Georgia state park views [Nov. 1961], State park views State parks views

PILGRIM ANCESTORS
ShaU we not pause one momt'nt on our way, As we make joyous, carefree holiday, To think of those Novemht>rs long ago? Of stony ground the Pilgrims toiled to sow: Of rivers bridged; of tangled fort~:-~ts dl'ared To pave the way for citifs we have reared; Of schools and churches built; of brave lives spent, For liberty and faith and high int1nt:. Shall we, whose blessings are so richly pourt>d, Forget to say a simple ..Thank you, Lord" ?
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SING TO THE LORD WITH THANKSGIVING; MAKE MELODY TO OUR GOD UPON THE LYRE! HE COVERS THE HEAVENS \UTH CLOUDS, HE PREPARES RAIN FOR THE EARTH, HE MAKES GRASS GROvJ UPON THE HILLS.
HE GIVES TO THE BEASTS THEIR FOOD,
AND TO THE YOUNG RAVENS vJHICH CRY.
--Psalm 147:7-9

TO HAVE PROGRESS - WE NEED LEADERSHIP
We have heard the truesome, "If the student hasn't learned, the teacher hasn't taught." This can also be said this way, 11 If the follower hasn't followed, the leader hasn't led. 11 Napoleon was supposed to have expressed it this -vray, "There are no bad regiments, only bad colonels _.1
Leadership is the activity of influencing the people to cooperate towards some goal which they come to find desirable. If we are to have continued progress in Georgia's State Parks, we must have continued leadership. Leadership among our park personnel depends a great deal upon the type of influence our park superintendents have tO\'lards their personnel. Progress and leadership can be our motto.

PARK NEWS
STEPHEN C. FOSTER STATE PARK Submitted by George Sirmans, Supt.
Recent visitors to Stephen C. Foster is on the increase, due to the nev1 road (paved) l'lhich has just been completed.
Among the visitors were Nrs. Iris Faircloth Blitch, Congresswoman for the 8th Congressional District, and Mr. Jim Gillis, Chairman of the State Road Commission.
Most recently a guide working out of our park was bitten by a 3-foot cottonmouth moccasin and, thanks to the first-aid course which we had at OUl"' last meeting, I Has able to aaminister first-aid to the snake-bite victim and remove a large amount of the venom from the wound before it had time to spread very far. The guide was back on the job the next day.
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L. S. \1ALKER STATE PARK Submitted by C. H. Morgan, Supt.
~ou can rave about your mountains and seashores if you care to, but give me this South Georgia flatland when the grass has been cut to about three inches and these long brmm pine needles have it almost covered - just a Nide brmm sea of beautiful brown. Boy, that's me, and that's our Park.
We had a fine summer, fine camping, group, trailer and tent. Met some fine people from other countries, too. It's so nice to exchange ideas \'lith these people. Our new deck is almost completed. The sewerage disposal plant is in the srune condition. We have two new picnic sheds in operation and two on the ground ready to be assembled.

Nine new wooden tabl~s are ready to be put together.
32 acres have been designated as closed area around this park to raise more deer, quail and turkeys. It has already been stocked; in fact, I almost ran over a big BUCK deer this morning going to Highway No. 1. This area will remain closed for five years and then will be opened to the public.
Our lake has been lowered and it really looks spooky. The fishing is fine. Come on down some of you mountain lubbers and catch some fish that won't go in the skillet without being cut up.
The people in this part of the State are still looking for a swimming pool for next year.
\Je may be in the market for some kind of engineer next year. It takes 2~ hours to service the sewage disposal plant each day. It takes two long hours to run the mosquito fogging machine at night. And when that thing breaks down, you gotta get the manual. There are so many things that can go wrong.
Our boy is stationed at Chanute Air Force Base near Chicago. His mother spent last weekend with him. I will certainly miss him at this park, especially when the water has to be drained after 11 o'clock to preserve the pipes. An old Marine Sergeant asked me at Belleau vJoods during a heavy fight, II Come on, boy, do you want to live for-
ever?" Oh yes, that was 1918.
Well, so long Miss Barbara, we are all glad to have you back aboard.
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PARK NE\~S (continued)
FORT YARGO STATE PARK Submitted by H. S. Fricks
For the past season we have had more visitors at Fort Yargo than ever.
Our newly developed picnic area with the picnic shelter and 15 concrete tables has really been enjoyed throughout the vacation period by schools, churches, civic organizations, picnickers, and family groups.
We have made improvements and repairs in each area.
The Old Fort - vle have chinked the logs with white clay, as vms done by the early settlers when it \'las first erected many years ago. This old Fort is in remarkably good condition considering its
~ge.
~he Group Camp - We have installed twin showers, cabinets in the kitchen, moved a partition and painted parts on inside. The .fence surrounding the main building was removed. A picnic shelter was erected on the grounds, and also have five concrete tables on the grounds near the main building.
We hope to have this group camp in operation another season. He really need better camping facilities here, for we have had many requests, but so far all \'le have to offer is Pioneer Camping, and most people want a prepared place with lights and water.
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HARD LABOR CREEK STATE PARK Submitted by T. D. Carter, Supt.
During the month of October we had the following groups using

our Group Camps: VJestminster Fellowship, Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, Atlanta; St. John's Methodist Church,
Atlanta; Hapeville Camping & Nature
Club, Hapeville; Hestminster Fellowship, Decatur Presbyterian Church, Decatur; D.S.F. of Christian Churches of Georgia, Macon; First Methodist Church, Older Youth, Atlanta.
A total of 635 camper days.
ile also had a total of 1084 Pioneer Camper days, which included a 3-day Camporee by the N.E. Ga. Council, Cherokee Dist., B.S.A., with approximately 300 attending.
\'le had 67 Family Tent Camper days and 81 Trailer Camper days during the month.
Our total attendance for the month being 4367.
We wish to take this opportunity to welcome Col. \vagner into our ranks. \Je wish for him a most successful tenure with us.
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A. H. STEPHENS STATE PARK Submitted by T. E. Darden, Supt.
The Little River District of Boy Scouts of America held a Camporee at Camp Stephens Oct. 13th and lL~th. About 50 scouts and their leaders enjoyed a weekend of camping.
A new water line is being installed and a picnic shed is to be assembled.
\IJe were glad to have Mr. Collier and Col. Hagner visit our park last weelc.
Visitors to the Confederate Museum and Alexander Stephens' home, for the month of October, have come from as far away as California, \'lest Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama.
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CROOKED RIVER STATE PARK Submitted by M. K. DeLoach~ Supt.
Our filter system has been finally installed completely and is ready for final inspection. vJe can start off the neN season next May by not having to clean the pool each Monday by draining and scrubbing~ which \'lill give us another day to stay open each \'leek. Everyone appreciated this new asset to the park.
Two ~ew picnic shelters have been ~elivered and will soon be erected. This is also an added attraction to the picnic area and grounds that we have needed.
~le are looking forward to our neN 90mfort station~ which is soon to be sent us and v1e believe we ~1ill have as nice an area as any park in the Southeastern part of the state and Northern Florida for trailer parking as can be found in this area. He are having lots of compliments on our developments.
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LITTLE OCMULGEE STATE PARK Submitted by Lee Hillcox~ Supt.
We are still having considerable .activity at Little Ocmulgee since the surruner season closed. vJe are draining our lal{e so v;e have had fishermen from far and wide. Quantities of fish have been caught. We hope something will be done about the water growth \vhile the lake is dry.
We had the largest camping season \~e have ever had and still have some trailer and tent camping. Family reunions still take place ~early every Sunday.
V{e have had t\'JO meetings in Septemqer that we would like to m ention. Thirty foresters from the Georgia Forestry Comnission's 10 offices

held a three-day training course here. Teaching the course were U. S. Forest Service personnel including Jim Cartwright~ Rip Williams, Cl1ff Faulkner, and Austin Hasee. The Georgia Forestry Corrunission group which stayed at the camp for three days of training included management and fire control staff members from the Macon Headquarters.
Roydon Wear, Inc. celebrated their lOth anniversary vvi th a picnic at Little Ocmulgee. An Open air auditorium was devised where speaking took place and the awarding of five and ten year service pins. Later music and games were played~ followed by a barbecue dinner. Out-of-tovm guests included Hr. Kurt Salmon, Chairman, of New York City. Mr. Dave Billing of McRae, Vice-President 1n Charge of Manufacturing, was in charge of the affair. Three hundred employees and a number of guests enjoyed the occasion.
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The second largest undrained swampland in the United States Okefenokee SHamp, near Haycross is now a vast Nildlife refuge. A winter nesting place for flocks of migratory birds, the Swamp is also the year-round home of hundreds of bear, deer, alligators and wildcats.
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Georgia's forests~ according to federal surveys, grow more than 100 species of commercial valuable trees.
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The most popular field sport in Georgia is quail shooting. The open season runs from November 20 to February 25 each year.
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Dear Miss Rankin: Here is your complimentary copy of the newly Pevised VACATION CAMPGROUNDS of the Southeast. !,Je appreciate greatly your help in providing us with the latest ln.formation Pegarding camping in G~orgia state parks, and are happy to knov.J of the continued developments to improve the camping facilities in the state.
Very sincerely yours,
Mrs. Charles Hultqui s t Vacation Campground Publishers
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My God, I thank Thee who hast made
The earth so bright;
So full of splendor and of joy,
Beauty and light;
So many glorious things are here,
Noble and right! Amen.
-- Adelaide A. Proctor

THE WEATHER FACTORY

Just as soon as summer's done, Such a flit and flutter! In the ~veather factory
Such a clip-and-clutter!

Nuts

are

begging,

"Send

us

frost!

1 '

In a month or so,

Children will be saying, "Ah,

If 1 t\vould only snow!"

So the little \veather folk
Dash around and scurry; Everybody with a job, Working in a flurry.

11 Winkle, Twinkle, mix the frost, Happy, grind the hail.
Make icicle s , N1p and Tuck-Thousands, without fail!

Tippy, start t he flake machine
Quickly, and remember-Twenty million tons of snow
Needed by November.

\<!hipper, Snapper, hurry up!
Soon as autumn's come, In the weather factory Things begin t o hUm.

Nancy Byrd Turner

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For the splendor' of the sunsets,

Vast mirrored on the sea;

For the gold-fringed clouds, that curtain

Heaven's inner mystery;

For the molten bars of twilight,

\<!here thought leans, glad, yet 1m.,red;

For the ~lory of the sunsets,

I thanlc Thee, 0 my God. Amen.

--Lucy Larcom

THE QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK
WHAT IS A NATIONAL l10Nm1ENT? A PARK? A NATIONAL FOREST?
\fuat is the National Park System?
The national park system is composed of paries, monuments and other areas of important scenic, historic, prehintoric and scientific interest. It is administered by the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior. The first area in the national park system was Yellowstone National Parle, established in 1["(2.
How many areas are there in the national park system? Are they all the same?

There are 189 areas in 43 States, divided as follows:
30 parks, G6 monuments; 9 histori-
cal parks; 12 military parks; 1 memorial park; 3 battlefield parks;
1 battlefield; 5 battlefield sites;
14 historic sites; 14 memorials; 10 cemeteries; 3 par~Jays; 1 seashore recreational area.
A new category vJill be added when a large part of Outer Cape Cod, Massachusetts, becomes our first national seashore park.
Hmv does an area become part of che national park system?
An area with superlative scenery or features of scientific or historic interest may qualify for inclusion

in the fystemj the Advisory Board on National Paries, His toric Sites, Buildings and f\1onuments may recommend areas to the Secretary of the Interior; or members of Congress may initiate legislation to propose areas for inclusion. Eventually, it takes an act of Congress to bring an area into the national park system, although in the case of monuments anc1 historical sites, the President can issue an establishing proclamation.
llhat is the diffel''ence between a national pari;: and a national monument?
A national park such as Yosemite is established to preserve outstanding exrunples of scenery in a primeval wilderness. National monuments, such as Hhite Sands or Harper 1s Ferry, in most cases are established to preserve some outstanding historical or scientific feature.
\!hat is the difference betv.J'een national parks and national forests?
National parks are units of federal land which preserve as far as possible a natural scene in its original condition. They are used for public enjoyment. National forests are units of federal land maintained primar:!.ly for the concept of multiple use vlhich perrai cs timber cutting, grazing, minin~ and recreation.
With all the trees in national parks, why isn 1 t timber cutting permitted?
Less than one percent of the nations forest lru1d is in the national park system. Park forests are a source of beauty and inspiration because of cheir primitive character. They are like museums vlhere the natural processes may continue undisturbed. As we continue to harvest our other forests,

undisturbed natural areas become a rarity. In this vmy the scientific, economic and social values of undisturbed park forests increase in importance.
How does the National Park Serv1ce keep the forests and other vegetation in its natural state?
The Park Service controls fire, prevents loss from forest insect or disease epidem1cs) eliminates nonnative plants, and prevents or repairs damage by human activity. In areas of historical qignificance, the Park Service maintains or restores vegetation to coincide as nearly as possible to the conditions prevailing at the period which the area conunemorates.
\lhy is hunting prohibited in parks if they are for public enjoyment?
In order to preserve the natural environment of the area, the National Park Service permits only a minimum of human interference in the parks, such as camping, swinuning, boating, hiking. If hunting were permitted, the natural processes would be seriously disturbed by the depletion of wildlife.
Hhat is Mission 65?
Mission 66 of the National Park
Service is a conservation progrma that came about Hhen visitation in the parks increased at a phenomenal rate. It is working to provide adequate physical facilities, a program of interpretation, increased protection of parks, and a research program to meet these objectives. The ten-year program is scheduled for completion in
1966, the 50th anniversary of the
establishment of the National Park Service.
(October Issue - National Parks Magazine)
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