Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest

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Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest
Cool Springs Overlook, Fort Mountain, Georgia April 2016.jpg
location Georgia , United States
surface 3504 km²
Geographical location 34 ° 46 ′  N , 84 ° 7 ′  W Coordinates: 34 ° 45 ′ 49 "  N , 84 ° 6 ′ 56"  W
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest (USA)
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest
Setup date July 9, 1936
administration US Forest Service
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Autumn in the Chattahoochee National Forest

The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in northern Georgia includes two national forests , the Oconee National Forest and the Chattahoochee National Forest . The total area of ​​the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests is 3,504 km², of which the Chattahoochee National Forest comprises 3,037 km² and the Oconee National Forest 467 km². The county with the largest part of the forest is the Rabun County , in which 601.7 km² lie.

history

The Anna Ruby Falls

The Chattahoochee National Forest got its name from the Chattahoochee River , whose source is in the North Georgia Mountains . The name of the river and the area was given by English settlers, who in turn named them after the Indians who lived here. The Cherokee and Creek inhabited northern Georgia. In a dialect of the Muskogee languages , Chatta means stone and ho chee means pronounced or floral. These distinct or flowered stones were in the Chattahoochee River at a settlement near Columbus . In 1911 the United States Forest Service bought 125 km² of land from the Gennett family for $ 7 per acre in the following counties of Fannin , Gilmer , Lumpkin and Union . This land was the beginning of what would later become the Chattahoochee National Forest. The initially purchased land became part of the Cherokee National Forests on June 14, 1920 .
The Ranger Roscoe Nicholson , of the first game warden was in Georgia and the Forest had recommended service to carry on with the initially purchased land by the expansion of the Chattahoochee National Forest in negotiations for the purchase of the majority of Forest Service land in which now the Tallulah Ranger District is located, continued. The Coleman River Scenic Area near Clayton was inaugurated by game warden Nick, as he was also known, to honor his ascent as a role model for nature conservation.
Ranger Arthur Wood also helped conservation and was a key figure in the early development of the Chattahoochee National Forests. Unwise land and resource use had all but wiped out the red deer and trout populations, and Arthur Woody brought these animals back to the area. The trout were sent to Gainesville, captured from the narrow, filthy mountain streams, and eventually released into the streams . Arthur Woody also bought deer calves with his own money and fed them until they could be released to the wild in the Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area . Many of the landmarks in the Chattahoochee National Forest bear his name in honor of his work. Sosebee Cove is a 0.7 km³ area of ​​broken hardwood along the GA 180 near the memorial to Arthur Woody, who negotiated the purchase for the Forest Service.
On July 9, 1936, the Forest Service was reorganized to follow state lines and President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated the Chattahoochee National Forest as a separate National Forest. In 1936 the Chattahoochee National Forest was divided into two ranger districts, the Blue Ridge Ranger District and the Tallulah Ranger District.
In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed that 388 km² of federally owned land in Central Georgia would become the Oconee National Forest. Then the Oconee National Forest was merged with Chattahoochee National Forest to what is now Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.
The Chattooga River was designed as a Wild and Scenic River in the 1970s . The Chattooga River remains one of the few free flowing streams in the southeastern United States and is known for its beautiful scenery. Here are rafting -tours possible. The film Deliverance was shot on the Chattooga River; it became the fictional Cahulawassee River in the film.

today

General Map of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests

Today's Chattahoochee National Forest comprises 18 counties in northern Georgia. The current Chattahoochee National Forest has five ranger districts, but two of them, the Tallulah Ranger District and the Chattooga Ranger District, are to be merged. It comprises 3,500 km of rivers and streams (of which approx. 2,200 km are brooks in which trout live). There are over 720 km of hiking trails and other paths and 2,600 km² (not asphalted, but publicly accessible) roads. In addition to the Chattooga River and the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River, natural landmarks within the park's boundaries include the 3,499 km long Appalachian Trail , Brasstown Bald , Georgia's highest point, and Anna Ruby Falls .
The Chattahoochee National Forest comprises ten wilderness areas , all of which are managed by the US Forest Service. The Wilderness Areas are:

  1. Big Frog Wilderness
  2. Blood Mountain Wilderness
  3. Brasstown Wilderness
  4. Cohutta Wilderness
  5. Ellicott Rock Wilderness
  6. Mark Trail Wilderness
  7. Raven Cliffs Wilderness
  8. Rich Mountain Wilderness
  9. Southern Nantahala Wilderness
  10. Tray Mountain Wilderness

Today's Oconee National Forest spans eight counties in Georgia and is administered by a ranger district. There are many hiking trails and other forest trails in the Oconee Ranger District . The main office is in Gainesville .

Counties in Georgia

Counties that partially or completely belong to the Chattahoochee-Oconee Forest are listed here with their area and the most important ranger districts.

Chattahoochee National Forest

Chattooga Ranger District

Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District

Toccoa Ranger District

Tallulah Ranger District

Armuchee-Cohutta and Toccoa Ranger Districts

Brasstown, Chattooga and Toccoa Ranger Districts

Oconee National Forest

The Oconee National Forest is halfway between Macon and Athens . There are many artificial lakes in the region that can be used for water sports. Hiking and camping are possible, but some areas in the forest are privately owned. Galingayle , a nautical club in Madison , is an example of privately owned land not being available to non-members. These clubs work with the park rangers to ensure that their lifestyle has little or no impact on the environment.

Oconee Ranger District

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