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Missed opportunity for conservation lands in Georgia
Stewardship Coalition, composed of the
Conservation Fund, Georgia Conservancy,
Georgia Wildlife Federation, Nature
Conservancy, Park Pride, and Trust for
Public Land.
GOSA stipulates that trust fund dollars
are to supplement—not supplant—the
existing funding of outdoor recreation
capital projects. With projected annual
revenues of $20 million per year from
the newly dedicated portion of existing
state sales tax on outdoor sporting goods,
conservationists and legislators looked
forward to tackling the land conservation
priorities outlined in the SWAP. They
understood that some of the “Conserve
Georgia” grants could also be used to
steward existing state properties and local
recreation areas of regional significance.
Bait and Switch?
As implemented by the Georgia
Department of Natural Resources, GOSA
has not tracked well with its original intent
presented to legislators and the public.
While the trust fund—now approximately
$28 million per year in revenue—has
supported some excellent acquisitions, such
as Ceylon Wildlife Management Area, the
vast majority of the funds have been used
for local, and some state, capital projects:
visitor centers, park design, boat ramps,
trails, and stormwater management.
These capital projects are laudable, but
they represent routine activities that could
easily be funded by local and/or state bonds.
Some observers call this outcome a “bait
and switch,” noting that state managers
appear to have a bias against expanding state
ownership of conservation lands. That bias
and the need to resolve unanticipated issues
with the application process may be reasons
why few grant requests have been made, to
date, for landscape-scale acquisitions. Deron
Davis, director of The Nature Conservancy
in Georgia, calls this situation a “missed
opportunity.”
In the decade before the passage of
GOSA, the state spent an average of $8.4
million per year on land conservation,
according to environmental advocates.
Since voters overwhelmingly endorsed the
purchase of additional lands, an average of
only $5.2 million has been spent for this
purpose. Did voters statewide endorse using
these funds to build a park in a wealthy
suburb? That is exactly what happened
when the city of Johns Creek in north
Atlanta received a Georgia Conserves grant
in the amount of $3 million to build a new
local park.
“One-third of the way through GOSA’s
ten-year authorization, it is incumbent
upon us to fulfill the commitments made to
legislators and the people of Georgia,” says
Mike Worley, president of Georgia Wildlife
Federation. My guess is that Theodore and
Franklin would wholeheartedly agree. QD
I have long admired Theodore Roosevelt
and his distant cousin Franklin for their
heroic efforts to improve the lives of all
Americans, but it is their astounding
conservation legacy that has been on my
mind this spring.
Theodore’s crusade to save wildlife,
ecosystems and scenic beauty for future
generations is described in fascinating
detail in The Wilderness Warrior by
historian Douglas Brinkley—an excellent
(and lengthy) book that I just finished
reading. Propelled by a love of nature
from childhood and a deep concern that
the nation’s natural resources were being
destroyed by unrestrained timbering,
mining, and development, Theodore
saved 234 million acres of land during his
presidency in the first decade of the 20th
century.
Working with scientists, T.R. protected
legacy is also monumental—from founding
the Civilian Conservation Corps to building
state parks and scenic roads and protecting
places like the Great Smokies, Everglades,
and Mammoth Cave. I recently visited
F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Georgia and
sat beside F.D.R.’s (also seated) statue on
Dowdell’s Knob with its grand view of the
valley below Pine Mountain: a place where
Franklin is said to have greatly enjoyed the
scenery and solitude whenever he visited his
nearby Little White FFouse. When my sons
were young, we often stayed in the park’s
log cabins and walked its trails.
Many of our family’s best memories
have been made outdoors on public lands in
Georgia and around the country—accessible
thanks to the foresight, investment, and,
at times, sacrifice of people who came
before us. They understood the importance
100 conservation partners.
Yet, our state’s record for investing
public dollars to protect natural assets
is poor, especially as compared to other
Southeastern states. As recently as four years
ago, the state of Florida budgeted five times
more per resident for conservation purposes
than Georgia. Rather than relying on the
annual budgetary whims of elected officials
who come and go, a dedicated source of
funding to acquire conservation lands has
been a priority for environmental and
recreation groups for decades.
In 2018, the state legislature finally
passed the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship
Act (GOSA), which establishes a dedicated
trust fund for conservation lands; it was
overwhelmingly approved in a subsequent
public referendum. The historic, bipartisan
success was led by the Georgia Outdoor
many of the places where we recreate
today—more than 100 years after he acted
boldly, often in the face of significant
opposition. Because of his leadership and
that of his conservation colleagues, we can
enjoy 23 national parks and monuments
including the Grand Canyon, 150 national
forests, and 51 bird reserves. Many species
have not only survived extinction but
thrived because T.R. made the conservation
of wildlife habitats a priority.
Brinkley has written a similar book
about T.R’s cousin called Rightful
FFeritage—Franklin D. Roosevelt and the
Land of America. Franklin’s conservation
of generational impact—of safeguarding
America’s natural heritage to sustain people
and wildlife now and in the future.
Poor Record
Georgia is amazingly rich in diverse
ecosystems that support a wide variety
of plants and animals from the coast to
the mountains; we rank sixth among the
states in overall species diversity. Strategies
to protect landscapes and habitats with
conservation funds and technical assistance
are detailed in Georgia’s State Wildlife
Action Plan (SWAP), created by more than
Above the Water Line
Sally Bethea
Sally Bethea
is the retired
executive director
of Chattahoochee
Riverkeeperand
an environmental
and sustainability
advocate.
20 MAY 2022 | DU
AtlantalntownPaper.com