Watershed Update, Spring 2006

Chattooga Headwaters Boating Controversy

The American Whitewater Association (AWA) has issued an ultimatum to the Forest Service to open the headwaters of the Chattooga River to boating, or face a lawsuit from their organization. The smoldering controversy was ignited in early 2005 when AWA appealed the Forest Service’s decision in the recent 2004 Sumter National Forest Plan revision to continue banning boating on the Chattooga River above the highway 28 bridge. As a result of AWA’s appeal, the chief of the Forest Service (based in Washington, D. C.) remanded the regional forester’s decision to continue this ban. In sum, the chief’s decision found that the Sumter Forest Plan’s analysis of the boater ban issue was insufficient, and directed the three forest supervisors in the Chattooga River watershed (NC, SC and GA) to reanalyze the question of allowing “creek boating” in the headwaters. This reanalysis process is currently underway, and is being orchestrated by the Forest Service as the “visitor use capacity analysis.”

Meanwhile, AWA’s interpretation of the chief’s decision is vastly different from that of the three forest supervisors. AWA claims that the chief’s decision orders the forest officers to allow boating, with the only question being whether or not limitations are necessary to protect the “outstandingly remarkable values” (as per the National Wild & Scenic Rivers Act) of the upper sections of the Chattooga River. Forest officers maintain that should the ongoing analysis determine that the Chattooga River environment, or the designated “experience,” would be harmed by allowing boating in the headwaters, then Forest Service has the authority to continue a total ban. The threat of an immediate lawsuit by AWA comes after months of public meetings already held by the Forest Service about the boating ban issue. This latest move by AWA is confusing, in consideration of the fact that the Forest Service is right in the middle of doing exactly what AWA’s appeal asked for in reconsidering the question of allowing boating in the headwaters. Could it be that the “no compromise” position of AWA signals their intention to get what that organization wants at all costs, other users be damned? The Chattooga Conservancy favors keeping the ban for two very simple and intertwined reasons. First, the Forest Service has not been able to enforce the mandate to limit use in the Chattooga’s lower sections to protect a “wilderness experience” as prescribed by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, so how could we expect them to protect the experience in the headwaters, should the ban be lifted? Secondly, AWA has stated that they are demanding access without limitations. AWA’s demand violates our basic, ethical litmus test for conservation: You should be willing to make sacrifices in terms of reasonable limitations in order to protect the natural resource.

Horse Trail Debacle

Readers may remember our summary of a proposal by the Andrew Pickens Ranger District in South Carolina’s Sumter National Forest to expand the system of horse trails in the Chattooga River watershed (Chattooga Quarterly, p. 12, Fall 2004). This project came to a halt when the Chattooga Conservancy challenged the ill conceived trail design. The idea of a new trail system on the South Carolina side of the Chattooga River was being backed by a private entrepreneur, who also proposed to help design, construct, patrol, and maintain the system if the Forest Service would allow the trails to terminate at a private horse camp situated on his private property. The Forest Service, under funded and under staffed due to budget cuts, as well as responding to the Bush Administration’s pressure to increase development and privatize concessions on public lands, had been eager to try this new way of doing business. Prior to any public notice or specific “scoping” proposal, 15 miles of new trails were laid out, flagged, and were actually being cleared. About that time news of the project was leaked, and the Conservancy began field checking the trail project. We were astounded to find trails being flagged that were on highly erodible soils and steep 25% grades, because contemporary trail design experts agree that horse trails should not exceed a 10% grade. The flagged and partially cleared trails also went through wetlands, and closely paralleling and adjacent to streambeds. In addition, the trail designer admitted that the trails had not taken into account soil type and slope data. In one case, a trail crossed into the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River Corridor at the Narrows rapids (located in the Whetstone area). We were later informed that the trail designer had intended this part of the trail to offer a view of the river, and the vista would require periodic maintenance to clear vegetation. Pressure from the Conservancy to recognize the flaws in the proposed trail system resulted in cancellation of the project. End of story? Not quite. The Forest Service, clearly embarrassed by the debacle, simply walked away without requiring the private contractors to remove flagging on the partially cleared trails. As a result, riders have been following the flagging, clearing more vegetation and creating the trails anyway. We encourage members of the Chattooga Conservancy to contact the Andrew Pickens District Ranger (tel. 864-638-9568) and oppose the development of ecologically damaging and unauthorized trails.

April Fools!

At a public meeting on April 11th in Clayton, Georgia, the Forest Service unveiled a new process for developing their 5 year program of work for the Chattahoochee National Forest. The spin on this “different way of doing business” is to involve the public up front to develop project proposals, as opposed to presenting a predefined project. Sounds good. What’s the catch? This new process could be called the “choose your poison” method, because the Forest Service’s program of work as defined in the new Chattahoochee National Forest Management Plan lays out “timber targets” for large acreages of public lands to be harvested for creating “early successional habitat,” otherwise known as areas where the dominant vegetation is just 0 to 10 years old. The only thing on the table is: where will this happen? Yes, the public will have an opportunity to have input; however, the magnitude of the management activity (timber cutting) being proposed is the real question. It looks like the Forest Service is simply working to revive a stalled out timber program under the guise of wildlife habitat restoration and ecosystem management. Check future issues of the Chattooga Quarterly and the Conservancy’s website to stay abreast of and get involved with timber harvesting proposals on national forest land in the Chattooga River watershed.

Stekoa Creek Greenway Breakthrough

On March 21st the board of education in Rabun County, Georgia, granted permission for establishing an unpaved walking path around the perimeter of the old Clayton Elementary School property located on westbound highway 76. Linda Johnston, chair of the Stekoa Greenway group, made a presentation to the board of education that resulted in the favorable decision. The board also gave permission to eradicate nonnative plants in the riparian corridor along Scott Creek, which borders the property and is a major tributary to Stekoa Creek, and to plant native trees along the path. The Chattooga Conservancy is a member of the Stekoa Greenway group, which also has been a supporter and partial funder of our Stekoa Creek water sampling program. Scott Creek is listed as an “impaired waterway” according to both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division. The breakthrough with the Rabun County Board of Education has given the Stekoa Greenway project its first real opportunity to begin implementing a plan that would establish a riparian buffer featuring native species to protect Stekoa Creek, while providing a place for public recreation and promoting the downtown business district. Once more landowners realize the benefits of the greenway project, we hope additional property owners along Stekoa Creek and its tributaries will join in the project.

Nuclear Salvation

Duke Energy Corporation has announced plans to apply for a permit to construct another nuclear reactor at the Oconee Nuclear Station in upstate South Carolina near Greenville. The facility is within 30 miles of the Chattooga River, and the entire Chattooga watershed lies within the 50-mile evacuation zone that would be enforced in the event of a major nuclear accident. Duke’s announcement comes as no surprise, given the push by the Bush Administration to ramp up nuclear power as an alleged “clean” alternative to burning fossil fuels and our dependence on foreign oil. Proponents often tout nuclear power as a way to combat global warming while ignoring other important issues such as the non existence of a facility to dispose of the deadly waste generated by nuclear reactors, public health issues associated with radiation leaks into the environment, the huge federal subsidies necessary to jump start the nuclear program, and the threat from terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities. Yet, many advocates of other low or no-carbon energy sources point to real trends as well as predictions that in the next five years, wind, solar, and hydrogen energy sources will add 160 times as much capacity to our search for alternative energy as nuclear power. But with a 55% increase for nuclear research and development along with $250 million earmarked for a new initiative to recycle nuclear waste in the pipe line for the federal government’s 2007 budget, it looks like another David and Goliath fight shaping up on the east side of the Chattooga River watershed. Stay tuned for updates.

Take To The Skies

Expert birder Jack Johnston led a great outing on our annual spring bird walk on April 21st. A hardy group of birders met at the Chattooga Conservancy office and departed around 7:30 a.m. to scout along Warwoman Creek, which is a Rabun County tributary to the Chattooga River. The previous night, a fresh spring rain had swept a new wave of migratory birds into the area and the early morning weather was perfect. The group identified 42 species of birds, which set a new record for the most individual species seen during the Conservancy’s annual spring outings. Topping the list were a couple of new sightings including the Palm Warbler and the Yellow Rumped Warbler, and we even heard the call of the wily wild turkey. Our leader, Jack Johnson, has 32 years of experience conducting bird counts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Jack is a wonderful teacher and we greatly appreciate his excellent volunteer service in leading our annual spring bird hike.

The End Of An Era

For the first time since it was created in 1936, the large acreage of national forest land in Rabun County, Georgia, will not have its own individual ranger district. The Forest Service recently made a surprise announcement that they plan to combine the Tallulah Ranger District office, which now is located in the town of Clayton in the Chattooga River watershed, with the nearby Chattooga Ranger District. For management purposes, the Tallulah and Chattooga Districts will be merged and will be given a new name (as yet undetermined). The new office will most likely be located closer to the Gainesville area. The decision to consolidate districts is linked to the Bush Administration’s initiative to downsize the Forest Service, and move towards managing public land resources through private contractors.

The old iron bridge was dropped into the Chattooga River, dragged over to the South Carolina side, and dismantled. Photo by W.S. Lesan

The Old Iron Bridge Is No More

The old “camel back” iron bridge that was once the main bridge across the Chattooga River between South Carolina and Georgia recently fell into the river. Erected in 1894, this bridge was situated just upstream of the present day highway 76 bridge. The Forest Service inherited jurisdiction over the camel back trestle, and citing safety concerns had planned for years to tear it down. This spring the SC Department of Transportation (DOT) did the job for them, and the historical bridge that had evolved to become a feature of the landscape disappeared.

The DOT is engaged in a yearlong project to replace the highway 76 bridge, and tearing down the old iron bridge was part of the work plan. On the appointed day, a group of local residents (mostly former river guides and their kids) piled into a raft provided by Wildwater Ltd. and ferried across the Chattooga to watch the show. After an early morning commercial raft trip floated under the bridge, workers used torches to cut through the pylons. Then a team of backhoes applied tension to cables attached to the bridge, and literally pulled it off its piers. In short order the old bridge dropped with a splash into the Chattooga, where it was dragged across to the South Carolina shore, crushed, and dismantled. The whole process took less than an hour.

Few people will miss the old camel back iron bridge, yet its story is an integral part of Chattooga River history. According to Mary Elizabeth Law in A Pictoral History of Rabun County, the decision in 1894 to erect the bridge sparked a strong controversy between various factions, all of whom were vying for it to be built in their communities. The two principal advocates for the bridge, “ordinary” judge Franklin Bleckley from Rabun County and Oconee County’s supervisor Nathaniel Phillips, wanted it built at the highway 76 location. However, Colonel Sam Beck, who was Bleckley’s chief political rival, wanted it built in his district, further upstream and close to Warwoman Creek. Bleckley and Philips prevailed in pushing the bridge project through, but the squabble was the political downfall of both men who were defeated in subsequent elections. When friends warned Bleckley that if he built the bridge he would lose the election, his reply was that “the citizens of Rabun County needed the bridge more than they needed his reelection to office.”

Chattooga River Watershed Cultural Heritage Series Upcoming Events

The first two programs in our Chattooga River Watershed Cultural Heritage Series are on the calendar. On June 2nd, archaeologist Russell Cutts will present a program on Native American culture, with an emphasis on how Indians used the natural resources in their environment. Russell will also demonstrate friction fire and identify and date Indian artifacts brought by participants. Cutts holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Anthropology (Archaeology) from the University of Georgia. He has 14 years of professional experience teaching earth skills, American Indian history/prehistory, and outdoor education. His experience includes museum directorships, teaching and giving special presentations at the University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University, and Reinhardt College. He also has served on the boards of directors for conservation and cultural groups and is the author of 2 books, which will be available for purchase.

On July 14th, Patricia Howell will present a lecture on her new book Medicinal Plants of the Southern Mountains. Patricia’s book is chocked full with interesting facts about the biologically rich Southern Appalachian flora, and focuses on the traditional use of native plants for healing. Ms. Howell is a former president of the board of the Georgia Organics organization, and owns and operates BotanoLogos, a school for edible and medicinal plant studies located in Rabun County, Georgia. The cultural heritage series programs are open to the public and will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Chattooga Conservancy office, which is located at the corner of Pinnacle and Warwoman Roads. For more information call 706-782-6097.