Governor Perdue Announces Get Outdoors Georgia Campaign

Governor also signs proclamation declaring June as Georgia Great Outdoors Month

Today at Skidaway Island State Park Governor Sonny Perdue announced the launch of Get Outdoors Georgia, an initiative of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that encourages Georgians to get outdoors, get fit and enjoy Georgia's State Parks.

“I want to encourage all Georgians, especially those with children, to take some time to visit one of our state parks,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “Our state parks are great places to see some of Georgia’s most beautiful sites while spending quality time with your family and getting some good, healthy exercise.”

The campaign launch, developed by the Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division (PRHSD) of DNR includes the following: a Free Day in the Parks on June 14 sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company; the introduction of a Library Loan ParkPass Program to make admission to state parks and historic sites accessible through local public libraries; special recreational activities and events at state park and historic site locations throughout the state; a proclamation signed by Governor Sonny Perdue to declare June as Georgia Great Outdoors Month in recognition of this initiative and as part of a National Great Outdoors Month celebration; and the introduction of the Get Outdoors Georgia Gopher .

There are 63 properties that preserve the state's diverse environment and history. Included are 45 state parks, three state historic parks and 15 historic sites, stretching from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Colonial Coast. Together, the sites offer an exceptional variety of resources, including mountains, canyons, forests, fields, marshes, waterfalls, lakes, swamps, rivers, battlefields, historic homes and Native American artifacts.

Watch Sites to Behold: The History of Georgia's State Parks.

Manatees are Back

The first manatees of the season have been spotted along the coast of Georgia. This means it is time again to remind boaters to be on the lookout to avoid collisions with the endangered animals.

With an estimated population of only 3,000 animals in U.S. waters, manatees, also known as sea cows, are protected as an endangered species under federal and Georgia law. Approximately one quarter of all manatee mortalities in Georgia since 1980 were caused by watercraft collisions. Other dangers to the species include entanglement in fishing gear and harmful algal blooms known as red tides.

Although Florida manatees are present throughout the year in Florida, they are migratory in Georgia. Manatees begin their slow migration up the Georgia coast each spring when water temperatures rise into the upper 60s. They can be found in tidal rivers, estuaries and near-shore marine waters throughout Georgia and the Carolinas throughout the summer months. Manatees return to Florida in September and October as water temperatures cool.

Adult manatees are approximately 10 feet long and weigh up to 1 ton. Their skin varies from gray to brown, and their bodies are rounded with two pectoral flippers and a wide, flat tail. Subsisting on marsh grass and other aquatic plants, the animals are gentle and pose no threat to humans. It is illegal to hunt, play with or harass manatees.

Manatees have a slow reproductive rate. Females are not sexually mature until about 5 years old, and males mature at approximately 9. On average, an adult female gives birth to one calf every two to five years, and twins are rare. The gestation period is about a year.

Mothers nurse their young for one to two years, so a calf may remain dependent on its mother during that time. Manatee calves are approximately 4 feet long at birth and about 60 pounds.

The number of manatees along Georgia’s coastline each year is unknown because the turbid, murky waters near the coast make surveys difficult. Georgia residents can help biologists learn more about the movements and habitat use of manatees by reporting any sightings and taking photographs.

Collisions between boaters and manatees are more likely to occur in shallow waters, particularly around docks and at the edge of marshes where manatees feed. Following boater safety regulations in these areas can reduce the risk of a collision. Boaters should also watch for
manatee backs, tails, snouts and “footprints” - a series of round swirls on the surface caused by a swimming manatee’s tail.

If a boat accidentally collides with a manatee, the DNR Wildlife Resources Division asks that the boater stand-by and immediately contact the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16 or DNR at (800) 2-SAVE-ME (800-272-8363). Doing so provides biologists the best chance to help the animal and gather valuable scientific data. According to Wildlife Resources, boaters will not be charged if they were operating their boat responsibly and the collision was an accident.

If you see or photograph a healthy, injured or dead manatee, please contact DNR at (800) 2-SAVE-ME or (912) 269-7587. Please note the date, time, location and number of manatees seen, as well as the coordinates, if possible. Photographs of scars on their backs and tails are especially useful because they can often be used to identify previously known manatees.

Here are some other ways Georgia residents can help protect manatees:

• Look around for manatees before cranking your boat’s motor.

• Use caution when navigating in shallow water and along the edge of a marsh. Manatees cannot dive away from boats in these areas.

• Please heed “slow speed,” “no wake” and manatee warning signs, especially around docks.

• Wear polarized sunglasses to reduce glare, making it easier to spot manatees below the surface.
  

• Watch for large swirls in the water called footprints that may be caused by manatees diving away from the boat.

• Dock owners should never feed manatees or give them fresh water. This could teach the animals to approach docks, putting them at greater risk of a boat strike.

• Never pursue, harass or play with manatees. It is bad for the manatees and is illegal.

Watch Georgia Outdoors: Coastal Sports and Wildlife

First Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nest Found

Loggerhead turtles have returned to Georgia’s beaches. Members of the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative found the state’s first loggerhead nest of 2008 last week on Blackbeard Island, signaling the start of nesting season for the federally threatened species.

2008 also marks the 20th anniversary of the Sea Turtle Cooperative, a milestone for sea turtle conservation. Coordinated by the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the group of volunteers, researchers and biologists from various agencies
monitor turtle nesting on Georgia beaches.

Loggerhead nesting numbers vary widely from year to year. The 2007 total of 689 loggerhead nests, down from 1,400 in 2006, was considered a below-average nesting year. The 2006 nest totals were the third highest since comprehensive surveys began in 1989, with 1,419 nests found in 1999 and 1,504 nests in 2003. The annual average in Georgia since 1989 has been roughly 1,045 nests.

Adult female loggerheads come ashore to dig nests and lay eggs from May through September. Their vulnerable hatchlings scramble to the sea approximately 60 days later, swimming for the open ocean, where fewer predators lurk.

Loggerheads do not nest every year. Generally they return to lay eggs - about 120 per nest - every second or third year.

Listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) is Georgia’s primary nesting sea turtle. Adults can grow to more than 300 pounds.

Threats to the survival of loggerheads include commercial fisheries, development of barrier islands, and nest depredation by coyotes, raccoons and feral hogs. Wildlife Resources and conservation groups have worked to address the fishery threat by enforcing regulations that
require shrimpers to use turtle excluder devices - grids that fit across the opening of shrimp trawls to keep turtles from entering the nets.

Sales of Georgia’s nongame wildlife vehicle license plates - the bald eagle/U.S. flag and the hummingbird - support conservation projects such as sea turtle restoration. Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section does not receive state funds, depending instead on federal
grants, donations and fundraisers such as nongame tag sales and the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff.

Watch Georgia Outdoors: Seas Turtles or Georgia Outdoors: Georgia's Sea Creatures

Oscar the Gator to be on Display

The most famous resident of Okefenokee Swamp Park — an alligator that attracted the stares of tourists for decades and was featured in GPB's Original Production Swampwise— will soon be immortalized nearly a year after his death.

The skeleton of Oscar is being assembled and will be put on display like a museum dinosaur. The 14-foot, 1,000-pound alligator had roamed the swamp from the time the park opened in 1946.

As his bones show, Oscar was a tough customer, surviving a shotgun blast to the face, at least three bullet wounds, broken bones and arthritis. Gators have been known to live for decades, and by some estimates, Oscar was a particularly ancient 95 to 100 years old when he died last summer.

The display also will include what park officials found in Oscar's belly — including a plastic dog collar, a dog's tag, a penny and the top section of a flagpole.

The Okefenokee is a 438,000-acre National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Georgia that attracts 350,000 to 400,000 visitors a year. During the first years of the park's operation, alligator wrestling was a popular attraction, park officials have said. That ended in the mid-1950s when, it is said, one of the gators rolled over on a park manager and broke the man's arm.

Learn more about the Okefenokee Swamp by watching Georgia Outdoors: Okefenokee Canoe Trip and Georgia Outdoors: Suwanee River Watershed.

Georgia State Record Tied.

Angler Larry Poole, Jr. of Martinez (Columbia County) had more than just a great day of fishing on the Savannah River on February 24, 2008 - he managed to catch a fish that tied an existing state record. Poole reeled in a 2 lbs. 8 oz., 17-inch yellow perch, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). This ties the state
record caught in Lake Burton in 1980.

“It is always exciting for anyone to reel in a state record and this reminds us that Georgia is such a fantastic place for anglers because there are so many fishing opportunities and resources available,” says WRD Fisheries Management Chief John Biagi. “We hope that the recognition of this new state record will inspire experienced and novice anglers to get out and go fish Georgia’s numerous lakes and rivers.”

Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are members of the perch family, which includes darters, sauger and walleye. They have a golden yellow body, with 6-8 dark vertical bands from back to belly. They prefer cool water lake environments, but also are found in large rivers and ponds. Their
typical diet includes small fish, aquatic insects, small crayfish, snails, midgefly larvae and mayflies. They are great to eat and can be prepared in a variety of ways.

According to the recently published 2008 Georgia Fishing Prospects, some great places to catch a yellow perch this year include the Chattahoochee River (between Buford Dam and Peachtree Creek), Lake Rabun, and if this recent catch is any indication - the Savannah River! The world record weight is 4 lbs. 3 oz. caught in New Jersey in 1865.

Information about state record fish can be found at www.gofishgeorgia.com or in the Sport Fishing Regulations Guidebook available at all WRD offices and all license agents.

Bainbridge Named "Bass Capital of Georgia"

Bainbridge is now officially the "Bass Capital of Georgia," thanks to it's proximity to Lake Seminole and to a Georgia House resolution introduced last week by Rep. Gene Maddox (R-Cairo). Bainbridge bass celebrities and natives Jack Wingate and Pam Martin-Wells have both been inducted into the Great Outdoors Sports Hall of Fame for their bass fishing expertise.

Watch Georgia Outdoors: Great Lakes of Georgia to watch a segment about Lake Seminole.

New Watering Restrictions

New Watering Restrictions in Georgia.

• Hand watering will be allowed for 25 minutes per day on an odd-even schedule between midnight and 10 a.m. Odd numbered addresses can water on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Even numbered addresses can water Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Hand watering is defined as one person with one garden hose with a spray nozzle that shuts off when it is released.
• New professionally installed landscape can be watered up to three days a week from midnight to 10 a.m. for a period of 10 weeks based on the odd/even schedule. The new schedule will help ensure the survival of new landscape without requiring more water than what is being used under the current 30-day exemption.
• Anyone wishing to water new professionally installed landscape must register with the Outdoor Water Use Registration Program. The program will be hosted on the Urban Agricultural Council web site at Urban Ag Council beginning April 1, when the outdoor watering exemptions take effect. Georgians may also contact their county extension agents for assistance in getting registered.

There is no watering whatsoever in the City of Atlanta.

The following activities are exempted from the City of Atlanta’s new watering restrictions:

1. Personal food gardens
2. New landscaping installed by a certified or licensed landscaper. These newly installed landscapes may be watered any day of the week between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and 10 a.m. for a period of 30 days following installation. You have one exemption per year / per property. There is no longer a 30-day exemption for lawn areation & overseeding, or for planting sod in existing/established landscapes. A 30-day watering exemption for sod pertains only to new construction.
3. Swimming pools may be filled through an irrigation meter, domestic meter, well water or other alternate source. The City does not be provide pool filling services during the drought. Pool filling is subject to change due to drought conditions.

The following commercial outdoor water uses are exempt from watering restrictions:

1. Professionally certified or licensed landscapers, golf course contractors, and sports turf landscapers: during installation and 30 days following installation only. Professional landscapers must be certified or licensed for commercial exemptions to apply.
   
   

   All landscape professionals and all customers seeking a 30-day watering exemption for newly installed landscape must register with the Outdoor Water Use Registration Program at http://www.urbanagcouncil.com/ per February 11, 2008 Order of Ga. Environmental Protection Division Director Carol A. Couch.

   
   
2. Irrigation contractors: during installation and as needed for proper maintenance and adjustments of irrigation systems and equipment only.
3. Sod producers.
4. Ornamental growers.
5. Fruit and vegetable growers.
6. Retail garden centers.
7. Hydro-seeding.
8. Power-washing.
9. Construction sites.
10. Producers of food and fiber.
11. Car washes.
12. Other activities essential to daily business.
13. Watering-in of pesticides and herbicides on turf.

All other uses fall under the new service-area-wide restrictions which state:

City of Atlanta customers may not water outdoors. No outdoor watering is allowed until further notice. This service area includes the City of Atlanta, Sandy Springs and unincorporated South Fulton County.

For more information about water schedules in your area, contact your local water provider. For more information on water conservation and outdoor water use, please go to http://www.conservewatergeorgia.net