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The Georgia Department of Natural Resources held a ribbon cutting ceremony in Hortense, Ga., Oct. 16 to announce the acquisition of land for the Sansavil¬la Wildlife Management Area.
“I am standing here to¬day to proudly open nearly 20,000 acres for the Sansav¬illa Wildlife Management Area,” said Mark Williams, the commissioner of the Georgia DNR. “Sansavilla is one of the region’s most popular WMAs for hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthu¬siasts. Thanks to our gen¬erous partners, Sansavilla is now protected forever and will continue to provide incredible outdoor oppor¬tunities for Georgians and also serve as an important habitat for seventeen of the most vulnerable species we are working to protect.”
Sansaville was purchased by the Georgia DNR in phases. The funds for the purchases came from the Georgia DNR conservation fund, the Nature Conser¬vancy, the Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program. The Marine Corps purchased a restricted use easement to buffer Townsend Bombing Range.
“We are proud to be a part of the team effort to protect Sansavilla,” said Col. Timo¬thy P. Miller, the command¬ing officer of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. “The conservation of this critical property along the Alta¬mah River provides needed encroachment protection that will enhance our train¬ing at TBR and will ensure our pilots and crew are pre¬pared for today’s enemies and tomorrow’s conflicts.”
Sansavilla is home to 17 federally or state-listed endangered, threatened or species of concern, such as the indigo snake, short nose sturgeon, corkwood, sever¬al rare mussel species, and the gopher tortoise.
“The gopher tortoise can be found in six south east states but most of its population is here in Georgia,” said Jon Ambrose, the chief of nongame conservation at Georgia DNR. “It is known as a key stone species because its bur¬rows provide habitat for over 350 other species. Therefore, over the past ten years we have been working to identify the best sites and viable Gopher Tortoise popu¬lations in Georgia. We identified Sansavilla as a very important site for the Gopher Tortoise along with 12 other species that are state protected or federally protected. The Sansavilla land acquisition is a key acquisition in the Gopher Tortoise conserva¬tion and I am pleased to be cele¬brating its completion.”
Along with the conservation of endangered species, the land ac¬quisition will also help stimulate Georgia’s economy.
“This Wildlife Management Area will be great for this area,” said Williams. “Hunting and fishing has an incredible impact on our economy. Sportsman sup¬ports as many jobs in Georgia as Delta Airlines and Hewlett-Pack¬ard combined, which are two of the largest employers in our state. This property has so much to offer to out-door enthusiasts and the state’s economy and I could not be more pleased with its completion.”
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 10.19.2017 13:34 |
| Story ID: | 252307 |
| Location: | HORTENSE, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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