Georgia Wildlife Federation

State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAP) on Display at the Great Outdoors Show
By Shirl Parsons, Conservation Issues Coordinator

The Georgia Wildlife Federation's Great Outdoors Show in Perry provided an excellent opportunity for GWF to inform sportsmen about how the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) improves wildlife habitat for both game and non-game species and creates opportunities for high quality hunting and fishing. This message was the focus of the GWF SWAP display; information about the SWAP was distributed to thousands of sportsmen during the three day show.

Developed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) with extensive input from GWF and many others, the SWAP is a proactive plan that identifies ways to conserve wildlife and vital natural areas before they become too rare and expensive to protect. Priority actions identified by the SWAP improve habitat for all wildlife. For example, one SWAP priority is to implement prescribed fire programs to restore and maintain fire-adapted communities. Dove, deer, turkey, quail, and more depend on habitats regenerated by fire. These habitats are declining in extent and condition due to fire suppression. Many private land owners are reluctant to use prescribed fire because of concerns about liability, lack of understanding of the role of fire in some natural environments and a lack of technical expertise.

DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other organizations have formed the Interagency Burn Team (IBT) to conduct prescribed burns on private lands throughout Georgia. While the IBT focuses on private lands, the DNR Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) has also expanded efforts to assess and restore fire-dependent communities on state-owned properties and other public lands. In the Oconee National Forest prescribed fire improves habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker. The mosaic of burned and unburned areas created by prescribed fire tends to maximize "edge effect" which promotes a large and varied wildlife population. In addition, prescribed fire provides more food for wildlife by stimulating fruit and seed production and creating openings for wildlife feeding, travel and dusting.

Invasive exotic species pose a serious threat to agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and wildlife and its habitat. Many of our native species are declining due to increasing competition or habitat degradation caused by invasive species. Another SWAP priority is to combat the problem of invasive species by assessing the threats on public land and other conservation lands, providing technical and informational resources to land managers to control invasive species, and promoting appropriate use of native plant species by public and private land managers. Illegal introduction of flathead catfish into the Satilla River in the 1990's resulted in a decline in populations of the prized redbreast sunfish and bullhead catfish. DNR and the Satilla Riverkeeper have been reducing the flathead catfish population through electrofishing and removal. Through research they hope to identify long-term methods of population control.

Invasive species can alter the species composition and natural community of an area and destroy the food source of native wildlife. Also, the fruits and leaves of some invasive species such as Chinese Tallow can be toxic to fish and wildlife. Control and removal of invasive species will help to restore our waterways, fields and forests, and improve opportunities for hunting and fishing in Georgia.

Many actions laid out in the SWAP will benefit streams, rivers and fish populations as DNR strives to establish partnerships to conserve high priority aquatic and wetland habitats. DNR will work closely with the Georgia Department of Transportation to identify, assess, and acquire properties with high quality wetlands and streams. Emphasis will be given to sites that protect wildlife corridors, enhance manageability of existing conservation lands, and provide opportunities for public recreation. Wetlands are primary habitats for hundreds of species of waterfowl as well as many other birds, fish and mammals. Wetlands provide a valuable service by naturally filtering and recharging water, providing better habitat for fish as well as clean drinking water. In addition, they provide sources of nutrients in the water food cycles and nursery grounds and sanctuaries for fish.

Another SWAP priority is to expand technical and financial assistance programs to improve wildlife habitat management on private lands, accounting for 90 percent of state land. The Bobwhite Quail Initiative (BQI) and the Forest Stewardship Program offer incentives to private landowners to protect and improve natural resources on their property. The BQI aims to increase the abundance of nesting and brood rearing habitat for Bobwhite Quail on private lands. Bobwhite Quail have been in a serious state of decline since the 1960's due to loss of habitat. Under the Forest Stewardship Program resource professionals from both public and private sectors produce detailed management plans for private landowners, called Forest Stewardship Plans. With the help of these plans, landowners learn how to manage their property for multiple uses, such as hunting and timber production.

Georgia Wildlife Federation held its new combined super Great Outdoors Show on February 8-10 at Perry's Georgia National Fairgrounds. Key words of the weekend: More and better. We had the biggest gathering of vendors for fishing enthusiasts in years at the Fisharama® segment. The Turkeyrama® provided everything a turkey hunter could wish for. A new emphasis spotlighted outdoor sports from kayaking to mountain biking to camping gear that ranged from the Spartan to the posh.

The changes in the show were well received by sportsmen and women from across Georgia and neighboring states with visitors shoulder to shoulder to enjoy vendor displays and other show features.

GWF will strive to continually grow the Great Outdoors Show in a way that will highlight the excitement of the "Great Outdoors." Many thanks to our sponsors -- the Local Ford Dealers, Briar Patch Camo, Mid State RV Center, Mike's Golf Carts, Town & Country Motorsports, Motions, CVA, for their support in making the Great Outdoors Show a reality.

The Grand America Turkey Calling Contest with its new sponsor, Briar Patch Camo, hosted a field of twenty eight competitors from across the country. The crowd once again was not disappointed as they heard some of the best turkey calling possible with numerous ties and call-offs before Doug Benefield of Newnan, GA, was crowned as the 2008 champion.

The 2nd Annual GWF Call Makers Competition played host to 197 of the finest turkey, duck, deer and predator calls presented by Craftsmen from all over the U.S. in both the State and Open Contest. This prestigious event, being only one of a very few of its kind, saw some very stiff competition with Jerry White / Dewey Johnson of Hazelhurst, Ga. emerging as the champions of the State Division with a Trumpet Call and Jack Strickland of Baxley, GA, winning the Open Division with a Long Box. Plans are already being made for the 2009 Competition.

There was plenty for the kids from the FFA Archery Shoot, to the Daisy BB Shoot and fishing in the lake for Rainbow trout, catfish and bream. The GWF Boat Cast Off, in its 6th year, saw a field of 26 contestants ranging in age from 8 to 14 years old compete for a chance to win a 14 ft Alumnacraft Jon Boat donated by B&B Marine. Hope Newkirk, a 13-year-old and veteran competitor from Shady Dale, GA, cast her way to the championship for 2008.

Georgia Wildlife Federation thanks everyone who attended the show in support of the GWF conservation programs that help to preserve our Constitutional right to hunt, fish, and enjoy the Great Outdoors for generations to come. Mark your calendar now for our Buckaramas® upcoming in Atlanta, July 31- August 3, and Perry, August 15 - 17; and next year's Great Outdoors Show at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, February 13-15, 2009.