2012 Theme

Celebrating the Ecoregions of North Georgia

From hazy mountains to emerald forests and crystal streams, North Georgia is a land of rich imagery. Yet the variety of at-risk animals, plants and habitats found here is just as vibrant.

The four ecoregions that make up North Georgia – the Blue Ridge, Southwestern Appalachians, Ridge and Valley, and Piedmont – support scores of species, many of conservation concern.

• In some areas, salamander densities exceed 7,000 per acre. The amphibian lineup includes the rare green salamander and eastern hellbender, the salamander with looks only a mother, or a herpetologist, could love.

• The region’s streams and rivers push Georgia into the top five states in aquatic diversity. Spring-fed flows harbor many high-priority fishes, such as federally listed goldline and amber darters.

• Mountain bogs, one of the Southern Appalachians’ most endangered habitats, are home to the bog turtle and swamp pink, possibly our rarest reptile and plant species, respectively.

In ecologically important sites from the Conasauga River to Currahee Mountain, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources works to preserve these animals, plants and habitats.

We team with U.S. Forest Service and Georgia Forestry Commission staff on prescribed burns, mimicking the natural fires that once opened forests and allowing plants like the endangered smooth purple coneflower to thrive again.

Our biologists monitor bog turtles, carefully capturing pregnant females for a head-start program at Chattahoochee Nature Center aimed at ensuring these diminutive turtles survive as a species.

We are working with The Nature Conservancy, Georgia Power and others to restore habitat and conserve rare fish in the Raccoon Creek watershed in Paulding County and at Colvard Spring in Murray County.

We also manage lands such as Zahnd Natural Area, North Georgia’s largest natural area and part of a contiguous stretch of conservation tracts that covers nearly 20,000 acres in northwest Georgia.

These are only examples of DNR’s wide-ranging conservation projects in North Georgia.  These threats are significant – habitat loss, fire suppression and invasive species, to name a few.  But your support of Weekend for Wildlife will help combat those threats and conserve native wildlife and natural habitats across North Georgia.

Now and for generations to come.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Wildlife Resources Division •2070 U.S. Hwy. 278 S.E.• Social Circle, GA 30025 • 770-918-6795 • www.weekendforwildlife.com