Weekly Update - Dec. 18th, 2023
Save Lake Chatuge - Weekly Update - December 4th, 2023
Welcome to our first Save Lake Chatuge Weekly Update, this is where we will curate the groups activity to share the progress being made week over week. As with the entire Save Lake Chatuge project, this forum is how we consolidate our voices behind one unifying message.
If you have content, notes or would like to be added to the email distribution reach out to savelakechatuge@gmail.com.
Be part of the solution!
Our Change.ORG Petition now has 700 signatures - keep sharing!
LOCAL OUTREACH
First things first! Every third Tuesday of the month is a public county commission meeting, this is a great opportunity to show up and make our voices heard. Info about the meeting is at the link below.
Normally the meeting takes place at the Towns County Courthouse, but with it under construction the meeting may be elsewhere. The link below has all the relevant info, we suggest reaching out to confirm the location. Feel free to reply all to this group with that information.
Towns County Commission Meeting
We now have SAVE LAKE CHATUGE posters available to post in your business.
You may pick them up at the Lake Chatuge Chamber of Commence located at 1411 Jack Dayton Cir, Young Harris, GA 30582.
Please pick one up and Share the Word. So far Shanon has distributed these to the Chamber of Commerce, pharmacy, Remax, Chatuge Marine and Hiawassee Hair Co.
Thanks to Shannon Watson for designing and organizing!!
Emails sent to Sole County Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw & Mayor Liz Ordiales.
Their responses follow.
Good morning,
As you know, the Parrot Feather invasive weed has infected large portions of Lake Chatuge. Lake Chatuge is a large contributing factor to the property values and tax base for Town's County, Clay County and Hiawassee. Lake Chatuge also provides boating, paddlebording, kayaking, sight-seeing, recreation and has helped create lifelong memories for generations of families living or visiting north Georgia.
However, to date, The Public has not received any updates on a specific plan from the elected officials of Towns County or Clay County to address treatment and funding for the mitigation of the Parrot Feather. This project will be expensive and will require the financial participation of local, state, and federal agencies in order to save our Lake and the local economies.
We respectfully request that you make the Parrot Feather Mitigation Project an agenda item for every upcoming council meeting until this issue is resolved. Private discussions have not led to a definitive action plan. We need to build a consensus between political leadership and The Public. The persons included on this email all live or own property in Towns County/Clay County and are highly motivated to work with you to solve the problem.
The treatment companies that we spoken to inform us that the weed is currently in the dormant stage, but will start growing and spreading again in March or April. We need your immediate action.
Please address inlude the mitigation of the Parrot Feather weed on the agenda of your next meeting.
Warm regards,
Cliff Bradshaw’s Response
Thank you for reaching out about your concerns for the Parrot Feather invading Lake Chatuge. I would like to assure you that the county is taking this issue seriously.
At the November meeting, we had an in-depth discussion with several concerned citizens about this matter. I have been in contact with the TVA and am waiting to hear back from
them to schedule a public meeting to discuss remedies to the situation. The meeting will be publicized so the public will know to attend. I am certain that together we will come up with a plan to mitigate
the problem. I hope you will be able to attend.
Once again, thank you for reaching out and I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.
Sincerely,
Cliff Bradshaw
Sole Commissioner
Towns County
706-896-2276
Mayor Liz Ordiales’s response
Good Afternoon All—
I have contacted the Mountain True Regional representative, Callie Moore, she will be at my January 29th work session. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this meeting, she might have some additional information for us by then.
Thanks for contacting me, I wish you the happiest of Holidays and all the best in 2024.
Liz Ordiales
Mayor
City of Hiawassee
50 River St.
Hiawassee, GA 30546
706-896-2202 - Office
404-754-3430 - Cell
Our response to Cliff’s email…
Cliff,
To date we have over 600 signatures on the petition at the website our group created and over 400 members on our FB page. The parrot feather invasion is of great concern to many of your constitutes. There is a group of us that are gathering information, contact names, getting quotes for treatment, etc. We met with Callie from Mountain True. She advised that we should not wait on the TVA for many reasons. They have many other lakes with this issue and if we rely on them, it will be too little too late for our lake. Callie advised that if we can treat the current infestation in the Spring of 2024, we have a chance to eradicate the weed. If it is not treated until a later date, we are looking at a maintenance program and treatment will be ongoing every few years - making the cost much higher.
This is not just a lake property owners issue. Everyone in Towns County is being affected. Property values and sales tax contribute financially to the county. Many of our businesses rely on the tourism the lake brings. The weed also impacts recreational opportunities for everyone. The impact of the economy of Towns County could be catastrophic.
Callie mentioned grants that are available to local governments to combat invasive weeds. I did a search online and found that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has a Rapid Response Fund for Aquatic Invasive Species. There are others and I am sure that Callie could point you in the right direction. Our group does not have access to applying for these grants - it has to come from the local government officials.
We must act now to save our lake - we can do this together but only if we are proactive and aggressive in our plan. You have volunteers willing to assist. We just need a plan.
We are still hopeful for bold leadership, cooperation and partnership with out local government.
It’s up to us to make our voices heard - they need to hear from you.
Helpful Conversation with Georgia Power
We were able to speak to Johnny Cannon who is the Georgia Power Rep that coordinates the treatment of Lake Seed and possibly Burton. Extremely knowledgeable, experienced, and helpful. They were able to control the parrot feather but hydrilla came in behind it. They use Southeastern consulting and are extremely happy with them. He gave me the name of J Parrish or Alex to contact.
Bill Bennett caught these signs at Mayor’s Park.
RAY CATENA’S UPDATE ON BEECH COVE
Ray Catena continues doing a fantastic job of assembling a list of properties and respective owners in the Beech Cove neighborhood. This information is a necessary asset in the request for proposal phase with commercial applicators.
We commend Ray for his effort. Please take the initiative to organize this information about YOUR neighborhood. If provided to us, we will include it in our RFPs as well as here. It’s up to you to protect the value of your property and community.
Ray’s email
UPDATE:
This is section "B" of our proposed spray area and the updated status. Those that are "not" highlighted have expressed interest in the treatment for Parrot Feather. Those that are highlighted I have not had contact. If anyone has contact with them or could provide me with their information would be appreciated. So far we are just missing 1 Homeowner.
Also Andy, when you have a chance please send me the information for the residents on Harrison Circle.
Also If anyone has other potential residence to the south and east towards Dollar General lets get them involved.
B-1: 801 Beech Cove Drive, Tracy Parrish
B-2: 809 Beech Cove Drive, Barry White (Need phone number)
B-3: 815 Beech Cove Drive, Donna Kirbow
B-4: 821 Beech Cove Drive, Joanne Klingbeil
B-5: 823 Beech Cove Drive, Lindey & Mark Fitzgerald
B-6: 820 Big Oak Lane, Emily Price
B-7: 816 Big Oak Lane, Maury & Edwin Wolfe (Sent letter on 11-17-23) No Contact at this time (Sent e-mail on 12/13/2023)
B-8: 810 Big Oak Lane, Laurie Edwards/Kerry Browning
B-9: 806 Big Oak Lane, Travis & Clarice Wilson
B-10: Same as B-9
B-11: Same as B-9 and 10
B-12: 772 Big Oak Lane, Stanley and Tracey Satterfield
B-13: Same as B-12.
B-14: 770 Big Oak Lane, Brian and Lisa Grant,
B-15: 768 Big Oak Lane, Rick & Margaret Nelson
B-16: 766 Big Oak Lane, Same as B-15
B-17: 726 Big Oak Lane, Andrew Monk
B-18: Same as B-17
B-19: 653 Sunnyside Shores Road, Brent Rutledge
B-20: 620 Sunnyside Shores Road, Travis Warner
TVA UPDATES
Nothing new on the TVA front, we are keeping the below information in the newsletter for visibility.
Click this link to see TVA’s aquatic weeds treatment schedule for 2023
Our question is, why can’t we have the same treatment?
HIRING A COMMERCIAL APPLICATOR
Over the last several weeks we have spoken to the three TVA approved “commercial applicators” listed below. The TVA is and has been incorporating the application of aquatic herbicide to targeted areas on a monthly basis on other lakes for some time. We are working diligently to establish an effective treatment area. Right now we feel confidently that this would almost all the shoreline south of the water treatment plant in Waters Edge Cove.
Here is a neat interactive, topographical map of the lake provided by Callie Moore
Topographical Map of Lake Chatuge
Please join in with your information!!
Next steps with applicators is to schedule “site visits” for them to come and see our lake, and provide a comprehensive estimate for an annual treatment.