Adopt-a-stream, Vol. 11, no. 3 (May/June 2004)

GEORGIA
Adopt-A-Stream

Volume 11, Number 3, May / June 2004 Harold Harbert and Kim Morris-Zarneke, Editors

Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division

Happy Retirement Ginny!
At the 2004 Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia Conference, Adopt-A-Stream's Ginny Brady received the Eugene Odum Lifetime Achievement Award for all the work and effort she has contributed to the environmental education field over the past twenty plus years. We salute Ginny for all she has done and wish her well as she embarks on a new journey retirement! The following is an excerpt from the ceremony we would like to share with all of you.
Ginny Brady is proof that some people are left-brained AND rightbrained. She taught school for 14 years. Sure she taught science and math, but she also taught music. Ginny's also proof that technology and nature aren't always opposing forces. For the last eight years she has worked for the National Science Center's Fort Discovery in Augusta. She trains teachers in technology integration...but she never misses the opportunity to connect her work to the environment. Thanks to her friendly smile, sweet disposition, and dogged determination, there are many unique environmental education programs in Augusta and beyond. Ginny has served as an Adopt-A-Stream trainer and Advisory Board member for the past seven years providing leadership and assistance in developing and maintaining the program. Ginny also trains teachers in the Jason Project, a program which explores the Earth's ecosystems and exposes students to leading scientists. She's written curriculum that helps Georgia teachers connect Jason expeditions to ecosystems in Georgia. She facilitates an online graduate course that promotes weather as a vehicle for teaching science, math, and technology. She established the Middle School Eco-Meet, an annual environmental competition. She developed a course for elementary schools to help them use their outdoor classrooms with technology. And, she established the McDuffie Environmental Education Center, 570 acres that now serves 5,000 students with environmental education each year. Congratulations Ginny!

Cattle In The Stream
In America's pioneer days, farmers were the first environmentalists. In the 21st Century, thousands of farmers still lead in environmental protection practices. They do so because it's the right thing to do and because it makes common business sense. However, agricultural practices do impact the environment. Some agricultural activities have a greater potential to adversely impact the environment than others. Protecting riparian corridors and instream habitat is critical to maintaining healthy ecosystem, and has been a priority of agricultural conservation efforts in Georgia and across the country for many years.

In some rural areas, volunteer monitoring programs have reported seeing cattle in the stream. This can lead to problems. Cattle can impact instream habitat directly through hoof action and by contributing to streambed and streambank erosion. Nutrient and bacterial loading results from manure deposition in or near the stream. And depending on loafing patterns, large areas of riparian vegetation and habitat can also be impacted.
"Unfortunately, streams have historically been the main source of water for grazing livestock, in Georgia and around the world", says Andy Johnson, District Conservationist for USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, which manages most of the Federal agricultural conservation programs. "Fortunately, we now have good cost-share tools to help cattle farmers protect streams and riparian areas, and farmers are gradually realizing it is good for the land and water and also good for their cows and the operation as a whole."
The cost-share programs can cover half to three-quarters of the cost for practices such as fencing, installing alternative watering systems, and improving pastures through legume planting or developing a rotational grazing system. The programs are voluntary and competitive, but each year hundreds of Georgia farmers receive technical and financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program alone. For contact or program information, go to the Georgia NRCS web site at http://www.ga.nrcs.usda.gov/, or the NRCS farm bill web site at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/.
The NRCS provides technical and financial assistance on a voluntary basis to farmers and landowners. Concerned citizens are not helpless in the regulatory arena either, according to Tom Hopkins of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. "When cattle are causing water pollution, immediate enforcement action can always be taken under the general provisions of the Water Quality Control Act. If a farm needs a CAFO permit, then cattle in a stream may also be a permit violation (failure to maintain best management practices)."

Tom advises that cases like this be reported

A stream crossing that limits access and protects the

immediately to the appropriate EPD District Office or rest of the buffer.

the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA). He

says that, "EPD has an agricultural pollution prevention assistance contract with GDA and they are the

first responders on agricultural pollution complaints." Citizens can report complaints directly to the

Livestock Poultry Field Forces at 404-656-3665 or see the website at

www.agr.state.ga.us/html/livestock_poultry_field_forces.html. Under the terms of the EPD/GDA

contract, if GDA cannot resolve the complaint, it will be turned over to EPD for enforcement. Tom stated

that, "Chronic violators are subject to the usual penalties and can be issued an individual NPDES permit,

which will bring more even regulatory attention to them." So far, Tom says, "the system is working and

we have not had to resort to formal enforcement or preemptive permitting."

It's good to know that for concerned volunteers in Georgia, there are options for protecting riparian corridors. It's also good to know that most farmers are doing the right thing and protecting their sensitive riparian corridors, and that conservation is happening every day on Georgia's farms. As Aldo Leopold said: "Conservation means harmony between people and land. When land does well for its owner, and the owner does well by [her or] his land, when both end up better by reason of their partnership, we have conservation. When one or the other grows poorer, we do not."

Adopt-A-Stream Calendar of Events
The following workshops, taught by certified AAS trainers, provide training in visual, biological and chemical monitoring of streams. Teachers may receive 1 SDU credit for participating please go to the AAS website under Teacher Corner for more details. Please call to register for a workshop.

What
Biological Biological Biological Chemical Wetland Chemical Getting Started w/ AAS Chemical & Biological Getting Started w/ AAS Chemical & Biological Chemical Chemical & Biological Chemical & Biological

Who
Etowah AAS Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Coastal Georgia Adopt-A-Wetland Clayton County AAS Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Etowah AAS Georgia AAS Elachee Nature Center AAS Elachee Nature Center AAS Etowah AAS Fulton County AAS Cobb County AAS

When
May 15 May 15 May 15 May 22 May 22 June 19 July 17 July 17 July 23 July 24 July 24 TBA TBA

Where
Cherokee Co Smithgall Woods La Grange Brunswick Clayton Co Smithgall Woods Cherokee Co Coweta Hall Co Hall Co Cherokee Co Fulton Co Cobb Co

To Register
770-591-7156 404-352-9828 x17 404-675-1639 912-598-2388 678-422-2838 404-352-9828 x17 770-735-2778 404-675-1636 770-535-1976 770-535-1976 770-735-2778 404-730-8006 770-528-1480

NOTE: Workshop times vary. Please call to get exact times and locations. Workshop information is updated weekly on our website at www.riversalive.org/aas.htm
QA/QC Recertification: All QA/QC volunteers must renew certification on a yearly basis. This can be accomplished by participating in the second half of our regular chemical or biological workshop. To register, please contact one of our scheduled workshops.

COOL WATERS
Join Adopt-A-Stream trainers for a three day water workshop for Georgia educators. Participants will learn more about Georgia's drinking water, wastewater, and surface water through daily fieldtrips, handson classroom activities, and peer teaching. Participants receive free resources and materials. Two SDU credits are available. This free workshop is in Lawrenceville, June 14-16, from 8:30 to 4:00. For info please call 770-794-5227 or go to www.gwpca.org.
Online Environmental Education
A 10-week on-line course about the fundamentals of environmental education will be offered this summer (June 14 - August 20, 2004) and fall (September 13 - November 19, 2004). The course is appropriate for both classroom teachers and for non-formal educators. The link for information is www.eetap.org.

School Yard Ecology Course
The Oxford Institute for Environmental Education announces a summer course: Improving Science Education through School Yard Ecology, June 14-25. For more information please go to www.emory.edu/oxford/academics/oiee.

2004 National Monitoring Conference, May 17 20 in Chattanooga
The 4th National Monitoring Conference will provide an opportunity to participate in technical programs and training, share successes, discuss issues, and network with colleagues in the water monitoring community. Register online at www.nwqmc.org

Georgia Water Wise Summit
We are all too aware that people's perceptions of Georgia's environment vary from place to place. Oftentimes their opinions and attitudes are based on how the environmental issue impacts them directly. Over the last year, the Pollution Prevention Assistance Division (P2AD) of the Department of Natural Resources took on the monumental task of finding out what the citizens of Georgia really think with regard to water resource issues. With the help of the Responsive Management, a survey research firm, 1,000 Georgia households were surveyed to better understand their attitudes and opinions, willingness to participate in water conservation measures and incentives and constraints to water conservation. As a result, the study found the following major findings:

Both water quality and quantity were found to be important issues to Georgia residents, however there was greater concern for water quality than quantity. Georgia residents were concerned about water quality and quantity in Georgia because of the potential effects on human well-being more so than the potential effects on environmental well-being. Overall, the Georgia public had positive attitudes toward the general need to conserve water. Most importantly, the public agreed strongly to support the statewide water conservation efforts. The survey research demonstrated that Georgia residents are already undertaking and are likely to undertake a variety of water conservation measures.

For a copy of this report Understanding Georgia Public's Perception of Water Issues and the Motivational Messages to Which They Will Respond go to P2AD's website at www.p2ad.org/watermessaging.html.

Rain gardens offer attractive, viable options for conserving rainwater. Go to www.riversalive.org/aas.htm for information.

The Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Newsletter is published six times per year. For more information about the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream program or to contribute to the newsletter, call or write to:
Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Environmental Protection Division 4220 International Parkway, Suite 101 Atlanta, GA 30354 (404) 675-1639 or 1636 www.riversalive.org/aas.htm

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