OCR Text |
Show Recreation Present Situation The Alabama-Coosa Basin is lacking in attrac- tive natural fresh water bodies. Reservoirs in the basin, therefore, possess good recreational potential- ities. Existing reservoirs, except for Allatoona, are private developments whose shores are almost com- pletely in private ownership. Their public recrea- tion use is limited to fishing and boating. Public, nonurban recreation areas have been pro- vided by State agencies. Five Alabama State parks and one Georgia State park are in the Alabama- Coosa watershed. Several small historic areas are administered as parts of the national park system, but there are no national park areas of recreational importance in the basin. Ten recreation areas of local significance have been developed by the Forest Service in those parts of the Ghattahoochee and Talladega National Forests which lie within the basin. Program for the Future Since 1945, the National Park Service has acted as consultant to the Corps of Engineers in studying the recreation potentialities of authorized reservoir projects. Suitable locations for recreation develop- ment have been determined and recommendations made. As the recreation potentials of reservoirs in this basin are primarily of State or local signifi- cance, it is expected that recreation improvements will be carried out as part of State or local recrea- tion programs. Georgia has indicated its interest in a State park on the south shore of Allatoona Reservoir. A recent publication of the Alabama State Plan- ning Board outlines an evolving master plan to pro- vide public recreation opportunities. The plan designated 11 additional recreation areas to round out the State park program. Three of the recom- mended areas are within the Alabama-Coosa Basin. The Forest Service plans additional facilities within the national forests, including stream improvement and small lakes for fishing. Fish and Wildlife Resources Situation at Present Fish and Avildlife values range from low to mod- erate in the headwaters and central portion of the Alabama-Coosa Basin to high in the coastal plain portion. Sport fishing predominates along the Coosa River and its tributaries. Commercial fish- ing is concentrated in the lower portion of the basin. Problems related to present fish resources within the river system are those arising from poor land- use practices on tributary watersheds and from pol- lution by industrial wastes. Under its authority to conduct research and provide technical advice on the protection and propagation of fish and utiliza- tion of fishery resources, the Fish and Wildlife Serv- ice operates two fish hatcheries. One such station is maintained by Alabama. Many of the natural swamp and marsh areas in the lower basin help support migratory waterfowl on the Mississippi Flyway. Although there are no Federal wildlife refuges in the basin, Alabama and Georgia operate seven State refuges, one of which accommodates waterfowl. The others are pri- marily for protection of deer and turkeys. Programs for the Future The Fish and Wildlife Service is considering the establishment of a national wildlife refuge, primarily for waterfowl, on one of the reservoirs authorized for construction by the Corps of Engineers. Such a refuge is needed to provide protection and winter- ing areas for waterfowl as a part of the National Migratory Waterfowl Conservation program. Op- portunities for the establishment of State wildlife management areas in connection with future reser- voir construction programs should be investigated. Under the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Act, revenues from Federal excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition are available to States to pay a portion of the cost of acquiring, developing, and maintaining State wildlife refuges.3 Such State projects may be associated with future reservoirs in this basin. Construction of the four authorized reservoirs will raise problems and provide opportunities for fishery management involving both sport and com- mercial fish. The Fish and Wildlife Service is re- sponsible for investigating all proposed water use projects to determine their effect on fish and wild- life resources and for recommending measures to be followed by construction agencies to prevent damages to fish and wildlife and to preserve these resources. Interference with striped bass migra- 8 Act of September 2,1937, § 3,50 Stat. 917 as amended, 16 U. S. G. 669b. 540 |