Pilot Recycling Rewards Program Will Help Promote Sustainability by Increasing Recycling Participation in Atlanta
The City of Atlanta announced today that a select group of Atlanta residents will soon be rewarded for their curbside recycling efforts. In an effort to encourage proper recycling habits, boost recycling participation, reduce the amount of recyclables being sent to area landfills and save taxpayer money, City officials introduced the pilot rewards program as an opportune way to move towards a greener, cleaner Atlanta.
In order to complement Atlanta’s existing sustainability initiatives, the City of Atlanta has partnered with Rehrig Pacific, a container company and service provider, to bring a unique incentive based pilot recycling program to its residents. As part of this pilot program, Rehrig Pacific has collaborated with key sponsor Coca-Cola Recycling, LLC and rewards partner RecycleBank® to offer Atlanta residents a premiere rewards and loyalty program that incentivizes household recycling. City officials are confident they will see a rise in recycling volumes and a decrease in waste tonnages. In addition to the benefit to the environment, the rewards program will give residents and local businesses a needed economic boost.
The City of Atlanta selected 10,000 households for the incentive based pilot recycling program. The participating households represent a cross section of recyclers throughout the City. The RecycleBank® rewards program will encourage better participation in the curbside recycling program. It will also allow the City to evaluate changes in the amounts of recyclables collected from residents participating in the pilot program.
“Incentive based recycling will help us to meet our recycling and sustainability goals while giving something back to our residents. During today’s recession and economic climate, saving money on groceries, on clothing, or at the pharmacy translates to great value. We have found a way to provide real financial rewards and help the environment at the same time,” said Mayor Franklin.
Each home in the pilot area will receive a brand new 96-gallon blue cart, retrofitted with an ID tag with the resident’s household address and RecycleBank account number. City trucks have been retrofitted with technology to read the cart ID tag. Upon activating their account with RecycleBank, either online or by phone, the household will begin to earn RecycleBank Points with every pick-up.
Points can be redeemed for rewards, gift cards, groceries, and products at hundreds of local and national RecycleBank Reward Partners. Partners include giant national brands and retailers such as Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Target.com, Publix, and CVS/pharmacy, as well as local partners like Zoo Atlanta, Radial Café, Rita’s Water Ice, MetroFresh, Edgewood Avenue Pizza, and Six Feet Under.
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), housed in Atlanta, is a significant player in making the pilot program a reality for their local neighbors. Through sponsorship dollars, they have enabled the purchase of the ten-thousand Rehrig Pacific blue recycling carts needed for the pilot program.
ABOUT THE PARTNERS
CITY OF ATLANTA
The City of Atlanta Recycling Program is a division of the Department of Public Works /Office of Solid Waste Services
(http://www.atlantaga.gov/government/publicworks/dpwrecyclingprogram_08192008.aspx). This division promotes and supports recycling initiatives and programs, and educates City employees and the general public about waste reduction and recycling programs and opportunities. This division also serves as a liaison with local, state, and federal agencies on recycling issues to ensure responsiveness to problems and concerns, prepares grant proposals, and maintain records on the City’s recycling programs. The ReCART incentive based curbside recycling pilot project is a prime example of the City’s efforts to increase the amount of recyclables going to productive end uses rather than to area landfills.
RECYCLEBANK
RecycleBank is a rewards program that motivates people to recycle. Using the RecycleBank proprietary three-step process Recycle, Record, Reward™. We quickly and easily measure the amount of material each home recycles and then convert that activity into RecycleBank points that can be used at hundreds of local and national rewards partners.
COCA-COLA ENTERPRISES
Through this partnership, the goal of the world’s largest bottler is to increase opportunities to recover and recycle in the marketplace through Coca-Cola Recycling. Through recovery of the Atlanta materials, Coca-Cola can expect 150 metric tons of packaging materials. Coca-Cola Enterprises is the world's largest marketer, producer, and distributor of bottle and can liquid nonalcoholic refreshment.
REHRIG PACIFIC
Rehrig Pacific is an international company with operations and licensees worldwide manufacturing an ever-expanding product line of sustainable packaging products that includes plastic crates, pails, carts, and pallets designed to handle, store, and transport goods in the agriculture, bakery, beverage, dairy, environmental and retail materials handling marketplaces.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Friday, October 30, 2009
City of Atlanta Launches Pilot Incentive Based Recycling Program
Thursday, October 29, 2009
USDA wants to introduce families to their farmers
Kathleen Merrigan believes all families should know where their food comes from. To do that, they must first know where it all begins -- with farmers.
The deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited the University of Georgia campus in Athens Oct. 26 to promote the department’s new Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative (www.usda.gov/knowyourfarmer).
“By better connecting consumers of food to their producers, people across the country will have a greater understanding of the challenges in agriculture today and the effort it takes to put food on their tables,” Merrigan said.
The initiative is especially important considering the average age of a U.S. farmer is 59 and climbing and many national and state agriculture experts are nearing retirement age, she said. Getting the next generation involved now is important.
“There seems to be more opportunities to talk about agriculture now than at any other time in my adult life,” she said.
As part of the initiative, she wants farmers to have the chance to talk to her and other USDA officials in person and through Web sites like YouTube. “We want to recognize a lot of expertise comes from the countryside,” she said. “We want to know what’s going on in Georgia, what’s working.”
While on campus, she spoke with UGA researchers, administrators, farmers and students and found out what the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is doing to support locally grown food.
CAES promotes local food through work by the Center for Urban Agriculture, Farm to School programs, service-learning courses and community and school gardens.
The college recently graduated its first students in the organic agriculture certificate program, put together an organic production team that works with producers statewide and developed a new sustainable agriculture Web site (www.sustainagga.org) and newsletter.
“We have a unique opportunity to develop and supply local food systems right now,” said CAES sustainable agriculture coordinator Julia Gaskin.
To promote locally grown food, CAES also partners with the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, Fort Valley State University, Georgia Organics, the Atlanta Local Food Initiative and Promoting Local Agriculture and Cultural Experiences, or PLACE.
Local food producers need places to process products like meat. CAES conducts feasibility studies to determine if meat-processing plants are feasible in certain parts of the state.
“There are no small processing facilities in the state,” said Georgia Organics director Alice Rolls. “For small poultry processing, they’re taking it to Mississippi.”
Merrigan mentioned there is interest in mobile poultry processing units, but said at best it’s a gray area when it comes to governing these facilities.
South Georgia farmer Bill Brim asked Merrigan how her department plans to tie food safety back to locally produced efforts.
“There is no size exemption on food safety,” she said. “We’re working on this.”
CAES dean Scott Angle reminded her that some critical research is not getting the funding it needs, for example, phosphorous use in watermelon and other environmental and sustainable issues.
“For farmers, it’s critically important, but government and industry doesn’t see it as important enough,” Angle said.
Farmers need financial help during disasters, like last year’s salmonella-related tomato scare that cost them $1.2 million in sales, said Terry Coleman, the Georgia deputy commission of agriculture.
“They’re vulnerable to natural disasters and also to misspeak,” Coleman said.
To get the next generation involved, young people need access to land and skills to grow food, said Craig Page with Athens-based PLACE.
“We need to be making it affordable so young people who want to farm closer to urban areas can,” he said, “so they can meet their social needs, too, and not be restricted to rural areas.”
Brian Barrett with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service told Merrigan that Georgia may soon move from being a state with few certified organic acres to one of the top 25. A $1.2 million NRCS grant will help it do that.
“Ag continues to grow in Georgia,” Angle said, “both at the state and local levels. It’s an interesting place to be right now.”
By Stephanie Schupska
University of Georgia
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Cutest Chick Found in Fayette County Classroom
Pre-K students in Dana Wren’s class watch as the baby chick pecks its way out of its shell.
The cutest chick in Fayette County is in Dana Wrenn’s pre-K classroom at Brooks Elementary.
Wrenn’s 20 students watched in amazement on October 9 as a baby chicken broke through its eggshell and hatched after two days of pecking.
“Finally the beak came through and we began to see a wet feathery creature appear, it looked like an alien to me,” says Wrenn. “When she was gathering her strength for the next portion of her hatching, we could see her heart beating and the rise and fall of her chest. She stretched her wings and poof; she arrived. It was so amazing.”
The hatching of the chick coincides with a life science farming unit Wrenn is teaching this month. A family of one of Wrenn’s former students raises chickens as a hobby and brought in three fertilized eggs. The eggs were kept in an incubator in the classroom but only one hatched after 21 days.
“What an incredible life lesson it is to see the magical wonder of an egg becoming a living chick. Children who are growing up in a techno world crave opportunities to experience life outdoors. I try to offer opportunities for exploration of life experiences and the wonder of our marvelous world,” says Wrenn.
As soon as the baby chick arrived, students began researching how to care for her. They knew they had to keep her warm and place her in a larger environment.
“We learned chicks must be kept at 95 degrees for their first week of life so we rounded up a plastic aquarium and rigged a lamp from the classroom to keep her warm,” says Wrenn.
The students also learned that chicks drink sugar water and eat starter scratch.
“They are keeping her watered and fed. We also discovered that we had to teach her how to drink and peck at her food,” says Wrenn.
The class named the chick Bemmie after a chicken character from the book “Love, Ruby Lavender,” a tale about Ruby Lavender, her grandmother and three stolen hens in the township of Halleluiah, Mississippi.
Bemmie will stay in the classroom for two weeks before she is transferred to the school’s butterfly garden. In the meantime, the students are waiting for a new batch of fertilized eggs in the hopes of getting another chick so Bemmie will have a companion.
Not only are students getting a lesson in life science, but they are also cultivating their writing skills by journaling about the experience and enhancing their vocabulary by learning new words. The students plan to publish a story, complete with pictures, about Bemmie’s transformation from a chick to a hen.
“Our Bemmie is growing by leaps and bounds In fact, she’s already getting pin feathers and trying to fly,” says Wrenn.
-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Conserve Georgia Renews Commitment To Creating a Culture of Conservation
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Clark Unveils Web Site and Social Media Program at Georgia Environmental Conference
Note: Hopefully this is one of those "better late than never" stories... we missed it back on Aug. 27th but thought it was worth sliding on here. Wish we'd watched our inbox a little closer that day! - NFNG
Conserve Georgia, Governor Perdue’s statewide initiative charged with helping create a culture of conservation throughout Georgia, is renewing its call to preserve the state’s natural resources at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s fourth annual Georgia Environmental Conference in Savannah. An updated www.ConserveGeorgia.org Web site, a new social media program, and outreach plans for local government and business organizations are being introduced to business and civic leaders from throughout the state.
“Georgia’s natural resources are finite and precious, so we must all do our part to preserve them for future generations,” said Chris Clark, Chair of the Conserve Georgia Council and Commissioner of Natural Resources. “Whether you’re interested in recycling, land management, air quality, wildlife, or water and energy conservation, ConserveGeorgia.org is a single portal to find information about caring for and enjoying our state’s natural resources. In order to better communicate with Georgians, we also have started communicating directly through our new Facebook page.”
Conserve Georgia is a public information program that is composed of 10 state partner agencies which manage dozens of conservation-oriented programs, ranging from the Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia to waterSmart. Conserve Georgia also is working through the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA), Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG), the regional growth authorities, and youth organizations to inform Georgians about the program and how their members can take a more active part in preserving Georgia.
Some of the programs that Conserve Georgia brings together include:
· Backyard Composting, Zero Waste at Work and regional recycling collection hubs that are operated through the Georgia Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA);
· Wildlife, forest, coastal, water, air and land management and preservation programs that are managed and operated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and its Environmental Protection Division (EPD);
· The Governor’s Energy Challenge, which directs all state agencies to reduce energy consumption by 15 percent by 2020 and has challenged Georgia businesses, local governments and citizens to do the same, and the funding of conservation and green energy initiatives through the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA), including projects that receive dollars from the federal stimulus program; and
· The Georgia Department of Transportation’s (Georgia DOT) Adopt-A-Highway, Litter Control and Wildflower programs.
“The choices we make as individuals have a significant, collective impact on our state’s natural resources,” continued Clark. “That’s why Governor Perdue and the Conserve Georgia partner agencies are challenging all Georgians to participate in conservation programs.”
Visitors to www.ConserveGeorgia.org can access dozens of state and public/private conservation initiatives while navigating through 3-D scenes of Georgia’s varied natural environment: urban life, rural Georgia, the north Georgia mountains and coastal Georgia. The site is user-driven, allowing each visitor to select the kind of content they want to see based on their interest as an individual, business, educator, agribusiness or local government entity.
3-D elements provide a virtual-world experience complete with the ability to have some virtual fun – visitors can watch crops grow during the irrigation process, throw another log on the campfire, or pick up trash and deposit it in a receptacle. The site’s functionality is designed to get Georgians more engaged, form a tighter connection with Conserve Georgia and retain more information.
Conserve Georgia’s new presence on Facebook.com also engages Georgians in an online environment in which they are already currently active. Georgians who become a “fan” of Conserve Georgia on Facebook.com will receive information about conservation-related events and programs as well as seasonal conservation tips.
Conserve Georgia partner agencies include the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA), the Environmental Protection Division (EPD), the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), the University System of Georgia (USG), the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC), the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission (GSWCC), the Department of Education (DOE), the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Agriculture (DOA).
A Culture of ConservationThe Conserve Georgia program was developed to foster a culture of conservation throughout the state of Georgia. Nearly a dozen state agencies and authorities are working together with businesses, civic leaders, educational institutions, non-profit organizations and residents to make Georgia’s air, land, water, energy and wildlife resources more sustainable now and for generations to come. The program’s Web site – www.ConserveGeorgia.org – serves as a portal to help Georgians find information on a wide range of conservation resources and programs.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Temporary Forestry Work Coming Through A.R.R.A. Grants
The Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) will assist in the creation of more than 300 temporary jobs statewide as part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The federal program will subsidize five grants totaling $9.7 million in forestry-related work to help stimulate the economy and benefit Georgia’s environment. The funds will not replace or supplant state mandated GFC budget reductions, but can only be used for the creation of new, temporary positions in the forestry industry.
“These proposals will enhance GFC initiatives beyond what was possible under current austere budget conditions,” said Robert Farris, Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission. “The work will have multiple benefits, including reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire, restoring longleaf pine ecosystems, fighting invasive weed species and reaching out to thousands of landowners who need updated forest management plans.”
Farris said forestry professionals who are interested in the work these grants have created should go to the GFC website for information and application materials. The GFC website can be found at GaTrees.org. A link to ARRA grant opportunities is located on the Homepage.
The five grants received have different purposes and are operated by different business units of the GFC. Each grant has specific qualification guidelines, application windows, and managers. The grants include:
· Enhanced Fuels Management and Community Wildfire Protection Plans- This $3.59 million grant will help create a wildfire-resistant forest buffer surrounding the fire prone Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge. It will also help with wildfire mitigation planning for several communities that were affected by the catastrophic wildfires of 2007. More than 60% of this grant will be used to reimburse landowners who complete forest management options, outlined in the grant, for reducing wildfire fuels and creating defendable space around the Okefenokee. Forestry technicians will be hired to supervise the procedures and a community fire mitigation specialist will be hired to promote Firewise practices and Community Wildfire Protection Planning.
· Stewardship Revisit for Prescribed Fire - Some 6,400 Georgia landowners have received Forest Stewardship Plans via a program that began in 1991. As part of a $2.24 million prescribed burning initiative, these forests will be revisited to measure progress on recommended forest management practices and to evaluate the use of prescribed fire. Twenty foresters/forestry technicians will be hired to make site evaluations. Prescribed burning of 50,000 acres will follow, based on evaluations.
· Dixon State Forest Wildfire Recovery & Habitat Restoration - $377,000 will be administered for the rehabilitation of 19,000 acres in Dixon Memorial Forest, which were burned in the 2007 wildfires. Bids will be accepted for site preparation, tree planting, and the purchase of longleaf pine seedlings.
· Congongrass and Invasive Plant Eradication - Cogongrass is considered the seventh worst weed in the world and has taken over vast ecosystems in some southern states. Cogongrass greatly increases the risk of damaging wildfire in the forest. GFC professionals have identified other invasive plant species as threats to forested ecosystems within Georgia, as well. To expand detection, eradication and education efforts toward these invasive plants, $1.8 million will be administered. Incentive payments will be available to landowners who perform treatments within forested areas. To perform these tasks, GFC will hire six temporary personnel and an estimated 20 or more contractors; multiple crews will be hired by landowners. Jobs will be created throughout the state as these invasive plant surveys and treatments take place.
· Regional Longleaf Pine Restoration Initiative and Fuel Reduction - Longleaf pine forests once covered a vast range from Texas to Virginia, but have been reduced to three percent of historical acreage due to conversion of land to other uses and forest types. Longleaf pine forests are highly valued for their resistance to damage by insects, diseases, wildfire, and storms, and for their yield of high quality wood products, biological diversity, and scenic beauty. As part of a regional project involving Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina to reestablish this native, highly valued longleaf pine species, $1.7 million will be administered. This work helps restore a great American ecosystem while creating jobs for contractors and laborers involved in tree planting and forest improvement work, including nursery workers, conservation planners and coordinators, media specialists, and educators.
Funding for these five projects was provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working to implement provisions of the Recovery Act to put Americans back to work and rejuvenate the nation’s economy. The Recovery Act provided USDA with nearly $28 billion in funding; of that, $1.15 billion has been allocated to the Forest Service for project work in forest restoration, hazardous fuels reduction, construction and maintenance of facilities, trails and roads, green energy projects, and grants to states, tribes, and private landowners.
For more information about GFC-administered A.R.R.A. grants, visit GaTrees.org or call 1-800-GA-TREES.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Thursday, September 03, 2009
You Did What to My Tomatoes?
In what might be the ultimate pursuit of the perfect vegetable, researchers at Finland's University of Kuopio have discovered that a mixture of human urine and wood ash has the same benefit for tomato plants as traditional fertilizers, producing 4.2 times more fruit than non-fertilized plants.
While the wood ash helps reduce the acidity of soils, tomatoes grown just using urine as the fertilizer did just as well as synthetic fertilizers.
"The results suggest that urine with [or] without wood ash can be used as a substitute for mineral fertilizer to increase the yields of tomato without posing any microbial or chemical risks," said the study, which appears in the current issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
The findings from the study have "important implications," the scientists said, because "they may contribute to the development of positive attitudes about the use of urine and ash as fertilizer as a way to both increase crop yield and reduce water pollution."
By Jim Dawson
Inside Science News Service
(NFNG Note: OK, this one may work, but I'll have my tomatoes urine free thank you very much!)
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Turfgrass Group Licenses First TifGrand™ Growers
The Turfgrass Group, Inc. (www.theturfgrassgroup.com), of Fort Valley, Georgia, has licensed the first growers for TifGrand™, the world’s first sterile triploid hybrid Bermudagrass with significant shade tolerance.
Coosa Valley Turf of Centre, AL; Holland Gardens of Lubbock, TX; NG Turf, of Whitesburg, GA; Pike Creek Turf of Adel, GA; Patten Seed Company/Super Sod of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina; and Sod Atlanta of Cartersville, GA are the first licensees to grow TifGrand™.
TifGrand™ is a dense, semi-dwarf Bermudagrass with thin, dark green blades. Developed by Drs. Wayne Hanna and Kris Braman of The University of Georgia’s internationally renowned turfgrass program, testing and evaluation over a decade has proven its outstanding tolerance of 60% to 70% shade and its excellent tawny mole cricket non-preference. It spreads by both stolons and rhizomes and requires lower fertilizer (nitrogen) and water inputs than previously released Bermudagrasses.
Tom Wolfe of Coosa Valley Turf, believes “homeowners will love being able to have the same Bermudagrass in their shady backyards as is in the sunny fronts. The appearance is better and the maintenance is easier.”
Pike Creek Turf’s Jimmy Allen is excited about the ability to mow TifGrand™ to 0.5” for golf fairways in sun and in shade. He says ”it stays very dense and gives the golf ball a good, clean lie that the players will really like.” Allen is trialing TifGrand™ at 5/32” for course tee areas and thinks it will do very well.
Aaron McWhorter, owner of NG Turf, noted that “TifGrand™ is a nice, dark green, fine-bladed turfgrass – very attractive,” and says it should appeal to a wide variety of users.
Hampton Gardens will be growing TifGrand™ in plug trays for direct retail sale to those homeowners whose landscaping has matured, grown larger and created canopied shade. Wayne Hampton is pleased that “where their Bermuda formerly thrived is now too shady...TifGrand™ gives them the opportunity to keep both their Bermudagrass and their beloved larger trees.”
TifGrand™ will be grown exclusively as a certified turfgrass and all licensed growers will be required to meet stringent crop certifying agency requirements and undergo careful, continuous monitoring to insure the ongoing purity and uniformity of this outstanding new hybrid for both producers and users.
For more information on TifGrand™ and licensing opportunities, please contact Bill Carraway, Vice President of Marketing, The Turfgrass Group, Inc. at (770) 207-1500.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Saturday, August 29, 2009
How a Bad Plant Stays Bad
The Venus flytrap, with its spike-like teeth and snapping jaws, is a carnivorous wonder of nature that appeals to the dark side of our imaginations.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, curious about how and why the "snap trap" flytrap evolved, have delved into the ecological background of the plant and combined the data with new computer modeling.
The Venus flytrap can trace its roots back 65 million years, when the snap trap carnivorous plants diverged from the sundew plant, which catches bugs by trapping them in a sticky goo.
Today there are only two living "snap trap" species – the Venus flytrap and an aquatic plant called a waterwheel that eats tiny invertebrates. The flytrap is an advance over its sticky trap cousins because the snapping jaws can catch larger, and therefore more nutritious, insects, the researchers said.
"As the insects get larger, you have to change your tactics," said botanist Don Waller. "The snap trap is one way to do that."
In addition to being unique, the Venus flytrap is also a very efficient killer, the researchers noted. It has hinged, jaw-like leaves, teeth, and digestive glands that are recessed for protection against a struggling fly. It also has sensitive trigger hairs on the inside surface of each leaf, and the leaves can snap shut in a fraction of a second. And outside of horror movies, the Venus flytrap cannot grow large enough to threaten much more than flies.
"The physiological demands of capturing and digesting larger and larger prey limits how big the plants can get – even the largest leaves on an average Venus flytrap are … an inch or less across," the researchers said.
The paper on the flytrap appears in the August issue of the journal New Phytologist.
By Jim Dawson
Inside Science News Service
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
When a Bad Plant Goes Good
Kudzu, the invasive southeastern plant that is the object of intense research on how best to kill it, may actually contain a substance that could help some 50 million people in the United States suffering from metabolic syndrome.
The roots of the plant, which has overgrown almost 10 million acres in the Southeast U.S. and is known as"the vine that ate the South," contain isoflavones, which are widely used as a health supplement in China and Japan.
In a study done at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, kudzu root extract was fed to lab rats that are used to model metabolic syndrome in humans. Metabolic syndrome is a widespread condition that leads to obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and problems regulating insulin.
After feeding the kudzu extract to the rats for two months, the researchers noted that the rats had lower cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and better insulin levels than a control group not given the extract.
The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, concluded that long-term, regular use of the kudzu extract could have the same beneficial effects in people, decreasing the "risk and severity of stroke and cardiovascular disease."
By Jim Dawson
Inside Science News Service
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Friday, August 14, 2009
Coweta-Fayette Rotary and Operation Boot Camp Team Up for Line Creek Nature Area
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Garden of Novelist Ferrol Sams and Sams Lake Featured in September Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Tour
Six Distinctive Gardens on Display Southeast of Metro Atlanta
Six gardens in Fayetteville and Peachtree City will demonstrate how people can preserve the region’s wildlife and, more broadly, its biodiversity by cultivating native plants and other essentials for wildlife survival at this year’s Atlanta Audubon Society Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Tour.
The tour will take place Saturday, September 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Advance tickets are now on sale for $12 by calling Atlanta Audubon Society at 678/973-2437. Tickets are also available on the day of the tour for $15 at the first and last sites. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.
This year’s tour includes six exciting properties:
#1 214 Smokerise Trace, Peachtree City, GA 30269
This three-acre property is owned by a Georgia Certified Landscape Professional and Georgia Master Gardener. The site includes a one-acre hardwood forest, and a 10-acre adjacent forest harbors many species of birds, mammals, and reptiles. Over 125 bird species have been seen on this property.
#2 233 Smokerise Trace, Peachtree City, GA 30269
This acre and a half of professionally maintained gardens has beautifully constructed waterfalls, ponds and meandering creeks.
#3 Two Doves Farm, 380 Ebenezer Church Road, Fayetteville, GA 30215
A certified organic farm of 15 acres. Organic plants, vegetables and botanicals produced at the farm are on sale. Go to www.twodovesfarm.com for more information.
#4 Sams Lake Bird Sanctuary, Old Senoia Road, Fayetteville, GA 30215
A 56-acre nature preserve donated by the Sams family to replace lost wetlands when the fifth runway at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was built. The site is now owned and managed by Southern Conservation Trust. The lake area hosts beaver, wild turkeys, egrets, heron, hawks, deer and muskrat and many species of birds. A half-acre mulched trail and three observation decks provide great wildlife viewing. Go to www.sctlandtrust.org/community-preserves/sams-lake-nature-area for more information.
#5 685 Glynn Street South (GA Hwy 85) Fayetteville, GA 30214
Part of Turnipseed Nursery and Gardens, this garden has been featured on HGTV's “A Gardener's Diary.”
#6 Garden of Drs. Ferrol and Helen Sams, 355 Beauregard Blvd., Fayetteville, GA 30214
A mature natural woodland garden of more than 30 acres with many native azaleas and wildflowers such as trilliums. The garden has been featured on HGTV’s “A Gardener’s Diary.”
These sites have all been certified by Atlanta Audubon Society as wildlife sanctuaries. They show how homeowners and gardeners can cultivate their own yards to preserve native plants and habitat for wildlife. The four essential components of a wildlife sanctuary are:
Shelter: Active nesting areas or shelters that attract and protect birds and other wildlife.
Food: Feeders and plantings that offer seeds, flowers, and berries to wildlife.
Water: Birdbaths, water gardens, or natural features with flowing water.
Nesting Sites: Bird boxes, natural cavities, or wood piles and vine tangles.
For more information on the Wildlife Sanctuary Program, go to
http://atlantaaudubon.org/aaswww/conservation/sanctuary.htm.
For a map of the tour and directions to the sites, go to www.atlantaaudubon.org.
The Sanctuary Tour and Program are designed to encourage residential homeowners and homeowners' associations, business park owners/managers, and golf course owners/managers to become involved in the preservation of native plants and habitat for wildlife.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Friday, August 07, 2009
Soldier Launches Recycling Effort in Iraq
The Army teaches soldiers to leave a place better than they found it. One soldier has applied this adage to the Multinational Division Baghdad area of operations by thinking "green."
Army Sgt. Tanisha Manning, with 1st Cavalry Division's Company B, Division Special Troops Battalion, has started a recycling initiative at Camp Liberty, Iraq.
"It's about saving money [and] helping the environment, and it's part of a responsible drawdown, because we want to leave this place better than we found it," the New York native said. "I started this about two months ago, and it's just now getting off the ground and totally on the move."
A recycling program was in place on Camp Liberty before, Manning said, but it wasn't getting much attention.
"I thought to myself, 'We drink so much water, we use so much water, and we throw away so many plastic bottles; what are we doing?'" she said.
Manning decided to take action. She formulated a plan, made contacts, and helped to publish an order on the subject.
"When I found Sergeant Manning in [division supply], she inspired me to do something about the recycling situation here on [Camp] Liberty," said Army Maj. Mindy Kimball, with 1st Cavalry Division's Company A, Division Special Troops Battalion.. "The bottom line is that the landfill on [the complex] is near capacity and can't possibly last through 2011 with the current rate of solid waste disposal."
With the assistance of a contracting organization in Iraq and Kuwait, Manning's plan came to fruition. A partnership enabled the company to come onto the complex and take materials away for recycling.
Now, blue recycling bins are in place throughout the complex and the Multinational Division Baghdad area.
"It's important that we use these recycling bins -- it's too easy," Manning said. "Everybody on [the complex], at least, has a point of contact for recycling."
Manning explained that the bins are vital to the recycling program.
"When I went out to the recycling facility, they were picking through the garbage, looking for recyclables," she said. "So it's important for us to separate the recyclables out beforehand to make it easier on them."
Kimball noted recycling is every soldier's responsibility. "The Army's policy is very clear -- it doesn't say 'try' or 'should' [recycle], it says 'will,'" she said. "But unless every soldier and leader enforces it, then nothing will get done, and nobody can enforce policies they don't know about."
Thanks in part to Manning's efforts, soldiers now can recycle plastic bottles, aluminum cans, printer cartridges and cardboard easily.
(By Army Sgt. Joshua Risner, Special to American Forces Press Service. Army Sgt. Joshua Risner serves in the Multinational Baghdad public affairs office.)
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Forest Info Available to Georgians from Georgia Forestry Commission
The latest comprehensive report detailing Georgia’s forest resource is now available in a convenient booklet and online at GaTrees.org. The information is a compilation and summary of the condition of forests in the state, collected from samples gathered between 1998 and 2004 from around Georgia.
“Forest Inventory Analysis plots are randomly located points across the state that are visited and remeasured every five years by Georgia Forestry Commission Foresters,” (GFC) said David Dickinson, Forest Inventory Analysis (FI) Coordinator for GFC. “Landowners can find important information about the state of our forests in the new booklet, ‘Georgia Forests 2004.’”
According to Dickinson, data on many forest variables are collected at FIA plots, including forest type, forest age, individual tree species, diameters, heights and other detailing wood quality. The latest data shows Georgia’s timberland acreage is remaining stable, with slight gains of the acreage recorded in 1997. Timberland acreage gains in the south and central parts of the state more than offset losses in the north central region, which includes the Atlanta Metro Area. Tree volume has increased for both softwood and hardwood, and average annual tree growth has exceeded annual removals. Average annual acreage of tree planting has continued to decline.
“Georgia’s Forests, 2004” can be obtained in hard copy by visiting your local Georgia Forestry Commission District Office, or by clicking on the link at GaTrees.org under the “Forest Management/Forest Inventory” tab.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Georgia Aquaculture Farmers May Apply for Disaster Relief Funds to Recoup ‘08 Feed Cost
Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin alerts Georgia aquaculture farmers that they may be eligible to receive disaster relief funds to partially off-set escalating feed costs associated with the 2008 calendar year.
The state has received $205,200 in assistance funds to help aquafarmers. The money comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 through the Commodity Credit Corporation.
“This is a small grant but we are happy to receive it,” says Irvin. “Anytime we are able to help Georgia farmers we are going to do it. This money is good news that will help to off-set the higher-than-expected feed costs associated with doing business in 2008.”
Aquaculture, the farming of freshwater and saltwater organisms, such as fish and shrimp, is a growing industry in Georgia with nearly 300 small, family-owned fish farms. Trout, carp and catfish are the most popular species of fish grown in the state.
To be eligible to submit an application for feed cost reimbursement, aquaculture farmers must have: raised an aquaculture species in a
controlled environment that is still in operation today; experienced a financial risk; not have an adjusted income in excess of $2.5 million and had feed cost that was at least 25 percent of the producer’s total input cost.
The application, which can be found on-line at www.agr.georgia.gov, is due Friday, August 14, 2009. Hour-long telephone conference calls -- to answer specific questions of aquaculture farmers -- are scheduled for July 31 and August 7. Details relating to the conference calls and the program can be found at www.agr.georgia.gov.
For additional information contact Ms. Moreblessing Dzivakwe, Georgia Department of Agriculture 2008 Aquaculture Grant Program at (404) 463-8875 or e-mail her at mdzivak@agr.state.ga.us
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Monday, July 20, 2009
Terrance B. Gratton Receives the 2009 Walter F. Snyder Award
Award Recognizes Outstanding Achievement in Advancing Environmental Health
NSF International and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) announced recently that Terrance B. Gratton, Dr.P.H., D.A.A.S., R.S. was the recipient of the 2009 Walter F. Snyder Award. Dr. Gratton was presented with the award at NEHA’s 73rd Annual Educational Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, June 21, 2009.
This prestigious award, given in honor of NSF's co-founder and first Executive Director, is presented annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of environment health. Dr. Gratton was recognized for his 40-year career within the San Antonio, Texas, Metropolitan Health Department, the U.S. Public Health Service and the University of North Texas School of Public Health.
“Dr. Gratton’s contributions to the environmental health profession have left a lasting positive impact in areas such as education, training and sanitation,” said Kevan P. Lawlor, NSF President and CEO. “It is his outstanding leadership and dedication to environmental health that resonate with the principles of Walter F. Snyder, and what make him an ideal recipient of the 2009 Walter F. Snyder Award.”
Early in his career, Dr. Gratton was employed as a sanitarian with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health Department (SAMHD), where he worked to improve and implement food establishment inspections in the lower income areas of the city. He was then promoted to the engineering section of SAMHD, where his primary responsibility was the inspection of daycare facilities, institutions and nursing homes. He later became the chief trainer of new sanitarians, where he taught food codes and San Antonio Metropolitan Health ordinances, improving the overall education and quality of sanitarians’ work with environmental health issues.
He joined the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service in 1977. During his career with the U.S. Public Health Service, Dr. Gratton spent 18 years with the Indian Health Service in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arizona, and five years with the Bureau of Prisons in Fort Worth, Texas. Throughout his tenure with the Indian Health Service, Dr. Gratton’s leadership and determination led him to organize and implement several environmental improvement projects, which provided quality of life improvements to tribes in his jurisdiction.
“Dr. Gratton has long been involved in environmental health activities at the local, state, and national levels and always with great devotion to the people whose lives were being affected by poor environmental quality,” said Nelson Fabian, NEHA Executive Director. “His dedication to IHS over the last 18 years improved the lives of thousands of families living on the reservations. It is because of contributions like this and his outstanding leadership that Dr. Gratton is receiving the 2009 Walter F. Snyder Award.”
Many of Dr. Gratton’s contributions to environmental health have been demonstrated through his dedication to education and research. After retiring from the U.S. Public Health Service in 2000, Dr. Gratton turned his attention to educating the next generation of public health service leaders. As a full-time faculty member at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of North Texas Health and Science Center School of Public Health, Dr. Gratton teaches the environmental health core courses for the Master of Public Health program and the environmental determinants core courses for the Ph.D. program.
“Terry is a strong leader, a talented educator and a role model for young sanitarians in Texas and across the U.S. Terry is generous with praise and never lacking for words of support,” said Steve Claybrook R.E.H.S., R.S., Past President of Texas Environmental Health Association.
Dr. Gratton serves on several institutional and academic committees, including Chair of the Health Science Center Safety Committee. He is a founding member of the Alpha Sigma Chapter of Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society and has received the Public Health Student Association Award for outstanding contributions for service and events. He has also received an Outstanding Teaching Award from the University of North Texas School of Public Health.
For more information about the Walter F. Snyder Award and previous winners, visit NSF's Web site.
About NEHA: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) is a national professional society that represents the profession and practice of environmental health (www.neha.org).
About NSF International: NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water and consumer goods (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Friday, July 17, 2009
Workshops Offered for Arthritic Gardeners
Gardeners who suffer from arthritis can learn to plant and tend vegetables and weed flowerbeds with less pain at a new workshop offered by the University of Georgia’s AgrAbility program and the Arthritis Foundation.
The workshop, “Gardening and Farming with Arthritis,” will be offered in Athens Aug. 5, Gainesville Aug. 12, Tifton Nov. 5 and Macon Dec. 9.
Participants will learn how to manage arthritis pain through planting modifications, tool adaptations and other strategies. A tai chi class will follow each workshop. The tai chi portion will focus on slow, meditative, physical exercise designed for relaxation, balance and health.
Georgia’s AgrAbility program promotes independence for those disabled in the agricultural community. Presented by UGA Cooperative Extension, it is part of a national program administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
To register, visit www.farmagain.com/register, or call 706-542-0304 (toll free at 877-524-6264). The cost is $15. The workshops will be offered two times a day, at 9 a.m. (9:30 a.m. in Athens) and again at 2 p.m. Space is limited to 25 people per class.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Monday, July 13, 2009
Georgia Conservancy, DNR Announce Species of the Week in Photo Contest
Georgia Residents Encouraged to Submit Photos of the Greenfly Orchid
WHAT: The Georgia Conservancy and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources announce the Greenfly orchid as the species of the week as part of a new statewide photo contest to encourage citizens to learn more about high-priority species and habitats listed in the State Wildlife Action Plan. The plan, commonly called SWAP, is a comprehensive strategy that guides DNR efforts to conserve biological diversity.
SPECIES OF THE WEEK: The Greenfly orchid, or Epidendrum conopseum, is the only orchid found on trees in Georgia. A small perennial herb that grows on trees or rocks from May through the end of July, its leafy stems attach to the orchid's substrate by a mass of roots. Marked by glossy evergreen leaves, the orchid can be found on shaded limbs of southern magnolia and live oaks, as well as other hardwoods in swamps and on bluffs. It is frequently hidden among the fronds of resurrection fern. The fruiting period runs from September to January, when its small, drooping capsules harden and then burst open, dispersing thousands of tiny seeds.
STATUS: The Greenfly orchid is state-listed as unusual in Georgia, where it has been recorded in 20 counties in the state's southeastern Coastal Plain. It is not federally listed, but is considered a high-priority species in Georgia's State Wildlife Action Plan. Timber harvest is the major threat to this species, which grows only in intact old-growth oak forests. The species' frost-tolerant characteristic also make it a target in the wild of irresponsible collectors.
HABITAT: This species lives in maritime evergreen oak forests and in Georgia's outer Coastal Plain. It is found across the Southeast's Coastal Plain from North Carolina to Louisiana; Eastern Mexico has a separate population.
SWAP PHOTO CONTEST: The Great Georgia Photo SWAP contest, a new project sponsored by the Georgia Conservancy and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), highlights nearly 30 high-priority species in all eco-regions of the state as listed in Georgia's State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP).
Unaltered and original photos submitted by citizens to swap@gaconservancy.org will be posted on the Georgia Conservancy's Web site, and participants will be awarded prizes each month as well as a digital camera grand prize for the person who submits the most photos over the course of the one-year project. The Species of the Week schedule includes animals such as the painted bunting, gopher tortoise and bottle-nosed dolphin.
Online:
** State Wildlife Action Plan: www.georgiawildlife.com/statewildlifeactionplan_conservation.aspx
** Georgia Conservancy: www.georgiaconservancy.org
** Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division: www.georgiawildlife.com
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Squirrel-Slip: A Real "Downer" for Squirrels
Note: I have a number of bird feeders in the yard. I've tried every trick imaginable to keep pesky squirrels from stealing the bird feed. I don't mind if they take what falls on the ground, but I hate it when they empty the feeder and keep the birds away. The only thing I haven't tried yet is one of those bird feeders that is pressure sensitive --- when a squirrel puts its weight on the bar it swirls around and tosses them off. They're not cheap, and with my luck it'd throw the silly squirrel right through one of my windows ;-) The following product looks interesting and is probably worth a try if you have a certain type of feeder. Most of my feeders hang from trees and are easily assessable to squirrels (yep, I know, why am I complaining if I'm tempting them?). One thing I have used which seems to do fairly well is a prepared pepper mix that I stir into the seeds. Problem is that it washes away with the first rain, then the squirrels are back. OK, 'nuff about MY squirrels, here's a solution for some of you who hang their feeders properly
From backyards across the country, the one steady complaint of bird lovers is that no matter what they try, they can’t keep squirrels away from feeders; even feeders purported to be “squirrel-proof.”
So, what’s a bird lover to do when the pesky, bushy tailed creature comes looking for food? One company heard the call and took action. Kama Global, LLC, a specialty ingredients company for the cosmetics industry, developed Squirrel-Slip™—an eco-friendly, natural, safe, biodegradable product made from a blend of vegetable-based ingredients. Squirrel-Slip is not harmful to birds, squirrels, or the environment and is effective in all types of weather and temperature.
Anthony Savastano, president of Kama Global, said that Squirrel-Slip is the perfect solution to a frustrating situation. “After applying Squirrel-Slip to a feeder pole,” says Savastano, “squirrels get the surprise of their life. When they jump onto the pole, they immediately lose their grip, slide down, and slip off. After a few attempts, they simply give up and feed off the ground.”
Belinda Cook of Johns Creek, Georgia, whose property is registered with the Audubon Society as a wildlife sanctuary, says she is opposed to applying any type of petroleum-based products on her feeder poles because of the harmful effects to wildlife.
“The squirrels on my property,” says Cook, “were insatiable, diligent, and annoyingly persistent. They consumed every bit of bird food from all my feeders. With Squirrel-Slip, I now have a win-win situation all around. The birds feed peacefully, the squirrels feed off the seeds that fall to the ground, and the environment is protected.”
Craig Lampani of Chicopee, MA, had all but given up with bird feeders on his property. “Since using Squirrel-Slip, I now get to enjoy the birds and watch the squirrels slide down the poles. It’s entertainment at all levels! Squirrel-Slip works like a charm!” he says.
Squirrel-Slip can be found at Wild Bird Centers, Wild Birds Unlimited, and other retail stores where birdseed and feeders are sold.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Reflecting Your Personality with Outdoor Lighting
Tips for highlighting spring in bloom
Liz Bowen loves to garden in the back yard of her Fayetteville home. Her cobblestone circular path is lined with seasonal flowers and decorative shrubbery. The pièce de résistance is the two handsome arbors that provide protective archways adorned with creeping vines.
Enjoying the season of spring in bloom from her back window at night allows Bowen to relax and meditate upon the beauty of her yard. Glowing flowers and reflective lighting on the 8 foot high arbors expands her living space into the evening hours and safety lights guide her down the circular path without breaking the atmosphere of serene beauty.
In order to create an outdoor evening living space that reflects your garden’s beauty here are some tips you can apply that can enhance the mood and attractiveness of your flora.
- Create a low and even glow on flowers and shrubbery that is dim but light enough to identify the color, shape and fullness of the variety of seasonal foliage that accents the property
- Keep lighted pathways soft enough to blend into and augment the entire lighting portrait but spaced evenly enough to provide an invitation to take a leisurely stroll through the garden
- Up lighting from the base of a tree or tall architectural feature such as a pergola can add a sense of sky and height making a smaller yard appear larger
- Create a focal point in the yard by accenting a key feature or floral area with higher intensity lighting to draw the eye and direct it to that feature
Author Jason Paulk, owner of Nite Time Decor by Paulk Outdoors located in Locust Grove, has provided landscaping, outdoor lighting and outdoor holiday decorating services to the community since 2002. For more information visit www.nitetimedecor.com or call 678-583-4455.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Vanishing Habitat Walk at Sprewell Bluff State Park
Join a guided tour with a park ranger on a trail that transverses a globally imperiled habitat – the Montane Longleaf Pine Woodland. Participants will meet at the main parking area near the river at 10:00 am, June 6, 2009. This hike is part of National Trails Day, an event sponsored by the American Hiking Society. There is a $3.00 charge for the hike, and a $5.00 daily park pass fee. The hike will cover about two miles, and lead participants through a variety of habitats, from the river bottomlands, to the unique upland Longleaf community. All wildlife, from birds to dragonflies to butterflies will be discussed on this interpretive walk.
Why is this habitat so important?
The Montane Longleaf Community found at Sprewell Bluff, and the Natural areas across the river, are a rocky slope, ridge top community that is composed of Longleaf Pine, Shortleaf Pine, Sand Hickory, Post Oak, Chestnut Oak, Sparkleberry, and a variety of native grasses and wildflowers. Before European Settlement, natural fires, and fires set by Native Americans, maintained this community. But, with settlement, the old Longleaf Pine was turpentined, logged, or began to disappear as the land was farmed and used as grazing area for cattle. Fire was suppressed, and without fire, other trees like Loblolly Pine, less fire resistant oaks, and sweetgum moved in, and eventually, changed the habitat. Now, only puzzle pieces, little remnants of what used to be, survive as clues about what the forest looked like long ago.
The Department of Natural Resources Non-Game Wildlife Program has begun an ambitious effort to restore what is left. By prescribe Burning, thinning Loblolly Pine, and replanting Longleaf Pine, the native grasses and wildflowers are coming back in under the opening canopy, and young Longleaf Pine are waiting to reclaim their spot back in the forest. To see our efforts, and learn more about this rare ecosystem, join us on this hike and many others to come at Sprewell Bluff State Park.
To find out more information about these programs, or about Sprewell Bluff State Park, please call the park office at 706-746-6026 or talk to a park ranger at the park. For information on these or other programs happening at other parks, please visit www.gastateparks.org.
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---
