Georgia Wildlife Federation

Georgia hunters believe in the tradition of hunting and see their harvest as a benefit. They share venison with family and friends and help quality management of Georgia's extensive deer population.

Some of these hunters participate in the Georgia Hunters for the Hungry (GHFTH) program by donating deer for processing and distribution to hungry Georgians through a statewide network of food banks.

By the end of the 2007-2008 deer hunting season, the GHFTH program will have provided over 1,000,000 meals to hungry Georgians. The millionth meal was served just before Christmas 2007. Over 200,000 pounds of this top protein source have been donated since the program began in 1993.

The Georgia Hunters for the Hungry program offers an important link: sportsmen and women ease hunger in our state while reducing the negative effects of whitetail deer populations on wildlife habitat. It's an important means of assisting the Wildlife Resources Division and the State Parks Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to ease habitat degradation and ensure continued herd health at various state parks.

The success of this vital program results from the generosity of hunters to Georgians in need of a hot meal. Check out www.gohuntgeorgia.com for more details and participating processors.

Statewide Water Plan Heading for the General Assembly

Georgia is a geographically diverse state blessed with many special places. Each of these places has different water needs, and no place in Georgia is singularly "special" in regard to water needs and uses. All Georgians ultimately drink from the same waters; we must plan the use of our waters together.

The Georgia Wildlife Federation, through its involvement with the Georgia Water Coalition, has been intimately involved in the development of Georgia's first Statewide Water Management Plan. We support the idea of a fair Statewide Water Management Plan based on river basins and local representation.

The draft Plan misses other key marks in several important ways:

First, the Plan has no guaranteed funding. We must have committed state funding to put the plan into action to ensure that Georgia's waters are monitored and assessed, clean water laws are enforced, and regional planning is implemented. Funding depends on appropriations from the General Assembly. Environmental Protection Director Carol Couch estimates that a true statewide water plan will cost more than $36 million over the next three years. So far, the General Assembly has appropriated $800,000, only 3% of this total. Only funding that is stable and available will make the proposals in the water plan a reality — otherwise, it will be nothing more than paper.

Second, the Plan does not, but must, clearly mandate that the Metro North Georgia Water Planning District's (District) water plans conform to the State Plan. The District created its own water plans several years ago, calling for new interbasin transfers, reservoirs, and other water management activities to feed continued, rapid metro Atlanta growth, thus compromising downstream communities' economic vitality and ecological wellbeing. The District's plans are updated every five years and the five-year update is due in 2008, before the statewide water management plan is implemented. Whatever is in place in the 2008 plan is not going to change until 2013, unless the Metro District, on its own initiative, decides to make such a change. As a result, the Metro District will be planning according to a different, less stringent set of rules than the rest of the state and may make decisions about water use that will deprive downstream communities of water long into the future. The final plan must ensure that the District conforms to the state Plan. Georgia needs a water plan that unites the state, not one that divides us.

Third, the Plan does not, but should, propose specific efficiency and conservation requirements for all water users so efficient water use is required everywhere, always - not just during times of drought. Water conservation, efficiency, and reuse options are by far the cheapest solutions for increasing water supply and should be implemented to their fullest extent before reservoirs and interbasin transfers are utilized.

Fourth, the Plan does not, but should, set a specific instream flow policy, or a process to develop such a standard, to ensure that there will always be enough water in our rivers, lakes, streams and estuaries to protect downstream communities, fish, wildlife, and recreation. GWF's membership is comprised of many anglers. We know that fish populations require sufficient amounts of water in our rivers and streams to thrive and that low flows may have negative consequences and might cause fish kills. The final plan must include an instream flow policy that is science-based and protects the needs of every waterway.

Finally, the Plan does, but should not, include risky, expensive and unproven management schemes such as aquifer storage and recovery, desalination, and pollution trading. These unproven, potentially very expensive, and damaging proposals benefit selected areas or interests only and do not belong in a statewide water plan.

Georgia could have a Water Plan that ensures enough clean drinking water and healthy, flowing rivers for future generations. Please voice your concerns to your state leaders before they vote on the final Water Plan in the 2008 Legislative session. Please visit www.georgiawater.org throughout the General Assembly session for updates and sign up for the Georgia Environmental Action Network (GEAN) at www.protectgeorgia.net to receive important action alerts.

By Robert Phillips, Alcovy Conservation Center Volunteer Coordinator

As in the story of Goldilocks and the three bears, it wasn't to hot, it wasn't to cold, it was just right. Because it was just right and because they have a concern for the water in Newton County, citizens showed up in large numbers for the Newton County Rivers
Alive Cleanup.

Over one hundred fifty participants met at the Covington square at 8 am Saturday, October 13. After feasting on biscuits, coffee and juice, volunteers were dispatched to thirteen sites around the county. The group gathered 226 large garbage bags of trash along intersections of county roads and our streams. And this total doesn't include larger items such as couches, rolls of carpet and other items just too big to squeeze into a
plastic bag.

I am certain the citizens of Newton County and those who live downstream from Newton appreciate the fantastic job done by all our volunteers. We extend a big thank you to the city of Covington for sponsoring the breakfast, and to the Newton Sewage and Water Authority for sponsoring the lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers and smoked chicken. Most of all, a shout out of gratitude should also go to the school groups in Newton County. WOW, what a show of support. The Keep Newton/Covington Beautiful did its usual great job and thanks to the Georgia Wildlife Federation volunteers at the Alcovy Conservation Center for helping with the trash pick up and hosting the lunch. Please do your part, recycle what you can and trash-can the rest. Let's keep Newton Beautiful!

Farm Bill Moving Through Congress
By Shirl Parsons, Conservation Issues Coordinator

The Farm Bill has been in the news a lot lately since this complicated bill moved through the House last summer and was passed out of the Senate in late December. Reauthorization of the Farm Bill will be the most important piece of conservation legislation this year and will affect thousands of acres of grasslands, forests and other habitats.

Farmland covers nearly 30 percent of Georgia, while another 45 percent is privately owned forest land. Any effort to ensure the future of Georgia's fish and wildlife must involve these private landowners as partners. The Farm Bill authorizes some of our nation's largest and most successful voluntary conservation programs and increasingly, the work of farmers, ranchers and private forest owners will be valued not just for commodities, but for clean water and air, healthy soil, and improved wildlife habitat. Conservation programs like the Wetlands Reserve Program, Grasslands Reserve Program, Conservation Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitats Incentive Program and Conservation Security Program have done much to address soil, water and wildlife concerns on our farm and forests. Yet these programs are insufficiently funded and have generated long lists of potential participants waiting to enroll.

As the Farm Bill passed through the Senate in December all the amendments that would have weakened conservation provisions were either voted down or withdrawn and several amendments to strengthen conservation provisions were added. The next step is for Senate and House negotiators to work out differences between the Senate bill and the House version passed last summer. We will report the outcome in the next issue of The Call.

By Christina Marr, Volunteer & Program Coordinator - MCNC

Consider the logistics that go into building a 120 foot raised boardwalk: How long will the project take to complete? How many volunteers will the project need? How much lumber, what tools and most importantly how much will the project cost?

Well, thanks to REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) and some local businesses, a community grant covered the all-important cost factor, allowing us to begin planning for this long-awaited replacement for a washed out area of path. Soon after receiving the grant, all the other elements fell into place and on Saturday, September 22nd, 27 volunteers and 392 pieces of lumber arrived to start building the raised boardwalk.

Undertaking this kind of project is massive for any organization. It certainly was no easy task for our center and its unique challenges: no motor vehicles are allowed nor is there any electricity on the site. Fortunately, we had many volunteers who used a lot of muscle power hauling ALL the lumber from the staging area to the project site (approximately ½ mile in distance that included an elevated bridge). Some of the volunteers, such as boy scouts from Troop 608, made the job fun by singing songs and making jokes. Other volunteers, like BSA Venture Crew (a co-ed high school adventure group) were simply happy to help in any way they could. Volunteers were given lunch on each work day and REI even graciously donated some items for a raffle. As a thank you for all the hard, manual labor that the volunteers were being asked to do for this project, REI also donated 60 Nalgene Loop-top water bottles.

GWF volunteers, Chris Gray and Paul O'Shield, took the lead for designing and starting the construction of the boardwalk. New volunteer, David Nash, took over on work days when Chris and Paul could not be present. The work continued on September 29th, October 20th and October 27th with most of the boardwalk completed at this writing. A few more areas need to be finished, but the project is a complete success! To this date, a total of 74 volunteers have worked hard to bring this boardwalk to life; the result is a safer trail that is accessible even when the ground below is saturated following rains and flooding.

In addition to REI's support, this project would not have been possible without the generous support of local businesses as well. Thank you to Hill's ACE Hardware of Winder and The Home Depot of Dacula for donations of lumber. Costco and Subway (Mall of Georgia) helped provide lunch for the volunteers on each work day. Hands On Atlanta assisted with advertising our project build, resulting in eight willing volunteers who gave their time. We owe a BIG thank you to the great folks at Birdwatcher Supply Company who are always ready to lend a hand (or an electrical outlet when we needed to charge our cordless tools) in whatever way they can help! We're grateful to REI for nominating GWF's Mill Creek Nature Center for a community grant and we always appreciate the assistance they provide by advertising our events and in their unending partnership!

In collaboration with the Center for Invasive Plant Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Refuge System has designed an online training course for volunteers interested in fighting one of the single greatest threats to the Refuge System-invasive species.

The Refuge System has worked aggressively to combat invasive species, targeting more than 280,000 acres of refuge lands. Yet an estimated 1.72 million acres remain untreated.

The new invasive species Web site (www.fws.gov/invasives/volunteersTrainingModule) includes video, text and photos that provide background on the Refuge System and information about the science and management of invasive plants. The site also includes an invasive species knowledge test and links to government and private Web sites dealing with the issue.

In 2003, the Refuge System joined conservation organizations and the U.S. Geological Survey in training volunteers to use hand-held GPS devices to map invasive species on national wildlife refuges.

"We want volunteers to be able to engage their communities on the issue of invasives," said Jenny Ericson, national invasives volunteer coordinator for the Refuge System. "The online training provides practical tools for educating local groups about the importance of preventing and controlling invasive plants. Volunteers can be our greatest advocates in the fight against this major nationwide threat to wildlife and habitat."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 97-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 548 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

GWF was saddened to hear of the loss of long-time member, volunteer and friend, Cecil Thomas Allgood, Sr. Cecil passed away on Sunday, October 14, 2007, and is survived by his wife of 29 years, Joyce Byrd Allgood of Conyers, two children, two step-children, and their families.

Cecil loved nature. This was apparent by his choice of hobbies: gardening, fishing, and camping. GWF knew him best through his woodworking. Cecil never turned us down if we were in need of a new bench, bird feeder, or nesting box for a program or habitat garden. But, the best part was that he always did it with a smile, and it was obvious that he found great joy in helping others. GWF has been blessed by being a recipient of his talents and generous spirit. We will miss him.

Whether the subject is wood storks or bog turtles, right whales or sandhills, the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is starting an e-mail newsletter that will cover the state's wide range of non-game creatures and natural habitats.

Signing up is easy and free. Simply contact Rick Lavender at Wildlife Resources Public Affairs (rick.lavender@gadnr.org or 770-918-6787) to add your e-mail address.

The first issue of the bi-monthly newsletter will arrive shortly after Jan. 1. Each issue will dig into news, features and profiles involving non-game wildlife, topics and places.

It's a quick way to stay up-to-date on Wildlife Resources' work with everything from American oystercatchers to zigzag salamanders.