Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest
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General
Map of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest
The
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in northern Georgia is
actually two U.S. National Forests, the Oconee National Forest and
Chattahoochee National Forest, linked together. The combined total
acreage of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest is 865,855
acres, of which the Chattahoochee National Forest comprises 750,502
acres and the Oconee National Forest comprises 115,353 acres. The
county with the largest portion of the forest is Rabun County,
Georgia, which has 148,684 acres within its
boundaries.
History
The
Chattahoochee National Forest takes its name from the Chattahoochee
River whose headwaters begin in the North Georgia mountains. The
River and the area were given the name by the English settlers who
took the name from the Indians living here. The Cherokee and Creek
Indians inhabited North Georgia. In one dialect of the Muskogean
languages, Chatta
means
stone; ho
chee, marked or flowered.
These marked or flowered stones were in the Chattahoochee River at
a settlement near Columbus, Georgia.
In 1911, the United States Forest Service purchased 31,000 acres of
land in Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin and Union Counties from the Gennett
family in 1911 for $7.00 per acre. This land was the beginning of
what would become the Chattahoochee National Forest. The initial
land purchases became a part of the Cherokee National Forest on
June 14, 1920.
Ranger Roscoe
Nicholson, who was the first
forest ranger in Georgia and had advised the Forest Serive in its
initial land purchases, continued the growth of the Chattahooche by
negotiating the purchase of most of the Forest Service land in what
is now the Tallulah Ranger District. The Coleman River Scenic Area
near Clayton, Georgia was dedicated to Ranger "Nick", as he was
called, in honor of his promotion of conservation ideals.
Ranger Arthur
Woody also promoted
conservation and was a key figure in the early development of the
Chattahoochee. Unwise land and resource use had caused the deer and
trout populations to virtually disappear in the North Georgia
mountains and Woody brought trout and deer back to the area. The
trout were shipped to Gainesville, hauled across the narrow, dirt,
mountain roads and eventually released in the streams. Woody also
purchased fawns with his own money, and fed them until they could
be released on what became the Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area.
Many landmarks in the Chattoochee bear Ranger Woody’s name in
tribute to his work. Sosebee Cove, a 175-acre tract of prize
hardwood along GA 180 is set aside as a memorial to Woody who
negotiated its purchase for the Forest Service.
On July 9, 1936, the Forest Service was reorganized to follow state
boundaries and President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed the
Chattahoochee a separate National Forest. In 1936, the
Chattahoochee was organized into two Ranger Districts, the Blue
Ridge and the Tallulah. In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
proclaimed 96,000 acres of federal lands in middle Georgia as the
Oconee National Forest. The Oconee then joined the Chattahoochee to
become the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests of today. The
Chattooga River was designated a Wild and Scenic River during the
1970’s. The Chattoga reamins one of the few free flowing streams in
the Southeast and is known for its white water rafting and
beautiful scenery. The movie "Deliverance" starring Burt Reynolds
and Jon Voight was filmed on the Chattooga River and the Chattooga
became the fictional
Cahulawassee River in the movie.
The
Chattahooche National Forest Today
The
Chattahoochee National Forest today covers 18 north Georgia
counties. The Chattahoochee has six ranger districts and employs
several hundred people. It includes over 2,200 miles of rivers and
streams (including about1,367 miles of trout streams). There are
over 450 miles of hiking trails and 1,600 miles of "roads." In
addition to the Chattoga River and the headwaters of the
Chattahoochee River, natural attractions within it boundaries
include the beginning of the 2,174-mile (3,500-km) Appalachian
Trail, Georgia's highpoint, Brasstown Bald and Anna Ruby Falls. The
Chattahoochee also includes ten wildernesses that are part of the
National Wilderness Preservation System. all of which are managed
by the United States Forest Service. The wildernesses are:
- Big Frog Wilderness
- Blood Mountain Wilderness
- Brasstown Wilderness
- Cohutta Wilderness
- Ellicott Rock Wilderness
- Mark Trail Wilderness
- Raven Cliffs Wilderness
- Rich Mountain Wilderness
- Southern Nantahala Wilderness
- Tray Mountain Wilderness
Georgia Counties with Land in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests
Listed below are the counties with land in the Forest showing the number of acres and the relevant ranger districts.
Chattahoochee National Forest
- Banks County - 650 acres located in the Chattooga Ranger District
- Catoosa County - 6 acres located in the Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District
- Chattooga County - 19,390 acres located in the Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District
- Dawson County - 6,760 acres located in the Toccoa Ranger District
- Fannin County - 106,130 acres located in the Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District and the Toccoa Ranger District
- Floyd County - 6,620 acres located in the Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District
- Gilmer County - 55,074 acres located in the Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District and the Toccoa Ranger District
- Gordon County - 8,076 acres located in the Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District
- Habersham County - 39,874 acres located in the Chattooga Ranger District
- Lumpkin County - 56,982 acres located in the Brasstown Ranger District, the Chattooga Ranger District and the Toccoa Ranger District
- Murray County - 51,696 acres located in the Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District
- Rabun County - 148,684 acres located in the Tallulah Ranger District
- Stephens County - 23,304 acres located in the Chattooga Ranger District
- Towns County - 57,538 acres located in the Brasstown Ranger District, the Chattooga Ranger District and the Tallulah Ranger District
- Union County - 97,839 acres
- located in the Brasstown Ranger District, the Chattooga Ranger District and the Toccoa Ranger District
- Walker County - 18,844 acres located in the Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District
- White County - 41,316 acres located in the Chattooga Ranger District
- Murray County - 11,719 acres located in the Armuchee-Cohutta Ranger District
Oconee National Forest
- Greene County - 26,659 acres located in the Oconee Ranger District
- Jasper County - 30,312 acres located in the Oconee Ranger District
- Jones County - 16,461 acres located in the Oconee Ranger District
- Morgan County - 308 acres located in the Oconee Ranger District
- Oconee County - 157 acres located in the Oconee Ranger District
- Oglethorpe County - 3,762 acres located in the Oconee Ranger District
- Putnam County - 37,443 acres located in the Oconee Ranger District
- Monroe County - 251 acres located in the Oconee Ranger District
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