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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JUNE 25. 2009 — PAGE 11A
Georgia River Heroes: Dr. Mary Freeman
Editor's Note: This article
was published in the spring
issue of the Georgia River
Network Confluence maga
zine. Dr. Mary Freeman, who
is featured in the article, has
a farm in Madison County.
Although she would not
be inclined to claim the
title, Dr. Mary Freeman —
research ecologist for the
USGS Pawtuxet Wildlife
Research Center and Institute
of Ecology, UGA, is our first
Georgia River Hero. Not only
has she recently published
the discovery of a new fish
species, the Halloween dart
er, she is constantly in the
middle of the most impor
tant issues facing our riv
ers. Dr. Freeman provides
research data for stakehold
ers involved in river manage
ment. Closer to our heart, she
has been a constant supporter
and adviser for Georgia River
Network, as well as a natural
ist on Paddle Georgia.
Mary is part of a dynam
ic duo. May along with Dr.
Bud Freeman co-discovered
the Halloween darter. Bud is
the Director of the Georgia
Museum of Natural History,
as well as a member of the
UGA water resources and
conservation ecology faculty.
Mary and Bud noticed that
some darter fish, in contrast
to the blackbanded darter
had a striking orange color
in its fins. The researchers
had identified a new spe
cies, the Halloween darter or
Percina crypta. The fish is
common to only a few areas
of the Chattahoochee and
Flint River systems because
it requires habitats with swift
water current over rocky
areas, or shoals. According
to Mary, there are far fewer
shoals today because of
the rise of dams on rivers
and streams, as well as the
removal of shoals to improve
rivers for navigation.
Their discovery and on
going research has definite
implications for conservation
strategies. “Keeping track of
the status of the Halloween
darter, along with other spe
cies that require shoals hab
itats in the Chattahoochee
and Flint rivers, will provide
information on how shoals
as ecological systems are
responding to changes in
land use, water management
and climate,” said Mary.
On other fronts, Mary
has served (or serves) on
committees ranging from
regional and statewide ini
tiatives, like the Etowah
Habitat Conservation Plan
Steering Committee and
Target Flow Committee for
the Georgia Statewide Water
Plan, to national efforts like
the National Fish Habitat
Science and Monitoring
Steering Committee.
Wherever she goes, she
helps answer vital ques
tions about our rivers, water
supply and river flows. In
Athens, she studies the dif
ferent methods of supplying
water and the consequences
on our waterways and the
fishes. In the Coosa River
Basin, she studies how the
counties surrounding the
Etowah can combine efforts
in the midst of fast-paced
development to provide suf
ficient clean water, manage
storm water and avoid push
ing species to extinction. In
the Upper Flint River Basin,
given all the other users, she
studies the water availability
for a healthy ecosystem.
It’s not just about supply
ing the data and applying the
science of ecology. Mary has
to supply the data, tell the
story for the river and be part
of the solution as she is both
USGS and citizen scientist.
She is the most proud
of a successful effort on
the Tallapoosa River in
Alabama, where an agree
ment was reached during
relicensing to adopt a dam
management framework that
protects downstream habi
tat while ensuring sufficient
power generation. Mary’s
data told the river’s story
and established the need for
critical changes.
On Paddle Georgia, Mary
becomes the naturalist,
teaching participants about
the ways of the river through
engaging paddlers in hands-
on activities that provide a
close-up view of fish, mus
sels and crayfish. Whatever
was hidden under the water
is revealed and paints a pic
ture of an eco-system that
paddlers may have never
known. Paddle Georgia par
ticipants leave the river with
a deeper understanding and
appreciation of the river’s
inhabitants.
We know that comic book
heroes have amazing super
powers. No doubt, Mary’s
efforts to protect our riv
ers and her commitment
to Georgia River Network
ensure her hero status with
us.
Agency to mark National
HIV Testing Day
AIDS Athens will mark National HIV Testing Day by
offering free walk-in testing and extended hours Monday,
June 29, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The agency will also host a community reception to mark
National HIV Testing Day on Monday, from 4-6 p.m.
AIDS Athens is Northeast Georgia’s only AIDS service
organization and provides free, anonymous HIV testing
by appointment all year. It uses the OraQuick test, which
provides results in 20 minutes.
For more information, or directions, call AIDS Athens at
706-542-2437 or visit www.aidsathens.org.
Learning in Retirement
offers summer classes
The Athens-based group Learning in Retirement will offer a
variety of course in the summer semester.
The courses range from personal computing and golden age at
the movies to nutritional topics, such as dietary supplements and
proper nutrition.
Jim Tanner, president, said those interested should contact the
group soon.
For more information, call 706-549-7350 or visit www.athenslir.
org.
Madison} ournalT OD AY. com
UGA site offers free
info on 600 topics
By Sharon Dowdy
Book stores and Web sites are filled with the latest manu
als geared for both advanced and novice gardeners. But if
buying the newest how-to book doesn’t fit your budget,
turn to University of Georgia experts for free information
online.
SOME 600 PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE
The UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences Web site (www.caes.uga.edu/publications) offers
more than 200 research-based publications on gardening
and landscaping. Another 400 publications cover subject
areas ranging from how to raise horses, cattle, pigs and
chickens to how to control carpenter ants and termites.
To a home gardener, there’s nothing like nurturing a
tomato plant and watching it produce ripe, red tomatoes.
But seeing the fruit begin to rot on the vines can cause even
a seasoned gardener to panic. For answers, home gardeners
can turn to the CAES publications on blossom-end rot to
learn how to combat this problem.
VIEW INSTANTLY OR DOWNLOAD FOR LATER
The easiest way to find the information on the site is to
do a Google search for your topic, said Amanda Swennes,
the CAES publications editor who manages the collection.
The Web-based publications can either be viewed online or
downloaded as a PDF file.
“We average about 2.5 million hits a month and 11 percent
of those are from addresses outside the U.S.,” she said.
To make sure the publications remain current, Swennes
asks UGA faculty to update their publications every one to
three years.
The newest or most recently updated CAES publica
tions include Blossom-End Rot and Calcium Nutrition
of Pepper and Tomato, Home Garden Blueberries, Home
Garden Strawberries, Flowering Annuals and Perennials for
Georgia Gardens and Growing Indoor Plants with Success.
MOST POPULAR PUBLICATIONS
CHANGE WITH SEASONS
Each month Swennes keeps a record of the most popular
publications.
“Crape Myrtle Culture is usually one of our most request
ed publications,” she said.
The most requested publications in May were Rats and
Mice — Keep Them Out of Your House and Yard, Fast
growing Shade Trees, Centipede Lawns, Camellia Culture
for Home Gardeners, Dogwood Diseases and Problems,
Home Garden Apples and Home Garden Strawberries.
“This summer, we will release part two of the Native
Plants for Georgia publication, which focuses on ferns,”
she said. “The first one focuses on trees, shrubs and woody
vines.”
Sharon Dowdy is a news editor with the University
of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.
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