Forest Service Seeks Input on Foothills Landscape

The U.S. Forest Service is asking community members to share their input on the management of the Foothills Landscape of the Chattahoochee National Forest.

The 143,419 acres that make up the Foothills Landscape stretch across the Chattahoochee National Forest and mark the area where the mountains are visibly reduced to foothills. It includes portions of Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Habersham, Lumpkin, Murray, Rabun and White counties.

According to the Forest Service, the purpose of the Foothills Landscape project is to create, restore and maintain ecosystems that are more resilient to natural disturbances.

Specifically, the Forest Service said it is seeking to enhance and provide quality habitat for rare and declining species, as well as desired game and non-game species; to reduce hazardous fuel loading across the landscape; to improve soil and water quality; to provide sustainable recreation and access opportunities; and to awaken and strengthen a connection to these lands for all people.

To get public input, there will be a host of meetings across the region.

The closest meeting to Stephens County is in Clayton at the Rabun County Civic Center on Tuesday, October 18 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Interested parties may also provide their thoughts, ideas and knowledge online.

The link is as follows: www.tinyurl.com/FoothillsLandscapeCollaborate.

At this website there is also a wealth of information about the Foothills Landscape including maps, Google Earth data, and descriptions.

Forest Supervisor Betty Jewett said that the Forest Service needs the public’s knowledge and insights from the start in order to plan the right work in the right places for the right reasons.