City of Euharlee, Cartersville Ranch to Host Educational Fall Hikes

Enthusiasts Will Learn About Diverse Bird and Wildflower Species at Euharlee Wildlife Refuge on Dobbins Mountain

The City of Euharlee and Cartersville Ranch today announced two educational hikes at the Euharlee wildlife refuge on Dobbins Mountain – one focused on bird species and the other on wildflowers. The birding and wildflower hikes are scheduled for later this month and October, respectively. Invitations have been extended to members of the Atlanta Audubon Society, Defenders of Wildlife, Georgia Botanical Society, Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club, Georgia Conservancy and Georgia Native Plant Society. 

The Coalition for the Right Road, an organization of Georgia citizens committed to making sure the U.S. 411 Connector is built with minimal environmental impact and at the lowest cost to taxpayers, is participating in the outings. Public access has been limited to protect refuge habitat and species.

The announced series of educational hikes is consistent with the major purpose of the conservation easement, which is to preserve wildlife and wildlife habitat. Also, the hikes are consistent with the conservation values, set forth in the recorded conservation easement document.

“The scheduled field trips through the conservation easement are part of the city’s ongoing efforts to educate those interested in the many natural treasures of Bartow County,” said Trish Sullivan, city manager for the City of Euharlee. “Participants will be able to fully experience the abundance of birds and native plants that make the Euharlee wildlife refuge so unique and essential to our community.”

Birding Hike

Joshua Spence, who has 16 years of experience in bird identification in north Georgia, will lead the birding hike through the wildlife refuge to coincide with the fall migration. Last year, Spence completed 24 trips to the refuge and he documented the presence of 149 different bird species within the survey area of Cartersville Ranch. He also discovered 89 unique bird species within the boundaries of the wildlife refuge; more than half of those species were neotropical migratory birds that breed in the United States and during the winter in Mexico, Central America and South America. 

Of the 89 species observed within the wildlife refuge, 10 are currently on the Important Bird Area Priority List, a special conservation status:  Blackburnian Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Cape May Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Worm-eating Warbler and Wood Thrush.

Wildflower Hike

Jim Allison, a leading expert on Southeastern wildflowers, butterfly enthusiast and botanist for 13 years at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), will lead the wildflower hike at Dobbins Mountain. In 2011, Allison conducted plant surveys on 12 separate visits to the Euharlee wildlife refuge, and observed and photographed a total of 88 diverse native flowing plants within the refuge. His most important find was nearly 600 Georgia aster flowering stems – discovered in bloom at Dobbins Mountain last fall. 

The Georgia aster is a state-protected and federal candidate species, and the population found at Dobbins Mountain is one of the largest remaining populations in the state. The Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia DNR characterized the new discovery as significant. Its name and beauty have made it a candidate to replace the Cherokee Rose as the state flower.

Allison also discovered a population of native orchids – the state-protected Pink Ladyslipper – within the borders of the refuge. Participants are expected to see a variety of fall wildflowers, including bird’s-foot violet, blue sage, downy lobelia, false-dandelion, grass-leaved golden-aster, Kuhnia, narrow false-foxglove, rabbit tobacco, small-head sunflower, small-leaf white snakeroot, starved aster, stiffleaf coreopsis, wedgeleaf thoroughwort, white wingstem and many more.

About the Coalition for the Right Road

The Coalition for the Right Road (CORR) is an organization of Georgia citizens committed to making sure the U.S. 411 Connector is built with minimal environmental impact and at the lowest cost to taxpayers. CORR is opposed to the Georgia Department of Transportation’s current plans for the 411 Connector – Route D-VE – because of its exorbitant cost, inefficient interchange and environmental destruction. The coalition is committed to raising awareness of shorter, cheaper and less destructive routes, and is open to anyone who shares these concerns. For more information, visit www.coalitionfortherightroad.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.