County adopts key ordinance
In its stated quest to become the greenest county in Georgia, the Chatham County Commission unanimously adopted a landmark resource protection ordinance at its last meeting.
“This provides a formal process for greenspace funds which have been dedicated in the past through SPLOST and other funding mechanisms,” says Bethany Jewell, water resources planner with the Metropolitan Planning Commission. “It also provides for balanced representation of the funds. Anyone can have input into the process.”
Jewell explains that an oversight committee will comprise one representative from each county commission district. In addition, a technical advisory committee will include representatives from private citizens and organizations like conservation groups, environmental groups, and homebuilder’s associations.
“This built upon the open space bikeway effort as well as the greenspace plan from the ‘90s,” Jewell says.
“There have been initiatives like this in the past which never reached this level. I’ve been talking with people in other communities across the nation about this, and they’re impressed with this ordinance and some want to use it as a template.”
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Taking the sting out of jellyfish
A local firm, with help from Skidaway Institute of Oceanography scientists, has developed Jellyfish Squish, what it calls the “only commercially available product that is scientifically proven to immediately and completely relieves the pain caused by a jellyfish sting.”
J.C. Grayson’s Coastal Solutions, Inc., worked with Dr. Peter G. Verity and Dr. Richard F. Lee of the Skidaway Institute on the topical anesthetic, which counteracts the toxins left on the skin when a jellyfish tentacle comes into contact with human flesh.
The product, which became commercially available this month, was subjected to double-blind tests at Skidaway and has since gained the endorsement of the American Lifeguards Association.
Jellyfish Squish comes right in time, as warming ocean waters are spawning huge new populations of the pesky invertebrate.
“Several factors, particularly increased bacteria levels, are resulting in an increased number of jellyfish in the water and that will mean more people are going to suffer stings,” says Dr. Verity.
Buy Jellyfish Squish at jellyfishsquish.com.
