DeSoto park seeks volunteers
FORT PAYNE, Ala. - DeSoto State Park is seeking dedicated volunteers to man the Civilian Conservation Corps museum for a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday during October and November. No prior experience is necessary, and the schedule is flexible.
Duties would include greeting visitors and opening/closing the museum building.
Call Brittney Hughes at 256-997-5025 for scheduling and other details.
Group: Don't move firewood
KNOXVILLE - The Nature Conservancy is teaming up with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Lamar Advertising to fight the spread of invasive insects that are destroying the region's native forest.
"Without people's assistance, these pests would take years to move 10 miles," said Trish Johnson, director of forest conservation for the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. "When folks haul firewood into a natural area, they can move hundreds of miles in a day."
A number of new "Don't Move Firewood" billboards along interstates and highways leading to the Smokies target the influx of visitors who come to the park every autumn to view the leaf color change.
One forest pest that hasn't yet reached the Smokies is the Asian longhorned beetle, an invasive species that is able to wreak havoc on 20 species of deciduous trees. In parts of New England where the Asian longhorned beetle is well-established, forestry experts are warning that the exotic pest could destroy enough red maples to severely undermine the region's $1 billion fall foliage tourism industry.
The Nature Conservancy is urging park visitors to collect downed firewood at the campground, or to buy certified heat-treated wood that already is available at Food City grocery stores on the outskirts of the Smokies, and is expected to become more widely available.
Rabies vaccine baits spread
ROME, Ga. - Baits laced with an oral rabies vaccine designed to help stem the spread of a raccoon strain of the deadly disease through Georgia and into other states will be dropped from the air and scattered by hand in Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Murray, Walker and Whitfield counties.
Ground baiting by hand in urban/suburban areas begins today. Aerial baiting in rural areas by specially equipped fixed-wing aircraft is scheduled to begin Tuesday.
Humans and pets cannot get rabies from contact with the baits, but area residents are asked to leave them undisturbed should they encounter them. Dogs that consume large numbers of baits may experience an upset stomach, but there are no long-term health risks.
If contact with baits occurs, immediately rinse the contact area with warm water and soap.
For more information, contact Logan Boss at 706-295-6649 or hlboss@dhr.state.ga.us.