The Brantley enterprise. (Nahunta, Brantley County, Ga.) 1927-2014, May 26, 1955, Image 3

The Brantley enterprise., May 26, 1955, Image 3

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Newspaper Page TextMRS. BUTCH SEEKS SYSTEM TO RETAIN OKEFENOKEE WATER The following report by the Fish and Wildlife Ser vice ol the L T . S. Department of Interior was furnished to The Blackshear Times by Congfessw’oman Iris Blitch It concerns the fire situation in the Okefenokee Swamp Mrs. Blitch has asked for an engineering survey regarding the feasibility of low level dams on the Suwannee River and a spoil bank method of water retention in the swamp itself. She states that, in her opinion, either or both of these methods would tend to stabilize the water level of the swamp, and thereby greatly reduce the fire hazards caused by the extensive peat 'moss beds. The Fish and Wildlife Service report follows: REPORT ON OKEFENOKEE FIRE SITUATION The severe drought of the past three years affecting the South generally and southeast Georgia, particularly, has created an ex tremely serious fire condition in the Okefenokee Swamp and sur rounding area which equals or surpasses the memorable dry years of the early thirties. This disastrous situation was climax ed during the calendar year 1954, when the Service suffered a loss of 42,516 acres from eleven fires, ten of which originated from lightning strikes. The condition continues to be serious and loss es in 1955 thus far have been heavy. A reconnaissance flight over the Okefenokee Refuge was made on April 8, which was the first time this year that the at mosphere has been sufficiently clear of smoke to accurately de termine the extent of burning. It, is estimated that sixty- five per cent of the swamp has been burned, with varying degrees of intensity ranging from light with little or no damage to high in tensity heat with the ensuing de struction of valuable timber stands. The burned area has been plotted and it will now be pos sible to more accurately deter mine the extent of the burn and the actual damage suffered. A report will be submitted later by the Refuge Manager. The benefits of management through control burning which has been carried on during the past two or three years are quite evident, since these areas suffered little or no damage as contrasted with the other burned over areas which have a high timber mor tality as a result of the intense heat. The swamp is extermely dry with an estimated ten to fif teen per cent of the normal wat er surface, and peat deposits ranging from eight feet in depth upward are dry to a point where we can anticipate sustained burn ing until water again reaches its normal levels. Various • estimates of damage to private lands outside the re fuge have been made, but there is no accurate figure available as to the acreage burned and the extent of damage. The Director of the Georgia Forestry Commis sion has estimated that 63,620 VACATIONISTS-BE CAREFUL! This ole car once knew some children. This ole car once knew a wife, This ole car once knew a husband And a merry family life . . . But this family's trips are over, Picked a dang'rous spot to pbss— Then they saw death's angel peekin' Through the broken windshield glass. Ain’t gonna need this car no longer. Ain't gonna need this car no more- Had no time to fix the brakes up. Had no time to fix the door, Had no time to fix the steerin' Or to drive with more restraint— Ain't gonna need this car no longer, They've been taken to meet the Saint . . . acres of valuable timber land in South Georgia has been burned and approximately 70,000 acres in Florida. State forests compris ing 37,000 acres north of the re fuge received a 20,000-acre burn from the fire of March 6, of which 19,000 acres of the damag ed timber is being clear cut. Many of the statements con cerning the origin of the fires in the vicinity of Okefenokee and Waycross, Georgia, which appear ed in the newspapers or have been made by a number of indi viduals are misleading in that they tend to incriminate the Oke fenokee Refuge as the responsible source. This is not supported by facts. The Mimms Island fire which started from lightning on Blackjack Island last summer was extinguished by refuge per sonnel before it had burned any appreciable acreage outside the refuge boundary. The disastrous “mule tail” fire started in Dec ember of last year as a result of operations outside the refuge by Negro turpentiners was spread far and wide. In attempting to control this fire it was flanked into the refuge and into the swamp even though the fire su pervisors knew that the peat was so dry that they could not hope to extinguish it under these cir cumstances. This fire later came out of the swamp and burned o ver a considerable acreage. The Rowells Island fire, while actually burning on the refuge since last October, did not be come active until it was joined by the incendiary fires of March 6, which had been set on private lands and flanked into the re fuge and swamp as a control measure. The greatest damage suffered from any of the fires in the vicinity of Okefenokee was experienced on March 6 of this year when over twenty incendi ary fires were started on private lands near the Ware and Clinch counties’ line. The major fires resulting from ihis incendiarism were turned into the Rowells Is land fire which then swung northward. This fire raged across the timber land south of Way cross, jumped U. S. Highway No. 1, and was not brought under control until it was flanked into the Brunswick Highway. There is a tendency to incriminate the refug*e for both of the fires which burned or have burned in the heart of the swamp and those which have come into the swamp from the outside. Little can be accomplished from such a contro versy nor does it solve any of the problems for the future. The fire situation at Okefeno kee is still critical and will re main so until the drought is bro ken and water levels in the swamp again return to normal. The Service has made arrange ments for immediate procure ment of two heavy crawler-type THIS OLE CAR —Accident Prevention Department Employers Mutuals of Wausau tractors and bulldozers, disc plows, and a low bed semitrailer. One refuge tractor was recently lost in a last ditch stand in at tempting to control a fire in one of the pockets. With the new e quipment we will be in a much better position to carry on ef fective presupperssion and fire control operations. In the interest of protecting the swamp and private timber areas, a committee consisting of representatives from the Service, Forest Service, County and State Forestry Organizations, and the adjoining large landowners have advanced a presuppression action program calling for a combina tion access road and fireline a round the perimeter of the swamp. It is proposed that each landowner will construct that part of the road which lies with in his holdings. The Service has made arrangements to obtain ae rial photographs and enlarge ments for use in planning this program. This construction will go a long way toward prevent ing the recurrence of the same situation that we have experienc ed recently. It is anticipated that construction costs will be high and some of the landowners may find it difficult to carry through with their part of the construc tion to which they are committed. The Service has taken action to initiate a salvage program to re move the dead and down timber as a measure in reducing future fire hazard. An expanded control burning program has been pro posed and may later be put in effect if it is justified as a pre suppression measure. Most of the objections which we have en countered in the past concerning this type of management will no longer exist, and we can anti cipate the wholehearted coopera tion of all our neighbors in car rying out this program. It has been clearly demonstrated that control burning offers added protection against wild fires. The Region plans to make an en gineering study to determine the extent of need and feasibility of cut-off plugs and other water re tention structures which may be used to retain runoff water and help maintain swamp levels. The peat beds at Okefenokee Swamp range in depth up to fif teen feet, and there is no satis factory or practical .means of control of fire in peat other than rainfall and flooding. Adjacent timber lanwowners have been extremely cooperative, but we cannot depend upon our neigh bors for unlimited assistance. With new equipment we should be in better position to help our selves and other landowners in fire suppression work. We can anticipate that a much more ef fective fire control organization will be organized as a result of the emergency we have just experienced. The recent fires have created a timber salvage problem of con siderable magnitude. The salv age operation made necessary by the Mimms Island fire was authorized for the buffer lands and has been completed. The more recent fires have destroy ed merchantable pine timber in both the high land and the swamp. The damage to cypress cannot yet be fully determined. Ground survey indicates that there may be substantial surviv als to cypress in the burned over area, although in the peat areas fires have burned away many of the roots. There is an urgency for action on pine sal vage, since this type of timber must be removed within three to four months or insect damage will destroy its merchantable value. Further if salvage is de layed and water levels in the swamp rises, salvage operations will become costly and imprac tical if not impossible. There is no urgency in the case of cyp ress, since it will not deteriorate and time should be allowed to determine the extent of damage. The Service is committed to an existing management policy for maintaining the swamp inviolate. Any action taken which deviates from this policy must be deter mined upon its necessity as a fire presuppression measure, the value of the timber, and the re sulting effects it would have upon the natural beauty of the swamp and wildlife habitat. By the time the salvage operations are com pleted on the high lands, or buf fer land, the necessary informa tion concerning the extent of damage in the swamp and the necessity for salvage operations may be on hand to determine if a deviation from our past policy is justified. The Service has long recog nized the need for a more ef fective water stabilization pro gram for the Okefenokee Swamp. Funds have not been available in the past for the construction of any dependable type of water control structure. Some benefits in maintaining water levels have been derived from small cut-off plugs, but the work we have done thus far has very little, if any, effect on the overall situ ation in the swamp. The Service is keenly interested in a struct ure on the Suwannee River which will regulate and control the drainage loss from the Oke fenokee Swamp. A comprehensive engineering study should be made to determine the type of struc ture or structures required to best accomplish this objective The Okefenokee Swamp has been periodically ravished by fire from the time of its forma tion. There is probably little that man can do to change or affect the natural cycles and succes sions. The swamp has always resisted the forces and encroach ment of man, and it is fitting that insofar as possible it should be preserved in its, natural state of environment and beauty as long as it does not adversely affect the lives of the local in habitants of the surrounding com munity. The Service has manag ed the Okefenokee Refuge under an inviolate policy, and recent fires which we have experienc ed hardly seem to justify the complete abandonment of such a policy. It does point out, however, the need for a change in many of our management practices and the need for the wholehearted cooperation of all the landown ers of this community. Man can always justify a commercial op eration, and timber and gas ex ploitation of the Okefenokee Swamp is no exception. Any bas ic change in the management policy concerning the Okefenokee Swamp would bring a wave of protest from nature lovers throughout the country. AGREEMENT REACHED ON PHONE STRIKE The Southern Bell Company and the Communications Workers of America-CIO have signed an agreement which will end the 68-day-old strike of 30,000 tele phone employees upon ratifica tion of the contract which is to be completed no later than May 27. The one-year agreement includ es the basic provisions which Southern Bell has insisted are essential to assure uninterrupted service to the public while the contract is in force. The wage increases provided for the 50,000 non-supervisory employees range from SI.OO to $4.00 weekly, depending on the employee’s experience, location and job classification. Under the new contract, the Company’s costs will be increas ed by over $7,000,000 annually. Also included in the new agree ment are reclassification of eight cities and towns for wage pur poses and shorter schedules for operators who work certain night hours. In addition, the agreement provides for broader arbitration of disputes arising under the con tract, including disputes involv ing suspensions of employees and disciplinary action taken under the no-strike clause. Still excluded from arbitration are the Company pension and benefit plan, leaves of absence, compliance with health and safety measures and demotions ions and discharges during trial periods. President Fred J. Turner of Southern Bell said, “We are glad the strike is ending. “We are grateful for the as sistance of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service whose representatives worked long and hard in helping to effect and a greement. “The settlement reached was through processes of collective bargaining and is fair to all con cerned—the public, the employees and the Company. “We will welcome back the ap proximately 39,000 employees still off the job and we publicly express our gratitude to the more than 32,000 who have provided such good service during the strike. “The public’s patience and co operation are greatly appreciated, good service during the strike. We take this opportunity also to commend the newspapers, and radio and television stations for their objectivity and fairness in reporting a difficult situation.” MORE FOR THE MONEY The average family in tht 1920’s used about 25 percent of its income for food, and the average family today spends a bout the same proportion How ever, Americans today are eat ing more meat, eggs, milk, veg etables and fruit for their money and are depending less on cereals and other staples. The acreage of annual lespe deza has increased from about 2,000 in 1925 to approximately 750.000 in 1954. COLD DAMAGED SCHLEYS MOST, SAYS WOODARD Cold damage to pecan trees during the recent freeze varied considerably among varieties, ac cording to observations made by Horticulturist Otis Woodard in a collection of 33 varieties grow ing in the trial ground at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station Schley trees will lose as much at Tifton. Woodard said that Schley is the most severely damaged va riety and that it appears that Schley trees will lose as much as eight to ten years growth be cause of the freeze. Other varie ties that were severely damaged and in all probability will not fruit in 1955, are Moneymaker, Moore, Tesche, Mobile, Van De man, Mahan, Alley, Frotscher, Brooks, Desirable, Bradley, Pabst, Nelson, President, Western Sch ley, and Delmas. The horticulturist said that Stuart, the leading commercial variety, was among those hurt the least by the freeze. Current grow th on Stuart trees was killed but the basal portion of the previous season’s growth was not injured and is now producing new growth on which both nut clusters and catkins are developing. It, there fore, appears that varieties on which last season’s growth was not killed will produce nuts this g YES, WE WANT NEWS, WE WANT YOUR NEWS, ; SEND US THE NEWS! 8 3 M A great part of the news you read each week in this 3 newspaper is sent to us voluntarily by subscribers and K friends to the newspaper. 8 We do not maintain a staff of reporters for gathering [ news and must depend on our friends to send in any • timely news of interest to the people of the county. « DON’T BE TOO MODEST | And don’t be hesitant to send us news about yourself I or your family or relatives. The other readers of this & newspaper want to read the news about what happens M to you and yours. |l 8 9 . People outside Brantley County who get this news paper want to read about the people of Brantley b I w I County. | NAMES MAKE NEWS | Ilt is the names of people and what happens to them 9 that makes news. Give us items about people, people, people. People — you and others — are what other ■< people are interested in. £ IThe Brantley , Enterprise ; “YOUR HOME NEWSPAPER” J J Brantley Enterprise, Nahunta, Ga., Thursday, May 26, 1955 year. Other varieties which escaped severe injury and which appar ently will produce nuts this sea son are Success, Farley, Curtis, Sumner (a seedling out of Sch ley, number 1722 and 1727 (seedling out of stuart) and Oklahoma. It will be of interest to note that Sumner shows a greater degree of cold resistance than any variety in test, Wood ard said. He suggested that growers with damaged trees follow the usual cultural practices for keeping groves in good condition, giving fruiting trees normal fertiliza tion and those showing injury a light application. He said that pruning to remove dead tips would be impractical in most cases. In large trees the only practical approach is to leave the dead portion of limb which will decay and fall to the ground in ALL YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS ANYTHING EXCEPT LIFE. LAMAR GIBSON Nahunta Office Hours: Friday — 9:00 to 5:00 Saturday — 9:00 to 12:00 one or two seasons. Water sprou along the trunk and large brand es should be removed immediatt ly. This perhaps can best b done by rubbing them off witl the hand, protected with a heavj glove. If allowed to grow until next season it will be necessary to cut them out; which will in- A volve considerably more work. FREEZE FRESH VEGETABLES S When freezing vegetables, I homemakers should select fresh, I tender vegetables at the best state to be eaten, or slightly younger. Mrs. Ruth Broach, state food preservationist for the Geo- . rgia Agricultural Extension Ser vice, says over mature vegeta bles never should be used for freezing. The vegetables should be processed on the day they are harvested.