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Patricia Donat
Price Memorial, Room 321
Email: pldonat@northgeorgia.edu March 4, 2011
Dear Ms. Donat;
I am writing to you to inform you of a petition with 500 signatures that favors leaving the Hurricane Creek Wildlife Preserve in Lumpkin County intact. This is a College and State owned 62 acre tract in Lumpkin County. One of your faculty members has intended to log this tract for his biology project. Dr. Nelson’s plan involves replanting, and this planting project could easily be done on other college land.
As you know, Dr. Nelson went ahead and logged the wetlands area on Hurricane Creek in October, 2010 without securing the necessary permits in advance. We urge the College to take a leadership position in the manner of the University of Georgia which places great care of its trees and is a leader in conservation. Recently, some very old trees were removed on campus with no thought as to whether they should have been preserved. As time goes on these pristine areas will become all the more precious; once altered, they are lost forever.
The decision makers who signed off on the logging did not visit Hurricane Creek, even though it is only 20 minutes from the college. We encourage you to do so. The land could make money in other ways, like mushrooms and slime molds. It is too historic, too precious, and sits on delicate waterways with protected fish and flowers on it to even be considered for a logging project!
Please do what you can to use another area for Dr. Nelson’s project, like the historic farmland adjacent to Hurricane Creek.
Sincerely,
Katie Klemenchich
March 10, 2011 Dear Ms. Klemenchich, Thank you for your email of March 4, 2011 in regards to the main campus of North Georgia College & State University and the university-owned property known as Hurricane Creek. I also appreciate your stopping by earlier this week to provide me with a copy of the petition. At that time, I had already compiled a response, but held it an additional day to gather a few additional pieces of information for you. One of the goals identified in the university strategic plan is to “enhance campus beautification, conservation and sustainability” (Strategic Action 4.3.b). As you can deduce from this statement, the faculty and staff share your interest in preserving trees and appreciate the natural landscaping of the campus. A good number of trees recently planted on campus have been sponsored by faculty, staff and students as tributes to deceased members of our university community. We believe such living tribute both beautify our campus and provide an ongoing reminder of the contributions of those who are no longer with us. The university regularly consults with outside experts to advise us on tree removal and no trees are cut without considering available options. Although some tree removal has been unavoidable due to campus construction and/or storm damage or disease, great care has been taken in our campus master planning to minimize these losses and to add new shaded walkways and landscaped areas. Our interest in the preservation of the natural beauty of the main campus also applies to the Hurricane Creek tract. As you are probably aware, the previous owners of this property planted it as a pine plantation with the intent of harvesting it for timber. Unfortunately, the necessary thinning of trees has never been performed and the plantation now poses a potential fire risk to the entire tract of forest and surrounding properties. Additionally, should this stand of trees become infested with southern pine beetles, there will be no survival of the trees regardless of control measures and a fire in the tract could burn uncontrollably and extensively. The Georgia Forestry Commission has expressed surprise this southern pine beetle infestation has yet to occur. To respond appropriately as good stewards of the Hurricane Creek tract and as educational professionals dedicated to providing high-quality teaching and learning environments for our faculty and students, the university has made careful plans for the site. The creation of artificial vernal pools was done in consultation with the Army Corps of Engineers who issued a Nationwide 18 permit that acknowledged the work that was done creating these pools and granted their approval. Logging has not been done on the site. However, reduction of fire risk by selective tree harvest, not clear cutting, will be done in accordance with and under the direction of the Georgia Forestry Commission. It is my understanding that the Commission opens the property to bid, monitors all activity, and insures that the work is done in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations. The university is dedicated to minimizing the impact of this activity on the property and watershed. A beneficial result of this harvest is that, in addition to improving the forest, we have an opportunity to develop some innovative teaching and learning opportunities for our faculty and students (Strategic Theme 1 of our Strategic Plan). In its present condition, the property is underutilized. Improved access and careful and diligent timber management will see the use and appreciation of Hurricane Creek increase dramatically. For further information, I suggest you contact Dr. Michael Bodri, Dean of the School of Science and Health Professions or Dr. Thomas Nelson, Department Head of Biology. If you would like to schedule a time to meet with me, please contact Ms. Melissa Adams to schedule an appointment to ensure that I reserve uninterrupted time for us to meet. Sincerely, Patricia L. Donat Patricia L. Donat, PhD Acting Vice President of Academic Affairs Katie Klemenchich's response to Patricia Donot's letter:
Obviously, Patricia Donat knows absolutely nothing about the Hurricane Creek site. It is quite obvious she is going on what she has been told. The Southern Pine Beetles have been in the pines at Hurricane Creek for a long time, but they seem to be self contained and self limited. The thinning of the trees is only necessary if you want to grow pine trees for harvest. That should not be the goal. We want pine trees to be replaced with deciduous trees and that is gradually occurring naturally if they would just leave it alone. It would be a good study to follow the succession. I can tell a big difference in the forest in just 10 years. There is always a fire risk in a forest. If it occurs from lightning it is a natural event, and it happens often and forests recover. The consultation with the Army Corps of Engineers about the vernal pools is false. They only had contact after the fact, when a complaint was filed. And they did cut several significant trees on the site (I call that logging). Timber management is not needed. All forestry people have the concept of management for eventual harvest. That should never be the goal for Hurricane Creek. I don't know what they mean by "improved access". If the road is put into too good a shape there will be a lot of unwanted traffic to the area. Underutilized? It is only underutilized because they do not promote research on the area and promote outdoor classes. The shelter was built to hold classes there. If they wanted it utilized they would pay to keep it maintained. Dr. Parker's salary was the first thing that was cut when they started trimming the budget. She said nothing about the planting of the mountain pine trees. Has that project been scrapped? I hope so.
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Letter to Patricia Donot, VP Student Affairs North Georgia & Responses |
Ms Donat's response to letter was recieved on March 10, 2011. See attachment 1 above.
Comment from someone who walks at Hurricane Creek every day: "obviously someone who has never been out there to see that the creation
of the pools involved clearing the site."