Newspaper Page Text
THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JUNE 25. 2009 — PAGE 5A
Conservation .cont’dfrom 1A
be on the tax break.
There are 2,000 parcels and 76,855 acres in Madison County
that have conservation use status, meaning the owners of those
properties pay substantially less in taxes than others.
The conservation exemption was established by the state
government, allowing farmers to maintain big tracts of land
for agricultural purposes without being crippled by property
taxes.
However, many complain that the conservation use exemp
tion is abused by property owners who simply seek a tax break
and have no intention of doing anything productive with their
land.
Madison County commissioners addressed the “abuse” of the
exemption in December, setting a 10-acre minimum for conser
vation use tax breaks in the county. Under the new guidelines,
property owners seeking first-time conservation use status must
have at least 10 acres to be considered. However, the 10-acre
minimum won't affect property owners with less than 10 acres,
who currently enjoy the exemption, until 2012.
On Thursday, Rubio made recommendations of approval or
denial on a thick stack of conservation use applications. She
informed the board that she had visited the properties in ques
tion and that the stack of papers represented about two days of
work.
The BOA approved most of Rubio's recommendations, but
agreed to further discussion of three applications. Among those
was a request for conservation status on a tract greater than
10 acres where the property owner had no fencing, livestock,
timber plan or hay or crop production.
Rubio said the applicant admitted that he is basically “grow
ing kudzu” on the property. She recommended denial of the
conservation application.
However, BOA member Larry Stewart pointed out that deny
ing the request would not be in line with how conservation
applications have been evaluated in recent years. He recalled
the approval of a conservation application for a property owner
who had 20 acres of pasture covered up with thistle weed, an
invasive plant incompatible with cattle production.
“We have not used this criteria in the past,” said Stewart,
regarding the proposed rejection of the kudzu-covered prop
erty.
New chief appraiser Robin Baker responded that “two
wrongs don’t make a right.”
“Well, if you haven’t you need to start now,” he said.
Stewart and Jim Escoe voted in favor of the conservation
use application, while Samantha Garland and David Ragland
voted against it. With the 2-2 split, the board agreed to discuss
the application at its next meeting. Another conservation use
application also received a split vote and will be considered
later, while a third application discussed Thursday, in which a
small portion of a 10-acre tract is used for hay production, was
approved by a 3-1 vote, despite Rubio’s recommended denial.
Garland provided the lone vote in support of Rubio’s recom
mendation.
Transplant conference
set for June 27
Members of the Athens organ transplant community are
invited to Saint Mary's Hospital Saturday, June 27, from 8:30
a.m. to 3 p.m. for the Georgia Transplant Foundation's (GTF)
Trends in Transplant (TNT) annual conference.
The TNT conference is designed to provide transplant
candidates, recipients, living donors, and their families with
educational information and support as they experience trans
plantation.
This year's conference will contain several seminars, includ
ing: Transplant Past, Present, & Future, led by Medical
College of Georgia's Dr. James Wynn, Sharing Your Journey:
A Discussion with Friends, and Healthy Eating for Life, led by
Shannon Davis of Piedmont Hospital. GTF staff will also be
on hand to provide information on financial strategies, men
toring support, and JumpStart, the foundation's accredited
employment and career development service.
The Georgia Transplant Foundation is a nonprofit organiza
tion that provides financial, educational and emotional sup
port to organ transplant candidates, recipients, living donors,
and their families in the state of Georgia.
“There are currently more than 1,770 transplant recipients
and 800 candidates residing in the Athens area,” says David
Bakelman, Executive Director of the Georgia Transplant
Foundation. “GTF is committed to making sure that our ser
vices are available to all transplant candidates and recipients
throughout the state, bringing the latest information about
transplantation to the transplant community of Athens.”
Transplantation is not a cure, but a treatment, and its
financial, physical and emotional effects continue for life.
Statewide, there are more than 1,800 people waiting for organ
transplants, while more than 6,000 Georgians are living suc
cessfully with a transplant.
The Conference is free for all transplant candidates, recipi
ents, living donors and one guest. Continental breakfast and
lunch will be provided. Please register to attend the Athens
TNT Conference by June 22 by calling (678) 514.1178 or
toll-free at (866) 428-9411. For more information about GTF,
visit www.gatransplant.org.
Call 245-2695
24 Hour Obituary News
Compliments of
cFunenal f/Conu 1 , S/nc.
“Locally Owned and Operated Since 1905”
47 Franklin Springs St.
RoystomG^066^^^^^^^^(706)24^234
1
Bray Construction, Inc. I
• New Homes • Remodeling • Vinyl Siding
• Masonry Work • Concrete Finishing
(706) 789-2313
Opinions
Common Sense 101 is back in session
Welcome class. It’s
time for another install
ment of “Common Sense
101.”
If my memory is cor
rect, it was my father
who years ago taught me
that using a little com
mon sense would go a
long way in helping you
venture down this road
of life.
Unfortunately, not
enough people follow the
advice my father handed
down to me as a young
ster. Politicians especially
are prime examples of
those who are lacking
when it comes to com
mon sense.
The latest indication of
this comes in the news
that broke last week con
cerning more government
regulations concerning
tobacco. Government has
milked the golden cow of
tobacco so much now that
I truly wonder how the
industry is still alive.
The regulations placed
on the industry (of which a
strong argument could be
said are unconstitutional)
have strangled what was
once a powerful, 100 per
cent legal, industry in this
country. While tobacco
sales remain stronger in
Guest JPB%
column jr
chris@
mainstreet
news.com
By Chris Bridges
Europe and other over
seas markets, the scope
placed on the tobacco
industry in this country
by big government has
threatened free enterprise
like nothing we have ever
seen. The trigger was just
pulled again recently.
It’s odd when you think
about how the alcohol
industry receives such a
pass. We see commercial
after commercial for beer
companies, friends out
having a good time drink
ing it up, despite the fact
the DUI rate is as high
as ever. People are killed
daily by drunk drivers yet
a pass is usually given to
someone who is driving
under the influence.
Television ads for ciga
rettes ended in 1970, yet
40 years later alcohol still
is able to showcase its
business on a daily basis.
Watch any sporting event
or programming aimed at
a male audience and you
seen them. Personally, I
don’t care if alcohol com
panies advertise on televi
sion but what’s the dif
ference between alcohol
being advertised on tele
vision and tobacco prod
ucts being shown? Only
in a politician’s mind is
there one.
The latest news is that
tobacco companies will
no longer be able to make
“light” cigarettes. The
making of the candy ciga
rettes is also being out
lawed although it should
be noted that tobacco
companies do not manu
facture these. In fact, I
haven’t even seen candy
cigarettes in stores since
I was a child. I have seen
a piece of a bubble gum
shaped like a cigar, but
are you trying to convince
me that is going to con
vince a child to light up a
Macanudo?
It seems some politi
cians are not going to be
satisfied until tobacco is
outlawed completely. Of
course, history tells us
prohibition did not work
in this country. In fact, it
was a complete disaster
with a major crime ele
ment rises as a result of
it. The same would agree
with a black market for
cigarettes.
It’s all about common
sense, which our elected
officials often times go
out of their way to show
just how little they have.
Only someone who has
lived in a cave for the past
50 years would not realize
the dangers of tobacco. If
you chose to partake in
it, these you accept the
risks associated with the
practice.
However, for our gov
ernment to play the role
of “big brother” and to
decide larger warning
labels are needed on a
pack of cigarettes or on
a can of Copenhagan is
a complete waste of why
our officials were elected
in the first place. With the
economy still in the tank,
don’t they have more
important things to worry
about than if I, or you, buy
a pack of Marlboros or if
a certain brand of smokes
if menthol flavored?
It all goes back to com
mon sense, or a lack of it.
Chris Bridges is editor
of the Barrow Journal.
You can reach him at
cbridges@ barrow journal.
Cuban tree frog arrives
By Jeff Jackson
A few weeks ago, on
Friday afternoon, shop
pers in the garden section
at Lowe’s heard a strange
noise. It was a brief cry.
People looked to see what it
was. Then they saw it on the
floor. It was a frog - a very
large tree frog. It was the
Cuban tree frog (Osteopilus
septentrionalis.)
It is native to Cuba
and certain islands in the
Caribbean.
This frog has become
an invasive species in the
United States. No one is
exactly sure of the details
but it had claimed the
Florida Keys by the 1920s.
By the mid 70s it occurred in
much of peninsular Florida.
Now it occurs in the coastal
zone of Georgia and South
Carolina and is moving west
through the Florida panhan
dle. It arrives as a stow
away hidden in ornamental
plants, on vehicles, boats,
or other means of transport.
Like other tree frogs it is a
good climber, is cryptically
colored, and can change
its color to match various
colors of bark, leaves, and
some other surfaces.
The Cuban tree frog has
some negative qualities.
It can grow to almost six
inches long, not counting
the legs, and can eat any
of our native tree frog spe
cies, small lizards, and some
other little animals. I had a
friend who fed his captive
Cuban tree frog small mice.
They sometimes get into
transformer boxes and other
electrical systems and cause
short circuits and power out
ages.
Because they are crypti
cally colored, and can climb
and hide easily, they may be
transported to unexpected
places, like Lowe's garden
center. Presumably it came
from plants shipped in from
Florida.
And so, as shoppers stared,
Frankie Bulfer, an Athens
area carpenter and fixit man,
caught it the frog. Frankie,
knowing of my interest in
natural history, gave it to
me.
So now, I have him in an
aquarium, where he seems
well adjusted. He likes
crickets and other insects. I
have taken him out to handle
him and have found that
he is an exceptionally good
jumper and wall climber.
He got away and I had a
tough time recapturing him.
Should you handle a Cuban
Tree Frog, wash your hands.
Their skin secretions can
irritate skin and eyes. Wash
hands after handling.
The Cuban tree frog does
not have the origins of a
classic invasive species.
Usually it is the isolated spe
cialist island fauna that are
overwhelmed by the gener
alist competitors from large
land masses. Asia gave us
the Norway rat and kudzu.
Rabbits from Europe over
whelmed island Australia.
The great auk and the moa
didn't last long once their
islands were discovered by
Homo sapiens. Somehow
the Cuban tree frog evolved
the right stuff to make it
in the big time. I wonder
how far it will spread. Will
it cause any extinctions of
lesser tree frogs as it makes
its way into new territory?
Time will tell. Presumably,
being a tropical species,
it won’t likely survive the
winter in northern states.
And so, now, I’m holding
him captive in an aquarium.
What shall I do with him?
Should I keep him as a per
manent prisoner, or let him
go? Is being free good for
him? Is it good for us? Does
anybody want him?
0RD &
MADISON CHAPEL
963 Hwy. 98 East
Danielsville, GA 30630
706-795-5116
EAST:
WEST: OGLETHORPE CHAPEL
4355 Lexington Road
Athens. GA 30605
(706)546-1587
k FAX (706) 548-7984
1211 Jimmy Daniel Road
Bogart. GA 30622
(706)549-3342
FAX (706) 549-3499
503 Main Street
Crawford. GA 30630
(706)743-5030
FAX (706) 743-3994
ROLLING MEADOW FARM
PRODUCE STAND
2143 New Hope Church Road
Comer, GA 30629
706-621-9155
Garden grown vegetables are in.
Come enjoy the farm while
shopping for produce grown by
your local Georgia farmers.
DIRECTIONS
From Paoli Junction, take Hwy. 172
towards Bowman, right onto Clements
Rd. to stop sign, right onto Holly
Creek Church Rd. to stop sign.
Proceed to fork in road bearing right
then right onto New Hope Church Rd.
The farm is 2/10 mile on the right.
From Highway 72, take Hill Street
(turns into New Hope Church Rd.).
The farm is 2 miles down on left.
Open: Tuesdays - Saturdays
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Closed Sunday and Monday
FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH,
YOU CAN LIST YOUR GROUP'S MEETINGS!
Let your members know when your group is meeting!
Call (706) 367-5233 to advertise your
meeting time, place and date in...
• The Jackson Herald
• The Commerce News
• The Braselton News
• The Banks County News
• The Madison County Journal
JESUS CHRIST
And His Restored Gospel!
Come Worship With Us!
4859 Mt. Olive Road, Commerce
Meeting Time: Sunday, 9:00 am
www. mormono. org
For Missionaries Call: 706-380-9927
The Church Of Jesus Christ
Of Latter-Day Saints pd.06/09
r§% VETERANS OF
W FOREIGN WARS
Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr.
Each 4th Tuesdasy, 7:00 p.m.
Lamar Langston, Commander
Phone 706-652-2627 263
JEFFERSON EIONS CEUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
Jefferson City Clubhouse
6:30 p.m.-(706) 387-1156
Mack Cates, President
542
A UNITY LODGE
F & A.M.
No. 36, Jefferson, GA
1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Dwayne Potts • 706-367-4449
Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260
JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB
Meets Tuesdays
Jefferson City Clubhouse
12:30 p.m.-(706) 367-7696
Gina Mitsdarffer, President
547
H9 BANKS COUNTY
AMERICAN LEGION
Riders Post 215
Meets each 2nd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 pd.02/10
Georgia Real Estate Investors
'th™ Association, Inc. - Athens
Meets the third Thursday each month
6:30 pm at the UGA Conferen ce Center
1197 South Lumpkin Street,
Athens, GA 30601
Tom Hewlett - Chapter President
thewlettl@charter.net pj 12/09
BANKS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
meets first Monday each month
7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial
Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441
North in Homer pd,-07/09
St. Catherine Laboure
Catholic Mission
Mass Schedule: Sat. 4:00 p.m.,
Sun. 11:00 a.m., Wed. 12:10 p.m.
Parish Council meetings:
2nd Sunday of the month after 11:00 mass
First Friday Adoration 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Website: www.stcatherinelabourega.org
706-335-2622 pd.05/09
JEFFERSON
WAMERICAN LEGION
Albert Gordon Post 56
Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Harvie Lance, Commander
Phone (706) 654-1274 310
jlte BANKS COUNTY
|p AMERICAN LEGION
Post 215
Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 Pd.06/09