Outdoors
Georgia

George Busbee
Governor
Joe D. Tanner
Commissioner
BOARD OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Wade H. Coleman
Chairman Valdosta-- State-at-Large
Donald J. Carter Vice Chairman
-- Gainesville 9th District
Leo T. Barber, Jr. Secretary
Moultrie-- 2nd District
James F. Darby Vidalia-- 1st District
Dr. Robert A. Collins, Jr. Americus-- 3rd District
George P. Dillard
-- Decatur 4th District
Mary Bailey Izard Atlanta-- 5th District
James A. Mankin Griffin-- 6th District Lloyd L. Summer, Jr.
Rome-- 7th District
J. Wimbric Walker
McRae-- 8th District Walter W. Eaves
Elberton-- 10th District
Sam Cofer
St. Simons Island Coastal District Leonard E. Foote Waleska-- State-at-Large James D. Cone Decatur-- State-at-Large A. Leo Lanman, Jr.
-- Roswell State-at-Large
DIVISION DIRECTORS
Parks and Historic Sites Division Henry D. Struble, Director
Game and Fish Division
Jack Crockford, Director
Environmental Protection Division J. Leonard Ledbetter, Director
Geologic and Water Resources Division Sam M. Pickering, Jr., Director
Office of Information and Education David Cranshaw, Director
Office of Planning and Research
Office of Administrative Services James H. Pittman, Director

OutdOOrS ii? Georgia

Volume 5

June 1976

Number 6

FEATURES

.... Canoeing the Chattahoochee

Jingle Davis 2

West Point Lake

Bill Morehead 8

Introducing Exotics

Aaron Pass 12

Lake Lanier Islands

Susan Wood 19

Stone Mountain Up Close, a photographic feature . . . Dr. George Coletti 23

George Walton

Bill Hammack 26

DEPARTMENTS

Outdoors Quiz

Lt. V. J. Garrison 22

.... Outdoors in Touch

edited by Bill Hammack 30

Letters to the Editor

32

FRONT COVER: A secluded stretch of the Chattahoochee near Roswell. Photo by
Jim Couch.
BACK COVER: Although beautiful, water lilies are troublesome when they take over
canals or fish ponds. Photo by Aaron Pass.

Aaron Pass Rebecca N. Marshall Dick Davis Bill Hammack Jingle Davis
Susan Wood

MAGAZINE STAFF
Phone-656-5660

David Cranshaw Bill Morehead

Editor-in-Chief Editor

Managing Editor
Writer Writer Writer Writer Writer Priscilla C. Powell

Liz Carmichael Jones
Mike Nunn Bob Busby Edward Brock
.... Cathy Cardarelli
Jim Couch Circulation Manager

Art Director Illustrator
Photo Editor Photographer Photographer Photographer

Outdoors in Georgia is the official monthly magazine of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, published at the Department's offices, Room 713, 270 Washington Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. No advertising accepted. Subscriptions are $3 for one year or $6 for three years. Printed by Williams Printing Company, Atlanta, Georgia. Articles and photographs may be reprinted when proper credit given. Contributions are welcome, but the editors assume no responsibility or liability for loss or damage of articles, photographs, or illustrations. Second-class postage paid at Atlanta, Georgia. 35,000 copies printed at an approximate cost of $16,500. The Department of Natural Resources is an Equal Opportunity employer, and employs without regard to race, color, sex, religion, or national origin.

What Evil Lurks

A healthy, growing fish population is not the sort of
thing that one would think troublesome to fisheries workers. Normally it's not, unless that growing population is an alien species unwisely introduced.
The specter of an uncontrolled population of non-
native fish is currently a very real worry to the Game
and Fish Division and the Department of Natural Re-
sources. Many thousands of ornamental fish enter Georgia every year and many of these end up in ponds,
rivers and lakes. True, most of these fish can't survive, but some can and that is a source of worry.
Other sources of concern over exotic fish species are several species currently being promoted as food, sport, and/or management agents for pond stocking. Perhaps this concern is more serious than the release of a few aquarium fish since these species are usually stocked in high concentration in ponds where escape into our river systems is very easy.
The walking catfish, already established in Florida, and the piranha, a potential threat, are examples of the
accidental release danger. Two pond species, the silver
and bighead carps, are currently being investigated as food producers and phytoplankton control agents. In
the latter case, much more information about the total
effect on the aquatic ecosystem is needed before these species are approved for introduction.
One species in particular merits careful attention. The white amur, also known as the grass carp, has already been placed in many ponds even though its possession
in Georgia without a permit is illegal.

Promoted as an aquatic weed feeder and a good gamefish, the white amur was not thought capable of natural reproduction in the wild. More recent evidence suggests that it can, in all likelihood, reproduce and that it may be a serious competitor with native species.
The Game and Fish Division is currently involved in
a program to find and identify ponds where amur have been stocked, and eradicate the fish. Perhaps stocked by individuals who did not know that possession of the fish is illegal, there are many Georgia ponds with amur in them. Each is a potential starting point for an
escaped, wild population.
The Game and Fish Division is ready to try to resolve this problem through whatever channels may be neces-
sary, including legal prosecution, but it is hoped that such measures will not be necessary. The goal of the program is not to prosecute Georgia citizens but to remove a potentially hazardous exotic fish species.
It is hoped that voluntary compliance will solve the problem.
/jjuaJ Ca^u^I^

Jui?e 1976

r jxit. ?H

. > *
"She drowned running the rapids in metro Atlanta."
That bizarre epitaph flashed through my mind when
our canoe flipped and dumped three of us into the icy
Chattahoochee River, just south of Interstate 285. I didn't have time, just then, to dwell on the
incongruity of urban rapids. We were being swept
downstream through foaming water at breakneck speed, gasping and choking as standing waves of Whitewater washed over our heads. It was like racing through a cobblestoned carwash on a jet-propelled skateboard.
-- The coldness of the river about 53 degrees in -- mid-April was such an outrage to the human body that -- my first impulse was to swim for the distant bank not
the best idea I've ever had.
"Come back to the canoe!" Bill, our stern paddler, kept shouting until his words finally broke through my shock. He knew the canoe, though awash, would help shield us from the rapids still ahead. If I'd tried to swim to the bank, my unprotected body would have bounced
over the rocks like a marble in a pinball game. I
probably wouldn't have drowned, thanks to my life-
jacket, but I might be hobbling around on crutches


/
Vr

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T

instead of just nursing a few scrapes and bruises. Trying, unsuccessfully, to keep our legs from
slamming into sub-surface rocks, Pauline, our bow
paddler, and I clung to the canoe like limpets as Bill angled toward a little island in the center of the river where other canoeists in our group were shouting advice
and encouragement. We swept past a dense overhang
of trees and briars on the upriver tip of the island and pulled ashore at a relatively clear spot. Helping hands reached out to pull us up on the tiny torpedo of land where our teeth began to chatter out morse code messages of cold and shock.
The eight other members of our group, whose canoes negotiated the rapids safely, wrapped us in dry clothes, offered a thermos of steaming tea, and teased us to keep us from taking ourselves too seriously.
Harvey Young, DNR's Heritage Trust Coordinator and an expert canoeist, told me he knew why I managed to hold my camera above water when we flipped.
"You knew you'd be filling out forms for the rest of
your natural life if you lost a state camera," he said sagely. "Especially in light of the present budget
situation.
"Nah, she just happened to go in with her camera hand up and when she hit that cold water, rigor mortis set in," someone else contributed.
-- I got into the Chattahoochee by accident in more
ways than one. All my previous articles for OIG have been written about Georgia's coast, and when my
editor suggested I branch out and do a story on an inland river, I didn't know where to begin. Fortunately,

DNR's River Planning Unit is staffed with experts who collectively know the ins and outs of every river in the state. Kerry Dawson, DNR's Chattahoochee expert, offered to arrange a day-long trip down that river.
When Kerry suggested doing a 1 2-mile stretch of the
Chattahoochee through northwest Atlanta, I wasn't entirely enthusiastic. "But I want to do a wilderness
-- river a clean river," I protested.
Kerry was nice enough not to attack my isnorance.
"Actually the water quality of the river north of Peachtree Creek is as high or higher than any river in the state," he said mildly. "And, once on the river,
-- you don't get the feel of being in a city about the
onlv signs of civilization are at the bridges." Unconvinced but willing to give the Chattahoochee a
chance, I asked Kerry to schedule the trip for the
weekend of Atlanta's annual Dogwood Festival.
We arranged to meet early Saturday morning at
Chattahoochee River State Park, near Vininss on Highwav 41 , where we'd take out at the end of the day.
From there our group drove in convoy to Morgan Falls
Dam north of 1-285 off Roswell Road in Fulton County, our point of departure. We wanted to leave
early enough to insure completing the trip by early afternoon, with plenty of time to nick ur> our cars at Morgan Falls, return to the State Park and load our canoes before nightfall, when the park gates are locked.
By 9 a.m., canoes, cameras, lunches, lifejackets and eleven people were ready to take on the Chattahoochee. Because I'd be taking notes and photographs for the
magazine, I'd ride in the canoe with OIG editor Bill
Outdoors \t) Georgia

----

Morehead and his daughter Pauline. The rest of the

--Tom group split up into the other four canoes

Carter,

State Park superintendent, paddling alone; Kerry and

DNR Walt Munnikhuysen, a

Trail Planner, paddling

together; Harvey and Rick Tallant, a young intern,

in another canoe; and two friends from St .Simons

Island, Lynn and Eric Kocher, in the fifth canoe. Eric

agreed to act as back-up photographer for the trip
a good thing, too, as I managed to save my camera

but not the rolls of exposed film.
-- The river was moving swiftly Kerry said Roswell

Lake above the dam was flooded with spring rains

and more water than usual was shooting over

the impoundment.

Once in midstream, there was no need for vigorous

paddling; an occasional stroke kept the canoes on

We course.

rounded the first bend, crossed the Gwinnett

County line, and all signs of the city suddenly vanished.

Here the river flowed serenely through a cool canyon

of green. Tall trees, bursting with spring growth, scaled

the high riverbanks and lined the ridge tops like

sentinels defending the river's wilderness. Dapples of

morning sun drifted down the dense canopy of growth

to spotlight the smaller, more delicate vegetation

the white burst of a dogwood peeping shyly from the

shadowy forest; a patch of wild azalea glowing like a

small campfire; a twist of emerald ivy winding

around the pale trunk of a tree.

Though busy streets and tall buildings lurked just beyond the trees, none of the city's cacophony intruded.

With the exception of a pair of fighter jets from nearby Dobbins Air Force Base slicing the stillness high

overhead, the only sounds were natural ones.
A kingfisher rattled his impudent call and a distant
spring of wood ducks whistled hoarsely as they dipped

above the river in graceful formation.

It was Pauline who spotted the muskrat just ahead, its sleek brown body porpoising through the water.

Occasionally it would surface and turn its appealingly comic face toward our canoe, bright button eyes

watching us warily. Walt told us he'd seen more than

75 of the animals on a recent downriver trip. Kerry pulled a branch from the water and held it
up for our inspection. It took me a moment to realize

the ax-like markings on the wood were caused by

beaver teeth.

The woodlife we saw was only a tiny fraction of the

variety which makes its permanent or part-time home
-- on the Chattahoochee. More than 55 species of animal
life including mammals, lizards, turtles, snakes,
-- toads, frogs and salamanders live in the river or along

its verdant banks. Bird life is abundant; a member of

the 600 Club could almost complete his list just by

paddling the Chattahoochee corridor.
Our river experts called our attention to uneven

outcroppings of gneiss jutting beyond the trees on the
left bank. On a wooded ridge above, several expensive-
-- looking homes seemed determined with moderate -- success to blend with the natural landscape.

Jui>e 1976

Walt called for silence and told us to listen for the sound of a waterfall which leaps the high ridge and
comes dashing down to blend its waters with the river.
We passed the mouth of Sope Creek, where an
unfinished cluster of rustic condominiums stood in a clearing on the right bank. Apparently abandoned by its
-- developer, the property with its access road and -- cleared banks was obviously appreciated by a dozen
or more fishermen who were angling from the banks.
We paddled on past Johnson's Ferry Bridge, where
the river butted in noisy frustration against the concrete
pilings and traffic raced furiously overhead, but when we rounded another riverbend, wilderness returned.
Harvey, Kerry and Walt called a halt on the left bank

.f^i^r^^^Str-
-i-tft.

*^m*

--

where the ruins of an old house were fighting a losing

We battle against the lush undergrowth.

climbed a

rocky path to a vantage point several hundred feet above

the river, stopping to admire the tiny spring flowers

which had been invisible from the river. Pauline
discovered several small garnets in a trickle down the

rocks, and Bill identified a strange, fuzzy plant as rat

bane. Lynn unearthed a cluster of narcissus; survivors

of a garden which once surrounded the home.

Several times during the day Walt pointed out historic
-- sites which lie along the riverbanks more within easy
walking distance of the river. If we'd had more time,

we would have stopped for a closer look, especially

at the Indian Caves.

We passed under 1-285 around noon and stopped

DNR just beyond to take a break and pick up a

park

technician, Don Whitmire, who'd complete the rest

of the trip in Tom's canoe.

Until then, the style of canoeing had been entirely
-- familiar to me a veteran of such Stillwater experiences

as the Altamaha River and the Okefenoke Swamp.

But as we pulled away from the landing, we noticed

our experts were all strapping on lifejackets and ticing

We gear in their canoes.

followed their example. Kerry

said the Chattahoochee's Whitewater usually qualifies

only as class-one rapids (on a scale of one to six), but

spring floods had upped the designation to a more
difficult class-two. And just below 1-285, where sheer

cliffs stretch up to form the palisades, we learned that

even class-two rapids can be a bit ticklish.
For me, now that it's past, the experience of going

over in rapids is one to savor. But it might have become

a nightmare for one small boy and his family, who

overturned shortly after we did. The mother, clinging

to the downstream side of the canoe, was trapped

between the canoe and an overhanging tree on the island,

in some danger of being crushed. The boy, seeing his
mother's predicament, began to scream. Luckily, Tom

and the others were there to help, and everyone

escaped without lasting scars. (Their canoe was a
-- casualty, though the water's force ripped both stern

and bow seats loose from the craft.) The family seemed

glad to accept Tom's invitation to make the rest of the

trip with our group.

It was less than an hour's paddle from the small

island to Chattahoochee River State Park. Again I was glad we traveled with experts, as I wouldn't have

recognized the park from the river. To me, the thicket

of trees where we pulled in looked much like a dozen

other thickets we'd passed.

Mindful of the park's closing time, we piled into
Rick's car and headed back to Morgan Falls Dam for
the other cars. As we sped across the Chattahoochee

on the 1-285 bridge, I glanced down, hoping for a

my final glimpse of

first real rapids.

From the Interstate, though, the Whitewater I could

-- -- see didn't look dangerous at all. In fact, the Chattahoo-
chee though pretty appeared to be just another

urbanized river, thoroughly tamed by civilization.

my I settled back in

seat, feeling like a privileged

insider. I'd seen the other side of the Chattahoochee

the secret, primitive side of this unique Georgia river

which, even in the midst of a major city, has somehow managed to keep so much of its wilderness spirit alive. ^

Outdoors ip Georgia

Probably because the Chattahoochee runs through a
city, too many people underestimate its wildness. But the weekend after our trips, the river claimed two lives on the same stretch where we overturned, and
Tom Carter has lost count of the broken bones
he's treated.
If you plan to raft or canoe the Chattahoochee, take a few safety precautions.
--Wear life jackets all the time, not just through the
-- rapids. The shock of going into icy water is stunning,
and the temperature of the Chattahoochee even in
-- summer is always low. --It's best to canoe the river with someone who
knows the river. At any rate, plan to travel with at least one other craft.
--Strap an extra paddle in your canoe so if you
overturn and lose your paddles, you'll have a backup method of steering.
HP
I
%

--Keep your wallet, car keys, camera and other
valuables in a waterproof container tied securely to the
--canoe or raft. If you do overturn, especially in Whitewater, stay on the upstream side of your canoe. The force of moving water can be unbelievably strong, and unpleasant things happen to people trapped between waterlogged
--canoes and rocks or trees. If you leave from Morgan Falls Dam, planning to go all the way to Chattahoochee River State Park at Highway 41, remember that the State Park closes at
sundown, so allow plenty of time to get there. Otherwise your vehicles and/or canoes could be locked in the park overnight. (Your speed will vary with the swiftness of the current on any given day, and also with
--how much paddling you're able to do.) There are presently no public camping areas along this stretch of the river. Except for Chattahoochee River State Park, the banks are privately owned.
m

West Point Lake
the next superstar

By Bill Morehead
Photos by Bob Busby
A little over a year and a half ago (October, 1974)
impoundment started on the newest big lake in Georgia.
A year ago (May, 1975) the maximum power pool was
reached.
This newest big lake, located on the mid-stretches of the Chattahoochee River, seemed destined to have good
-- fishing. Other lakes on the Chattahoochee Lanier, -- Walter F. George and Seminole have proven to be
prime fishing areas, and there was no reason to expect West Point Lake to be any different.
"In a couple of years, we ought to see some fine fishing" was a statement commonly heard in towns and counties near the new lake. "Why, you might even be able to land a keeper next year," some of the more opti-
mistic anglers hoped.
In June and July of 1975, I took my son to West
Point Lake to see what it was going to look like. I didn't
-- expect to catch any good fish that wasn't the purpose
of the trip. I just wanted to become familiar with the lake so I'd be ready when its fishing "matured." I wasn't ready for what I found.

In those two trips to West Point Lake, my son and I
landed more than 150 bass. True, most of them were not
-- -- keepers in fact, we didn't keep any but the young
bass were so thick under the new bridges that my son
and I had a field day catching them with ultra-light
tackle.
Our experience with this new lake was not unique. In talking with other anglers, I found many to view the hundreds and thousands of young bass with irritation. "You can't keep a worm on your hook when fishing for
bream, these little bass will nibble you to death!" one angler told me. I noticed, however, that he had kept 30
-- or so hand-sized bream maybe those little bass hadn't
worried him quite as badly as he thought. The summer and fall of 1975 saw many shiny new
bass boats gracing suburban carports in the surrounding
towns of West Point Lake. Word was getting around, and people who hadn't been in a john-boat in years were
suddenly going to boat shows and looking at the big
bassers.
The summer of 1975 was a bonanza year for bream fishing on the new lake. The bass were generally small, but the bream were good-sized fish. Word keeps spreading about the new lake, and bass fishermen from all over Georgia and Alabama have visited the new fishing hot
spot.
Outdoors ip Georgia

The bass and bream populations in West Point Lake are stupendous. You just can't believe how many fish there are. I questioned Leon Kirkland, Chief of the
Game and Fish Division's Fisheries Management Sec-
tion, about the fish population in West Point. "This new lake has the heaviest bass reproduction I
have ever encountered anywhere," said Kirkland. "There are several reasons for this: first, the river con-
tained a good bass population and we stocked many farm ponds with brood fish before impoundment started;
second, there is a relatively high nutrient load in the
Chattahoochee River anyway, and third, we have enforced the 1 2-inch limit on bass in this lake from the
very start. "There are basically two kinds of bass in this lake.
The spotted bass is native to these waters, and so is the largemouth." Kirkland went on to explain that while
bass population explosions are common to newly formed
lakes, this particular lake's bass explosion was enhanced by the superabundance of food and habitat.
"I think, barring unforeseen disasters, that West Point Lake will provide superb bass fishing for many years. Not only that, the bream population will continue to increase for a while and provide fantastic fishing. In time
-- -- how long depends on many things both the bass and
bream populations will stabilize," Kirkland added. Replying to a question about other fish populations, he
replied, "There is a good initial catfish population, especially bullhead catfish, and the catfishing should be ex-
Jui>e 1976

cellent for some time. Further, there are populations

of redfin pickerel and chain pickerel that could provide

We any angler with an unexpected surprise.

expect the

bass population to maintain the forage fish population

We within acceptable limits.

introduced threadfin shad

as a forage fish to West Point, and we're watching the

populations closely. In such a rapid growth of fish popu-

lations, there is always the danger that one-size class of a particular species, or whole groups of one particular

species, will dominate the fish populations, to the detri-

ment of fishing."
Kirkland said "We don't expect that to happen, but,
-- for example, should the shad grow too numerous or -- too large for bass to prey upon then we'll consider
stocking hybrids (striped bass/white bass hybrids) and striped bass. If that has to happen, then West Point Lake would become another wonderlake for these fish in no

time."
Kirkland went on to say that before the lake was impounded there was considerable worry as to whether the lake would become a cesspool, due to the upstream

introduction of pollutants, particularly from metropoli-

tan Atlanta. The Department of Natural Resources main-

tains a water quality monitoring network which includes stations on the Chattahoochee River upstream at West

Point Reservoir as well as in the lake itself.
Marshal Gaddis, of DNR's Water Quality Section, is in

charge of monitoring the water situation of this particu-

lar stretch of the Chattahoochee and West Point Lake.
"We have made this stretch one of the high priority study areas. This lake is an exceptionally valuable new resource and we are attending to it accordingly." Gaddis
further explained, "The problem of pollutants is not

entirely the problem of the city of Atlanta. Other towns

along the river, LaGrange, Franklin and Hogansville,

for example, also contribute to the pollutant factor. It is

a cumulative problem, and satisfactory solutions to it
must also be cumulative. We have hard evidence that

Atlanta has at least initiated its cleanup of this stretch
of the Chattahoochee. For the first time in my memory,

large numbers of largemouth bass have been caught at the mouth of Peachtree Creek, right upstream from one

of the big treatment plants." Gaddis indicated that no
matter how much more might have to be done, however,

this was irrefutable evidence that the quality of the water

had improved.

There was a time last September when water quality experts and fisheries management people were worried

about the low oxygen content of part of West Point
Lake. "When the lake filled to maximum power level,

635 feet, the water was stratified," Gaddis said. "The upper layers were O.K. in oxygen, but the lowermost

layers, at least in certain sections of the lake, were very low in dissolved oxygen. The hurricane (Eloise) that swept through the area last September mixed the waters. The low oxygen content was probably due to a combina-

tion of circumstances: the abundant vegetation that was

flooded, the time of the year and the wasteloads from
the upstream towns and cities. The only mortality we saw at this time was on September 24th, when we identi-

10

fied some threadfin shad that had been killed by the
overturn at Yellowjacket Creek. We found no other dead

fish." Gaddis ventured that this minor kill was insignifi-

cant.

Gaddis pointed out that "The stratification of West

Point Lake is an annual phenomenon, and we'll be

We watching it again next summer.

don't anticipate that

it will be a significant threat to the lake, but it's certain-

ly something we'll be monitoring."

In talking with Gaddis, I discovered that he, like myself, had latched on to the fishing wonderland that is
West Point Lake. "My duties call for me to visit the lake

several times a month. Since I have been studying it, I have spent nearly every other weekend at it, fishing for bass," Gaddis said.
-- So there you have it. West Point with its fantastic -- bass nursery is the lake which causes a fisheries expert
to say "it has the most incredible young bass popula-

tion I have ever seen," and causes a water quality expert
to spend his own spare time fishing on it. Little wonder that West Point is known as the next superstar lake for

Georgia bass.

|

Outdoors it) Georgia

Jui?e 1976

11

By Aaron Pass Photos by the Author Art by Mike Nunn

It seemed like
a good idea
at the time...
By the late 19th century, science and technology had developed a mutually supportive system which was rapidly expanding the art of the possible. To the natural sciences, formerly concerned with observing and reporting, there were available the tools to actually do something. Advances in transportation, scientific equipment, and other technological achievements were rapidly adapted to serve biological ends. The ability to take dynamic, positive action, and to actually make changes in the natural systems so long observed, was a power little understood in the dawn of the scientific age.
The science of fisheries management in the U.S. was little more than a fingerling during this period. Although fish culture had been practiced and refined in Asia for centuries and in Europe for decades, it principally involved captive fish populations. The seemingly boundless wild water systems of North America must have
appeared to be capable of miracles if only the right fish could be introduced. American fisheries workers were looking for, in the words of Commissioner Baird's 1879 report, "measures ... for the introduction of useful food fishes into its (United States) waters."
The carp, Cyprinus carpio, was a hot property in the 1 870's. Cultured in Asian emperors' fish ponds and held in equally high esteem by Europeans, the carp had excellent references. As a food fish, carp were reported as excellent, being favored on royal menus. Rare was even a moderate European estate without a carp pond.

The sporting qualities of carp were also glowingly
described. English angler/writer Izaak Walton, patron saint of sportfishing, picked carp as his favorite fish. In his renowned treatise, The Compleat Angler, he wrote, "The carp is the queen of the rivers: a stately, good, and very subtle fish."
In short carp were the "wonder fish" of that day.
Initial stockings of carp in the U.S. occurred in 1831
and 1832 by private parties. German carp were imported and cultured by the U.S. Fish Commission in 1877. By 1879, carp fingerlings were being distributed to 38 states and territories by the U.S. Bureau of
Fisheries.
Somehow things didn't work out. Although a com-
mercial fishery based on carp began and still continues, American epicures, after almost 100 years, still haven't
developed much of a taste for the fish. Very few U.S.
sport fishermen consider carp "the queen of the rivers," or even consider it at all in any complimentary context. In 1897 carp culture was discontinued by national fish hatcheries due to the public dislike for the fish.
In the meantime, carp have made the best of things. An adaptable fish, they have spread through most North American river systems. Carp are hardy; they can live
in waters so polluted as to be uninhabitable by native fish species. They also thrive in high quality waters and
there, by roiling the mud, they can make that habitat
undesirable for other species.
Several millions of dollars spent for carp-eradication have scarcely dented the national population. Instead
carp seem to be thriving. Carp are apparently here to
stay.
If there was any benefit derived from the carp at all it could be called negative profit. The carp fiasco pretty well stifled any desire to introduce other exotic species for the next 50 years.
Since 1950, however, there has been a resurgence of
interest in exotic species. To the scientist the term
"exotic" applies to any species present outside its native
range. More commonly, exotic is used to describe spe-
cies from other continents. Despite the lesson of the
carp misadventure, new species are being touted which,
according to promoters, will greatly increase food production, greatly enhance sport fishing, provide beneficial services for pond owners, etc.
The potential dangers of an exotic, whether it be fur, fish or fowl, lie in its effects on the natural system where it is introduced. Sometimes these adverse effects are simple and direct, i.e. the crowding out of native species.
Exotics have the potential of rapid population expansion
in new surroundings where natural population restraints capable of dealing with the new species may not exist.
The exotic may directly attack resident populations as a predator, or it may compete for the same food source. It may simply displace natives through force of
numbers, as does the carp.
Other problems may be less obvious. It may some way alter the habitat enough to undermine complex

1Fz^)^3=Zi S^d^&^^5=5i ?Cs^^5% i??t^^_^5^ tSTCizJ&^j^

"We arrived about 7 o'clock p.m. at the pier at Hoboken . . . , our aggregate loss was 77 dead
fish, leaving 23, which constituted our live stock, B
which may be considered, however, as a satis-

factory result.
"My experience on this trip teaches me that it

is easy and practicable, with the assistance of a

keeper, to bring over living carp from Germany."

From the report of Dr. Otto Finsch, May 16,

1879 to Spencer F. Baird, Commissioner of Fish

and Fisheries, Washington, D.C.

e

t^s^czr^g es^^29 es^^c > ^^52^? <Z^<?Z^2.

interrelationships in that whole natural system. Exotic
disease may be a hitchhiker with a new species. Native fish with no resistance to the new disease are ready

victims.

Introducing a new species has been likened to the act of dropping a pebble into a pond of placid water. The

ripples continue outward long after the pebble is gone

from sight.
The best known, new "wonder fish" in today's exotic

fish market is the white amur, Ctenopharyngodon idella,

A also known as the grass carp.

native of Asia, this

fish has been widely promoted since it was brought to this country in 1963. The amur grows to large size, is

reported to be good to eat, is said to be a great sporting

fish, and eats plants. This list of attributes is impressive
and make the amur appear to be a useful fish. But, virtually identical claims were made about the German

Carp in 1879. It is not that a great deal is known about adverse

impacts of the white amur. Exactly the contrary is the
-- case little is known about its potential to harm native

North American fisheries. Some facts (and problems) are known, however, and

this has led at least 15 states to prohibit the impor-
tation of white amur except in controlled scientific research. Georgia is among this group and other states are headed in the same direction.
The greatest fear is that the amur, contrary to the claims of its proponents, can successfully spawn in

14

Outdoors it? Georgia

North American waters. Natural spawning outside the
amur's native range has now been documented in Tai-
wan, Japan, the U.S.S.R. and in one watershed in
Mexico. There is no known reason that these fish could
not spawn in the rivers of Georgia. An uncontrolled,
wild population of white amur is a significant threat to
native fish populations.
The white amur's principal selling point is that it is vegetarian and is helpful in controlling troublesome
aquatic plants. This is partially true, but there is evi-
dence that some noxious weed species are not eaten if other aquatic plants are present. Thus the weed control would occur only after other plants were consumed. This would have considerable impact on aquatic ecosystems. The exploited aquatic plants are important to native fishes for cover, food and oxygen production. Going beyond fish, this situation would leave a significant effect on other wildlife, waterfowl and fur bear-
ers in particular.
In a non-vegetarian role, white amur fingerlings compete direcdy with native fishes for food. At this stage of development the small fish eat many invertebrates, which are also utilized by the young of most native fish.

German Carp, widely distributed in the 19th century
.'v .-.iv'*- ! v JL*V

These white amur were removed from a private pond in
South Georgia. A Ithough the owner was illegally in pos-
session, no action was taken because he voluntarily com-
plied with eradication.
There are also dangers posed by the amur's tolerance for salt water. They could spread from one river system to another through intercoastal canals. It is also possible that this tolerance would permit the amur to exploit the coastal marshlands, whose vegetation plays a key role in the production of the valuable marine species.
As the German carp has proven, an exotic that becomes established is almost impossible to eradicate. It
seems wise to thoroughly study the white amur, or any other planned exotic before wholesale stocking takes
place.
This approach is clearly spelled out by a 1973 resolution of the Sport Fishing Institute. "Resolved, that the Directors of the Sportfishing Institute ... do herewith urge the U.S. Department of the Interior to prohibit the importation into the United States, except for well-
Photos of bighead and silver carps courtesy of Dr. R. Oneal Smitherman, Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures, Auburn University. These species are being used for fish farming research.
Juijc 1976

Biqhead (above) and Silver (below) Carps are prohibited.
15

--

controlled scientific study purposes, of all exotic fishes

other than those that can be proven to lack harmful ecological effects upon the natural aquatic environments

of the United States and the native fauna and flora

found therein."
Perhaps our predecessors may be forgiven their romance with the German carp as basic ecological concepts were not well understood then. But today we have

a grasp of these concepts and have seen the effects of

their violation.

Another threat posed by exotic species is that of acci-
dental release. Many thousands of ornamental aquarium

fish are imported into the U.S. and sold through pet shops. Of these a great number are "stocked" into natu-
ral aquatic systems as discards from home aquariums.

Occasionally individuals selling such fish attempt to cut
cost by raising their own stock in small ponds. Either way there is a tremendous potential for unwanted alien

fish to establish in our waters.

The so-called walking catfish, Clarias batrachus, is a member of the air-breathing catfish family, Clariidae. It is named for its ability to move overland for consider-

able distances by using its pectoral spines to crawl in the manner of a soldier doing the low-crawl on his el-
bows. These fish were in considerable demand as aquarium fish and, in 1965, a pet shop operator allowed some to escape from a breeding pond. The walking catfish has now spread through much of southern and central

Florida.

This fish is highly predacious and a population of

them can soon deplete the forage fish in a small pond.

Then they simply hop out and crawl to greener pastures. Anyone who has ever seen a jungle movie knows

about piranhas. They are those vicious little fish that always eat the bad guy as he is making away with the peaceful natives' diamond idol eye. Hollywood exaggerations aside, these South American fish do swim in

schools which will attack larger animals in the water.
As a tropical fish, piranhas were not thought capable

of surviving in the wild in North America. However, it
is now believed that some of the several piranha species may have a tolerance for cold water.

Both walking catfish and piranhas are prohibited

species in Georgia, which means they can not be im-

ported. But the tropical fish market is vast and several

thousand fish are imported into the U.S. each year. At this time it is not known exactly how many of these

species are capable of establishing wild population in

our waters.

The potential dangers of exotic fish species are well

documented. But there is another side of the coin

those exotics which, due to our view of them, might be

called "good." It is interesting to note that, in the 1870s,
-- another fish was brought over from Europe the brown
trout, Sabno trutta. Along with another exotic (by purist

definition ) , the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri, from the Pacific coast, the brown trout is highly thought of on Eastern trout streams. True to the image, these two

exotics have out-competed the native eastern cold water

fish, the brook trout, Salvelinus frontinalus. Of course, the brook trout also suffered from habitat changes which the more tolerant brown and rainbow trout endured. As a result most of modern trout fishing in the

east depends on two introduced species rather than the

native cold water fish. This may be good or bad de-

-- pending on your point of view but it is a fact.



The Piranha (above) and the Walking Catfish (below) are threats from accidental release. Both species are prohibited in Georgia. While no populations of Piranha are known, the Walking Catfish
1 established in parts of Florida.

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JsUnbs
By Susan Wood
Photos courtesy of Tourist Division, Bureau of Industry and Trade

The last rays of the glowing sunset filtered through

the tall pines, casting shadows over the blue-green

A water.

belted kingfisher circled overhead, dropping

lower and lower with each swoop. Suddenly, "splash,"

... as quickly as he had found his fish, the kingfisher

returned to his perch in a nearby oak tree. Beyond the cove a small sailboat was making its way

back home. As it glided through the silvery water, its

trailing wake shimmered patterns of light. Crickets and

June bugs had begun their nightly symphony while

lightening bugs started to twinkle in the evening dusk.

At one end of the placid cove a small figure appeared,

dwarfed by the enormity of nature's amphitheatre.

Silently the deer approached the water's edge. She

stopped for a moment, with head cocked and ears listen-

ing for the slightest sound, then bowed her head for a

drink from the clear, cool water. Finished, she turned

and once again blended into the woods.

This is Lake Lanier Islands, an idyllic paradise seem-

ingly thousands of miles from the city's hustle and

bustle, yet just 40 miles from Atlanta.

Lake Lanier Islands is everything for everybody. In

its 1200 acres are lodging and dining facilities from

rustic to elegant, a dozen or more tennis courts, riding

stables and trails, three trout ponds, a championship

golf course, mini-golf course, boat docks and rentals, a

lovely beach, ski shows and over 200 picnic sites nestled

in the woods.
And if all this doesn't interest you, there are nature

trails and undisturbed places where you can curl up in

the sun to read, sleep or just be alone. Yes, all of this

Jut>e 1976

19

is Lake Lanier Islands. The Lake Lanier Islands Authority which developed
this island resort was created in 1963 by the Georgia General Assembly. The Authority receives state funds
as well as financial aid from the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and, recently, the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Visitors to Lake Lanier Islands have found that there
is a complete vacation spot right here in Georgia. Many
A have become repeat visitors, and rightly so. $2 per day
or $10 per year parking permit allows you to take full advantage of almost all facilities on the Islands. Obviously the place is popular: in 1974, some 95,000 visited the complex; 1975 saw 738,000 enjoy the facilities. As of March 21 of this year, some 121,180 had visited Lake Lanier Islands. Officials believe that from 1.5 to 2
20

million will relax at Lake Lanier Islands in 1976.

Four islands chain together to form the island com-

A plex.

rustic Welcome Center sets the stage. Sur-

rounded by trees, shrubs and an array of flowers of all

hues, the Center boasts four inviting red rockers on its

sprawling front porch. The panorama begins to unfurl

here as you catch a glimpse of two fishermen, their boat

bobbing on the sparkling water opposite you.

Camouflaged throughout Sylvan Island, the first island,

are some 200 picnic sites, each complete with table

and grill. Three group-use pavilions are available on this

island for family reunions, company picnics and the like.

Available by reservation, these pavilions have running

water, large barbeque pits and other essentials, and in

addition. Island personnel set up your tables and clean

up afterward. Laurel and Rosebud Pavilions, large

Outdoors it? Georgia

enough to accommodate 75-100, are available for $10 per day. Dogwood Pavilion, with a complete, enclosed kitchen, has a 400-500 person capacity and is available
for a slightly higher rate.
Lake Lanier Islands are .actually hilltops which remained above water when Lake Lanier was formed by
the Army Corps of Engineers in 1957. In their more
than 1200 rugged, heavily forested acres sprinkled with deep coves, nature still has the upper hand. All developed facilities were designed and constructed so as to disturb the natural terrain as little as possible. This is apparent throughout the Islands where cabins, parking areas, campsites and administration buildings are hardly noticeable at first glance. With only 200 of the 1200 acres developed, animals such as deer, mink, fox and maybe a bobcat or two still find room to make their homes.
Future plans call for the addition of a Horticultural Center with three or four greenhouses and a meeting center for seminars and more nature trails exhibiting mini-gardens of native plant life. Also in the works is the James H. (Sloppy) Floyd Recreation Center, a vast complex to include up to 20 tennis courts, basketball and volleyball courts, ball fields, Olympic pool and a 20,000 square foot pavilion.
The 1400-foot white sand beach offers free swimming and is presently being expanded to more than triple its present size. Summer finds lifeguards on duty for up to 15 hours per day. In addition, all types of boats, from two-person paddle boats to sailboats and catamarans to
50-foot houseboats, are available for rent in the adjacent Aquatic Center. Free water ski shows, a la Cypress Gardens, take place daily in the nearby cove.
Been bitten by the fishing bug? Lured by the clear,

cool mountain streams to try your hand at trout fishing? For you, there's Rainbow Run. Three trout ponds there have recently been restocked and provide you the opportunity to catch your dinner. Rods, reels and bait are all
furnished; you pay only for what you catch. You can

have your prize trout bagged and iced free of charge or cleaned if you want to pay a bit extra. Then you can

take your catch back to cook over the campfire or take

it to the Restaurant where they will cook your fish for you and serve it with side dishes of your choice.
And golf! If you want to really test your skill, try

hitting a few at the Pinelsle Golf Course, adjacent to the
Pinelsle Resort Hotel. To give you an idea of its

difficulty, the blue tees measure only 6499 yards but are par 72. The 18 holes ramble over a wooded peninsula, creating several difficult water shots. Number 16, for instance, is a 407 yard par 4 over a seemingly peaceful cove. It's the number two handicap hole. You'd better leave your hook at home on this course since on at least four holes, a hook or just a bad shot will land you right

in the lake. Pinelsle's course will confront you with

eight over-water shots, so take along plenty of water

balls.

Throughout the year, special events spark even more

excitement on the shores of Lake Lanier. An Easter Egg

A Hunt brought out "children" of all ages.

country

fair, antique car show and hang-gliding contest are

among the possible attractions for this summer.

But special events or not, Lake Lanier Islands is a fun

place to be. So when it comes time for a vacation this
-- -- year for a weekend or for two weeks try Lake Lanier

Islands. You can spend as much or as little money as

you want and still have a delightful vacation. Let Lake

Lanier Islands lure you; you'll be back again and again.

Jupe 1976

21

)

Outdoors
Quiz
by Lt. V. J. Garrison

1. The new size limit on striped bass (rock

fish) is:
A. 12 inches

B. 16 inches C. 15 inches D. None. All size limit restrictions have
been removed

2. Which of the following fish have recently been added to the list of those which can be
possessed only by permit from this Department? A. Suwannee Bass
B. Neon Tetras C. Silver Carp D. Bighead Carp

3. The possession limit on largemouth bass is:

-- A. 8
B. 10

Same as creel limit

C. 12

D. 20

4. Which, if any, of the following methods are illegal for taking largemouth bass? A. With the aid of depth sounders B. With bluegill as live bait C. At night with floating lights and live

bait
D. None of the above

5. Seining along Georgia's beach requires:
A A. commercial fishing license for seines
over 100 feet.
B. No license, provided the seine is less
than 1 00 feet. C. That all fish other than mullet be re-

leased
D. Mesh be greater than one-inch square

22

6. The taking of rough fish by bow and arrow:

A. Is illegal except during the open season
( March 1 - November 1
B. Requires the fisherman be completely

submerged

C. Is illegal if assisted by boat or other

flotation devices
D. None of the above

7. It is illegal to operate a boat on the public

waters of this state:

A. While consuming alcoholic beverages

B. While intoxicated C. Under 16 years of age

D. Without a marine vehicle operator's

license

8. It is illegal to:
A. Ride the bow of boat without rails

B. Stand while operating a boat
C. Create a wake in the area of a marina

or anchored boats

D. Operate a boat without oars or paddles
A 9. Class boats (less than 16 feet) may not

be operated:
-- A. With more than five passengers only
three of which may be adults
B. With more than 500 pounds total gross

weight

C. With total gross weight in excess of the

capacity plate recommendations

D. Equipped with outboard motors in ex-

cess of 75 HP

A 10.

fisherman is considered to be commer-

cial fishing if:
A. More than 50 catfish are taken or pos-

sessed.

B. Cutbait is used as trotline bait.

C. Saltwater flounder are taken with a gig.
D. More than two rod and lines are used

while fishing for whites or hickory shad.

a '01
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:sj3MSuy

Outdoors it? Georgia

Stone Mountain -^",. *%>*
"Up Close
By Dr. George Coletti

The mountain overwhelms you with bigness, but up
close it holds other, smaller worlds.
'> - ?-.

f Trimm ''Tit
^#^1

--

George Walton

By Bill Hammack Art by Mike Nunn Photos by Bob Busby
<Sa.
1776 1976

Author's Note: Some material in this
sketch of George Walton never has been published before. For this material, thanks to Edwin C. Bridges, assistant to the director of the Georgia Department of Archives and His-
tory, who is writing a definitive
biography of Walton for his Ph.D.
dissertation at the University of Chicago.

Gleorge Walton almost missed
signing the Declaration of Independence because of his patriotism.
Georgia sent Walton, Lyman Hall
and Button Gwinnett to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in
1 776 but on the way north, Colonel Walton of the Georgia militia spent so much time trying to recruit troops
for Revolutionary forces in Georgia that he reached Philadelphia late, barely in time to join the Congress and sign the Declaration.
It took him two months to travel
from Savannah to Philadelphia. On
the way, he stopped off at Williamsburg to petition the Virginia House of Burgesses for ( 1 ) permission to recruit Virginians to serve in Georgia forces and (2) a loan from Vir-
ginia to pay Virginians who enlisted to serve in Georgia. The petitions did
not add up to sound as presumptu-
ous then as they may appear todav; Walton made the strong point that while Georgia was sparsely popu-
lated and hard-pressed to provide
her own defenses, she was strategi-
cally important.
Born in Virginia's Prince Edward County in 1749, Walton was orphaned early but he had a fairly successful uncle, his namesake, who raised him. Uncle George owned a large plantation, and the story goes that during the Revolution, when he
heard the British were coming, he filled a jar with several thousand fine
English gold coins. He lugged the
heavy jar out of his house to bury it.
Nobody knows how far he trudged to his secret spot. Some say he was gone 30 minutes, some say three
hours. So far as is known, he never
revealed the location of the hiding
place. For more than 50 years, people searched and dug for that rich earthern jar. Folks around there still dream of stumbling across the golden hoard. Maybe somebody already has. Maybe old George himself went back for it. But as far as
-- anybody anybody who's talking
knows, old George's treasure is still
down there. Young George was apprenticed to
a builder, Chistopher Ford, who
erected churches and courthouses and other large public structures,

26

Outdoors ity Georgia

--

but George decided to look for an-
other career. When he was 19 he left
Virginia and headed for Georgia, landing in Savannah, which was already a thriving town of several thousand people. George's older
brother, John, who lived in Augusta,
had connections in Savannah, and soon George was studying law in the office of Henry Yonge, a prominent barrister. It didn't take George
long to be admitted to the bar. And
within three years he was one of the most successful lawyers in the colony, consulted by the likes of Edward Telfair, one of the wealthiest
merchants in Savannah, who later
became governor of Georgia. If the American artist Charles Willson Peale was not trying to flatter George in later years, Walton's por-
trait shows him to be a man of good
looks with light-colored hair. While he was small in stature, his ambition
was tall, and now he was well on his way; there was no telling how far he
could go in the royal, loyal colony
of Georgia.
What he eagerly went toward was
possible disgrace as an outlaw, ruin
and maybe death as a traitor. He
cast his lot, as did a number of other young men from prominent families, with the Liberty Boys. Walton swam
against a powerful tide. British loyalists were powerfully entrenched in Georgia. His legal mentor, Henry Yonge, was a loyalist. Save for a few patriots like Telfair, the young lawyer's wealthy clients were loyalists. But he joined the voices passionately holding forth against the tyrannical acts of the mother country. Following news of the battle of Lexington
in April 1775, when some New En-
glanders fired the shot heard around
the world, Walton, Noble W. Jones, Archibald Bulloch and John Hous-
toun issued a call for the people to meet "at the Liberty pole" at Tondee's Tavern and take measures to join sister colonies in the cause of
-- freedom. The patriots organized a
Council of Safety one of the mem-
bers was Walton. In July 1 775 representatives from all over Georgia met in Savannah and virtually dis-
solved the colony's allegiance to the
crown. In December of that year,

Walton became president of the Council of Safety and as such, effectively was the governor of the col-
ony. Patriots arrested the royal gov-
ernor, Sir James Wright, but he escaped. The Liberty Boys were in
the saddle.
The following year, when George Walton headed for the Continental
Congress in Philadelphia and finally got there, and signed the Declaration, the delegates to the Continental Congress asked him and George Clymer to stay in the city to help Robert Morris carry on executive functions there. Congress itself, fearing a British attack, went to Baltimore. Benjamin Harrison of Virginia wrote a letter to Robert Morris saying he would have liked Walton to join the Congress in Baltimore because Walton was one of Harrison's allies and Harrison needed help, but that one more vote for his side probably
wouldn't make much difference since Harrison was so outnumbered. So, Harrison wrote, perhaps it was just as well that Walton stay in Philadel-
phia to assist Morris and to while away the leisure hours with his, as Harrison put it, fille de joie.
Leaving the Congress in 1777, Walton returned to Georgia and in 1778 married 15-year-old Dorothy Camber. Later that year the British were pushing hard to secure the southern coast, intent on capturing Savannah. Walton then was the senior colonel in the Georgia militia.
He warned General Robert Howe, commander of the American forces, about a passage through a swamp
which could allow the British to hit the city from the rear. Whether
Howe paid any attention to the
warning was the ground for a courtmartial later on. The British found
their way through the swamp and
struck Colonel Walton and his small band defending the southern flank. After a brief flurry, the Americans were crushed by overwhelming numbers and George Walton was shot, a
bullet smashing a thigh. He was later captured by the British, who
swept on to take Savannah. British doctors took good care of Walton
-- until his leg healed though he
would limp for the rest of his life

and he was then sent as a prisoner to Sunbury.
While he was a prisoner of war,
-- his bride who had fled Savannah to
go to Charleston where she was stay-
-- ing with relatives sailed down the
coast in 1779 to visit him. On the
way back to Charleston, her ship was captured by the English. As captors and captives headed toward Antigua, a hurricane smashed the ship, carrying away the masts. Passengers and crew frantically jetti-
soned cargo, though they were sure they were going down. They were wrong. They reached Antigua where Dorothy was briefly detained by the British before returning home. She was 16 years old.
Not long after that, Walton came home too, exchanged for a captain in the British Navy. Later in 1779, the legislature elected him governor. Then George Walton's real troubles
began. During his term, a letter pur-
portedly signed by William Glascock, the Speaker of the House, was forwarded to the Continental Congress. The letter protested the return of General Lachlan Mcintosh to Georgia, and asked authorities to send him somewhere else. Mcintosh
had come home soon after the fall
of Savannah to take part in rescuing Georgia from the British, hoping to encounter no further personal animosity because he had killed Button Gwinnett in a duel in 1777. Glascock denounced the letter as a forgery and Mcintosh accused Walton
of complicity. The Continental Army
sided with General Mcintosh, one of their own. Walton maintained that the letter represented the sentiments of most Georgians, that Mcintosh was a controversial figure and that his removal was necessary for unity
among the troops and in the state of Georgia. The letter had been
written by a legislative committee
who signed Glascock's name to it. The committee members were under
the impression that Glascock had told them to take care of the matter and that he would agree with their
decision.
Walton felt repercussions of the discord over the letter when in 1782

Jutje 1976

27

Meadow Garden (right and below), George Walton's home at Augusta,
is maintained as a historic shrine by the D.A.R. Walton built the house in 1792.
This obelisk (opposite page) in
A ugusta was erected to honor
Georgia's three signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Here lie the bodies of both Walton
and Lyman Hall. Button Gwinnett's
remains are in Savannah.
Georgia demanded that General
Howe be court-martialed for the
part he played in the failure to guard against the British flanking maneu-
ver through the swamp when the redcoats attacked Savannah. Howe
claimed he had dispatched troops to cover the area. The court-martial ruled there was not enough evidence
to convict Howe and he was ac-
quitted with honor. James Jackson,
who later became U.S. senator and governor of Georgia, commented
that Walton had a good case against
Howe but the Continental Command
was prejudiced against Walton because of the Mcintosh letter affair.
In 1780 Walton returned to Phila-

delphia for what was to be his final term in the Continental Congress. After George Washington's victory at Yorktown in 1782, the small new nation of the United States of America started beating a few swords into plowshares while warily keeping its powder dry. Walton returned to Savannah and started trying to rebuild his shattered affluence; he had come out of the Revolution in bad shape. But he never recovered financially
from the war. He tried his hand in
land speculation, but lost a good deal of money in the post war depression.
He attempted to establish himself in
the plantation system raising rice, but was unsuccessful. During the last

years of his life, the Georgia patriot
was forced to employ many legal maneuvers to stay out of trouble. He was running from creditors in 1791 when he acquired the land near Augusta for his home "Meadow Gar-
-- den" had to put it in the name of
his nephew, Thomas Watkins, to be held in trust for Walton's son. When Walton died, much of his property was seized and sold at public auc-
tion to satisfy debts.
Hounded by financial problems, Walton kept serving the state. In 1783 the legislature appointed him Chief Justice of Georgia; in 1789 he was again elected governor for the
then-current term of one year; in 1790 he became a Superior Court judge. The following year, George Washington visited Augusta, where he was entertained by Judge Walton, the chairman of the reception committee. In 1792 Walton built his
home, Meadow Garden, in a grove
of mulberry trees. Walton suffered from the gout, and while 18th century folks were wrong when they as-
cribed this ailment to nothing but high living, evidence indicates that Walton did have a taste for a fine
way of life. Named to the Senatus Academ-
icus, the commission that established the University of Georgia, Walton
also was a member of the committee
that selected the site for the school.
In 1795 and '96 he served as U.S. senator, appointed by the governor

28

Outdoors ip Georgia

to take the place of James Jackson,
who had resigned. Walton rode his
circuit as Superior Court judge for
the rest of his life. He died at Meadow Garden in February 1 804, at the
age of 55.
Dorothy Camber Walton, who
lived through a hurricane as Walton's captured 16-year-old bride, and through financial bad weather as the wife of a renowned public figure, survived her husband by 28 years, dying at the home of her son, George
Walton, Jr., in Florida. Meadow
Garden deteriorated as cotton mills and flour mills and other commercial enterprises spread over the mulberry grove and adjacent land. The old house was falling apart when it was rescued by the D.A.R. The Augusta chapter worked hard to raise the $2,000 purchase price in 1892 and worked harder to restore the place. It was formally opened in 1901 by
the regent, Mrs. Joseph B. Cumming
of Augusta, wife of the redoubtable
Major Cumming who numbered President William Howard Taft among his golfing partners, greatgrandmother of Joseph B. Cumming,
Jr., Atlanta bureau chief for News-

m

1

r
4

M*Wf
4 -f<

> THE SICNEKS MONUMI NT

week. Since then, the D.A.R. has

maintained the historic site.

Walton was buried at Rosney,

home of his nephew several miles

from Augusta, where the body lay

until 1848 when it was reinterred at

the obelisk in Augusta erected to

honor Georgia's three signers of the

Declaration of Independence. Ly-

man Hall's body was moved to the

Augusta monument at the same time.

Button Gwinnett's bones still lie

in Savannah.

As we look back over a stretch of

200 years, some of George Walton's

successes and failures are apparent,

as are some of his motivations and
-- hangups others can be only sub-

jects for speculation. The record

shows he earned the right to be hon-
ored as a Georgian who is a state and national hero, a patriot who

helped launch a vulnerable little ship

of state on the perilous and uncertain

waters of the late 18th century. But
-- the record shines brightest when it
shows him to be human failings,
-- shortfalls and all a man who kept

pushing through the hail and high

water of tempestuous times and

never quit.



*

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vu

:

.

'

Jupe 1976

29

Outdoors Toacl? ip

Edited by Bill Hammack

NEW DNR BOARD MEMBERS

Walter Eaves of Elberton and A. Leo Lanman, Jr., of Roswell have been named to the Board of Natural Resources by Governor George Busbee.
Eaves represents the 10th Congressional District and Lanman was appointed as member at large. Both men

have demonstrated great interest in the natural resources of the state and in environmental projects in progress and in planning stages.
Eaves has been a hunter and fisherman oil his life. "I've been able personally to observe the comeback
of the deer herds in my neck of the woods, from no
deer at all to some of the finest whitetail hunting in the state," he says. "This is, of course, the happy result
of Georgia's enlightened wild game conservation practices. I'm witnessing the same splendid results in our state's wild turkey restoration program. Many counties in our district boast some of the best wild turkey hunting to be found in Georgia. And when it comes to
fishing, Clark Hill Reservoir is acknowledged by pro-

fessional fisheries authorities, as well as fishermen and fisherwomen, to be one of the finest fishing lakes
in the state. I'm also greatly interested in other DNR programs in my area, such as Anthony Shoals, the
Augusta Canal and Watson Mill Bridge State Park."
Leo Lanman says, "It's imperative that we continue
and expand study of the proper utilization of Georgia's natural resources, bearing in mind both environmental and economic progress. We've been fortunate in Georgia since we've maintained so far a good program for

total environmental quality. So we're in better shape

than some other states. However, growth in the state

makes more important than ever the clear need of

balanced use of resources. For example, we need

more studies of the water supply in southwest Georgia

We to identify the potential.

must match our industrial

sites to environmental situations to maintain our state's quality of life and continued development."
Lanman retired as a Sears Roebuck executive in 1 973, having served the company more than 30 years. Born
in Staunton, Virginia, he has lived in Georgia since
1931, when he entered Emory University to major in economics. Eaves, born and raised in Elberton, who says he has "been in the meat business all my life," is chairman of the board of the Eaves Packing Company.

CHATTAHOOCHEE BILLS
Separate bills have been introduced in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives to

30

Walter Eaves A. Leo Lanman, Jr.

Outdoors ip Georgia

recognize the national significance of the Chattahoochee River. Both bills identify the "natural, scenic,
recreation, historic and other values" of the river as worthy for preservation and for special assistance from the Federal Government.
Hearings by subcommittees in the House and the Senate have been held in Atlanta and in Washington. In fact, Congressmen on the National Parks and Recreation Subcommittee accompanied Governor Busbee on a canoe trip down the river in October, 1975. These hearings are a firm indication of the seriousness which Congress attaches to the goal of preserving the river and selected adjacent lands.
The bills authorize Federal funds for acquisition of land located at critical points along the river between
Buford Dam at Lake Lanier and Peachtree Creek within
the city limits of Atlanta.
NEW GEORGIA MAPS
The Geologic and Water Resources Division of the Department of Natural Resources announces the avail-
ability of three multi-purpose maps of Georgia. A geologic map, a satellite photomosaic map and a slope map each portray the entire state on sheets about four
by four and one-half feet in size.
Commenting about the new products, Sam Pickering, division director, said "The maps will serve the state as a basis for study and solution to many problems
involving mineral or water resources, mining, environmental studies, construction, industrial plant siting and land use planning."
Pickering added that the geologic map is the first to
be completed of Georgia since 1939, and adds substantially to the detailed knowledge of the geologic framework of Georgia. The field work was completed by 15 division geologists in 18 months. The extent and type of rock formations and structures are shown. It is of greatest interest in mineral exploration, water well development, industry siting, determination of soil origin and planning of community development.
The satellite map is a single simulated infrared
picture of the state, pieced together from portions of
14 individual images from N.A.S.A.'s LANDSAT (formerly ERTS) unmanned satellite. The satellite passes
periodically over Georgia at an altitude of 570 miles, and can detect high contrast detail on the ground as small as four to five acres. Mountains, ridges, major
reservoirs, swampy areas, cleared fields and woodland may be easily distinguished. The project was a
cooperative effort by the division, the U.S. Geological
Survey and N.A.S.A. Time for completion was four
years.
The third product maps the slope of the ground into five categories. These categories have been selected to show best farm land, development corridors, transportation routes and land which is too rugged or mountainous for practical construction. It took two
Jui)C 1976

years for completion, and it too was a cooperative project with the division and the U.S. Geological
Survey.
Copies of the new maps may be purchased overthe-counter from the division's map room, Room 406-A, 19 Hunter St., Atlanta. The satellite and slope maps may be mail-ordered from: U.S. Geological Survey,
Topographic Division, Stop 567, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA., 22092.
WATSON MILL REOPENS
Watson Mill Bridge State Park in Oglethorpe and Madison Counties reopened to the public June 5. Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Joe D. Tanner says the park and all its facilities again will be serving the recreational needs of patrons as it did
prior to being closed temporarily in 1975. The park has picnic shelters, campsites with water
and electricity, comfort stations, dump station, fishing
facilities and a covered bridge. The covered bridge is perhaps the park's outstand-
ing feature. It is the longest of its kind remaining in Georgia; its four spans stretch some 236 feet across the south fork of the Broad River. Although the bridge
itself was built about 1885, the milling industry for which the park was named has a much longer history in the area. The bridge was restored in 1973 by the Georgia Department of Transportation to serve as a
focal point for the state park.
In announcing the reopening of the park, Tanner
said, "We in the Department of Natural Resources are
glad to resume operation of this park and have it
serve the many residents in the northeast Georgia
area. We regretted closing this park when we did, but
elected to hold it in caretaker status hoping we would be able to reopen it at a later date when the economy
improved. We are happy that we can reopen this par-
ticular site."
Watson Mill Bridge State Park is located between Lexington and Comer on Georgia Highway 22.
31

Letters
to tl>e Editor
Enclosed you will find a letter that was sent to your fish and game
department. Knowing how busy that department must be I am sure you
will give proper recognition to the warden, Bill O'Neal, this letter
speaks about. Although I am from
Miami, Fla. I love to hunt and fish and have done so all over the south.
The largest single problem I have had is staving legal with all the state laws and bag limits being different. Although I always contact the fish and game departments in each area
for assistance.
Last year I attended a three-day
reservation hunt outside McRae, Georgia, where one of your war-
dens, Bill O'Neal whom I had only
met over a year before, is assigned. Bill went out of his way to insure not only that we were advised of the laws but explained them thor-
oughly. He also helped us make
arrangements to stay in one of your
fine state parks, and made sure we knew where to purchase our licenses,
food and gear.
At a time in our society when men
in his profession, because of socalled sportsmen, have a hazardous, dangerous and thankless job, I think it is time to put the cards on the table, take stock in ourselves. This
man has the job and does the job
and believes in this unwritten creed
of true men. And also is a husband
and father like most of us. I believe your magazine believes
in sportsmanship, conservation, management and game laws being upheld. I feel that your magazine is the proper place to tell about someone who helps others. I also feel even though this letter is lengthy you
will find space to help real sports-
men say "thank you" to a man who
in these times sets an example for us to live up to.
Rodney A. Coile

I enjoyed your articles, and the photographs in your March issue, but I beg to differ with some of the conclusions reached in the article about shrimp fishing.
It may be hard to make myself
clear, but I will try. I do earnestly advocate the banning of taking egg bearing shrimp (or having possession of them) during April or May. Last spring (in April and May,
1975) many were caught, some perhaps illegally. At the same time I advocate the Fisheries Commission
exercising authority which I believe they already have, to delay the opening until most of the shrimp have laid their eggs. Last year on June 1 and 2 several thousand boxes were caught, which were virtually 95 percent full of eggs. The delay of only
a week or so would in my opinion
have made last fall's fishing effort produce at least 5 million pounds
more. It turned out to be a disastrous fall season.
We have the marshes, creeks, riv-
ers, and sounds to sustain this great renewable resource, and it is to our advantage to utilize its full potential. It is a resource that requires no fertilizer, no feed, no plowing, no fences. Its two great enemies are pollution and mis-management. Pollution is rapidly being bested. Let's work on the latter.
P. R. Kittles
I am writing to let you know how much I have enjoyed my 1975 sub-
scription of Outdoors in Georgia because without this magazine we
wouldn't know very much about our
fellow anglers across our good state.
It gives me a lot of good pointers on my fishing methods, and to my
knowing I don't think there is an angler alive today that fully understands the habits or ways of the old largemouth bass because I myself have seen the time that he would strike anything that hit the water, then I have also seen the time you couldn't even have pried his mouth open and made him bite the same
lures. I feel sure that other anglers
will agree with me concerning "old

big mouth," because he has what it
takes to make anglers like me go
"nuts" just trying to figure him out. But I surely do have fun in the process of trying anyway.
I surely would like to hear other anglers ideas and stories of the old master of fresh water gamefish. Be-
cause I have my fishing I believe my wife will agree with me on this sub-
ject because I only get to fish six
days a week the seventh day I spend
in my church at Faulkville, Georgia with mv fellow anglers and also
Christian friends.
Again I want to thank you for producing this fine magazine I believe it is the best thing that has happened to the sportsman in our good state. Thank you very much.
Robert Moore

Just a note to say I have read our

April issue of Outdoors in Georgia,

My and sincerely enjoyed it.

only

gripe is with the gripers in the article
Outdoor Comments.

Please continue your good work as your articles have led to many

good times for our family camping,

hunting, fishing, nature hunting and

We tourist stomping.

have visited

most every place mentioned in your
magazine and plan to return to many during the summer ahead. By the
--way, the magazine arrived last week we spent Sunday at Carters Lake.

Mrs. Olin Holtzclaw

This library makes efforts to purchase U.S.A. periodical publications on agriculture and related subjects.
Would you be so kind as to send us sample copies of two current is-
sues of your publication Outdoors in Georgia in order we could examine and decide whether or not we should purchase your publication.
Thank you in advance for your
kind attention to this matter. A. Bochever, Director Central Scientific Agricultural Library Department of International
Book Exchange
Moscow, USSR

32

Outdoors it? Georgia

Corpipg Next Moijtlj...
Voyage of the Unicorn. As part of a national bicentennial program called "Operation
Sail '76," a brig named Unicorn made Savannah a port of call. Bill Hammack and
Bob Busby went on board for a look.
Oconee Journal. The famous journal of William Bartram chronicled the natural his-
A tory of the southeast 200 years ago. modern journal kept by Richard Kristin as he
canoed the Oconee retraces a portion of Bartram's travels.
A 200 Years of Wildlife. vast resource in colonial days, this country's wildlife popu-
lation was severely tried by a growing population. With good management our wildlife now appears to be holding its own. Dick Davis covers the bicentennial history of wildlife in July OIG.

To give more space to the story scheduled for this issue about Georgia's Ed Dodd,
creator of the internationally popular comic strip "Mark Trail," hunter, fisherman and conservationist, we have postponed it to August, when it will appear as
the cover story. The cover will he an original drawing by Tom Hill, especially for
-- Outdoors in Georgia, featuring Ed Dodd and his all-Georgia crew on the strip -- Hill, Jack Elrod and Barbara Chen and, naturally, Mark himself.

Outdoors
ip Georgia
6/76
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