 Georgia Bass Slam angler Tyler Lipham with a shoal bass caught on the Flint River
A message from WRD Director Rusty Garrison:
After reconvening in June due to a hiatus from COVID-19, the Georgia Legislature wrapped up its session, while the federal legislative season will conclude in the coming months. Several pieces of state and federal legislation are of interest to WRD. An overview of each is below.
Additionally, the state’s fiscal year 2021 budget has been approved. As you know, agencies had to reduce budgets as a result of declining state revenues because of the coronavirus. Division leadership worked hard to assure we can continue to maintain our core operational status. No currently filled positions were cut. No furlough days will occur. On an even more positive note, we have seen an uptick in visitors to WRD properties statewide and a surge in license sales.
Thanks to all of you for your efforts to ensure a safe and positive experience for customers during the pandemic.
State Legislation
Shoal Bass (House Bill 998)
The Georgia Legislature passed legislation designating shoal bass as the official Georgia state riverine sport fish. The bill also recognized the shoal bass’ need for high-quality shoal habitats; clean, flowing water in the Flint, Chattahoochee and Ocmulgee rivers; and the species’ unique spawning characteristics.
Shoal bass are an important sport fish in Georgia that provide for a unique angling opportunity. We expect that local communities, guides and stakeholders will capitalize on the bass’ newfound status and further elevate “shoalies” as a coveted sport fish in the river systems where they are found.
Air Guns
House Bill 998 also extends the sunset date for the use of air guns until July 1, 2025. The law originally permitted air guns as legal weapons for big game harvesting until July 1, 2020.
For purposes of the legislation, an air gun is defined as any pistol, handgun or shoulder-held device, each of not less than 0.30 caliber, or an air bow that propels a projectile in the form of a slug, shot or arrow equipped with a broadhead utilizing unignited compressed air or gas.
Federal Legislation
Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund Reauthorization
On July 1, the Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2020 (Senate 4144) was introduced in the U.S. Senate and the House passed an infrastructure bill titled the Moving Forward Act (House Resolution 2), which included the Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act.
The Sport Fish Restoration/Boating Safety Act is funded by a federal excise tax on fishing equipment, plus a motorboat fuel tax, trust fund interest and other revenue streams. The legislation must be reauthorized every five years and is up for reauthorization this year. These funds are critical to Georgia and other states for implementing programs for sport fish conservation, habitat restoration, boating access projects and education for anglers and boaters.
Since its inception in 1950, the Sport Fish Restoration program has provided billions to support fisheries conservation and restoration projects nationwide. Each year approximately $650 million is allocated from the fund to state wildlife agencies. Last year, the Wildlife Resources Division was allocated $7.1 million, a little more than half of the Fisheries Management Section’s annual operating budget.
State allocations are determined using a formula that factors in the trust fund balance, state land areas and the number of paid fishing licenses sold by state. To maximize Georgia’s allocation, it is essential we continue efforts to recruit, retain and reactivate – R3 – anglers. I cannot over-emphasize how vital it is that Georgia draw every dollar possible from the Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act to carry out the division’s mission and continue to provide great angling and boating opportunities across the state. Go Fish Georgia!
 Gopher tortoise, a keystone species in Georgia (Dirk J. Stevenson)
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
Georgia is one of the most biologically diverse states in the nation, home to thousands of species of native plants and animals, including some found nowhere else on Earth. To conserve this incredible diversity, the Wildlife Resources Division developed a State Wildlife Action Plan in 2005 with input from more than 100 organizations. The plan was revised in 2015.
The federal government currently lacks a dedicated funding system to conserve at-risk nongame species and plants. Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (HR 3742), introduced in 2019, would provide an annual federal allocation of $1.3 billion for states to enact their wildlife action plans to stabilize and recover species in decline.
Under the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, Georgia would be eligible for more than $28 million annually to support proactive conservation measures for the species of greatest conservation in our Wildlife Action Plan. Although the House has not taken up HR 3742 in its entirety, major elements of the bill were incorporated in HR 2, the Moving Forward Act mentioned above. As noted, this bill passed the House on July 1 and is awaiting action in the Senate.
Great American Outdoors Act (SB 3422)
The Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act on June 17, the House followed suit on July 22 and President Trump signed the bill into law this week. This legislation includes full funding, at $900 million, for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which provides funding for federal agencies as well as state grant programs including the Forest Legacy Program and the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund. The Forest Legacy Program has provided millions of dollars for wildlife habitat conservation in Georgia. The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund provides annual grants for the recovery of federally listed and candidate species.
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 Adult alligator (Marcia Brandes/GNPA)
Hunting season is just around the corner, and the 2020-2021 regulations include a short list of statewide changes that all hunters should be aware of. These include:
- Harvested deer and turkeys must be reported through the Georgia Game Check system within 24 hours of harvest (instead of 72 hours as last season). Alligators harvested must also be reported via Game Check.
- Hunters receiving a quota permit for alligators will no longer be mailed a plastic tag, nor will they be required to bring harvested alligators to a Game Management office for a CITES tag. Instead, as mentioned, hunters must report the gator through Georgia Game Check within 24 hours of harvest.
- New public lands opened for hunting include Canoochee Sandhills Wildlife Management Area (Bulloch and Bryan counties), Ceylon WMA (Camden County) and Sansavilla WMA's Wire Road Tract (Wayne County).
- Active duty military service members as well as veterans can hunt during the special opportunity waterfowl season, Nov. 14-15. Also, the bag limit for scaup has been reduced to one bird and there are special restrictions for hunting on Lake Allatoona.
- Last, electric bicycles (those with 750 watts or less) may be used the same as traditional bicycles on WMAs. Electric cycles with more than 750 watts are restricted to roads open for vehicle access.
Learn more about the changes here. Also check out the complete regs online.
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 Lake George Elite winner Buddy Gross (left) and some of his winning fish (Bassmaster)
By ROB WELLER
If you are an angler, I’m sure you’ve heard people say, "The fishing sure isn't like it was in the good old days."
But when it comes to bass fishing on Lake Walter F. George, the good old days are now.
This west Georgia lake has an abundance of bass in the 2 to 5-pound range, while the occasional 6- to 8-pounder is also being caught. Need evidence? It took 84 pounds, 8 ounces to win the four-day Bassmaster Elite tournament held at Lake George in June. With a daily five-bass limit, that’s an average of more than 20 pounds a day. The first day of the tournament 15 anglers weighed in 20-plus pounds, and each of the top 61 anglers had five-fish bags topping 15 pounds (all but two of the 85 anglers weighed in a limit).
Recent tournament results underscore WRD’s standardized sampling data from spring electrofishing that indicated good numbers of 2- to 5-pound fish.
While Lake George doesn’t have the biggest bass in Georgia, for good numbers of nice fish, it is hard to beat.
Rob Weller is WRD fisheries supervisor in Region 5.
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 Hunt and Learn options cover a range of participants and game.
Whether squirrels or deer, rabbits or dove, turkeys or the sport of royalty (falconry), WRD’s Hunt and Learn programs offer young and old unique educational experiences in hunting and conservation. These one- to three-day adventures feature field trips and expert instruction in hunting tactics, identifying game and hunter safety. Details at georgiawildlife.com/LearntoHuntFish.
Although bald eagles posted another strong nest season in the state, heavy winter rains likely dampened nesting in north Georgia, according to DNR’s annual nest survey. Dr. Bob Sargent counted 117 nest territories in three areas: the six coastal counties, east Georgia bounded by interstates 16 and 85 and South Carolina, and the counties north of Atlanta. Yet even with sub-par numbers for successful nests and young fledged in the northern counties, add the usual nests in the rest of south Georgia – all but coastal counties are surveyed every other year – and the state likely had 200 or more nests for the sixth straight year, Sargent said.
Want more outdoor recreational opportunities in Georgia? The statewide Plan for Outdoor Recreation (SCORP) is undergoing a five-year update and online public meetings are set for Aug. 20 and 27. A blueprint for maintaining and sustaining outdoor recreation resources statewide, SCORP 2022-2026 will keep Georgia eligible for Land and Water Conservation Fund support – adding to the $102 million in federal grants the state has received and then leveraged with matching funds to invest $204 million-plus in city, county and state projects.
 Arrowhead is producing happy anglers with catches like this hefty bluegill. (DNR)
Arrowhead WMA is fast becoming a favored family-fishing destination. Just north of Rome, the WMA’s 15-acre lake and 2-acre pond require that children accompany any adult fishing and offer prime fishing for largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish and hybrid striped bass. Using dedicated license enhancement funds, management since 2018 has included a lake fertilization program, more bank fishing access, additional fish attractors and supplemental feeding. These changes, along with stocking channel cats, hybrids and threadfin shad, have upped the quality and quantity of game fish at Arrowhead.
Readers who missed a WRD WeAreDNR newsletter can find back issues in this online library. Click and catch up! Got comments or questions? Or know of a WRD retiree who would like to receive the employee enewsletter? Please email us.
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WRD welcomed back Melanie Holthaus as the agency’s new Human Resources representative at headquarters. A Georgia State University graduate with a degree in biology, Melanie worked in the Fisheries Management and Wildlife Conservation sections before transferring to the Archaeology, Education and Outreach section of DNR’s State Parks & Historic Resources Division. She fills the role left by Daniel Brown, who became assistant supervisor of WRD’s License and Boat Registration Unit in June.
In other staff changes, Game Management’s Kevin Kramer has transferred to regional supervisor in Region 5 (Albany), Liz Morata has joined WRD as a GIS specialist 3 at the Wildlife Resources Conservation Center in Social Circle and Jonathan Savarese, assistant hatchery manager at the Go Fish Center hatchery in Perry, has been promoted to fisheries technician 3.
Don’t forget: We Are DNR awards allow WRD employees to recognize co-workers for their exemplary efforts. Just click the button and answer a few questions.
 Brett Albanese (center) and staff explain fish sampling techniques to a group (Paula Marcinek/DNR)
WRD champions chosen by section chiefs for the past quarter are:
Wildlife Conservation
Dr. Brett Albanese, program manager – Two years into his position as a program manager, Brett continues his exceptional effort to learn more about staff members' projects and focal species, understand employees’ career goals – all of which improves feedback during reviews – and make organizational changes to better balance supervisory roles and provide new leadership opportunities. He pushes to meet staff needs, helps with grant proposals and adjusts workflows for a more efficient workforce. Brett believes in the abilities of staff and encourages taking on new projects while meeting current grant goals and working within resource limits. In making our office better connected and more efficient, his leadership has also brought a positive energy especially needed during these trying times.
Game Management
Daniel Brown, former WRD Human Resources representative (now License and Boat Registration Unit assistant supervisor) – As the agency’s HR representative, Daniel showed through actions and words what customer service looks like. He went the extra mile in hiring staff, helping supervisors sort through difficult hiring processes, including working diligently to get needed documentation to Atlanta in a timely and professional manner. Daniel also always has a positive attitude and a smile on his face. While his job as HR rep was difficult, he never let the stress show. Daniel was, and remains as part of LBRU, a pleasure to have on the WRD team.
Fisheries Management
Jeff Stewart, assistant manager, Lake Burton Trout Hatchery – Telling someone they’re getting a new house may be a surprise, but for Jeff and his wife Gina, that surprise came with sacrifices as Jeff agreed to temporarily move into and work out of a short-staffed Buford Trout Hatchery. His willingness to be stationed at the hatchery filled a big hole in round-the-clock operations at the site and saved the region several thousand dollars. But Jeff’s willingness to help doesn’t stop at the hatchery gates. During a recent trout-stocking run, Jeff saw a 12 year-old boy in waders fall into the river and get swept downstream. Jeff ran along the shoreline, grabbed the boy and pulled him to safety. While he doesn’t consider himself a hero, that boy, his family and his co-workers certainly do.
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Changes for May through early July (hourly positions not included).
HIRED
- Erin Kathleen Cork, Game Management (BQI), wildlife biologist 2
- Randy Alex James, Game Management (Waterfowl Habitat), wildlife technician 1
- David Patrick James, Game Management (Waterfowl Habitat), wildlife tech 1
- Anthony James Kroeger, Game Management (BQI), wildlife biologist 2
- Tristan Will Lancett, Fisheries Management (Southcentral Region 4 Operations), fisheries tech 3
- Marcia L. Malone, Wildlife Conservation (Headquarters), administrative support 2
- Elizabeth-Noelle Francis Morata, Game Management (Administration), GIS specialist 3
PROMOTED
- Daniel Lee Brown, License And Boat Registration, manager business operations
- Marylou N. Moore, Wildlife Conservation (Headquarters), wildlife biologist 2
- Jonathan Savarese, Fisheries Management (Go Fish Center/Hatchery), tech 3
RESIGNED
- Kathryn Ruth McCollum, Wildlife Conservation (Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center), curator/preservationist 2
- Joseph Benjamin Otto, Fisheries Management (North Region 1 Operations), fisheries tech 2
RETIRED
- Paul T. Jones, Fisheries Management (Region 1, Armuchee), fisheries tech 3
TRANSFERRED
- Lisa Anne Bohannon, Fisheries Management (Region 1, Armuchee), administrative assistant 3
- Jacob Parks Wilson, Wildlife Conservation (Headquarters), wildlife tech 2
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 Terry's latest column tackles reports of fewer hummingbirds. (Hummers at feeder/Terry W. Johnson)
If you’re not following WRD on social media, here’s some of what you've missed ...
We encourage all to follow WRD on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and our blog. Also sign up for the monthly Georgia Wild enewsletter.
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 Relaxed version of social distancing during a Go Fish camp (Marion Baker/DNR)
By MARION BAKER
The fishing camps in full swing at the Go Fish Education Center represent for many campers their first social interaction in months with children outside the home.
And while most in WRD know the future of fishing depends on encouraging people to fish, the reaction of our campers has made it clear that people now need fishing just as much as it needs them.
At Go Fish, we adapted camp programming to meet that need. Limiting sessions to 10 campers allowed for more one-on-one instruction. It also meant we reached fewer people than usual and had longer wait lists. But because most other summer camps around the state were cancelled, many who came would not have normally attended a fishing camp – a small silver lining during these trying times.
The more obvious changes included providing PPE, designating staff to take temperatures and clean restrooms, taking frequent sanitation breaks, encouraging pre-payment by phone, reconfiguring teaching environments, altering drop-off and pick-up routines, and enforcing social distancing guidelines.
The first lesson of each camp this summer has been teaching campers how far 6 feet really is. Some activities, such as knot tying and lure building, were reformatted to conform to Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Activities were conducted outdoors when possible.
Despite the strain induced by COVID-19, the pandemic provided opportunities to educate campers in new ways. For example, I created a “Social Fish-tancing” activity as a fun way to teach youth how to identify fish species silhouettes from a distance. We are also using technology in different ways during group instruction to offer each camper a full experience.
The feedback has been positive. Some changes will become permanent for future camps. And although human interaction has been limited, there has been plenty of interaction between humans and fish! Go Fish even celebrated its first two youth angler award recipients.
It has been uplifting to watch campers’ attitudes shift from the hatred of COVID-19 to the joy of fishing.
Marion Baker is curator and preservationist at the Go Fish Education Center.
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