Oct 28: Streambank Stabilization on the Chattahoochee
September 13, 2023
The Rabun Chapter Partners with the GA Foothills Chapter on a Streambank Stabilization Project along the Chattahoochee River
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR WORK DAY—OCT 28, 9:00 am—12:00 pm
During the July Rabun Chapter Board of Directors meeting it was approved to support the GA Foothill Chapter proposed “Chattahoochee River Streambank Stabilization Project” near Helen, GA. The BOD approved a cash donation of $500 to be used for supplies and also agreed to support the project by providing volunteer labor during project work days.
Rabun TU representative Jeff Durniak delivered the $500 check from our chapter to Jim Watson of the Foothills TU Chapter to support stream bank restoration along the Chattahoo- chee River near Helen. Combined with funds already pledged by the Foothills Chapter, this money will purchase native trees, planting tools and other supplies to stabilize the badly eroding stream bank and improve trout habitat.
This collaborative project also includes ongoing contributions from the two UGA Extension Agents in Habersham and White Counties, Steven Patrick and Nathan Eason. They’ve al- ready provided river birch and elderberry shrubs that TU members helped plant to create a visible no-mow border along the river. The new funds will be used to purchase native trees to further stabilize the river shore and eventually provide shaded refuges for trout.
The first project workday is scheduled for Saturday, October 28 from 9:00 am to 12:00
pm. Volunteers from Trout Unlimited Chapters GA Foothills (Clarkesville), Rabun (Clayton), and Gold Rush (Dahlonega), along with the GADNR Parks Division and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service will plant native trees and shrubs in a 500-foot sec- tion of land along the Chattahoochee River at the Helen-to-Hardman Trail. We’re looking for willing planters to assist in this effort to stabilize the riverbank and protect trout stream temperatures.
The site is the upstream entrance to the trail, on the south end of town at 10 Bruck-
en Street, behind the Helen treatment ponds. Volunteer should bring work gloves, shovels, eye protection, a pick or mattock, rake, hammer, and a wire fence cutter, as we’ll install protective hog-wire fencing around each tree. For more information, feel free to contact Jeff Durniak at jeffdurniak@yahoo.com or phone/text to 706-892-6576.
The Chattahoochee and its tributaries, including the Soque, Smith Creek and Dukes Creek, belong to all of us. The Rabun Chapter is proud to be a part of protecting it.
