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Re: NFC: NFC Conservation Project please read
Yep they wrote the article so we at the BOD could choose wether to
partner...we chose to sorry I wasnt clear about it...
On Wed, 1 Nov 2000 19:33:39 -0600 Ty_Hall at eFunds_Com writes:
>
> Funny..... The NFC is not mentioned anywhere in the article. Not
> even as a
> partner.
>
> Ty
>
>
>
> Our Proposed Nature Conservancy /NFC partnership project please feel
> free
> to add input.
>
> Here some info for you on the Conasauga River and it's Alliance.
>
> The Conasauga River flows undamed for over 100 miles before it joins
> the
> Coosawattee to form the Oostanaula river. It is part of the
> Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa river system. The watershed flows through
> various geographies creating much diversity. The watershed hosts
> some 90
> species of fish, 75 of which are native to the area. Some of these
> species include Blue Shiner, Conasauga Logperch, and Amber Darter,
> all
> are listed as threatened or endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife.
> The
> Conasauga is also host to some 25 species of freshwater mussels.
> Recently two species were found that had once been thought of as
> extinct.
> Some of the threats to the area include sedimentation, nutrient
> overloading, habitat destruction, and dewatering. These threats come
> from many sources, which include agriculture, residential
> development,
> and industry. This region is known as the carpet capital of the
> world.
> The industry supplies some two-thirds of the worlds carpet. This
> industry relies heavily on the Conasauga for water to be used in the
> dying process. Growth from a wealth of employment has push
> residential
> development well into the northern farmland sections of the
> watershed.
> With a large increase in drinking wells and septic tanks the
> Conasauga
> is seeing large impacts. Another problem with this unregulated
> growth is
> the slow removal of farmland in the area. Lack of farmland
> protection
> and estate planning is forcing families to sell there farms to
> developers. Argiculture is a large part of the middle sections of
> the
> Conasauga. poultry and row cropping are the two largest agricultural
> practices. This type of work threatens the Conasauga with nutrients
> and
> toxic chemicals.
> So where does the Alliance come into the picture? In 1995, the
> Limestone
> Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council secured a grant
> from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to study the river.
> This
> "ecosystem-based assistance project" encouraged local citizens to
> provide input on the challenges facing the Conasauga River
> watershed.
> Local citizens also helped develop
> strategies to address these concerns.
> To implement these strategies, local citizens, conservation groups,
> businesses, and
> government agencies joined together to create the Conasauga River
> Alliance. This
> cooperative effort includes an ever-growing number of local
> citizens,
> several conservation groups, and over a dozen federal, state, and
> local
> agencies. Current projects include:
> Þ planting 'buffers' of trees and grasses to help stabilize
> streambanks, shade streams, and filter run-off from upland areas;
> Þ organizing workshops and field trips to promote best management
> practices for
> agriculture, residential development, forestry, and industry;
> Þ collecting and sharing scientific data on the health of the river;
> Þ providing technical and financial assistance to improve wildlife
> habitat;
> Þ sponsoring spring and fall river clean-ups; and
> Þ providing signs to recognize people and companies that practice
> "river-friendly" land management.
> Through these and other cooperative efforts, the Conasauga River
> Alliance is taking
> the first steps to achieve its vision of maintaining "a clean and
> beautiful Conasauga River ? forever."
> More recently we have worked to helped the Tennessee Aquarium and
> the
> Southeast Aquatic Research Institute to release over 900 captively
> raised freshwater mussels. We have also had meetings with the Forest
> Service Chief in Washington D.C. to discuss how theForest Service
> has
> and can work within the community to help protect the Conasauga. And
> our
> latest effort has been to help with the estasblishment of a 5000
> sq.ft
> education center for the surrounding counties. This center will
> house
> the Alliance and a teacher for the center. Currently our office
> employs
> two, Shawn Clouse and Rick Guffey, both of which are employees of
> the
> Nature Conservancy.
> This a very broad over view of what the Alliance and its partners
> have
> done and are trying to accomplish. If you have any questions or want
> to
> learn about anything specificly please call us at XXXXXX
> Also you
> can look at the temporary Alliance website at
> www.geocities.com/conasaugah2o, or find information at www.tnc.org
> and
> look at the Georgia section, and finanly at www.freshwaters.org.
>
> Also here is our list of partners:
> Chattahoochee National Forest
> Chattahoochee Sportsmen's Club
> Cherokee National Forest
> Cohutta Springs Conference Center
> Conasauga Watershed Adopt-A-Stream
> Dalton State College
> Dalton Utilities
> GA Department of Natural Resources
> GA Forestry Commission
> GA Wildlife Resources Division
> Keep Dalton/Whitfield Beautiful
> Limestone Valley RC&D Council
> Murray County Extension Office
> Murray County Public Works Department
> National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
> Natural Resources Conservation Service
> North GA Regional Development Center
> Shaw Indusrties Inc.
> Southeast Aquatic Research Institute
> Southeast Tennessee RC&D Council
> Tennessee Aquarium
> TN Dept. of Agriculture - Div. of Forestry
> TN Wildlife Resources Agency
> The Nature Conservancy of Georgia
> The Nature Conservancy of Tennessee
> US Army Corps of Engineers
> US Environmental Protection Agency
> US Fish and Wildlife Service
> US Forest Service
> US Geological Survey
> University of Georgia - Institute of Ecology
> Whitfield County Extension Office
> Whitfield County Road Department
>
>
> Thank You,
> Shawn Clouse
> Field Representative
> Conasauga River Alliance
>
>
>
>
Robert Rice
Save those Fishes, Join the Native Fish Conservancy
http://www.nativefish.org
Love those gartersnakes? visit
http://gartersnake.net