Lanier CCA Banquet - March 3rd

WHEN: Thursday, March 3rd

WHERE: Coo Coo's Nest Restaurant, Cumming, GA

TIME: 6:30 PM

Please put this event on your calendars. We are having a banquet/fundraiser for the Coastal Conservation Association. $60.00 gets you a one year membership in CCA as well as a great dinner at the Coo Coo's Nest just north of Cumming. The price of admission also makes you eligible to win a FREE GUIDED FISHING TRIP for striped bass on Lake Lanier.

• There will be many other fabulous fishing and non-fishing related auction and raffle items on hand to win. Incredible homemade cheese cakes and pecan brownie cakes
• 4 Lake Lanier maps marked for the best spots to fish:
• Spotted bass on Lures from Tim Hawkins of Hammonds Fishing Center
• Stripers using umbrella rigs from Capt. Mack Farr
• Stripers on bait from Jason Hammond-Shane Watson Guide Service
• Stripers and bass on top water from Henry Cowen
• Plenty of rods and reels, including a TFO rod of your choice if you win

TV host Cefus McRae and other local fishing experts will be on hand to talk tactics and share experiences with you. We really need you to attend. Tickets may be purchased online at CCA Lanier 2011 Banquet.

For more reasons why you should attend, you may visit the Nuts & Bolts of Fishing & Boating message board.

Coastal Conservation Association of Georgia

Jimmy's headed down for a CCA-Lanier Chapter meeting tonight and thought it would be a good time to remind everyone of this great organization.  Think of it as the TU for salt.


"The Lanier chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association of Georgia is committed to conservation, education, and preservation of our state's coastal resources.  We are also committed to the north Georgia watershed areas, especially Lake Lanier, and their preservation because we recognize that these resources affect our downstream coastal areas and the quality of those regions." 


Click here for more info on CCA-Georgia.

Lake Blue Ridge Drawdown Threatens Toccoa River Trout

The online edition of The News Observer in Blue Ridge recently published this article.  Hopefully this publicity will help focus the attention of the TVA on the problem before it is too late.  

Water temperatures threaten trout

BY DUB JOINER, STAFF WRITERThursday, August 12, 2010 1:56 PM CDT

John Damer warns of the dangers to Toccoa trout.

Trout fishing on the Toccoa River and its tributaries could be significantly impacted because of the drawdown of Lake Blue Ridge by the Tennessee Valley Authority to do repair work on the dam and its penstock.

At a Fannin County Chamber of Commerce meeting Wednesday, Aug. 11, Georgia Department of Natural Resources biologist John Damer expressed concerns about the possibility of a large fish kill as water temperatures rise in the river, especially the lower tailwaters.

After the meeting, Damer said the draw down is causing the temperature in the river to rise significantly and trout cannot survive at higher temperatures.

While uncertainty exists over how many trout could be killed, Damer said the worst case is that the fish kill could be significant.

“A water temperature of 22 degrees Celsius is stressful to trout,” Damer said. “When the temperature reaches 25 degrees Celsius and above, there will be a significant loss of trout.”

Wednesday, the temperature in the water temperature had reached 20.4 degrees Celsius coming out of the dam and 20.9 degrees Celsius in McCaysville, according to Damer.

Dan Forester warned TVA in a July 10, 2009, letter that starting the lake drawdown in mid-July could cause a fish kill because of rising temperatures. That letter was included in TVA’s Environmental Assessment of the project.

Forester wrote that starting the drawdown later, in early August, would lessen the stress factor on the trout in the river tailwaters and, while there would be a rise in water temperature, it would not be as much as it would be with a start for the drawdown in July.

Damer said TVA has to repair the dam, and it will stop any further need to do deep drawdowns, however with the water temperature rising, significant loss of trout is likely in the next few weeks due to the swiftness of the drawdown.

In a message to a Blue Ridge Trout Unlimited official, posted on the Internet, Damer said the only option readily apparent to DNR is to slow or halt the drawdown until cooler temperatures resume.

Fannin County Chamber of Commerce President Jan Hackett requested in a letter to TVA officials Thursday that, while the work on the dam is absolutely necessary, TVA do everything in its power to help avoid a terrible loss of trout.

“While the hot weather is beyond TVA’s control, a large-scale fish kill would be a tragedy beyond imagination,” Hackett wrote.

She said tourism is maintaining the Fannin community in the midst of the great recession. However, “we cannot afford to lose both our lake and the trout population in the tailwaters, which are fished year-round.”

TVA spokesman Travis Brickey said Thursday that TVA monitors the temperature in the Toccoa River daily and so far there have not been any reports of loss of fish.

“We understand the local concerns, however, water temperatures all across the TVA reservoir system are very hot,” Brickey said.

A meeting between TVA officials and biologists with the Georgia DNR was scheduled for late Thursday about the water temperature concerns in relation to the drawdown, Brickey said.

Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!

The folks out at Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone just mentioned in their latest newsletter that they are taking a stand on the spread of invasive species - they now have a cleaning station outside their front door to help do their part to pass along the idea of "Clean, Inspect, Dry", and noted the great website devoted to the cause of helping prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species at CleanInspectDry.com. While primarily aimed at the Greater Yellowstone Area, the site has some great general information on the problem and how to prevent the spread of these pests. For example, the site lists over 30 species of concern for the Greater Yellowstone Area alone.

With the summer, a lot of us take trips out west to enjoy some of the awesome trout fishing out there. It's good to remember that we should promote "safe wading" and properly clean our equipment when moving from one watershed to another - and also to make sure that we don't add to the problem by bringing home invasive species after our vacations are over.

Cool Solution to Clean Up Oil Disaster

Preserve Independent Judges for Our Environment

 We received an Action Alert from the Georgia Environmental Action Network this week that we think deserves your attention. Please review and contact your appropriate representatives.

Dear Friend,

Our judicial system is a cornerstone of our democracy. We rely on our courts to create a level playing field for everyone – citizens and businesses alike. Under Georgia law, decisions that affect the air we breathe and the water we drink are reviewed by judges who are expected to exercise an independent review of the facts and judge cases fairly on their merits. Now, a few special interests want to change that—and if they win, it will harm our democracy and our environment.

Problem:

Senate Bill 486 would unfairly tilt the balance of power toward the state environmental agency and away from citizens and business owners who monitor its actions. This bill would affect permit decisions regarding landfills, coastal development, water withdrawals or transfers, coal plants and more.SB 486 would change the standard by which the state Department of Natural Resources’ actions are reviewed so that an Administrative Law Judge must give deference or preference to technical expertise presented by the government for every permit and every decision.
Our judges should be able to give equal weight to technical expertise presented by citizens in order to make an independent decision on the merits of a case.

Solution:

Keep the law the way it is now. The current law respects the role of a judge as a neutral decision-maker who will equally weigh the facts presented by citizens or businesses and by the government. The government’s technical expertise should not be given more weight than the technical expertise presented by citizens or businesses.

Action Needed:

Urge your State Senator to vote NO on SB486 to ensure that citizens and businesses get a level playing field when appealing environmental permit decisions in the courts by our Administrative Law Judges. The bill narrowly passed committee by a close 5-4 vote and must be voted on by the full Senate this week to remain alive. Contact your Senator today.

Deadline for responding: Please take action by Thursday, March 26, 2010.