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Show sites have been located and recommendations have been made as to their improvement. Generally, the recreation potential of these reservoirs is of pri- mary significance to State and local recreation pro- grams. The 516,000 acres of national forest land consti- tutes the only large public recreation area in the basin which provides picnicking and camping facil- ities and hunting and fishing opportunities in a natural forest setting. Public use of these forests for recreation is increasing. In 1949, approxi- mately 250,000 people visited the national forests in the basin. The mountain scenery along the Sky- way Motorway in Talladega National Forest draws many visitors. However, national forest recreation facilities continually lag behind demand. Particu- larly needed are more roadside and waterside picnic grounds. Within the national forests, wildlife has been encouraged by the establishment, in cooperation with the State, of areas where special measures are taken to develop and protect the wildlife resource. As a result, deer and turkey have become relatively ^abundant on national forest land. Planting of trout in forest streams and development of small forest-surrounded lakes have encouraged fishing. Just outside the northeastern part of the basin, the Chattahoochee Forest offers a wide range of recrea- tional opportunities. Although the National Park Service is authorized to cooperate with and provide technical assistance to the State and local park authorities in planning, developing, and administering recreation areas, in- cluding thiose at Federal reservoirs, no basin-wide study of the recreation needs, resources, and poten- tials has b>een made. Appropriations for this pur- pose have been inadequate in recent years. The Alabama-Coosa Basin may contain other important archeological materials which will be flooded hy proposed reservoirs and lost unless ade- quate funds are made available for investigation and salvage. Conclusions In the interest of optimum use of the recreation potential of the Alabama-Coosa Basin, (1) ade- quate funds should be provided by the Federal Government to make a basin-wide recreation survey and to give adequate technical assistance to State and local agencies in planning needed recreation developments; (2) project costs required to protect recreation resources, including the salvaging of important scientific and historical remains and the protection of fish and wildlife, and Federal costs of preparing plans and specifications and for con- structing and operating recreation facilities should be included in the over-all project estimate, and should be nonreimbursable. 4. Mosquito Control and Reservoir Development The Problem Need for mosquito control measures at water resources projects. The Situation Mosquitoes breed in quiet, shallow-water areas where aquatic vegetation and floating debris afford protection during developmental stages. Such habitats are created by water projects if preventive measures are not employed. The malaria mosquito has been sufficiently prev- alent in portions of the basin to propagate malaria. At present neither the mosquito nor the malaria problem is serious, due to the effective counter- measures taken by health departments, yet a heavy production of malaria mosquitoes would constitute a potential disease hazard. This is important in view of present-day world travel and the prevalence of malaria in other parts of the world. Although outside of this basin, the Santee- Cooper Reservoir on the Santee River in South Carolina provides an example of the potential hazard. In order to hasten completion of the project with the advent of World War II, plans for the complete clearing of the site in accordance with the South Carolina State Board of Health regulations were modified to the extent that 47,000 acres of standing timber were left in the center of the reservoir. A survey conducted after impound- ment demonstrated large production of malaria mosquitoes in the region, particularly in uncleared areas. In addition, the development of wildlife areas was improperly planned. Two wildlife refuges (Potato Creek and Jack's Creek), of a type favor- able to the high production of malaria mosquitoes, were located in regions with a relatively high hu- man population. How these various factors resulted in serious malaria hazard is a matter of record. A blood-slide malaria survey in 1943 of persons within 1 mile of Santee-Cooper Reservoir showed 518 positive cases in 1,352 examined. Another survey under- taken in 1944 showed the highest malaria preva- 554 |
