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.
White Oak Creek Wetlands Initiative
Location: North of Hutcheson Ferry Road, crosses Campbellton-Redwine Road. White Oak Creek is in South Fulton County, Georgia within the Chattahoochee Hill Country, and is a tributary of the Chattahoochee River.
Owner: There are four parcels that contain White Oak Creek. Along the Chattahoochee River, the first parcel is owned by John Alston, and the second by Harold and Marble Mansfield. On Campbellton-Redwine Road, the third parcel is owned by Timothy Mansfield and on Hutcheson Ferry Road the forth parcel is owned by Gilbert and Sharon Thompson.
The Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance’s goal for this project is to protect 6100 feet of White Oak 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. We would like to preserve the land through either conservation easements, deed restrictions on fee-simple ownership, or ownership by the county for greenspace and passive recreation.
Conservation Value: The section of White Oak Creek that the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance wishes to preserve contains 5,602,242 sq ft of wetland and 11,910,385 sq ft of floodplain and also feeds directly into the Chattahoochee River. This corridor has large areas of wetland that are fragile ecosystems and need to be preserved. 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: White Oak Creek is a typical Piedmont stream. The gentle topography along most of this area of White Oak Creek causes it to have wide floodplain and large wetland areas. Deciduous trees are the dominant vegetation type along the banks of White Oak 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 White Oak Creek, as a water supply. Without healthy streams, flooding and pollution from storm water runoff will only get worse.