Welcome to the Lumpkin
Coalition Organization
The Lumpkin
Coalition is a 100% volunteer non-profit 501(c)3 charitable
organization formed to facilitate projects that benefit North Georgia,
Lumpkin County, its residents and visitors. We are dedicated
to preserving quality of life for all those who share it. To
this end, we support the preservation of a clean and healthy
environment, responsible living, and responsible growth.
Saving Georgia's
Hemlock tree's is currently a main focus of the Lumpkin
Coalition. Our goals for the Hemlock project are:
- Raise public
awareness of the Hemlock problem and promote action;
- Continue
to support the efforts of all three labs in Georgia that raise
predatory beetles to combat the Hemlock woolly adelgid on public lands;
and
- Assist private
landowners and public agencies in managing the health of their Hemlock
trees.
Happy
2012! We are undergoing site wide routine maintenance right now. Thank
you for your patience while we 'clean house' and excuse the mess!
Next meeting pending @-Shenanigan's Irish Pub, [706-482-0114]
87 North Chestatee Street ~ Dahlonega ~ Georgia
The Hemlocks
The Lumpkin Coalition has been focused on the plight of the Eastern
hemlock tree since 2005.
If
you've ever hiked through the dense forests of North Georgia, you're
familiar with Eastern hemlocks (Tsugae canadensis).. They are large,
graceful trees who's gently drooping branches provide dense shade.
Their delicate needle-like leaves appear shiny dark green above and
silvery beneath, and their tiny cones belie their majestic size.
Besides
imparting their inherent beauty, our hemlocks also contribute to the
health of the entire ecosystem. Eastern hemlocks are slow-growing and
long-lived; they may live more than 500 years and grow 175
feet
tall. They are a vital species to the sustainability of forests,
waterways and even residential settings. Eastern hemlocks are more
shade-tolerant than any other tree, and can grow in moist, acidic,
high-elevation areas where other trees cannot survive. They play a
special role in providing cover, buffering the temperature of nearby
streams whose sensitive aquatic residents require cold water year
round. The hemlocks provide shelter and habitat for many wildlife and
bird species. The roots of these mighty trees hold soil in place and
prevent land erosion.
But our hemlocks are dying. The non-native
hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) parasite is killing the hemlock trees of
North Georgia at an alarming rate. The USDA Forest Service estimates
that HWA has already killed millions of hemlocks across their native
range, and it continues its devastating march throughout North Georiga.
What can you do to help save our native forests and preserve our
quality of life? Browse around our site and find out!
Click
on the HemlockFest 2012 Poster Above To Go to Our Automated Volunteer
Page!
