Help Protect Pine Lake’s Wildlife Habitat 

In late 2025, the City of Pine Lake initiated a “dam repair project” that resulted in extensive disturbance to an area designated as a Certified Wildlife Sanctuary.  (Pine Lake completed habitat restoration to become a Sanctuary in 2019 and since then has worked to protect this important resource.)*

AN ESTIMATED 60,000 SQUARE FEET, NEARLY 1.5 ACRES, OF WILDLIFE HABITAT HAS BEEN DESTROYED BY NEEDLESSLY STRIPPING THE LAKE 

• Habitat has been destroyed for numerous native plants and animals, both aquatic and terrestrial 
   
• Pine Lake is recognized as an important birding site for many rare and threatened species by ornithology experts**
     
• Pine Lake is an important resource for all of DeKalb County and the State of Georgia. The lake and wetlands were designed to improve and help clean water in the Snapfinger Creek watershed 
   

200 TONS OF RIP RAP HAS DISPLACED THE NATURAL HABITAT AROUND THE LAKE  

• This was done counter to the recommendation of engineers hired to evaluate the dam project in 2025
• Rip rap is a wrong choice for our pedestrian walk-way and could increase the chances of future issues, including the extreme difficulty of landscape maintenance and repairs and is likely to increase erosion and instability.
• Rip rap has significantly altered the environment, impacting pollinators, wildlife, and the natural beauty of the lake  
• Rip rap presents a public safety concern as acknowledged by the city attorney because it directly abuts the only paved vehicle-free path in the city and is used by adults and children for biking, skating and other recreational activities 

We believe this environmental harm and safety risk could have been avoided through more deliberate planning that balanced infrastructure maintenance with environmental protection and public use. 

Council Authority and Responsibility 

 Pine Lake City Council retains legislative and policy-setting authority over City property, environmental protections, public safety standards, and the creation of advisory bodies. While the City Manager oversees daily administration, the Council has the authority and responsibility to establish policy, adopt ordinances and resolutions, and direct the long-term stewardship of public assets, including Pine Lake and its surrounding habitat. 

We respectfully petition the Pine Lake City Council to exercise its authority to: 

1) Create a community-involved planning committee, with guidance from qualified experts (engineers, environmental scientists, landscape professionals, and native plant specialists), to develop a comprehensive, environmentally responsible plan for repairing and maintaining the back berm while supporting the wildlife habitat this sanctuary provides. 
 

2) Direct the removal of the rip rap in its entirety and evaluate whether alternative stabilization methods are necessary.
 

3) Adopt an ordinance or policy prohibiting the use of herbicides on all property managed by the City of Pine Lake. 
 

This petition is open to Pine Lake residents and friends of Pine Lake. Signatures are categorized by address (Pine Lake residents and non-residents). If your address is Pine Lake, please make sure it shows that when signing. Since we will catergorize the number of signers by address, if you are a PL'er, we need to be able to show that distinction. If you are having trouble, you can use the 30083 zip, but still have Pine Lake as your city.

*Article from the Champion when PL certifies as a Wildlife sanctuary:

https://thechampionnewspaper.com/pine-lake-now-wildlife-sanctuary/

**Full list of bird species counted in Pine Lake:

http://tiny.cc/us1z001