The Yellowthroat
Voice of the
Oconee Rivers Audubon Society




June 2001                                                                                                                                                                                 Vol. 11 No. 6


 
Upcoming Meetings
June 7th

Sandy Creek Park Shelter # 1 at 5:30 p.m.

Annual picnic meeting at Sandy Creek Park (~3 miles north of the Nature Center on Rte. 441, look for sign on your right), 5:30 p.m. to dusk. Come when you can and relax on Lake Chapman at our annual potluck gala to be held at Picnic Shelter #1 near the boat launch. The $1.00 entrance fee to the park is waived for attendees so there is no reason not to come out and enjoy a beautiful June evening. Canoes, kayaks, and kids welcome.

To get to the Nature Center

…take the Highway 441 exit off the north side of the perimeter, go north on 441 approximately 1 mile, and turn left at the Sandy Creek Nature Center sign. Go left at the end of this short road and the new ENSAT building will be a short way down the road on your right.

No meetings in July and August, have a good summer!

Athens Spring Breeding Bird Count, June 2nd:

If you would like to join a group for this count please contact Mary Case 548?2848 or Eugenia Thompson 549?7318. There will be a summary of the June Bird Count at the Picnic on June 7th at Sandy Creek Park. Leaders should have their information in to Mary Case, 325 Kennington Dr. Athens, GA 30606 by June 6th so the information can be tallied.

River Rendezvous Results:

The results of the April 28th River Rendezvous water monitoring event will be presented at the monthly meeting of UOWN (Upper Oconee Watershed Network) on Tuesday May 29th at 6 p.m. upstairs at the Globe in downtown Athens. Come and find out more about the quality of the water in the Oconee River Watershed.

New ORAS Bulletin Board at Botanical Garden:

The Oconee Rivers Audubon Society Bulletin Board is now up at the State Botanical Gardens at the head of the Orange Trail on the left side of the road as you enter the upper parking lot. Check out the information on the board and record any unusual bird sightings in the notebook provided. Note the location of the sighting from the map and include this information in the notebook. Your help will provide important information on bird species in the botanical garden.

Results of the ORAS Election:

    The annual appointment (election) of the new officers took place at the May meeting:

President:              Maggie Nettles
Vice-president:       Mary Case (reappointment)
Secretary:              Page Luttrell (reappointment)
Treasurer:             Eugenia Thompson

    Remember that while officers do many of the essential tasks, ORAS is a totally volunteer organization and strong member participation is essential to our continuing success.

¨¨ Sightings¨¨

    Page Luttrell observed a pair of nesting Red-shouldered Hawks with fledglings on her property in Madison County in early May. Maggie Nettles saw an Audubon Warbler mixed in with a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers at her home in Athens. David Galewski spotted a Little Blue Heron and a Spotted Sandpiper at Lake Chapman on April 28th. Sarah Cliett observed a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and four Wood Thrush together on her property in Danielsville. On Easter day, Carol Ludwig saw a Goldfinch in breeding plumage in Watkinsville. Marianne Happek has repeatedly observed a Scarlet Tanager during May, a Great Crested Flycatcher on 5/13, and a Black-throated Green Warbler on 5/15 at her home in Athens. Marianne also observed an Orchard Oriole and a Yellow Warbler at Sandy Creek Park on 5/13. Lee Meinersman reported a Phoebe nesting under the Callaway Building. Mark Freeman reported a Phoebe using a Prothonotary Warbler nest box at the Botanical Garden. Sigrid Sanders heard a Wood-pewee. Katherine (Maggie’s mother) saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Eugenia Thompson observed a Baltimore Oriole and a Painted Bunting in Augusta. John Willis sighted a Chestnut-sided Warbler and a Baltimore Oriole. Reports from the Karla O’Grady morning group walks at the Botanical Garden: 5/3 - (reported by the O’Gradys and David Galewski) Black-throated Blue Warbler, Great Crested Flycatcher, Prothonotary Warbler, Hooded Warbler, and Kentucky Warbler. 5/9: (reported by Mary Case) A Mississippi Kite flying over the Botanical Garden. Last year, Mississippi Kites were reported nesting at the Gardens. 5/15: (reported by Marianne Happek) Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and a Louisiana Waterthrush feeding its young. Field Trip to Kennesaw Mountain, May 5th: (reported by Marianne Happek) Blackpoll, Yellow-throated, Black-throated Green, and Black-throated Blue Warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Scarlet Tanager. Birdwalk at the Botanical Garden, May 12th: (reported by Marianne Happek) Four Yellow-breasted Chat were seen fighting on the trail to the power-cut. A Common Yellowthroat and Northern Parula Warbler were observed, and a Swainsons and Hooded Warbler were heard.

 
 

The Yellowthroat

Published monthly by the 
Oconee Rivers Audubon Society
PO Box 48132  Athens, GA 30604-8132

Officers

President                                 Maggie Nettles                        543-8823
Vice-President                        Mary Case                               548-3848
Treasurer                                Eugenia Thompson                549-7318
Secretary                                 Page Luttrell                            788-2973
Field Trips                               David Galewski                        543-1988
Yellowthroat Editor                John Posey                              769-1417

Submit sightings or articles by calling the Editor By e-mail at: jtposey@arches.uga.edu
Mail to: 1061 Lakeside Dr., Bishop, GA 30621

Articles, artwork, notices, and sighting reports welcomed.  The deadline for submissions is the 15th of each month.  All articles and artwork or copyrighted, and all rights are reserved by the authors. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the respective authors, and do not necessarily reflect the official views of Oconee Rivers Audubon Society.

Email ORAS at:
oconeeriversaudubon@yahoo.com

Visit our website at:
http://www.arches.uga.edu/~jtposey/oconee.html

Oconee Rivers Audubon Society
 
 

Highlights of May Meeting:

    Hugh and Carol Nourse, amateur botanists, freelance-lance photographers and authors of the recently published Wildflowers of Georgia and a soon to be released book on the Botanical Garden, conducted a tag-team narrative slide show of the beautiful native wildflowers found in the various areas of Georgia. The stunning photographs were taken in several important and unique wildflower habitats from all areas of the state including the Piedmont, the Coastal Plain, the Cumberland Plateau, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Nourses accompanied their show with interesting facts about the plants and habitats. For example, the five foot tall flower stalks of the Columbo (Frasera carolinensis) form only once every 5 to 7 years resulting in the subsequent death of the entire plant. For especially prolific spring flowers the Nourses recommended an excursion to the enchanting and accessible Sosebee Cove in the mountains.

Update on CARA:

    Support for the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 701) is again picking up momentum after the disappointment of not being passed during the last Congress. As of May 11th, there were 170 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives with a final goal of 218 when the legislation finally reaches the House floor for a vote. Currently, six of the eleven Georgia congressional delegates from the House of Representatives are supporting the bill. One of the five representatives that have not officially committed to co-sponsoring CARA in 2001 is Rep. John Linder of the Athens district. Contact Rep. Linder if you wish to voice your support at (202) 225-4272 (Fax: (202) 225-4696.
 
 
 

 

Willow Street Reclamation Project 
by Elizabeth Little

On May 10th, I attended a luncheon at the Georgia Center sponsored by Georgia Power, Atlanta Gas Light Company and Athens-Clarke County for the purpose of informing representatives from conservation groups and the University on the history and progress of the six million dollar environmental cleanup of a former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) and the former City Incinerator and Landfill. I would like to share some of this interesting information with the members. The site is adjacent to the North Oconee River between North Ave. and East Broad St. in downtown Athens. The former Athens MGP produced gas from coal for heating and lighting (before the widespread use of electricity) from 1852 to 1947. There were formerly thousands (~5000) of MGPs in communities predominantly in the Eastern United States and about 1,500 of these sites have been or are targeted to be cleaned up. MGPs left behind several by-products including coal tar in large holding pits, petroleum hydrocarbons, and trace minerals. The coal tar pits were recently removed from the MGP site in Athens but tar had moved into the ground and down the hill on and through the bedrock until it seeped into the river to form tar ball deposits. The City Incinerator and Landfill operated next to the MGP site from the 1920s to the early 1950s. Athens’ solid waste was incinerated at this plant and the ash was dumped down the hill above the North Oconee River. Toxic by-products included lead, mercury, and arsenic. Therefore, the entire hillside (25,000 cubic yards) between the MGP plant and the river will be removed down to the bedrock. In addition, a coffer dam will be used in the river to allow for removal of 1000 cubic yards of contaminated river sediment. Restoration of the site will include clean backfill, terracing, re-vegetation, and reinstallation of Willow Street and the Greenway with construction of a small river overlook.

Message from the Out-going President:

    After 3.5 years as ORAS president (I now have the record for the longest term) the time has come to hand over the reins. This is my last newsletter and the June meeting will be the last meeting over which I preside. Many names come to mind when I think of all the people over the past years who have contributed in various ways to ensure the continuation of ORAS as a voice for wildlife habitat conservation and education. I will not list all the names but thank you everyone. I would especially like to thank Maggie Nettles for stepping forward to take over this challenging but rewarding job. In addition, I want to acknowledge the hard work and dedication that Tom Shelton has put towards ORAS ever since the founding of the group 10 years ago. Tom is stepping down this year as treasurer and as a board member so I think it is an appropriate time to say thank you to Tom. The change of command is always an exciting time, especially after a long-term presidency. I expect that there will be some changes as well as an influx of new enthusiasm. I wish Maggie success and I hope that she is blessed with the ongoing support of numerous ORAS members.


Gene Keferl of the Coastal Audubon Society led 20 ORAS members on a field trip to St. Andrews Island during our annual winter trip to the coast (photo by Gary Crider 1/01)

 

 

Oconee Audubon Society

P.O. Box 48132

Athens, Georgia 30604-8132

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