CHC News
February 2010
Conservancy Elects Four New Board Members
February 2010
Conservancy Assumes Responsibility for Master Plan for Greenway Trails.
February 2010
The Conservancy Sponsored the Arbor Day.
Bear Creek Wetlands Initiative
Location: South of Rivertown Road, between Campbellton-Redwine Road and the Chattahoochee River. Bear Creek is in South Fulton County, Georgia within the Chattahoochee Hill Country, and is a tributary of the Chattahoochee River. The creek is part of the proposed reservoir planned by the South Fulton Water and Sewer Authority comprised of the cities of Palmetto, Union City and Fairburn located in South Fulton County.
Owner: There are five parcels that contain Bear Creek between the Chattahoochee River and the proposed dam site for the reservoir. These parcels are all held under the ownership of the Bouckaert family.
The Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance’s goal for this project is to achieve stream bank protection of 6,100 feet of Bear Creek, in order to maintain the physical and biological health of the creek, and to preserve the land as permanent greenspace as part of our four-county greenspace connectivity plan. This land will become part of the Bear Creek Greenway.
We have successfully purchased the greenway anchor site located on Hutcheson Ferry Road, from which the Greenway will come along Little Bear Creek to Cochran Mill Park and then along Bear Creek to the Chattahoochee River. This mile plus of Bear Creek will be permanently protected. We are also working with the S.Fultor Water and Sewer Authority on gaining a public path adjacent to the reservoir with connectivity to neighboring residential areas and a nature walk to the Chattahoochee River.
Conservation Value: The protection of this section of stream bank is critical to Fulton County. Bear Creek will be part of the Tri-Cities Reservoir that is going to be built to provide water to parts of South Fulton County. It also feeds directly into the Chattahoochee River and contains approximately 511,347 sq ft of wetland and 6,513,118 sq ft of floodplain.
Protection of this stream bank area is critical to the health of the creek and will act as an important wildlife habitat. If owned by the county and held as greenspace the land could be an area for passive recreation and trails, which could tie into the proposed four-county Path system. This greenway will become part of the four-county greenspace connectivity plan that is protecting land in Fulton, Coweta, Carrol and Douglas counties. This area is at the heart of that connectivity and is an important link between the reservoir and the Chattahoochee River. This area is representative of what the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance is trying to protect with their conservation measures and would be an ideal area for preservation of greenspace for Fulton County.
Physical Characteristics: Bear Creek is a typical Piedmont stream, with floodplain and pockets of wetland areas. Deciduous trees are the dominant vegetation type along the banks of Bear Creek, consisting mostly of flood tolerant hardwoods including sweet gum, red maple, and oaks. The stream provides habitat and breeding ground for many of the animals in the Piedmont region. The vegetation filters sediment and pollution from storm runoff, yielding cleaner water and fertile soil. Atlanta relies on the Chattahoochee River and its streams, such as Bear Creek, for a water supply.