Stop Bay Point Destructionment at St. Helena Island in the Gullah/Geechee Nation

Stop Bay Point Destructionment at St. Helena Island in the Gullah/Geechee Nation

Started
October 7, 2019
Signatures: 34,546Next Goal: 35,000
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Why this petition matters

St. Helena Island, SC is a contiguous Gullah/Geechee community in Beaufort County, SC.   The citizens of the Gullah/Geechee Nation live in balance with the environment and have done so in this area since the 1500s.  The proposed development / destructionment at Bay Point near the Land's End area of St. Helena Island is incompatible with the Gullah/Geechee way of life and the ecological balance to that highly erosional area.

Gullah/Geechees have continued to use Bay Point as a fishing area over the decades.  This area has seen between 5,000 and 8,000 shorebirds land there every winter.  According to the Audubon, "no other area within miles approaches the holding power of this island and inlet to shorebirds in the winter."  107 loggerhead sea turtle nests were recorded there during 2019.  All of this speaks volumes to how important this 60 acre area is to the quality of life in this area.

Hilton Head and Port Royal rejected annexing this area into their townships and if the Beaufort County Council allows this proposal to be accepted for what is currently listed as "natural preserve" on their county maps, Beaufort County will have to provide millions of dollars for emergency services, roadways, and beach renourishment over time.  The local citizens will bear the brunt of those cost for an area that has been hit by multiple tropical storms and hurricanes over the past three years since this resort idea was first proposed.  Yet, the destructioneers have returned to speak to the St. Helena Island community about supporting them in building a place for the exclusive use of their high end resort customers.  A meeting will be held at the St. Helena Branch Library on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 6 pm. 

We are calling on the world to stand up with the citizens of the Gullah/Geechee Nation and our St. Helena Island family AGAINST the Bay Point proposal!

Help us prevent destructionment from expanding in Beaufort County and reaching beloved St. Helena Island! 

Tenki Tenki fa standin wid de Gullah/Geechee Nation!

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Signatures: 34,546Next Goal: 35,000
Support now
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