools
programs, fish
monitoring workshops, summer camps and educational paddle
trips. Additionally, CRBI staff reached more than 1200 adults
through speaking engagements with civic, church and social
organizations as well as at conferences and other special events.
Additionally, CRBI..
At home, CRBI dealt with the Dalton Expansion natural gas
pipeline, a 113-mile project set to cross 311 water bodies—most
in the upper Coosa River basin, including an open wet trench
crossing of the Etowah River in Bartow County. CRBI negotiated
unsuccessfully with the pipeline builders to initiate additional
mitigation measures, and began monitoring the Etowah
crossing as construction began in late December.
In Floyd and Bartow Counties, CRBI worked with GWC
partners to initiate advocacy efforts to prompt Georgia’s
Environmental Protection Division to update water pollution
permits for Georgia Power Co.’s Plant Hammond on the Coosa
and Plant Bowen on the Etowah. EPD has not updated permits
for these two coal-fired power plants since 2007, though
federal law requires the permits be reviewed every five years.
CRBI also participated in a stakeholders group planning for
a “clean energy transition” in Floyd County that discussed
measures to mitigate the impacts to the local economy and
workers in the event that Plant Hammond closes.
In Paulding County, CRBI helped local residents secure cleanup
measures at an illegal tire dump near Dallas. We also monitored
construction of the new Richland Creek Reservoir.
In Rome, CRBI prompted investigations by EPD into an oily,
kerosene-like sheen and spill on Burwell Creek (the source of
the pollution was never identified), and prompted enforcement
action by the City of Rome against contractors that violated
stream buffer ordinances in doing work along Burwell Creek.
• Hosted 20 students from St. Mary’s and East Central
Elementary schools who participated in CRBI’s annual
environmental quiz bowl competition for area fourth grade
students.
• Reached hundreds of children with information about native
fish, mussels, crayfish and salamanders through our “Fish
Print” children’s activity at Chiaha Harvest Fair in Rome.
• Introduced more than 1000 people to our rivers and streams
through guided paddle trips and other on-river activities.
• Led some 100 local students on educational paddle trips on
area rivers.
• Partnered
with students
from Rome
High School’s
BEAR Club to
complete a
storm drain
stenciling
project on the
school campus.
• Promoted
swimmable,
fishable, drinkable water by leading more than 40 people
on a 1.5-mile float trip through downtown Rome, celebrating
Swimmable Water Day.
• Provided on-river and off-river educational programs for
more than 400 participants of Paddle Georgia 2016 on the
Conasauga, Oostanaula and Coosa rivers.
• Continued hosting fish monitoring workshops that
introduced 50 people to the upper Coosa River’s biodiversity
through fish collection events on area streams.
• Partnered with the Rome-Floyd ECO River Education Center
to host two, week-long summer day camps for 30 youth: an
Environmental Camp for elementary-age students and an
Adventure Camp for middle school students.
• Published 11 videos through social media highlighting CRBI
events, legislative issues and local advocacy issues.
• Promoted the accomplishments of our five Greenie Award
winners by publishing online videos highlighting their
important work to protect natural resources in northwest
Georgia.
• Secured media coverage and published op-eds and letters
to the editors in multiple local and regional publications and
broadcasts. More than 60 reports on CRBI issues or activities
were published or broadcast, including at least five opinion
pieces by CRBI staff published in multiple outlets.
• Published one edition of our Mainstream newsletter and
communicated updates on advocacy issues, events and
organizational news to members and supporters through 36
direct e-mails.
• Updated our www.coosa.org website regularly and posted
four articles on the Musselhead Blog which was viewed by
more than 1,700 people while 19,600 individuals visited the
CRBI website.
• Grew our Facebook fans page to more than 2600 fans,
garnering 600 new likes while CRBI’s friends page grew
to nearly 5,000 friends. More than 800 items were posted
about CRBI events, activities and advocacy efforts on CRBI’s
fans page. These posts reached more than 260,000 people
and engaged more than 11,000 users.
Restoration
Through Rivers Alive and
other cleanups, CRBI
engaged more than 200
volunteers in removing
more than 5,000 pounds
of trash from local rivers
and streams.
During the Rivers Alive
Etowah River Clean
Sweep, more than 100
participants removed
trash from almost 50
miles of the Etowah and
Coosa rivers as well as
Silver Creek. Participating
groups included students
from Berry College,
Georgia Highlands
College, Unity Christian
School, Rome High and Rome Middle schools.
CRBI also organized six additional cleanups with groups from
Berry College, Going Caching (a geocaching convention held in
Rome), C5 Leadership Camp, Chattooga County 4-H Club and the
Armuchee community. These cleanups targeted the Oostanaula,
Etowah, Coosa and Chattooga rivers as well as Armuchee and
Silver creeks.
Water Monitoring
CRBI maintained its citizen volunteer water monitoring program,
training 33 citizens to participate in water quality monitoring.
CRBI volunteers and staff generated 71 stream health reports
for the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream program. Additionally, CRBI
continued targeted bacteria monitoring to determine fecal
bacteria levels in specific water bodies.
Organizational Development
CRBI continued to grow its membership and support base
during 2016 receiving 245 donations from new members while
expanding total membership to some 4800 people.
CRBI also…
• Held four major
fundraisers
that were
supported by
more than 160
volunteers and
generated more
than $88,000:
During Green
Gala, we hosted
more than 150
patrons at Barnsley Gardens Resort to honor our Greenie
Award winners; more than 200 paddlers participated in the
inaugural Rome’s Big Float on the Etowah River; River Revelry
remained the best end-of-summer party on the planet and
featured for the first time a Lip-Sync Showdown; and at the
15th annual Fish Fry, CRBI volunteers served up some 800
plates of catfish while 12 local celebrities competed in the
Catfish Kissin’ Contest.
• Hosted three special paddling events in Dawson, Floyd and
Bartow counties (Pig Paddle & Party, Paddling Through
History and the Etowah River Water Trail Rodeo). These
events were attended by more than 100 patrons and helped
generate more than $6,000 for the Etowah River Water Trail
and other CRBI programs.
• Sponsored kayak and paddleboard raffles in conjunction with
Cedar Creek Park & Outdoor Center and SweetWater Brewery
that generated more than $4,000 for CRBI programs.
• Continued to garner support from private foundations,
receiving more than $30,000 in funds from the Sapelo
Foundation, Patagonia, Georgia River Network and others.
• Hosted more than 400 paddlers participating in Georgia
River Network’s Paddle Georgia 2016 on the Conasauga,
Oostanaula and Coosa rivers, including serving a fish fry
meal for more than 300 during the event’s River’s End
Celebration in Rome.
• Maintained an active and engaged board of directors of 11
citizen volunteers.
• Engaged more than 300 volunteers in CRBI events, cleanups
and other efforts. These volunteers logged more than 1900
hours protecting the Coosa.