Fishes of Georgia

Scott McBride, President, of the Coosawattee Watershed Alliance provided the following information about Georgia’s fined finned friends. While not all species can be found in Gilmer County this is good to know information.
GA has 325 native freshwater fishes and is in the top three states for freshwater fish diversity. Many live in the North GA Mountains.

"Fifty-seven fish are state or federally protected. Six are no longer found in Georgia. Conserving those that remain will require watershed-level measures such as protecting streamside forests, preserving natural areas and managing better the run-off from urban and rural land uses."


Whopper of a Web site!

New online atlas details Georgia's freshwater fishes

It’s no fish tale: A new Georgia Museum of Natural History Web site offers the most complete look at Georgia’s freshwater fishes.

“There has never been anything this comprehensive,” said Brett Albanese, a senior aquatic zoologist with the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section.

Fishes of Georgia is the work of Albanese, Museum of Natural History Director Bud Freeman and Carrie Straight, a research professional with the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology. Behind the lists and maps are thousands of hours spent studying records, sampling streams and inspecting fish in jars.

The results: a Fishes of Georgia Atlas database with more than 159,000 fish records and an easy-to-use Web site that documents the state’s deep lineup of freshwater fish. With some 265 native freshwater fishes, Georgia is in the top three states for freshwater fish diversity.

Fishes of Georgia users will vary from consultants to city planners, conservationists and schoolteachers. Species are listed by scientific and common names. Maps show where each lives by basin. Viewers can even submit records.

Twenty-one species have not been formally described or recognized as new species, though many such as the sicklefin redhorse are well known to ichthyologists like Freeman and Albanese. These fish illustrate cryptic, or hidden, diversity.

Factors contributing to a species being undiscovered vary, Freeman said. “They may be in hard to sample places. They may look exactly the same, at first glance. They may be different only genetically.”

The site lists “new” bass, like Bartram’s bass, an undescribed species in the Savannah River basin, and a separate strain of redeye bass, based on research Freeman spearheaded.

Fifty-seven fish are state or federally protected. Six are no longer found in Georgia. Conserving those that remain will require watershed-level measures such as protecting streamside forests, preserving natural areas and managing better the run-off from urban and rural land uses.

Straight modeled the Web site after the museum’s popular Georgia Wildlife Web. She also avoided flashy features that bank on faster Internet connections. “We tried to accommodate as broad a spectrum of users as we could,” Straight said.

She is still adding maps and photographs. Scientists’ comments also will likely change the information, which includes common coastal fishes and 23 non-native species.

The project was funded by the museum, which is part of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at UGA, Georgia DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section and a State Wildlife Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The atlas, a priority in Georgia’s Wildlife Action Plan, is a key component of a larger effort to publish a comprehensive book on the state’s fish fauna. But keeping the atlas up-to-date is a priority for the authors. Each expects Fishes of Georgia to spur more research and understanding of the state’s fishes.

Scott McBride
Coosawattee Watershed Alliance
PO Box 252 • East Ellijay GA 30536
http://www.coosawatteewatershedalliance.org/
scottmcbride1@hotmail.com
706-669-4274

Got Horn?

The Dedicated Ellijay Merchants and Associates (DEMA) are forming an Ellijay Marching Band! Starting with the July 4th parade, in downtown Ellijay, the band will perform in Ellijay’s parades. Many folks have unofficially dubbed Ellijay as the parade capitol of Georgia. We have parades all throughout the year and there is one (or more) to highlight each season. Anyone who has marching band abilities and has (and can play) a band instrument (that eliminates my electric guitar), twirl a baton or carry flags can join the fun.
There will be a meeting and practice at Gilmer High School Tuesday, June 9th at 4 p.m., for anyone wishing to participate. If you want additional information contact Kathy Robinson at 706-635-2782.

Gilmer First Responders Honored

The Blue Ridge Mountains Chapter of the Georgia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution honored two Gilmer First Responders at the County Commission Meeting on Thursday, May 28, 2009.

Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Dotson was awarded the Law Enforcement Commendation Medal in recognition for his outstanding service to our community.

Gilmer Fire Department Volunteer, Paul Elder was awarded the Fire Safety Commendation Award in recognition for his outstanding service to our community through his volunteering at the Gilmer Fire and Rescue Department.

Both gentlemen were awarded medals and their names and accomplishments with be forwarded to the State and National Divisions of the Sons of the American Revolution for further recognition.

Congratulations and thanks are given to these two men and all the men and women that make up our First Responders in Gilmer County.

Team Zyvax On Top!

Team Zyvax, a local motorcycle racing team, sponsored by Zyvax, Inc. a local business in Gilmer County is looking good to win another Endurance Championship in 2009.

It’s almost June, and Team Zyvax just took another 1st in class, and 3rd overall during the 6 Hour Endurance Race at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.

Team Zyvax is hoping to win a podium spot for Overall Points for the year, against larger cc motorcycles. The 600cc Yamaha R6, shown in the picture on the left is the motorcycle that the team uses in the races. Team Zyvax competes in the W.E.R.A. Endurance Series. Follow the Team Zyvax schedule at www.teamzyvax.com

*Photo courtesy of RoadRacingWorld.com

Board of Tax Assessors Approves 8,895 Assessment Notices

The Gilmer County Board of Tax Assessors, in its regularly scheduled meeting on May 27, 2009, approved sending out 8,895 tax assessment notices. The notices will go in the mail on Friday, May 29, 2009. However, unlike those that were mailed in 2008, virtually none will be increases due to market value changes. Of the 8,895 to be sent out, 4,068 (46%) will be decreases in value, 3,460 (39%) will contain no change and 1,367 (15%) are increases that resulted from new construction and parcel combinations. Many of the no change notices are the result of returns that were filed by property owners prior to April 1, 2009 and the Board decided that there should be no change in market value from the previous year (2008).

Based on the above figures, there should be nowhere near the number of appeals filed this year that were filed in 2008. Last year over 12,000 parcels were appealed. The Tax Assessors office and the Board of Equalization are still dealing with those appeals. The Tax Assessors office is trying to resolve all the appeals filed in 2008 prior to year end however Chief Appraiser, Dawn Pruett cautioned that due to owners rescheduling their Board of Equalization hearings that those appeals may actually run over into calendar year 2010.

During the meeting Ms. Pruett explained that it may be 2010 before the real impact of the foreclosures are felt on the fair market values (for tax purposes). This is due to the fact that the Tax Assessors Office can only take a foreclosure into consideration once it has been resold on the open market. One of the tests of Fair Market Value is an arms-length transaction conducted between a willing buyer and willing seller, neither being under duress. Thus, a foreclosure that happened in 2008 and resold in 2009 will not be considered until 2010 when assessments are done for 2009 tax purposes.

BOC Meeting May 28, 2009

The Gilmer County Board of Commissioners will hold a regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, May 28, 2009. Here is the meeting announcement & agenda as published on the official website of the Gilmer County Government:
BOC AGENDA FOR 5/28/09
GILMER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
THURSDAY 05-28-09
LOCATION: GILMER COUNTY COURTHOUSE – JURY ASSEMBLY ROOM
6:00 p.m.

AGENDA
• CALL TO ORDER: Mark Chastain, Chairman

• INVOCATION & PLEDGE: Reverend Joe Murphy

• MINUTES: Action to Approve the Minutes from the May 14, 2009 Regular Board of Commissioners Meeting.

• AGENDA APPROVAL: Action to Approve Agenda.

• OLD BUSINESS: None

• NEW BUSINESS:
o Sons of American Revolution award ceremony. (Law Enforcement and Fire/Rescue Services. Presented by John Preston, Chairman Blue Ridge Mountains Chapter and Mike Britten, Local Representative).

o Action on Resolution 09-045, Final Decision by the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners, Considering the Approval Recommendation of the Gilmer County Planning Commission on the Application for Amendment to the Gilmer County Land Use (Zoning) Gilmer County BOC District Map #3151, Parcel #037B – (Roy Road Fire Station)

o Action on Resolution 09-046, Award bid for the Kells Creek Culvert project.

o 911 Center Completion (MC)

o Employee Gym Membership (WB)

o Offer of property by the Corps of Engineers– tract of land on Oak Hill Road (Carters Lake). (MC)

• CITIZENS WISHING TO SPEAK:

• ADJOURNMENT:

Entry Date: Friday, May 22, 2009

Who Is Watching Our Rivers?

Gilmer County is blessed with being the headwaters of many streams and rivers. The Cartecay, Ellijay and Coosawattee Rivers all originate in Gilmer County along with a myriad of branches and creeks that teem with native, rainbow, and brown trout. Miles of pristine trout breeding waters flow through our public and private lands. Both agriculture and development growth put pressure on our precious waterways. Working hard to educate our community about the need to care for our streams and the programs available to assist is CWA.

The CWA is the Coosawattee Watershed Alliance, a local, grass-roots, 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, dedicated to protecting, conserving and restoring the water resources of the Coosawattee River watershed. The CWA achieves this mission through education, research, science, advocacy, information-sharing and lots of hard work.

Here are a few of the projects that CWA is currently sponsoring:

-Stream Program ...
Adopt-A-Stream Program is a water quality monitoring program that assists in the early detection of water pollution problems.

Stream Bank Restoration is a re-vegetation process for local rivers and creeks that reduces erosion and sedimentation entering our streams.

Get-the-Dirt-Out Program is an educational program that teaches citizens about Georgia's erosion and sediment control laws.

Agricultural Pollution Prevention Program is an outreach program that assists farmers with pollution prevention issues and provides technical resources to maximize the benefits of best management practices.

Public Outreach Program reaches out to local citizens and shares best management practices to:

• Prevent and reduce septic tank failures
• Reduce the impact of logging and clear cutting
• Provide a citizens' hot-line to report environmental concerns or to ask for assistance in establishing best management practices.

If you want more information about CWA you can visit their website. If you would like to become involved in helping CWA with its mission, contact Scott McBride, President at scottmcbride1@hotmail.com.