Soque Bulletin - June 22, 2012

SOQUE BULLETIN

June 22, 2012

1) SOQUE RIVER FESTIVAL - Smashing Success

2) GEORGIA MOUNTAINS FARM TOUR - Just one week away

3) SOQUE RIVER CLEANUP - Saturday July 7th - 9am

"FIRST EVER" SOQUE RIVER FESTIVAL

SMASHING SUCCESS

Barbara Steinhous and Jerry Richmond enjoying their paddle during the 4th of 10 trips down the river on Saturday June 16th.

(photo by Lane Gresham - Northeast Georgian)

We have some great photos of the FESTIVAL on our FACEBOOK page and PICASA.

If you have photos from the festival we'd love for you to share them with us.

1) SOQUE RIVER FESTIVAL - Smashing Success

Last weekend's SOQUE RIVER FESTIVAL exceeded all our expectations. We had over 200 people come out for the event, including exactly 150 who floated down the river, and eight who toured the Proposed Greenway on bicycles. We're collecting feedback from everyone who attended and this is one of the comments we received.

"The whole thing was great! Loved the relaxed feel of the event - everyone seemed to have fun, and at the same time, there was a sense of ease....as if we were floating along the river even when on dry land......delightful!"

For those who attended, thanks for contributing to a successful day! We can't thank you enough for being a part of our "very first" SOQUE FESTIVAL!  We had PERFECT WEATHER, GREAT TURNOUT, DELCIOUS FOOD, LOTS OF HELPERS, AND VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ATTENDEES.

If you didn't make it this year, we hope you'll take a look at some of the photos from this year, and ask around, as we think you'll be hoping we host a similar event next year. Based on the community reaction, we certainly hope to do something similar again next year, that's why we'd really like to get YOUR FEEDBACK. Even if you didn't attend the event, but followed our publicity, your input for a similar event next year would be helpful to us. If YOU DID ATTEND this year's festival…….

PLEASE TAKE OUR QUICK SURVEY

ENTER TO WIN A FESTIVAL T-SHIRT

and ORGANIC SEED STARTING KIT

Congratulations to Mark Cross for winning our door prize of a FESTIVAL T-SHIRT

You could be the next to win if you take just 3-5 minutes to complete our survey.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS, VOLUNTEERS, AND SUPPORTERS

We could never have pulled this off without their help

Also special thanks to:

Tom Hensley and Springer Mountain Farms for providing Chicken, water and sponsorship, Matt Mixon for sponsoring our Laminated Maps for the Event, Doug Henry and Headwaters Realty for sponsoring our volunteer rewards, Cool River Tubing for loaning us Lifejackets, Habersham Bicycles for sponsoring the Greenway Bike Tour, Northeast Georgian for printing our registration form, Deana Brooksher and Garden of Wellness for preparing our local foods (and Jen Lynch, Marie Tannander and Liesel Potthast), Steven Patrick and Sheena (for Fish Frying), Andy Haygood (4H shuttle driver), John Mather for manning the grills. SERVERS - Deb Kilgore, Bob Kilgore, Teri Parker, Liesel Potthast, John Mather. REGISTRATION – Kimberly, Jean, Barbara Moser, Ching-Yu, Morning Washburn, and others. DRIVERS -Bob Bouchard, Dale Holmes, Randy Moser, David Budd, Andy Haygood ,Tom Pinion, Alex Smith. BOAT LOADERS -Stephen Giles, Charles Cunningham, Colt Martin, Jeffrey Turner, Blake Limbaugh, Jonathon Thacker and Brother and Dan Calhoun. GUIDES -Walter Matlock, Dan Calhoun, Bob Brooksher, Doug Henry, John Bigelow, Duncan Hughes, Scarlett Fuller, Ben Dockins, Justin Ellis, and Walter Matlock again. ARTWORK - Linda Anderson. DONATIONS - CERTUS bank – festival site, Marty Simmons and partners – put in site (and maintenance), City of Clarkesville and public works – mowing of site, CopperPot – Kitchen for food prep, Ice from Grace Calvary Church, Squash from Community Gardeners, Habersham County - Courthouse parking lot ,Bluegraphics - discounted t-shirts. BIKE TOUR –Walter, Scarlett, Joe Elam.  KIDS ZONE - Duncan Hughes – bug hunt, Janet Westervelt – bug hunt and id, Laura Turpen – rainbarrel painting, Julianne Wilson – face painting, Rocket Roy fly casting, Robert Sullivan - Fly tying, Bob Brooksher - games. SANITATION - Travis and Tammy Halbrook - Chase Sanitation. MUSIC - Richard & Lynda Averack, Walter Daves, Jeanie Daves, Jennie Inglis and Mark Baker. The Yonah Pickers Dulicimer Band, Lynn McCollum, Dee Petty.   LOANERS - Trucks from Scarlett Fuller and Duncan Hughes, Shuttles from Clarkesville United Methodist Church and Extension 4H, Trailers from Wildwood Outfitters and Bob Brooksher, Lifejackets from Cool River Tubing, Tables from Marty Simmons, Grills from Dan Calhoun, Brian Sandven, Justin Ellis. Boats loaned by: Duncan Hughes, Dudley Sisk, Doug Henry, Tom Hodges, Bob Brooksher, Dan Calhoun, Janet Westervelt, Anne Shirley, Wildwood Outfitters, Walter Matlock, Peter Bull, Tom Woods, Harold Kennedy, Justin Ellis. SITE PREP and SET UP - Dennis Clines, Marty Simmons, Randy Moser, Walter Matlock, Bob Brooksher, Duncan Hughes, Justin Ellis, Tom Pinion, Duncan Hughes, Harmony Fontaine, Debbie Bouchard, Barbara Steinhous and many others

There are probably many others that contributed to this event that we've failed to mention here. It was a great community effort. Thanks to each and every individual who attended and helped out!

Group #1 prepares for their trip with the most experienced guide on the Soque - Walter Matlock.

To stay connected to other great SOQUE EVENTS

send a reply e-mail and request to be added

to the SOQUE BULLETIN e-newsletter

or please JOIN the SRWA

Membership is what makes these events possible

2) GEORGIA MOUNTAINS FARM TOUR - Just one week away

For the last two years the SRWA has hosted a Tour of Sustainable Farms that has been one of our most well attended outings of the year. This year we decided to step it up a notch, and rather than have just 3 farms visited as a caravan on a Saturday, we expanded it to 18 total farm and food stops, spanning 5 counties all across North Georgia, and even touching into North and South Carolina. The reason is that the local sustainable food movement has exploded over the last three years and we wanted to showcase all of the farms and individual farmers that are making it possible. This year we're also including two optional MEAL STOPS by local chefs who know the value of local food (Jamie Alred at Lake Rabun Hotel and Jeff Morris at Copper Pot). To help raise money for a brand new Georgia Mountains Farmers Network, a portion of the proceeds will be used to help build farmer collaboratives throughout NE Georgia. Online advance ticket sales are over, but you can still purchase your weekend pass or brochure at the SRWA offices in downtown Clarkesville (call to arrange a time), at the Simply Homegrown market at Clayton, the Soque Lover Gardens! booth at the Clarkesville Farmers Market (we'll be there after 10am), Mountain Fresh Creamery in Clermont, The Root Cellar in Clayton, or you can show up the day of the event at the first featured farm of the day (LoganBerry Heritage Farm near Cleveland on Saturday) or Cedar Hill Enrichment Center (in Gainseville on Sunday).

To see the list of farms, the map of farm locations, and other details….click on the poster below to see the website and link to our brochure.

Fill up your car and bring family and friends on a weekend adventure to see local sustainable foods in action.

http://georgiamfn.blogspot.com/

3) SOQUE RIVER CLEANUP - Saturday July 7th - 9am

If you are itching for an opportunity to see more of the SOQUE your next opportunity will be our SOQUE RIVER CLEANUP – Saturday July 7^th . The Soque River Watershed Association is participating in American Rivers National River Cleanup event by leading a litter cleanup at Jackson Bridge on Hwy 197. Volunteers will meet at 9am at Old Clarkesville Mill (left parking lot) and carpool up to the bridge by 9:30 (you can meet us at the bridge if you're coming from the northend of the county. We'll provide all the garbage bags and gloves you'll need. The area around the 197 bridge is all withing the National Forest and encompasses a one mile section of public access to the Soque. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's beautiful.

After the cleanup the group will enjoy a short hike. Details call 706-754-9382 or soque@windstream.net.

Justin Ellis

Executive Director

Soque River Watershed Association

www.soque.org

706-754-9382

SOQUE BULLETIN - June 11th, 2012 - FESTIVAL just 6 days away!

SOQUE BULLETIN

June 11th, 2012

We're just 5 days away from our "first ever" SOQUE FESTIVAL.

Register Now - WALK UP SPACE is limited!

You don't want to miss the "first ever" SOQUE RIVER FESTIVAL, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. this SATURDAY, JUNE 16th. This is the very first community river festival and paddle event on the Soque River. The highlight of the event is a 2-mile paddle trip on the Soque River right through the town of Clarkesville. With the rain this weekend (and today) the river should be nice and full. The paddle is only $10 and includes boats, paddles and lifejackets (small children need their own). Other FESTIVAL EVENTS open to all include a guided bicycle ride along the proposed Greenway (led by Habersham Bicycles…see our facebook page for route map), live music, fish and chicken tacos (about $7 for a full meal and drink), children's activities (water bug hunt, face painting, rainbarrel painting) and more. To sign up for the paddle, go to http://www.soque.org/paddlesignupsheet.pdf to download and print a form. Or call the office to find out what slots are still open. The event will be held at 173 LaPrade Street, Clarkesville GA 30523 (all parking at the County Courthouse). Bring a lawn chair and Hope to see you soon! Call (706) 754-9382 for more details or soque@windstream.net.

It's the best opportunity this year to GET WET on the SOQUE!

Space is limited for the float so sign up now.

http://www.soque.org/paddlesignupsheet.pdf

Here's a map of the whole paddle route and our festival site. Thanks to Matt Mixon for making this map possible. All paddlers will receive a free copy of this map and the Greenways Bike map for FREE when they arrive at the event.

Click on the map to access our Facebook page where you can see more maps and photos.

THE FESTIVAL ACTIVITES ARE FREE AND OPEN TO EVERYONE EVEN IF YOU DON'T PLAN TO PADDLE

So bring the whole family.

Bring a Blanket or Lawn Chair.

GET YOURSELF A FESTIVAL T-SHIRT

Standard shirts are $15  / Ladies and Kids slim cut $20

Available at the event or pre-order when you register to paddle

---

The GEORGIA MOUNTAINS FARM TOUR is less than 3 weeks away. Buy your weekend passes now.

This is the best opportunity of the year to get an inside look into Local Foods across Northeast Georgia.

And it supports local farmers.

GEORGIA MOUNTAINS FARM TOUR - JUNE 30 & JULY 1

Mark your calendars and buy your Weekend Pass now for the NE GA regions FIRST tour of sustainable farms. Choose from 14 farms in Habersham, Rabun, White, Stephens and beyond, visit community gardens, and eat local foods prepared by local chefs. It's the food and farm event of the summer hosted by SRWA and will help benefit a new Farmers Network. You can read details on all the farms featured by downloading the weekend guide and PDF here or click the photo above. You can buy tickets at www.soque.org (or direct link to https://donationpay.org/soqueriver/farmtour2012.php).

Our full press release is at http://georgiamfn.blogspot.com/

Thanks for making one of our SRWA activities a part of your 2012 SUMMER

Justin Ellis

Executive Director

Soque River Watershed Association

www.soque.org

706-754-9382

Soque Bulletin - May 1st, 2012 - SUMMER EVENTS PLANNER

SOQUE BULLETIN

May 1st, 2012

Plan Your Summer Now around Two Events we expect to be 2 of the best the SRWA has ever Hosted.

For detailed information on either event just click on the POSTER

1) SOQUE RIVER FESTIVAL - Saturday - June 16th - "First Ever" Paddle and Play on the Soque!

2) Boats needed for FESTIVAL

3) GEORGIA MOUNTAINS FARM TOUR - June 30th - July 1st - Choose from nearly 20 sustainable farms

4) Jackson Bridge Clean-Up - Saturday, July 7th

1) SOQUE RIVER FESTIVAL - Saturday - June 16th - "First Ever" Paddle and Play on the Soque!

Nothing makes the heat of Summer more enjoyable than a day getting wet and relaxed on your favorite River! That was our thinking when we started planning what could be the most exciting event of the SRWA's 14 year history …..the "FIRST EVER" Soque River Festival! Mark your calendars, call your friends and plan on a great day on Saturday, June 16th from 10am-3pm. The brand new festival is centered around a 2-mile paddle trip on the Soque River beginning just north of Clarkesville at Farm Hill and ending at Chatterton Place, a beautiful bottomland farm just downstream of Pitts Park. The float is open to individuals and families for just $10 per person. Registration for the float is open now and is limited to a total of 150 boaters for the day.

To make it easy for all to come….we're providing the boats (all of which are being loaned by local folks donating use of their boat for the day), we're providing the shuttle, life jackets, paddles, paddling lesson, and a guide. All you have to bring is $10 and a exuberant enthusiasm to be out on the water. The paddle trip will last about one hour and is rated for “beginners” so even those with little to no experience are encouraged to attend. Kids of all ages are welcome (though child size life-jackets must be provided for small children).

In addition to the PADDLE / FLOAT the FESTIVAL will feature many other fun activities for the whole family:

·         Bike Tour of the Proposed Greenway - register for the 11am free 6 mile tour of the entire proposed Greenway.

·         Lunch featuring Fish or Chicken Tacos and locally grown fruits and veggies (Lunches will be sold on-site)

·         Fresh Lemonade

·         Live Acoustic Music

·         Kids Zone featuring - outdoor games, face painting, rainbarrel painting, a place to splash in the river, and educational stream talk and water bug hunt.

·         Attendees are encouraged to bring folding chairs or blankets to enjoy the streamside atmosphere for the day.

To register for the paddle or bike ride you can direct link to our registration forms by clicking the logo.

Registration can also be found from the main page of our website, www.soque.org. Or you can drop by the office located on the Square above Natalie Jane’s. The other Festival activities (including the Bike Tour) are free and open to the public and no registration is required. The Festival site will be located at Chatterton Place at the end of LaPrade Street, with parking at the County Courthouse. The Festival is proudly sponsored by Springer Mountain Farms, Certus Bank, Matt Mixon and State Farm Insurance, Wildwood Outfitters, and Habersham Bicycles. Additional support from Garden for Wellness, and Chase Sanitation. For information about sponsorship, volunteering for the event, or general questions call 706-754-9382.

2) Boats needed for FESTIVAL

"Hey, Where's my Paddle?"

If you have canoes, kayaks and paddles that you'd be willing to loan for use during the festival we're still trying to scrounge up a small handful. For 150 people on the river, we only need 30 boats and we already have 24. If demand is high and we wanted to exceed 150 boaters, it would be great to have 40 total boats. All that's needed is an ability for boat loaners to drop off their boats on the Friday before the event and pick them up on Saturday after the event or Sunday am. No aluminum boats please. If your interested in loaning your boat or boats, the boat loan form is on the SRWA website or can be accessed HERE. Fill it out, save it to your computer under a new name and then e-mail it back to us. We'll immediately give your boat a name and throw it into our rotation schedule, and yes, you can sign up to use your own boat during the tour.

3) GEORGIA MOUNTAINS FARM TOUR - June 30th - July 1st - Choose from nearly 20 sustainable farms

If Sustainable Local Food and Farms have piqued your interest recently then 2012 is going to be a good year for you. There's a brand new farmers market starting in Clarkesville (contact Ben Dockins for details), the NE Georgia Locally Grown Market is off to a bustling start, and there's more farms growing more food than ever before in the local area.

Perhaps most exciting has been the increased collaboration amongst local farmers to exchange information, visit each others farms, and collaborate on projects. And that's what has led to this years GEORGIA MOUNTAINS FARM TOUR, a weekend event featuring 18 different farms or food venues, demonstrating to the public that North Georgia is rapidly building a vibrant and organized local food scene. The TOUR to be held June 30th - July 1st features small farms that sell sustainable foods locally. After two very succesful Tour of Sustainable Farms events, the SRWA has helped local farmers convene this much larger, more ambitious regional event. And we're pretty excited about it.

The way it works is you gather a group of friends and buy one WEEKEND PASS for all of you to visit all farms, all weekend for an entire carload of people. As many people as can fit in your car can come for one price. WEEKEND PASSES ARE $30 if purchased before June 16th, and $35 the day of the event. You'll also be able to purchase passes beginning next Wednesday, June 9th on the www.soque.org website, at SRWA offices, through Locally Grown, at Simply Homegrown in Clayton, at the Root Cellar in Clayton, and at Mountain Fresh Creamery in Clermont. The weekend passes will be these sharp little bumper stickers currently being printed for us (by our friends at North GA Label). If you'd like to flip through the detailed guide to the Tour just click on the Bumber Sticker below.

4) Jackson Bridge Clean-Up - Saturday, July 7th

It's been quite some time since the SRWA has led an excursion to Jackson Bridge. For those of you who don't know, Jackson Bridge marks the beginning of a one-mile public stretch of the Soque River that's is an excellent fishing location and one of the prettiest areas of the whole river. It's also an area that receives a little bit of litter resulting from the heavy foot traffic. If you haven't seen this area before, or would like to see it again, this will be a great opportunity to do a little service for the river while taking in it's natural beauty.

We'll meet at 9am, Saturday, July 7th at Old Clarkesville Mill and arrange a few carpools to save on gas.

Let us know if you plan to come. You can e-mail Kimberly at srwa@windstream.net. We might just schedule something else special for that day if conditions are right.

PS - Justin will be travelling out of the country for the first 3 weeks in May. If you have any urgent inquiries during that time please contact Kimberly Brown at srwa@windstream.net or Duncan Hughes at dhughes@northgatech.edu. Thank You!

Justin Ellis

Executive Director

Soque River Watershed Association

www.soque.org

706-754-9382

Soque Bulletin - April 9, 2012

SOQUE BULLETIN

April 9th, 2012

The 3rd Season of the SRWA's Locally Grown Market starts this week.

Featuring for the first time, mik from Mountain Fresh Creamery.

You can still order through 9pm tonight (Monday). Just click on the flier above to access the website.

1) Clarkesville Greenways PUBLIC MEETING - Announcing Greenway Expansion! - This Thursday, April 12th 

2) SRWA in the news - newpsaper stories since January

3) Two Green Way Community Garden Plots Available

1) Clarkesville Greenways PUBLIC MEETING - Announcing Greenway Expansion! - This Thursday, April 12th 

Come out and support your enthusiasm for the Clarkesville Greenways, and also get a tour of the proposed half mile expansion into Mary Street Park that should begin sometime this summer. It's been nearly three years (June of 2009) since we've had a Greenways Public Meeting and there's cause to celebrate. Last month the City of Clarkesville received word that they had been approved for a $100,000 grant from the Georgia Recreational Trails Program to extend the existing Greenway trail into the adjacent Mary Street Park.

This new trail section will greatly enhance the use and enjoyment of the Greenway and also improve Mary Street Park which just happens to be in a revisioning process this year. The city has also applied for funding to build a grassed amphitheater that would join with the Greenways. Other features of this new trail section will include: two trailheads, concrete ramps, a restrooom and access to picnic tables for individuals with disabilities. It will also feature a second bridge across Rocky Branch, and improved signage. The grant will also allow us to assess ways to improve the overall trail system so come out and give your ideas.

Part of the public meeting will be soliciting input from citizens who use the Greenway and looking at volunteer opportunities such as: improving use of the kiosk for posting community announcements, management of pet friendly features, signage explaining special features of the Greenway, how to promote the Greenway to visitors to the area, special events, maintenance of the trail and trail features such as the boardwalk and natural areas.

Come and enjoy a walk around the new trail section and discussions of how to make the Greenway even more used and loved in the City of Clarkesville. Meeting is at 6pm at the Mary Street Park picnic pavillions this Thursday, April 11th. If you're interested in us addressing a particular issue go ahead and let us know at soque@windstream.net.

Concept Map for the Mary Street Park Greenway Expansion.

The details of how the trail will be designed have changed, but this gives a general outline.

Come to the meeting on April 12th to walk the proposed trail and see for yourself.

2) SRWA in the news - newpsaper stories since January

We just added a new link to our website called SRWA NEWS that will feature newspaper and magazine articles featuring the SRWA and our related projects. Special thanks to the Northeast Georgian who does a great job of covering our many projects and events. Here's a quick list of the articles published since January (we still need to add our stormwater tour of the judicial center). Hope you enjoy this new link:

2-1-12 Georgia Power helps remove invasive privet

3-9-12 Duncan Hughes' watershed update to Clarkesville council

3-28-12 Clarkesville receives $100,000 greenway grant

4-6-12 NEGA Locally Grown resumes regular season

Also, now is a great time to join the SRWA and receive our latest SPRING / SUMMER newsletter that will be getting mailed out later this week. If you've been thinking of joining and just haven't gotten around to it yet, sign up today through our website and you'll have a full update on all our activities in your mailbox by this time next week. Just click the donate leaf. And thanks for your support.

3) Two Green Way Community Garden Plots still Available

The Green Way Community Garden just kicked off it's 3rd season and there's still room for two energetic and fired up gardeners who'd like to get engaged in growing organic fruits and vegetables. Some of the exciting new activities for this year's garden are:

·         Greenhouse completed - thanks to a generous gift from Georgia Power we were able to complete construction of a 30x16 greenhouse adjacent to the garden which will be used to extend the season into the cooler months and also for growing transplants, and to propogate rain garden and riparian plants. We hope to have a dedication at some point to show it off.

·         New Composting Bins - our garden leaders helped to assemble two pallet composting bins made from pallets that came from our rainbarrel program.

·         Blueberries will produce fruit this year - Our blueberries are entering their third season this year and they'll finally begin bearing fruit.

·         Flower and Herb gardens - We'll have two community plots where we'll be experimenting with a combination of perrenial and annual flowers and herbs to give our garden some permanent beautiful and edible patches.

·         Farm rows for sale and donations - We've added two 100 foot rows this year to plant more crops that we can both sell for income to the garden and to donate to the local soup kitchen, and other locations.

But the core purpose of the garden is to give each participant their own 10x20 foot plot to learn to grow organic vegetables from April 1st - August 30th without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. We do require gardeners to keep plots well groomed and harvested every week of the season, so be certain you're able to dedicate several hours every week to your plot, and are willing to volunteer to do community projects. That's the fun of the Green Way Garden, it's a great place to build friendships and develop your own skills and projects that benefit the broader community. New ideas and individuals are highly welcome. For more information call Walter Matlock (706) 754-5290

Justin Ellis

Executive Director

Soque River Watershed Association

www.soque.org

706-754-9382

Soque Bulletin - TOUR OF SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER - saturday, february 11th

SOQUE BULLETIN

February 8, 2012

Be the first to see plans for the new County Courthouse

including 3 first of their kind innovative stormwater features!

Like this constructed wetland.

TOUR OF SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER

Saturday, February 11th

10am - 12:30

meet at Old Clarkesville Mill

In 2012, the Soque River Watershed Association (SRWA) will once again host four seasonal sustainability tours, each highlighting the unique ways that community partners are working hard to make Habersham County more sustainable. Our quarterly schedule of tours will include:

·         WINTER Stormwater Tour on February 11^th

·         SPRING Farm Tour on April 21^st

·         SUMMER Water Conservation Tour on July 21^st

·         FALL Grist Mill Tour on October 20^th

The series begins on Saturday, February 11^th with a Tour to learn about Sustainable Stormwater and includes visits to three different sites in and around Clarkesville, including the site of the new County Courthouse.  Stormwater is basically rainwater that isn’t able to soak into the ground and becomes runoff. Since runoff is the 3^rd leading cause of water quality problems alongside bacteria and sediment, this tour will highlight how to transform rainwater into groundwater and prevent it from ever becoming stormwater runoff, very much like nature does.

The first stop of the tour will highlight the County’s plans to incorporate innovative stormwater management practices at the new Courthouse site. Officials from the County and the City of Clarkesville toured sites in Athens back in September, and many of the practices observed such as bioswales and constructed wetlands are now planned for the new courthouse site. The tour will walk the entire pre-construction property and discuss specific features designed to capture and filter stormwater and allow large volumes of water to soak back into the groundwater table.

Once constructed, the County Courthouse will be one of the best demonstrations in the county of a new way of managing water runoff that we can all be proud of, and strive to emulate. The tour will also include stops to look at opportunities for better stormwater practices, and a visit to the Clarkesville Greenway to learn the history of “the wetland that built itself,” which is currently the only constructed wetland in the county (but not for long), and one of the largest in the state.

The tour begins at Old Clarkesville Mill (left side parking lot) at 10am. For more information call 706-754-9382.

Justin Ellis

Executive Director

Soque River Watershed Association

www.soque.org

706-754-9382

Soque Bulletin - January 12, 2012 - SURVEY

SOQUE BULLETIN

January 12, 2012

Here's a sneak peak at Habersham County's first formal bioretention cell or pocket wetland

to be built at the County Courthouse. Designed to allow infiltration of stormwater of everything below a 100 year flood.

Tour scheduled February 11 (see below).

1) Take this SURVEY - & you could win a SRWA SWEATSHIRT!

2) End of Year Campaign GOAL EXCEEDED!

3) Calendar Announcements - Privet Removal and Tour of Sustainable Stormwater

1) Take this SURVEY - & you could win a SRWA SWEATSHIRT!

The SRWA is working on a strategic plan this month that will guide all our projects for the next 3 years…and WE NEED YOU and your ideas and suggestions of what you think are some of the top priorities for the SRWA to focus on. We've drafted a simple 10 question survey that should take less than 10 minutes to fill out. To reward you for sharing your ideas we'll enter everyone who completes the survey in a drawing to receive a FREE SRWA sweatshirt (S,M, L, and 2XL - sorry no XLs). You can make a significant contribution towards the future of the SRWA by giving us your feedback on this SURVEY and it will greatly improve our planning process coming up the end of this month.

Click Here Now

Here's what the survey looks like. Takes less than 10 mins.

You don't have to be a member to respond.

Anyone in our community is encouraged to give us feedback.

Just click here or on any of the photos above.

The survey can also be reached from our website www.soque.org

2) End of Year Campaign GOAL EXCEEDED!

Thanks to all who contributed to our End of Year campaign. We we're overwhelmed with the generous responses at the end of the year, which took us up right over our goal of $3,000. If you'd still like to make a contribution it's not too late. Just click below to reach our donation page on our website and if you click OTHER we'll add your gift to our End Of Year totals. Thanks again for everyone's significant support!

3) Calendar Announcements - Privet Removal and Tour of Sustainable Stormwater

Privet Removal - Monday, January the 16th  - 9am-12pm

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this Monday the 16th and this Federal and State holiday is now known by many as the MLK Day of Service, a day when willing volunteers serve their neighbors and communities. This year employees from the Georgia Power Company have once again offered to work on a project on the Clarkesville Greenways (back in 2009, they planted 50 blueberry bushes at our community garden).

This year the team will be removing Invasive Chinese Privet. If you're not familiar with Privet take a look at this great website and video that thoroughly describes the plant, its appearance, impacts on native plants, and methods for removal. We'll get started at 9am at the Old Clarkesvillle Mill parking lot. All other willing volunteers are invited to attend as there are plenty of plants to pull and cut.

If you have the following bring Gloves, Loppers, and a Bucket (for the seeds).

Looking forward to making a big difference in the look and sustainability of our community Greenway.

Tour of Sustainable Stormwater - Saturday February 11th

As part of our on-going quarterly sustainability tour series on Saturday, February 11, the SRWA will sponsor a tour of sustainable stormwater practices at four different urban sites in and around Clarkesville. Tour will include innovative practices to be installed at the new County Courthouse site. Tour begins at Old Clarkesville Mill (left side parking lot) at 10am.

During the tour we'll walk the entire County Courthouse site and discuss the upcoming construction of a bioretention cell (pocket wetland), swale and bioswale that combined will allow the majority of stormwater from the courthouse to re-infiltrate back into the ground, treating water pollution, and reducing damage to streams. This will be the first time these innovative stormwater structures have been seen in Habersham County. We'll also visit a few other sites for comparison.

Don't forget our SURVEY. Please complete one TODAY. And thanks for your ideas.

Justin Ellis

Executive Director

Soque River Watershed Association

www.soque.org

706-754-9382

Soque Bulletin - December 9, 2011 - Holiday UPDATES!

Soque Bulletin

December 9, 2011

YOU'RE INVITED…..

Mark your Calendars! Friday December 16th is the 3rd annual Soque Christmas Party and this year we have a BEER TASTING theme. To participate just bring a craft beer (defined as a beer made by a brewer that is small, independent, and traditional) at least one large 24 oz bottle, or two 12oz bottles and a potluck dish (veggies, meats, snacks or sweets). We'll do blind taste tests of beers to see which one's you like and help you navigate the wonderful world of craft beer. If you like the taste of beer in a glass rather than a plastic cup, please bring your favorite mug to show off. We'll also be selling SRWA Holiday Packs (see below) and signing up any new folks to our Soque Bulletin or maybe even as Members. Support your local river loving group.
Excellent selections of craft beers can be found at Betty's in Helen, that beer store on 129 south in Cleveland, Hillside Beverage in Gainseville, and Beverage Superstore in Suwanee. Very limited selections are of course at Ingles but try and surprise us (and let us know of other good selections nearby). RSVP if you can and let us know how many and what you're bringing so we can tempt everyone - soque@windstream.net

END OF YEAR CAMPAIGN UPDATE

Thank you recent donors! We're off to a great start in meeting our $3,000 END OF YEAR goal thanks to some very generous donations this past week. We're 1/3 of the way there with $1,075. We know that many of you just received our letter in the mail this week and we hope you'll send it back to us. For those of you who may not yet be on our mailing list, please print a copy of the letter attached as a PDF and consider us during your end of year giving.

The Soque River Watershed Association and our hardworking community of supporters is tyring to create a GREENER TOMORROW…..TODAY through our Conservation, Restoration and Sustainabiltiy programs. And you can help by making an End of Year Donation and raising that green bar both literally and figuratively. We want to give that ladybug over there a neck ache.

If you aspire to a GREENER TOMORROW……TODAY please help us make our $3,000 goal by making a contribution. Just click on this leaf right here…..

If you're not already a member, now's a great time to join. Or click on the OTHER category and add the amount of your one time donation. You can also find our donation page from our website www.soque.org.

Or…..Purchase a Soque Lovers Holiday Pack! These purchases go towards our goal as well and are an attractive way to give a local gift. There's two options:

·         THE BITTY PACK - for $10 get a  5oz. jar of the Webb's sourwood honey "best honey in the world", Soque photo card, SRWA flashlight keychain, Soque Watershed Map and Soque Lover sticker.

·         THE WHOPPING PACK - for $20 get the same thing but upsize to a 16oz jar of honey, and a beautiful bees wax candle. All Packs are gift wrapped in bags with an attractive ribbon for easy gifting. Makes a great gift for Soque Lovers.

The Bitty Pack on left is just $10 - The Whopping Pack on right is just $20.

Includes map, photo card/envelope, honey, key light, Lovers sticker and candle (whopping only)

We'll also provide shipping for just $5 if you'd like to surprise someone for the holidays.

Ordering Options

Call 706-754-9382

E-mail Kimberly at srwa@windstream.net

Order Online at

https://www.donationpay.org/soqueriver/

Pick Other and add amount   

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Justin Ellis

Executive Director
Soque River Watershed Association

PO Box 1901

Clarkesville, GA 30523

telephone 706.499.2261
soque@windstream.net

www.soque.org

Please Forward this E-mail to a Friend - we recently signed up our 1,000th person to the Soque Bulletin.

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