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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