FROM DIRECTOR RUSTY
 WRD wildfire responders from Game Management and Nongame Conservation. (DNR)
With the holidays only days away, I wanted to take a minute and look back at WRD's role in helping fight the north Georgia wildfires that blazed over Thanksgiving.
Fifty-six of our staff members were involved. They logged a combined 3,406 hours, the equivalent of 426 work days. They started on Nov. 16. The last left the front lines Nov. 29. One of our associates suffered an injury – thankfully, not seriously – when a UTV overturned in an incident that wasn’t her fault.
Many of our folks worked through Thanksgiving. They deployed to Fox Mountain, Brow, Tatum Gulf, Tower Treat Mountain, Irwin Mill, Johnson Mountain, Leaches Road in Gilmer County, Creek Road and Rocky Face. Places many have never heard of became familiar to our staff as they joined with the Georgia Forestry Commission and others in a comprehensive fire response. Back home, other WRD employees pulled extra duty to keep operations running smoothly.
As I wrote in an earlier email, our response drew praise, including this comment from state Rep. Timothy Barr of Lawrenceville: “Probably no one will ever know the work that our folks have done to protect their homes and property. So, as a representative of the state I want to thank you for your sacrifice.”
I am extremely proud of WRD and I’m grateful for you. From Hurricane Matthew to the November wildfires, you have shown over and over how you respond with skill and professionalism when called on – no matter the task.
Thanks for all you do to make our agency and all of DNR great. I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year’s!
STATEWIDE MEETING REMINDER
To give all a division-wide update and recognize the outstanding work you’ve done this year, I’d like to invite the entire division to a WRD statewide meeting from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center. We’ll start with a division update followed by a Q&A.
After lunch, we’ll recognize our 2016 DNR champions, national award-winners and all who bravely assisted in the hurricane and fire emergencies.
I hope you’ll be able to join us but I realize that minimal staff will need to stay at the office that day. So please check with your supervisor before you register.
RSVP by filling out this form by Wednesday, Dec. 28.
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WRD HEADLINES
 GEORGIA OUTDOOR MAP IMPROVED
Good news: Chris Semerjian of Fisheries Management and Marketing and Communications Manager Jenifer Wisniewski were awarded a $42,000 grant from the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation early last summer to improve Georgia Outdoor Map, or GOM.
Great news: Dylan Severens and Chris successfully worked with DNR Information Technology staff and a contractor to improve GOM angler content and functionality. Those improvements include:
- Expanded content, with small-lake fishing opportunities, latitude and longitudes, freshwater fish attractors, trout-specific angling opportunities and a fuller list of amenities.
- Enhanced location and filtering capabilities that allow users to search and filter by sport fish species, water body type and more.
- Added links to fishing reports, driving directions, license-buying options and sport-fish identification.
- Improved overall functionality with collapsible menus, additional zoom functionality (zoom to location and aerial photo) and increased usability on mobile devices.
Another key enhancement is the new alert system that allows DNR to flag sites that might be closed for renovation or, on the other end of the spectrum, holding a special event.
As a part of this project, user satisfaction was measured through an online survey before and after the changes. All indications are that customer satisfaction has improved -- by as much as 50 percent.
This was no small feat and a big thank you to the team that tackled the initiative. That team included Chris, Dylan and Jen, Gary Beale and the rest of DNR IT, regional fisheries and game management folks who vetted the draft product, contract programmer Walt Reppenhagen and, of course, RBFF for the funding.
Georgia Outdoor Map now serves as a solid resource for Georgia anglers. Please encourage our customers to visit and use GOM (georgiaoutdoormap.com). And if you find errors or omissions, please email Dylan.
Great job, everyone. Go fish Georgia!
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WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN RECOGNIZED
Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan has been named one of 100 most significant accomplishments in coastal resource stewardship by the conservation group 100 Miles.
The award honors individuals and organizations that have made a significant and lasting difference for Georgia’s coastal resources. The list includes 10 winners in each of 10 categories, from Researchers and Innovators to the Next Generation.
Honorees were picked after a call for nominations drew hundreds of suggestions from across the country. Awards will be presented during a Jan. 7 reception at the Jekyll Island Conference Center.
 The State Wildlife Action Plan, often called SWAP,
is a strategy to conserve populations of Georgia's native wildlife
species and the natural habitats they need before these plants, animals
and places become rarer and more costly to conserve or restore. Although
WRD’s Nongame Conservation Section led the planning process, the plan
is the work of more than 100 conservation partners and stakeholders,
including agencies and organizations, schools, companies, landowners and
the public. Created in 2005, the Wildlife Action Plan was revised in 2015. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service approved the revised version this fall.
ANNUAL REPORT IN THE BOOKS
Nongame Conservation’s fiscal year 2016 report, “Conserving Georgia’s Nongame Wildlife,” was completed this week.
This annual report summarizes accomplishments in rare species conservation, habitat restoration, land protection, and education and outreach programs administered by the Wildlife Resources Division and partners. Public Affairs staff member Rick Lavender coordinated the development of the full report as well as a six-panel summary and an ArcGIS-enabled story map. All of the documents are online.
Many thanks to Rick and all who contributed to this effort!
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WE ARE DNR HIGHLIGHT: GOLD STANDARD FOR GREEN
 Gov. Deal honors GPCA members after the group received the AFWA award.
We usually highlight one person here. This issue, we’re going broader.
The Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance has been in the news recently. This network of some 40 public gardens, agencies, schools, companies and conservation organizations earned national recognition from the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies in September.
Last month, an e-newsletter article on the heels of the first Southeastern Partners in Plant Conservation conference heaped more praise on the alliance, which DNR helped form and in which WRD is an active member. Toby Gray, a GIS analyst for the Gulf Coastal Plains & Ozarks Landscape Conservation Cooperative, wrote after attending the Atlanta Botanical Garden meeting that GPCA “is the gold standard” for state-level plant conservation alliances, “the model for other Southeastern states.”
Kudos to the GPCA and specifically to those WRD associates who help make it -- and the conservation projects the alliance tackles -- work!
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HONORS AND UPDATES
First, here are two recent We Are DNR recipients and a quick comment on their nomination:
Robert McDaniel and Lucas Marshtare, Hunter Development Program (Richmond Hill Shooting Range) – “On Nov. 23, Robert and Lucas effectively … extinguished a small fire coming from behind the rear berm of the Richmond Hill shooting range. Their quick thinking to secure the range and deal with the fire may have averted a wildfire.”
In other news ...
Tony Beck, profiled in the last We Are DNR issue, missed the cut to fish the final day in the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Texas’ Lake Conroe. But congratulations to Tony, who manages the Walton Fish Hatchery, on qualifying for and competing in the national event. Best of luck in future tournaments!
Respondents in the DNR wildlife license plates quiz, also featured in the recent issue, did OK. Two-thirds knew that it costs only $25 more to buy or renew a wildlife tag compared to a standard-issue plate. About half or slightly fewer knew how much of the fee goes to wildlife work – $19 for purchases, $20 for renewals. More than 85 percent answered correctly that eagle and hummingbird tags provide more than half of the revenue each year to the Georgia Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund's and that the deer/quail/turkey tag is the Bobwhite Quail Initiative's sole fundraiser.
So, nice job. And if you're wondering who won in drawing for the Weekend for Wildlife trunk organizers, that would be Tina Johannsen, Noah McCoard and Steve Raper. Our thanks to all who took the quiz. Now get out there and tell others how DNR tags work for wildlife!
Please also remember that We Are DNR awards allow you to recognize associates for exemplary work. Any WRD employee can nominate someone or be nominated. To submit a nomination, just click the button below and answer the brief questions.
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PERSONNEL
Changes for November through early December (not including hourly positions).
HIRED
- Bryan A. Crowe, Game Management (Albany), wildlife technician 2
Nicholas A. Crosby, Game Management (Albany), wildlife technician 2
PROMOTED
- Sydney Bryan, Game Management (Fort Valley), facilities maintenance engineer 2
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