THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2025 - PAGE 5A
News
Madison County
Republican Party to hold
caucus and county convention
On March 20, at 7 p.m., the Madison
County Republican Party will convene pre
cinct caucuses to elect delegates and alter
nate delegates to the Madison County Re
publican Party Convention.
The precinct caucuses will be held at the
Madison County Senior Center, located at
1265 Hwy 98 West, Danielsville.
The county convention will convene at
8 p.m. on March 20, at the same location,
for the purpose of electing county party del
egates and alternates to the congressional
district convention and the state convention.
Additionally, the convention will conduct
all other business as necessary.
“All Madison County residents who are
legally registered to vote and believe in the
principles of the Republican Party are urged
to participate in this process,” party leaders
said. Delegates and alternates will not be re
quired to pay a fee to cover the cost of the
county convention.
The 10th Congressional District Con
vention will convene at 10 a.m. on Satur
day, April 26, at the Oconee County Civic
Center, located at 2661 Hog Mountain Rd,
Watkinsville. The district convention will
be electing the district and state committee
members for the next biennial. Delegates
and alternates will be required to pay a
fee of $35 for prepaid and $40 at the door,
which is to cover the cost of the convention.
The Georgia Republican Party State Con
vention will convene at 2 p.m. on Friday,
June 6, in Dalton, and will elect the state
party officers for the next biennial, in ad
dition to conducting all other business as
necessary. Delegates and alternates will be
required to pay a fee, which is to cover the
cost of the convention.
For further information, contact Madison
County Republican Party Chairman Bruce
Azevedo at 706-296-3834 or Azevedo@
negia.net
Sicklefin redhorse
Wanted: Public comment on
conserving Georgia’s wildlife
If you value Georgia’s wild
life and wild places, the Geor
gia Department of Natural Re
sources wants to know what
you think about a newly up
dated strategy aimed at making
sure our state stays wild.
From Feb. 19 to April 11, a
draft of Georgia’s revised State
Wildlife Action Plan can be
reviewed at https://georgiaw-
ildlife.com/WildGeorgiaSWAP.
Created 20 years ago and updat
ed each decade since, the plan
guides work statewide to keep
native animal and plant species
from becoming more rare and
costly to conserve. That lineup
varies from gopher tortoises and
bald eagles to tangerine darters
and Chapman’s fringed orchids.
The revised plan will prove
critical to restoring, managing
and protecting Georgia’s wild
life, said Dr. Brett Albanese,
plan coordinator and an assis
tant chief with DNR’s Wildlife
Conservation Section. Changes
include identifying more than
1,000 “species of greatest con
servation need” and their hab
itats, laying out what can be
done to conserve these creatures
and plants, and providing an
online map to help streamline
wildlife work on public land
and encourage voluntary efforts
on private lands.
Over 100 organizations took
part in creating the draft. But
more feedback is needed, Alba
nese said.
“This is Georgia’s plan, not
DNR’s. Experts and other part
ners helped develop a robust
plan to address the threats to
wildlife across the state. Now
we need the full conservation
community - and especially
everyday citizens who enjoy
and appreciate the outdoors - to
help us refine and implement
it.”
Albanese said that https://
georgiawildlife.com/Wild-
GeorgiaSWAP features a link
to a digital version of the plan,
a short presentation orienting
viewers and a survey for pro
viding comments. After the
April 11 deadline, DNR will
use the comments to make final
revisions. The plan will be sent
to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service in June for approval.
States update their wildlife
action plans every 10 years to
remain eligible for federal State
Wildlife Grants. Even more
important, the plans are crucial
to what State Wildlife Grants
firnding is focused on: power
ing targeted, voluntary conser
vation to prevent wildlife from
becoming endangered.
Georgia’s Wildlife Action
Plan has been key to conserva
tion since 2005. Projects such
as the creation of Ceylon Wild
life Management Area near St.
Marys and the expansion of
Paulding Forest WMA in north-
west Georgia were firnded in
part because they provided es
sential habitat for wildlife con
sidered conservation priorities.
Partnerships in which stake
holders pooled resources and
collaborated on plan-centered
goals helped keep the gopher
tortoise and sicklefin redhorse
off the U.S. endangered species
list. Education and outreach
events have spread the word
about species and habitats in
the action plan, informing gen
erations of Georgians about the
state’s wildlife and the impor
tance of conserving it.
For more on work done
through the State Wildlife Ac
tion Plan, explore the story
maps at https://georgiawildlife.
com/WildGeorgiaSWAP and
the Wildlife Conservation Sec
tion’s annual report at https://
georgiawildlife.com/conserva-
tion/annualreport. The Wildlife
Conservation Section is charged
with conserving the more than
95 percent of native species in
Georgia that are not fished for
or hunted, plus rare plants and
natural habitats.
WILDLIFE
PLAN COMMENTS
•Feb. 19-April 11: Public
comment period for the draft
2025 Georgia State Wildlife
Action Plan.
• Submit comments at https://
georgiawildlife.com/WildGeor-
giaSWAP.
• The website includes a brief
presentation about the plan, a
survey for providing comments
and a link to a digital version of
the draft.
• Questions? Email
WCScomments@dnr.ga.gov.
THE PLAN/AT A GLANCE
• Georgia’s State Wildlife Ac
tion Plan is a statewide strategy
to conserve populations of na
tive wildlife species and the nat
ural habitats they need before
these animals, plants and places
become rarer and more costly to
conserve or restore.
• Congress requires an ap
proved plan for states to receive
State Wildlife Grants, the main
federal firnding source for states
to conserve nongame - animals
not legally fished for or hunted.
• Plans must be updated ev
ery 10 years. Georgia DNR’s
Wildlife Conservation Section
coordinates updates. But the
process involves more than 100
partners and stakeholders, from
conservation groups and agen
cies to universities and private
landowners.
• Created in 2005, Georgia’s
Wildlife Action Plan was re
vised in 2015 and 2025. The lat
est revision includes an online
tool to track conservation proj
ects and a digital hub to explore
plan data.
• The revised plan also iden
tifies more than 1,000 “species
of greatest conservation need”
and the habitats essential for
conserving them.
• For more, including how
to comment on the draft 2025
plan, visit https://georgiawild-
life.com/WildGeorgiaSWAP.
Gopher tortoise
#.
School
Comer Elem. announces
February students of the month;
Young
ia Author winners
039-0-82
—ill
Comer Elementary School
Students of the Month
Comer Elementary’s Young Georgia Author winners:
Braxton Welch, Blaine Knight, Brooks Youngblood,
Amelia Sheinfeld, Aveigha Smith and Maris Beard.
Submitted photos
Comer Elementary’s February
students of the month (above):
Travis Casper, Noah Mosley,
Elli Mae Vaughn, Jameson
Murray, Lydia Kincaid, Blaine
Knight, Harper Smith, Van-
sui Hnem, Sofiabella Hodg
es, Daphne Parham, Michael
Prather, Sam Dybdahl, Amelia
Sheinfeld, Johannah Vander-
wark, Steven Reh, Amelia Paul,
Bella Haley, Amber Paw, Na
talie Talaske, Ava Elsey, Hun-
ner Smith and Jacob Gokey.
Character Stars of the Month
The following Comer Elementary students received character star awards for empathy in
February: Raygon Dockery, Thangbik Lian, Kieran Eisler, Alyson Newsome, Everett Long,
Emma Fortson, Dawson Youngblood, Hutson Gravitt, Naomi Brubaker, Cheyenne Harbert,
Autry Murphy, Trayson Daniel, Braxton Wood, Steven Htoo, Emma Elrod, Brooks Haley,
Keyshun Fleming, Terrell Meadows, Dalton Yearwood, Blakely Shelton, Kaiden Wells,
Charleigh Bell, Sarah Prys, Jaylee Collinsworth and Haelyn Strehler.
Comer Elementary’s readers of the month
for February: Elowen Nelson, Ellie Igna
cio, Lennox Griffiths, Dawson Youngblood,
Naomi Brubaker, Charlie Epps, Candice Ta
laske, August Bracewell, Zoe Tun, Caroline
Smith and Maris Beard.
Comer Elementary bus riders of the month
award winners for February: Lennon
Vaughn, Ailin Miralrio-Zarco, Lizzie Clegg,
Dylan Castro-Suarez, Makiah Caro, Selena
Boe, Juan Guevara Balber and Iris Duffell.
New Georgia
Promise Scholarship
applications open now
As of March 1, eligible kindergarten through
12tli grade students may apply for up to $6,500
in annual funding for private school tuition,
tutoring services and other qualified education
expenses through the new Georgia Promise
Scholarship Program. Students may check
their eligibility and apply online at mygeor-
giapromise.org.
“Today is a great day for Georgia students
and families as this next step in the launcli of
the Promise Scholarship further empowers par
ents to make the best decision for their child’s
education,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “We
know a quality education is critical to eacli
child’s development and future prosperity. I’m
grateful for the various state agencies that have
worked so hard in the lead up to this launch, as
well as our partners in the General Assembly
who made this possible witli last year’s pas
sage of Senate Bill 233.”
The Georgia Promise Scholarship Program
is open to students who reside in a Georgia
public school attendance zone that is on the
Georgia Promise Scholarship School List pro
duced by the Governor’s Office of Student
Achievement, and who have been enrolled in
a Georgia public school for two consecutive
full-time equivalent (FTE) counts (typically
one academic year), or are a rising kindergar
ten student. Parents must have been Georgia
residents for at least a year, with exceptions for
active-duty military. Families may check their
initial eligibility before the application opens
by answering a few simple questions through
the prescreen tool at mygeorgiapromise.org.
“We know that students have different learn
ing styles. The Georgia Promise Scholarship
Program empowers families to utilize private
schools, tutors, and occupational, behavior ¬
al, physical, or speech-language therapists to
best meet their unique educational needs,” said
Georgia Student Finance Commission Presi
dent Lynne Riley. “We are thankful for the sup
port and vision of Governor Brian P. Kemp, Lt.
Governor Burt Jones, Speaker Jon Burns, and
the Georgia General Assembly in creating ed
ucational opportunities for Georgia families.”
Georgia Promise Scholarship funds may be
used for private school tuition, fees, and tutor
ing services provided by an educator certified
by the Georgia Professional Standards Com
mission. Over 250 private schools in Geor
gia have been approved to participate in the
program. The next private school application
window will be open from April 1 - April 30,
2025.
The scholarship may also be used for text-
books and supplemental materials, services
from a physician or licensed therapist for occu
pational, behavioral, physical, or speech-lan
guage therapies, curriculum, and transportation
to a service provider (up to $500 per year). Up
to 50% of unused Promise Scholarship funds
in an academic year may carry forward to the
following academic year.
Students may apply to participate in the
Promise Scholarship Program eacli calendar
quarter. The application portal is open now.
Parents should be prepared to provide proof
of residency and income verification when ap
plying. The full list of required documentation
to apply is available in the Family Handbook.
Applicants will be notified if they have been
accepted to the program after the first appli
cation window closes on April 15, . To learn
more about this program, please visit my-
georgiapromise.org or email help@mygeor-
giapromise.org.
