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New Wetland Wildlife Preserve to Establish Bird Sanctuary in Rockdale County        

A wetland wildlife preserve is being created next to the South River at Panola Mountain State Conservation Park in Rockdale County. This project will establish a sanctuary for birds including Sandhill cranes and wetland wildlife along a migratory flyway in Georgia where little suitable habitat remains. It will also create accessible wildlife observation and education opportunities for the residents of metro-Atlanta.

Funding for this project has been provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Southern Company in the form of a $55,000 grant to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Historic Sites and Division of Wildlife Resources. The Parks Division will match the gift with $55,000 making a total of $110,000 available to create the wetland wildlife preserve.

The Griffin office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is designing a constructed wetland to impound 8-10 acres of shallow water within the 30-acre project site. Food plots will be grown to provide sustenance for flocks of migrating birds in the fall. The wetland design will allow water levels to be managed to flood the food plots in the winter to complement natural bird migration and provide habitat for winter waterfowl.

The proximity to the South River, 70 acres of upland meadow and borders of mixed hardwood forest surrounding the site make the creation of this wetland especially valuable. The Panola Mountain wetland project was facilitated by the Upper Ocmulgee River RC&D Council, which recruited Elaine Nash about three years ago to provide leadership to a worthy project that could be developed as a memorial to the late Edward T. Alexander.

Mr. Alexander was a prominent Rockdale County Landscape Architect and RC&D Board member. This project grew out of the studies, the miles of hiking and the days of meetings conducted by Elaine and her work group. In addition to Georgia DNR and RC&D, assistance is being provided by USDA/NRCS, Audubon Society (Atlanta Chapter), Steven M. Jones-Environmental Services Inc., Rockdale County Soil and Water Conservation District, Georgia Native Plant Society and the Arabia Mountain Heritage Alliance.


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