Charlie Breithaupt, Council  Chairman

Click the Pictures Above for Representative Information

Our Dream Vacation Winner is Bill Graham of Acworth, GA Ticket number 1568 For other winners, go to Dream Vacation 2008

Please go to www.stopi3.org and see what is going on. You should consider having your chapter or state council join as a supporting member. The Georgia Council of Trout Unlimited, along with the Rabun Chapter, are members. We all have "a dog in this fight" as the proposed route could greatly damage trout water. The Stop I-3 Coalition is working hard and needs our support. Your questions can best be answered by the website or direct contact with the coalition. For one Legislator’s thoughts click here.

What’s New in the Chattooga Zoning Issue?

Forest Service will soon Release of Upper Chattooga River Environmental Assessment

   Status Update – Chattooga North Fork Visitor Use Capacity Analysis The Forest Service plans to release the Preferred Alternative and EA for public comment  soon. The agency had planned to release the EA in March. “The agency is working diligently to prepare the EA for public review,” said Sumter National Forest Supervisor Jerome Thomas. “As anyone familiar with this subject knows, the issues being considered in this EA are wide-ranging and complex; we need additional time to complete our analysis.” The EA will be available on the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests’ web site at http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms where additional background information can be found as well.

 Editor’s notes: Be sure to read pages 211 & 216

 Electronic Comments Received September 25 - December 20, 2007

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/forest/projects/documents/Comments9-25-07thru12-20-07.pdf.

SPAWNING TROUT IN TRIBUTARY STREAMS (STITS Study by DNR), CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER

There have been sightings on a tributary of the Chattahoochee (Cabin Creek) of spawning trout. The Georgia DNR has now authorized a study of naturally reproducing trout on the Hooch. Four Ga TU Chapters will monitor approximately twenty streams along the river corridor beginning in February. If it can be shown that more streams have the ability to support reproduction, there are possibilities for enhanced fisheries management. Bruce Ricky coordinated the STITS training, and people from four Georgia TU Chapters are now able to train Chapters volunteers for this survey. Some of our members fish the corridor (especially around Delayed Harvest season). If you can help, you will contibute to enhancing the fishery- AND see where you can catch some fish. Bruce Ricky has ordered some necessary equipment and is contemplating holding a training session Jan 19 and 20. If you would like to participate, contact him at   bruceandjulie@comcast.net . He can give you the names of the other “trainers”. TU can be a valuable assest to this study.

Preserving our Treasured Rivers: Campaign for the Conasauga

The campaign to declare Georgia’s first Outstanding National Resource Water (ONRW) along the headwaters of the Conasauga River has an end in sight! As most on you know, the Headwaters of the Conasauga is an amazing spot- nestled in the Chattahoochee National Forest and the Cohutta Wilderness Management Area, the river provides cool, clean water for an abundance of fresh water fish and mussels, many of them on the endangered or threatened species list.

In fact, the Conasauga has been called one of the most bio-diverse river ecosystems in the world—a feature which is on display in the Conasauga snorkeling hole, just over the state border in Tennessee If any river is deserving of the first ONRW title in the state it is certainly the Conasauga!

After meeting several times with folks at the EPD we have settled on a rough timeline—November-The DNR board will be briefed on our ONRW proposal

December & January- EPD will open a comment period and respond to comments

February- DNR board will vote on the ONRW proposal

I’ll send out more details as we refine this calendar.

Since the last update went out there has been some exciting progress—

ü Mr. Jim Dellinger, who owns 1.5 miles of land along the Conasauga, directly above our proposed ONRW, has signed on to the campaign. His support letter is truly inspiring and I’ll include an excerpt below.

ü New support letters or commitments of support have come from more organizations including the Soque River Watershed Project, Coosawattee Watershed Alliance and Paddle Georgia.

ü Environment Georgia released Troubled Waters to mark the 35^th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. The report analyzes EPA data and reveals that 66 percent of industrial and municipal facilities across Georgia discharged more pollution into our waterways than their Clean Water Act permits allow. This troubling finding (and the fact that 58 percent of our surveryed rivers and streams are not fishable our swimable according to EPD) should make the identification and designation of truly pristine and treasured parts of our rivers even more important!

Keep up the great work everyone!

Jennette Gayer,Environment Georgia, 404-892-3573

From a letter to the Dept. of Natural Resources from Mr. Jim Dellinger on October 15, 2007…..

“This is to inform you that as a longtime property owner in the watershed of the Conasauga River I wholeheartedly support the effort to have the River, as it flows throught the Wilderness Area of Murray County, Georgia designated as Georgia’s first Outsanding National Resource Water (“ONRW”) river.

My property, the old B.J. Rice place, adjoins the Wilderness area and totals approximately 1400 acres. The Conasauga runs through my land for approximately one and one half miles as it flows North and North East to join the Jacks River. It would be most pleasing to have this section of the river also designated ONRW at some future date. This property has been under my stewardship for thirty six years

This pristine river has always been treated with the utmost of love and respect by my family. On many occasion I have walked the old railroad bed along the river upstream for several miles to reach the habitat area of native Rainbow and German Brown Trout. The Conasauga has given me and my fishing buddies many days of memorable fly fishing….”

Georgia Trout Unlimited Forms Partnership with
Georgia Wildlife Federation's Camouflage Coalition

I am excited to announce our groundbreaking partnership with Georgia Wildlife Federation’s Camouflage Coalition! We join thousands of conservationists, anglers and hunters throughout Georgia.

The Camo Coalition is a program of the Georgia Wildlife Federation formed to protect Georgia's wildlife resources and fishing and hunting heritage. Approaching conservation issues from a scientific viewpoint, guided by research, experience and sound management principles, the Coalition has made a commitment to arm the public with facts so it can do its part to direct the future of Georgia’s natural resources.

As important issues arise, Georgia Trout Unlimited will partner on those that correspond to our mission to conserve, protect and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. The Camo Coalition will send you a Camo Alert email. You will see the TU logo clearly displayed when you receive these partnered alerts. An editable message, which Georgia Trout Unlimited has reviewed, along with a list of recipients is provided by the alert system. After you approve the message with the click of a button, it is emailed to the appropriate decision-makers to let them know what you think. This is an easy, convenient way for you to support positions that Georgia Trout Unlimited feels are important. You can also unsubscribe to the alerts if you desire.

The Camo Coallition also sends out alerts that do not affect Trout Unlimited’s mission. We will not be partners on these alerts that cover hunting, warm and salt water angling and other conservation issues. If you are not already a member of the Camouflage Coallition, I encourage you to join independent of Georgia Trout Unlimited in order to receive alerts about those issues not covered by TU’s mission that you may have an interest. Click the Take Action button to receive Camo Coalition alerts in addition to those sent in partnership with Georgia Trout Unlimited.

We are excited about this partnership and online system. We hope you find it easy to use.

Sincerely,

Charlie Breithaupt, Georgia Trout Unlimited  Jerry McCollum, Chairman President and CEO Camouflage Coalition

David Waller, Georgia Wildlife Federation Georgia Wildlife Federation

Join Now and Test Out the System:

By clicking on the take action link, you can sign up to receive additional alerts, test out the system, and find out more about Georgia Wildlife Federation and the Camo Coalition. Please take action.

The Georgia Wildlife Federation and its Camo Coalition provides powerful leadership and advocacy for the enhancement of fish and wildlife resources for the benefit of Georgia’s hunters, fishermen, and others interested in wildlife conservation. Georgia Wildlife Federation is a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 organization. Visit the Coalition website for more information on our Privacy Policy or to unsubscribe.