Chattooga Quarterly
Summer, 2006
Magnolia fraseri, hand-colored engraving by Francis Sansom after Sydenham Teast Edwards. Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, London, 1809.
Director's Page
The campaign by American Whitewater to force the Forest Service to open the Chattooga River headwaters to whitewater boating has become one of the most polarizing issues since the Chattooga was designated as a National Wild and Scenic River in 1974. The Chattooga Conservancy’s position to keep the headwaters closed to boating is drawing increasing flak from the “paddling” community as the controversy escalates. In compliance with several requests for a more detailed explanation of our position, here is a synopsis of the issue as I see it. Read more.
Bartram’s Mountain Magnolia
The endemic Fraser magnolia of our southern mountains was named in 1788 in honor of John Fraser, a British publisher of botanicals, who collected plants in eastern America after the Revolutionary War. The naming of this beautiful tree has been an enigma for naturalists, especially for admirers of William Bartram, for perhaps 200 years. Legends have developed that imply, or even boldly assume, that John Fraser pirated from William Bartram the credit for discovering this magnolia. I have wondered about this question myself for many years. Lately I have done some investigative inquiry, and learned some new facts that only deepen the mystery. Here is my report. It begins on the southwestern slopes of Rabun Bald Mountain, just northeast of Clayton, Georgia. Read more.
The Looming Water Crisis
It is estimated that by the year 2020, Georgians will face water shortages if population growth continues at present rates. This startling statistic has surfaced at nearly every water quality meeting that I have attended recently. Is it an exaggeration? Not quite. This is just Georgia’s take on a bigger problem that the entire world is facing: a water crisis. Simply put, humans are running out of fresh water due to blatantly wasteful management practices and overuse. Consequently, irresponsible ground and surface water consumption has left us with lasting environmental effects such as degraded water quality and a diminished ability for the earth to replenish these water sources naturally through what is known as the hydrologic cycle and recharge. Read More.
Dark River of Deliverance
James Dickey changed my life. He never knew that. And at the time I didn’t even know it myself. But as surely as Dickey could put swashbuckling thoughts to paper and then morph them into his own persona, his words also became a part of who I was.
Read more.
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