SOQUE BULLETIN
September 15, 2011
BUY TICKETS NOW for the SOQUE ROAST on September 30th, 2011 @ 6 p.m.
featuring special guest UGA football Coach Vince Dooley and his wife Barbara.
Food this year by Hawg Wild with appetizers featuring locally grown food, local wine, local beer.
BUT TICKETS NOW online at www.soque.org or print out the attached RSVP and mail in a check.
1) New rainbarrel design DEMO at Habitat RESTORE - 4PM on Friday, September 16th
2) Restoration scheduled for Fairview Elementary and Habersham Medical Center during SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER
3) SOQUE PARTNERSHIP to visit Rainwater Harvesting system in Athens, September 22nd
4) Sediment Water Quality problems approaching two year mark
5) Soque River Ramble coming up Saturday, October 22nd
6) Community Garden shifting to fall crops - receives award from Georgia Power Foundation to build greenhouse
1) New rainbarrel design DEMO at Habitat RESTORE - 4PM on Friday, September 16th
It's still a great time to purchase and install a rainbarrel as we're entering the driest months of the year, and there's still a need for outside watering such as vegetable gardens, ornamentals, or even to wash your car. New rainbarrel kits and 60 gallon barrels are available at the Habitat RESTORE for just $40. SRWA Members can receive a discount if you schedule a time to pick up a barrel and kit at the office. Take a look at the Northeast Georgian article below for details about the RAINBARREL DEMO on Friday at 4pm.
2) Restoration Projects nearly scheduled for Fairview Elementary and Habersham Medical Center during SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER
A massive collaboration to help revegetate the grounds of Fairview Elementary School has been under discussion as a project of the SOQUE PARTNERSHIP beginning this past winter. Input on the project has been provided by Extension, North Georgia Technical College, Georgia Forestry Commission, local farm partners, the Habersham County School System, and many others. The current proposal is getting close to final and calls for 1-5 acres of fescue grass to be planted along the outer perimeter of school grounds where there is the least vegetative cover, followed by tree planting this winter, then next spring two half acre plots would be planted to bermuda grass. In addition to helping to enhance the aesthetics of the school, soil erosion will be greatly reduced, and rainwater will be able to infiltrate and replenish groundwater supplies. We'll also be learning some good lessons about how to conduct site restoration to enhance the environment. This is one of the biggest projects we've been working on this past year and we're excited that we may be starting soon. Stay tuned.
The aerial map shows the areas F3 and F4 proposed for fescue planting and trees. S1 and S2 are scheduled for bermuda planting next spring.
The photo shows the lack of vegetative cover at the school.
Thanks to the initiative of the Sunrise Rotary Club in Clarkesville and the Habersham Medical Center it looks like we may launch the first project of our new "Grow Something Green" campaign at the front entrance of the hospital the first weekend of October. The "Grow Something Green" campaign is a new program to demonstrate that land with lush healthy vegetation holds soil in place, and when it rains the rainfall is able to percolate into healthy living soil and replenish our groundwater. The projects will also identify areas that need restoration commonly viewed by the public, to enhance our community aesthetic while demonstrating environmental restoration. The Habersham Medical Center pilot project will restore several small areas within a 1,000 square foot space at the front entrance to hospital. The area has pockets of eroding red clay soil. We're still tweeking the final restoration plan but will likely involve the use of soil amendments, bank resloping, fescue grass, and ornamental shrubs. Thanks to our two principal project partners as well as DOT who will provide toe of slope stabilization resources, North GA Turf for a donation of sod, and Lowe's who is likely to donate some of the supplies needed.
This crosswalk at the hospital's main entrance will soon have a hill of grass and vegetation rather than raw dirt after the project.
3) SOQUE PARTNERSHIP to visit Rainwater Harvesting system in Athens, September 22nd
We'll give you full report after our visit but we're excited to be taking the County Manager, County Commissioners and several staff from the City of Clarkesville to see an innovative water conservation approach that may be considered for application on the new county courthouse. Last August, Fowler Drive Elementary School in Athens installed a giant rainwater cistern which captures rainwater from the roof of the school, filters the water, then uses this water to flush the commodes in the school. The system which cost $42,700 saves the school 300,000 gallons of water annually reducing water and sewer fees by about $4,300 annually, which is about a 10-year payback. David Stubbs who is the facilities director for Athens-Clarke County schools will be leading the tour and providing design details, and performance specifics. The Athens Clarke County school system is institutionalizing these type of water conservation systems on all future school buildings.
4) Sediment Water Quality problems approaching two year mark
As you may frequently notice in our news announcements, the SRWA really tries to focus on the positive, emphasizing projects in our watershed that involve numerous partners that volunteer to help us reduce impacts to the watershed (…. we've nearly found more willing partners than time to implement projects with them, a great problem to have). That's why it's unfortunate when some water quality problems don't seem to have an easy resolution. In December of 2009 a water quality concern on a 60 acre property was first brought to our attention by adjacent landowners. The property had been cleared and graded and since that time has caused significant erosion problems. We're just shy of two years later and the site still produces significant water quality problems during rainfall such as the most recent one on Labor Day. While we're unable to say much about the specifics of the site at this time (we're still awating actions from enforcement agencies) it's important to make the community aware of the problem and inform you that we're working to see that a resolution is found.
5) Soque River Ramble coming up Saturday, October 22nd
Mark your calendars now for the 5th annual Soque River Ramble on Saturday, October 22nd (it's the same day as Batesville Days). If you haven't yet started training, it's not too late, and it's not too hard. It's for anyone who loves the scenic beauty of Goshen Valley in the fall, and likes to start a Saturday morning with the sunshine on your face. And it benefits the SRWA and the Batesville Fire Department. Dale and Jean Holmes generously coordinate this event for our benefit. In addition to the 6k run there's a 1 mile fun run/walk. Early entry fees are only $20. Top finishers in each age group will receive a Mark of the Potter mug. Just click on the fish to register or visit the website http://soqueriverramble.com/for more details.
6) Community Garden shifting to fall crops - receives award from Georgia Power Foundation to build greenhouse
One of the great pleasures of the SRWA these past two years has been the construction of The Green Way Garden on the Clarkesville Greenway. In addition to demonstrating how to grow food organically, how to utilize captured rainwater for irrigation, and how to manage soils, pests and weeds in the most sustainable way possible, we're also trying to demonstrate the importance of learning how to grow things for environmental conservation. Green is the hidden word in sustainability, and that word means growing things. Sometimes we have to teach ourselves how to grow things, and that's certainly been the case this year. Thanks to a generous donation from Georgia Power Foundation of $1,000 awarded on August 22, 2011, the SRWA and the Green Way Garden now have funds to help assemble a 30x16 greenhouse and improve our water system. The goal of the greenhouse is to establish a location to help propogate plants for rain gardens, stream restoration, organic gardening, and other ornamental plants to benefit our local environment. The sunflower photo above (by Rope Roberts who is both a Green Way Gardener and GA Power employee) is representative of our efforts to grow crops for good. These were oil seed sunflowers which is a potential collaborative crop for local farmers to explore. It's also a beautiful adornment to our neighborhood.
Justin Ellis
Executive Director
Soque River Watershed Association
706-754-9382
