Georgia Wildlife Federation

You probably hear a lot about water these days: the drought, water wars, the Georgia Comprehensive State-Wide Water Management Plan. Clean, adequate water is essential for a healthy environment and provides habitat for wildlife, irrigation for agriculture, drinking water for us and our children, and, fulfills municipal public health and safety needs, sustains industrial processes, and supports the state’s multi-billion dollar recreation and tourism industry. Georgia Wildlife Federation is one of the founding groups of the Georgia Water Coalition, a coalition of conservation organizations, businesses, civic groups, and other organizations that are concerned about the quality and quantity of our water. 171 groups, representing more than 250,000 residents, make up the membership of the Georgia Water Coalition. We encourage our elected officials, state agencies, local governments, and others to make responsible decisions about how to best protect and conserve our water. We educate citizens about measures that can be taken to conserve water in homes and businesses.

In December of 2008, the Georgia Water Coalition released an 8-page report of recommendations that are an essential part of establishing a sustainable water management plan for the next 100 years. This is the third such report of the Georgia Water Coalition and reflects actions taken during the 2008 General Assembly and more recent events in the state. The report is available online at www.gawater.org.

Membership in the Georgia Water Coalition is free. If your environmental group, church, civic organization, business, or homeowners association would like to join the Coalition, go to the Georgia Water Coalition website.

New Boardwalk at the Alcovy Conservation Center
By Robert Phillips, GWF Volunteer Coordinator

Thanks to a Cooperative Agreement between the Georgia Wildlife Federation and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Alcovy Conservation Center has a new boardwalk along Cornish Creek Trail. The boardwalk divides Froggy Bottom and the upper wetland containing a mixed stand of Tupelogum, Red Maple, River Birch and other wetland species. The boardwalk and large attached deck are accessible to everyone. Young and old will enjoy the ease of close-up examination of the papery bark of the birch or the scaly ridges of the tupelo trunks. And for those so inclined, one can even lie on his or her belly to observe a salamander tadpole or a damselfly nymph in the pools alongside the boardwalk. Future projects include removal of invasive exotic plants such as Chinese privet and Nepalese browntop. Wildlife-friendly native shrubs and trees will be planted in the wetland, and interpretive signs will be added, providing valuable information about the diverse habitats, wildlife and plants along the trail. “Thank you” to Jerry Simons, Dan Hunnicutt, and John Nelson, who volunteered many hours on this project. The boardwalk undoubtedly is a wonderful asset to the trails at the Alcovy Conservation Center.

A brilliant yellow-orange bird of southeastern wooded swamps, the Prothonotary Warbler is a striking sight with gray wings without wingbars, a white belly and undertail, and white spots on its tail. The female is slightly duller and less golden. The Prothonotary Warbler is one of only two warbler species that breed in holes. (Lucy's Warbler is the other.) The name "Prothonotary" refers to clerks in the Roman Catholic church whose robes were bright yellow. This songbird breeds from southern Minnesota and southern Ontario southward to central Texas and Florida. It spends the winter in Central and South America. Its preferred breeding habitat is wooded areas near water, especially flooded bottomland hardwood forests, cypress swamps, and along large lakes and rivers.

The Georgia State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) is a program to build broad grassroots awareness and support for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ plan to ensure long term protection and sustainability of wildlife habitat – before it becomes threatened and endangered. GWF is actively promoting SWAP by increasing public awareness of Georgia's high priority species and habitats.

Most fish have scales that form a protective barrier to protect the fish from injury. But, did you know that fish scales can be an indicator of past weather? As a fish grows larger, its scales get larger. As the scales get larger, growth rings are formed on the scales. These rings look a little like the growth rings in the trunk of a tree. Growth rings tell the age of fish and are also an indicator of past weather. Fish tend to grow slower when the water temperature is cold, when food is in short supply, and during times of stress such as that due to pollution or spawning stress. Growth rates are highest when water temperature is warm and fish have lots of food. Based on the rings’ width, past weather can be determined -- wider rings indicating mild or good weather and narrower rings indicating that the year had colder weather.

If you’ve ever touched a fish you would probably describe it as feeling slimy. Fish are actually covered with slime called a “slime coat”. The slime coat helps to protect the fish from bacteria and parasites. The slime coat also helps the fish to move easily in water because it reduces friction.

GWF has partnered with Earth Gauge, a free environmental information service, to provide educational pieces to meteorologists. Listen for other tidbits on your local news station. Read more Earth Gauge messages from GWF.

Sources:
http://www.tnfish.org/AgeGrowth_TWRA/TWRA_FishAgeGrowth.htm
http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/what/scales/index.htm
Photo credits: NOAA Fisheries Service