Adopt-a-stream, Vol. 3, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 1996)

GEORGIA

Adopt-A-Stream

Volume 3, Number 6, November/December 1996
Laurie Hawks and Eve Funderburk, Editors

Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division

Successful Conference in Dahlonega
Over 240 people attended the Third Annual Georgia Adopt-A-Stream conference in Dahlonega October 26. Many were impressed with the scope of projects and people represented. Karen Firehock inspired us with stories of students teaching developers best management practices, Joe and Monica Cook shared their fabulous slide show of their 500 mile journey down the Chattahoochee, and several excellent student position papers were presented. The new Adopt-A-Stream teacher's guide was introduced (see below), more than a dozen exhibitors displayed their projects or organizations, the sessions produced lively discussion, and the awards luncheon recognized many hard working volunteers. Monica Cook won the raffle grand prize for the canoe trip--go figure! One of the best outcomes, however, was the chance for volunteers from all over the state to meet and swap stories of their successes and challenges. See you there next year!

Callaham recognized by Governor
Dr. Mac Callaham received a proclamation from Governor Zell Miller for his dedication to the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream program and for teaching biology at North Georgia College for over 30 years. We appreciate all the hours Mac has given us and the citizens of Georgia. He has taught students and adults from all over the state, shared his enthusiasm, and helped protect Georgia's waters. Thank you Mac!

Adopt-A-Stream Photo of the Year!
Congratualtions West Fulton Middle School for being awarded photo of the year. Melissa Duff and the Bankhead Eco-Players show cleaning a creek can be fun!
Welcome Petey Giroux!
The Environmental Protection Division has a new NonPoint Source Education Coordinator - Petey Giroux. Petey has been in environmental education for 17 years, working with the state PTAs, National Park Service Geosphere Center, and the Outdoor Activity Center. As the state coordinator, Petey will offer educational programs on nonpoint source pollution for teachers and students as well

as coordinating Project Wet curriculum in schools throughout Georgia. She will provide teacher and facilitator training in January 1997. January 17-18 will be a facilitator training at the Geosphere Center and January 25 will be a regular 6 hour Project Wet workshop at Wahsega 4-H Center in Dahlonega. Please call Petey at 404-651-9998 to register early for this exciting opportunity - spaces are limited and on a first come, first serve basis! We are very excited to welcome Petey aboard as an enthusiastic new member of our team! Buddy Goodloe named Adopt-A-Stream Volunteer of the Year Buddy, a parent at Clairemont Elementary and Renfroe Middle Schools in Decatur, Georgia, was recognized for his outstanding accomplishments as a member of Georgia Adopt-A-Stream. He volunteers with students during the day, promoting

environmental enrichment. Buddy has involved parents and students in the citizen monitoring process, has written grants to provide resources and protects waterways. His tireless efforts and giving nature are best shown by the students' tribute of having the creek running through the school property named "Buddy's Creek".
Watershed Initiatives Underway
Several watershed projects are underway in the City of Atlanta as well as in the headwaters of the Chattahoochee. The Chattahoochee River Headwaters Riparian Restoration and Education Project will focus on demonstrating the value of functioning riparian zones in protecting stream health and assisting interested communities to protect and restore such systems. This Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper sponsored project will identify and assess the causes and locations of existing nonpoint source pollution in the headwaters portion of the Upper Chattahoochee watershed, which includes portions of White, Habersham, Lumpkin, and Hall counties. For more information, contact Katherine Baer at 404-8169888. Similarly, the City of Atlanta's Urban Watershed Initiative hopes to reduce litter in streams, meet water quality standards in streams, improve water quality and stream habitat and increase citizen, government, and business awareness of watershed pollution in the South River and Chattahoochee watersheds. If you would like more information about the City of Atlanta Initiative, please call Marilyn Johnson at 404-330-6230. Also in the City of Atlanta, Dana Poole is coordinating the Proctor Creek Adopt-AStream/Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Watershed Initiative. Several elementary, middle, and high schools in the Proctor Creek Watershed will receive funding to set up Adopt-A-Stream programs. She can be contacted at 404-816-9888.
Gwinnett County Awarded Adopt-AStream Program of the Year
Congratulations to Steve Cannon and the Gwinnett County Adopt-A-Stream program for hard work and great success in 1996. The Gwinnett program boasts over 3,000 volunteers (students and citizens) who devote weekends during the year to cleaning up their waterways, monitoring, and educating

others in their community. Gwinnett's program has quietly built itself into one of the strongest programs in the state. Thanks for your continuing dedication!!

Local Happenings
Red Flag Alert!! More proof that paying attention and following through on a concern can solve a problem. Mrs. Dee West, Project Ripple/Alphretta Area Adopt-A-Stream Area Coordinator, received a call from a concerned citizen describing a muddy trickle that at one time was a healthy stream. Investigations upstream revealed a residential subdivision under construction and the improperly piped stream. After heavy rains, Dee went back to the site to see if the suggestions she had made to the project foreman to take immediate steps to control the erosion and establish the flow of the stream had been heeded. Unfortunately, no steps were taken to improve the conditions. Dee contacted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers alerting them to the developer's violations of his nationwide permit. The ACOE issued a "cease and desist" order until he met a list of conditions, including restoring the stream channel, preventing any fragmentation of the stream/wetland system, and controlling erosion with proper Best Management Practices, among other requirements. The developer learned several valuable lessons concerning the importance of erosion control in wetlands and stream systems - he assured Dee future developments will follow Best Management Practices to preserve the integrity of water leaving the site. Way to go Dee!! Let us know your success stories - we love good news!
THE MUCH AWAITED TEACHER'S GUIDE!!
Hot off the press, the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Teacher's Guide, for grades K-12, is now available. The teacher's guide covers four main topics--NonPoint Source Pollution, watersheds, biological and chemical monitoring. Lessons come from excellent existing guides and the Adopt-A-Stream program. Introductory workshops will be held regularly.
F Attention - New Phone Numbers for Georgia Adopt-A-Stream!!
Please make note - we now have two NEW phone numbers and voice mail!! If you need to reach us, please call 404-656-0099 for Laurie Hawks or 404-656-0069 for Eve Funderburk. If we are not available, leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as humanly possible!
1996 River Clean Up Bags More Trash Than Ever Before
By any measure, the 1996 River Clean Up Week was the most successful ever. The week long effort to clean up Georgia's waters, October 12-19, commemorated the signing of Georgia's Clean Water Act. Although final results are not in yet - over 1,705 volunteers spent 853 hours and collecting more than 1,000 bags of trash!! This year's clean up was truly statewide, in Albany, City of Decatur, Dublin, Columbus, Sapelo Island, Atlanta, Peachtree City, Vidalia, Wheeler County, Newton County, Carrol County, and Floyd County just to name a few. Thanks to all the organizers across the state who brought volunteers together to improve water quality - let's keep that cleaning, conservation idea year `round.
River Care 2000 update
The River Care 2000 program is well under way. The program has three parts--assess the rivers of the state for a variety of values (fisheries, scenic, economic), study tools available to protect sensitive river sections, and purchase land that will protect, promote or provide access to specific river sections. PRIORITY FOR LAND ACCUSATION WILL BE GIVEN TO PROJECTS THAT HAVE LOCAL SUPPORT. If your group is working to protect a river and land purchase will provide a missing link for a greenway, education site, or habitat protection call Harvey Young, River Care 2000 coordinator, at 404-657-9746. There is an excellent two page review of the Clean Water Act and other protection tools available on the internet. Address on the internet is http:\\gsulaw.gsu.edu\~RiverCare\RiverCare2000.html

1996 Adopt-A-Stream Training Workshops
The following workshops introduce volunteers to specific water quality monitoring techniques and background information. Call to reserve your space in the following workshops. Space is limited!

What Level I Chemical Level I & Biological Biological&Chemical Level I Level I & Chemical Chemical

When Nov. 7 Nov. 10 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 Dec. 5 Dec. 7 Dec. 8

Where Savannah Savannah Fernbank Science Ctr. Alpharetta Savannah Chattahoochee Nat. Ctr. Savannah

To Register 912-356-2809 912-356-2809 CLOSED 770-442-9057 912-356-2809 404-656-0099 or -0069 912-356-2809

We will be scheduling a Train-The-Trainer series of workshops for the upcoming year. Please let us know if you would be interested in attending!

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 7 ML King Dr. SW, Suite 643 Atlanta, GA 30334 404-656-0099 or 656-0069