Director's Page, Spring 2002

Buzz Williams presents the Marie Mellinger Conservation Award to John Harmon’s family.

Let’s face it. Times are not good for conservation. Yet this should not stop us from celebrating in those moments when we feel good about the value of our work. This spring, the Chattooga Conservancy sponsored our first annual Conservation Fair. The event was a great success, demonstrating the overwhelming support of the community and the untiring dedication of our staff.

Earlier this year, I received a call from Marie Mellinger requesting that we sponsor the Conservation Fair. For those who do not know Marie, she is one of the most outstanding naturalists in the state of Georgia. Her long and untiring commitment (Marie is now in her eighties) to preserving habitats is also a great inspiration. So, without hesitation we agreed to take on the Conservation Fair.

Frankly, the prospect of another large project at this time was not favorable, for we were already fully committed. The fight to stop the power line in Rabun County is at its peak, accompanied by the never ending struggle to stop poor land use practices on private land, along with Forest Service issues both pro and con. In short, our program of work can best be described as a fight with Medusa; as soon as one battle is over, two more crop up. We have been able to keep up only because of a brief hiatus on bad timber sales on national forest lands during the Clinton Administration. But now the “timber beast” is back at the helm, and we are bracing for renewed struggles on that front. Add to the mix that the Forest Service has strong, new incentives to over develop recreation programs on public lands, “Disney style.” Other issues that loom large on the horizon are the continued threats to our forest ecosystem from the introduction of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, and Sudden Oak Death. More problems relate to funding. Despite what you hear about the economy getting better post September 11th, contributions for environmental work are down. One would think with all of this work and dwindling resources, the last thing we would do is add the challenge of organizing a springtime Conservation Fair. We did, though, and I’m glad.

The morning of the fair brought hard and steady rain. Driving to our office in Clayton I was feeling a bit depressed--that is until I reached the Chattooga River. Suddenly everything changed. The river was singing with joy at the much needed rain; the forest was bright, vernal green and the birds were in full throat. Once at the office I began putting up tents and tables, and realized that nearly everything was done. Carol Greenberger, our administrative assistant, had almost single handedly organized the entire event including food, door prizes (generously donated by individuals in the community), kids crafts, live music and games. But what about people? The hard rain surely deterred some but looking around I could hardly believe my eyes. The place was packed by noon. The folks representing all of the participating conservation organizations had great displays, and musicians created a lively and cheerful atmosphere throughout the day (please see Conservation Fair). We also heard stories from Cherokee Indian storyteller Lloyd Arneach, who took us on an emotional roller coaster from joy to thoughtful sadness and then back to hilarity with an unforgettable array of stories. During the afternoon we honored two great conservationists by presenting the first Marie Mellinger Conservation Award posthumously to John Harmon for his outstanding contribution in the field of conservation journalism in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. We also had great food and conversation, so it was truly a memorable day.

We have what often seems to be an insurmountable challenge facing us in protecting and restoring the Chattooga River ecosystem. Development is steamrolling through the watershed, exotic pests threaten to destroy our most valuable forest trees, our government seems intent on unleashing big corporations to exploit both public and private lands unchecked, and donations are down. But we aren’t! Thanks to you, our membership, volunteers and a skilled and dedicated staff, we are ready for these challenges. Please enjoy this Chattooga Quarterly and again, thanks for your support.