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PAGE 8A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. APRIL 21.2022
Garden week in Georgia
April 17-23
Submitted by Fran Cathey
Vice President
Amicalola Garden Club
Laurel District
By proclamation of Georgia Brian
Kemp, the Amicalola Garden Club will be
celebrating Garden Week
In Georgia April 17-23. The club is
planning to honor Garden Week with many
projects which will include placing new US
flags at the Old Tate Cemetery and Free
dom Park. Our project will also include
cleanup and installation of new lights at the
Old Tate Cemetery.
Our club will be partnering with the
Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. to promote
beautification, conservation, and education
for our community.
Ag books donated to library
The Georgia Foundation
for Agriculture and Georgia
Electric Membership Corpo
ration (EMC) are jointly pro
moting agricultural literacy
by donating copies of the
children’s book “How to
Grow a Monster” to nearly
400 libraries in the Georgia
Public Library Service
(GPLS).
The Georgia Foundation
for Agriculture (GFA) and
Georgia EMC have given
each county Farm Bureau in
Georgia enough books for
every public library in the
county. Pickens County Farm
Bureau recently delivered a
copy of the book to the Pick
ens County Library.
“How to Grow a Mon
ster,” written by Kiki Thorpe
and illustrated by Barbara
Bongini, explores the theme
of gardening and includes a
gardening-related activity for
children to try themselves.
Tapping into the popular
makers movement (hands-on
learning), the book is part of
a series of fun, easy-to-read
stories that focus on problem
solving and hands-on action.
The American Farm Bu
reau Foundation for Agricul
ture selected the book as its
2022 Book of the Year for its
accurate and positive por
trayal of agriculture.
The GFA is thrilled to
partner with Georgia EMC
and Georgia Farm Bureau to
donate the book. The GFA
began donating accurate
books about agriculture to
each public library in Geor- joined the foundation in this
gia in 2016. Georgia EMC endeavor in 2018.
Pickens County Farm Bureau Office Manager Rachel
Hoffbauer, left, recently presented a copy of the children’s
ag book “How to Grow a Monster” to Katie Dobson, branch
manager for the Pickens County Library. The donation was
made on behalf of the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture
and Georgia EMC.
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Office 706-253-1188 Jasper, GA 30143
Cell 770-893-7221 allawson3@gmail.com
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Plants, ojithe Southeast
Unnamed species of Trillium
Photo/ John Nelson
One of the trillium species in North America. This one
is un-named as of yet and may only grow in one bog in
South Carolina.
By John Nelson
University of
South Carolina
I’ll have to admit that this
past winter has not been so
bad here in the midlands. It
hasn’t gotten real cold and
there has been barely any
snow or ice. I’m glad to see
the daylength increasing
steadily, which always gives
us a clear sign that we’re
moving from winter into
spring. Here is a fine exam
ple of a native plant that is
making an early transition,
too.
The trillium begins to
bloom while the days are still
chilly, and what a beauty it is.
Our native trilliums, a
group of herbaceous plants
related to lilies. There are
about 50 different trillium
species in North America,
and some additional ones
occur in Asia.
All have several features
in common, including an un
derground rhizome. The
flowering, above-ground
stems each bear a single
flower. Three leaves occur in
a ring just below the flower.
(These leaves are technically
considered "bracts" by
botanists, but never mind all
that.) Depending on the
species, the flower may be at
the end of a slender stalk, or
it may be sessile, and without
a stalk.
The flower bears three
sepals, three petals. Depend
ing on the species, the petals
range from pure white to yel
low, pink, garnet, or brick
red. There are always six sta
mens. After blooming, the
ovary eventually forms a
somewhat fleshy pod con
taining a number of seeds.
The seeds of trilliums are
interesting, in that they bear
unusual, oily structures,
called "elaiosomes", which
are attractive to insects, in
cluding ants. In fact, many
species of trilliums (includ
ing this week's mystery plant,
possibly) are known to have
seeds that ants like to carry
around, eventually chewing
off the elaiosomes, and thus
dispersing the seeds.
The bigger issue with this
particular trillium is that it
has not been described—yet.
Because of that, it does not
have any sort of valid scien
tific name. It apparently
grows in only one very small
part of the world (South Car
olina actually), specifically a
mucky hillside “seepage”
bog not far from the Savan
nah River floodplain (the
exact locality must remain a
secret for now), wherein this
bog it likes to grow atop wet
root mounds, slightly ele
vated above the muck.
It has been seen and
fussed over by only a handful
of people, including its orig
inal discoverers, Drs. Patrick
McMillan and Richard
Porcher. I was lucky (and
honored) enough to go see
this rare curiosity yesterday.
Not all of the plants were
blooming: there were proba
bly 40-50 individuals scat
tered in the bog, with only
6-7 in flower.
This mysterious trillium is
one of those species with a
stalked flower. The petals are
white, and delicately veined.
Its pollen is a rich gold shade,
and the flower scent is rather
minimal, a sort of sweet spice
scent. And of course,
botanists are like anybody
else, and like to smell flow
ers. The problem with this
one is that the whole plant is
only 8” tall, and you have to
get down on your knees to
get even a whiff...muddy
trousers. . ©JohnNel-
son2022
[John Nelson is the retired
curator of the A. C. Moore
Herbarium at the University of
South Carolina, in the Depart
ment of Biological Sciences, Co
lumbia SC 29208. As a public
service, the Herbarium offers
free plant identifications. For
more information, visit
www.herbarium.org or email
johnbnelson@se.rr com.]
House resolution takes stand on mining
project near Okefenokee Swamp
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - Bipartisan
legislation to ban mining near
the Okefenokee Swamp
failed to gain traction in the
Georgia House of Represen
tatives this year.
But that didn't stop the
House from adopting a non
binding resolution during the
final week of this year's leg
islative session calling for
protecting the Okefenokee as
a valuable tourism resource.
The proposed mining ban
was prompted by an Ala
bama-based mining com
pany's plan to mine titanium
oxide at a site in Charlton
County three miles from the
Okefenokee Swamp. Twin
Pines Minerals (TPM) is
seeking permits from the
Georgia Environmental Pro
tection Division (EPD) to
move forward with the proj
ect.
Scientists and environ
mental advocates have
warned the mine could dam
age adjacent wetlands and
permanently affect the hy
drology of the largest black
water swamp in North Amer
ica.
While House Resolution
1158 doesn't mention the
mining project by name, law
makers taking a position on
the swamp's importance to
the state was important, said
Josh Marks, a lawyer with a
long history working to pro
tect the Okefenokee.
"The legislative resolution
demonstrates, once again,
there is broad, bipartisan sup
port for the Okefenokee
Swamp and for ensuring it is
protected against dangerous
threats like that posed by
TPM's proposed project," he
said. "These collective leg
islative efforts are reminders
to Governor [Brian] Kemp
and EPD that the people of
Georgia are watching very
closely and want EPD to
deny TPM's permit applica
tions."
The bill banning mining
near the Okefenokee was in
troduced in February by Rep.
Darlene Taylor, R-
Thomasville, chairman of the
House Governmental Affairs
Committee. Republican co
sponsors included Reps. Ron
Stephens of Savannah, Jan
Tankersley of Brooklet and
Jesse Petrea of Savannah - all
committee chairs - along
with Democratic Rep. Deb
bie Buckner of Junction City.
Shortly after introducing
the bill, Taylor wrote a letter
to EPD Director Rick Dunn
"Our effort comes in the
aftermath of many public re
quests including a letter writ
ten by over 43 scientists from
around Georgia opining that
mining on Trail Ridge threat
ens to irreparably damage the
Okefenokee, including the
swamp's water level," Taylor
wrote. "I request that the per
mit be denied."
Taylor's bill died without
getting a hearing before the
House Natural Resources &
Environment Committee.
The panel's chairman, Rep.
Lynn Smith, R-Newnan, said
at the time the bill was pre
mature while the EPD was
still reviewing the permit ap
plications and had yet to open
a public comment period.
The same House lawmak
ers joined in sponsoring the
nonbinding resolution, along
with Rep. Gerald Greene, R-
Cuthbert.
"In addition to the leader
ship shown by these legisla
tors, those of us concerned
about the swamp are espe
cially encouraged that the in
dependent scientific
community is speaking out
against the project," Marks
said. 'We are hopeful EPD
will follow through accord
ingly."
The EPD is still awaiting
revisions to Twin Pines' sur
face mining permit applica
tion and land use plan,
agency spokesman Kevin
Chambers wrote in an e-mail.
However, EPD is currently
accepting public comments
a t
TwinPines.Comment@dnr.g
a.gov.
This story is available
through a news partnership with
Capitol Beat News Service, a
project of the Georgia Press Ed
ucational Foundation.
Weight Loss
Group meeting
Choose to Lose - Weight
loss group meets at the Pick
ens County Community Cen
ter Room #1 every Friday
morning. Weigh in time is be
tween 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
Meeting runs from 9:30 a.m.
to 10:30 a.m. No charge. Call
Pat Groves for more informa
tion at 1-417-413-8025.
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