Georgia ForestWatch

09/03/2026

Plans are underway for the GAFW Annual Members Retreat, and we need your help. Join us as we celebrate our 40th year in protecting our national forest!

You’re invited to sponsor the retreat on Saturday, October 10th, at the Sautee Nacoochee Center. Through sponsoring this members-only event, you will support GAFW’s critical mission. Now more than ever, we need your support.

The only way for members to guarantee admission to Saturday's program before registration opens to all members is to become a retreat sponsor. Space is limited so be sure to secure your tickets early.

Sponsorship is $250 (or higher) and includes two tickets to the retreat. See more info on the web page.

In addition to the food, fun, and camaraderie our members are accustomed to enjoying, our speakers will give updates to all the critical issues facing the CONF today. We also have a variety of educational activities planned.

Participants will enjoy breakfast treats, lunch, and snacks.

The GAFW membership meeting will take place at the end of the day. And, you don't want to miss the raffle and silent auction.

Please note that open registration for individual tickets will begin on September 15. As registration will only be open to members, please join today to ensure you receive the retreat registration alert for individual tickets and all other membership benefits. If you have a question regarding the status of your membership, please contact us at [email protected].

We are excited to see you in October.

P.S. You can also help by donating items for our raffle, auction, and door prizes. We are looking for large and small items, including everything from gift cards to art pieces, cabin rentals, and outdoor experiences. Please help us make this year’s retreat the best one yet!

Contact us at [email protected] if you have items or experiences you would like to donate.

Georgia ForestWatch is the only organization with a sole dedication to protect the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. We stand watch over the forest and protect the native plants, animals, and headwaters that depend on it. Preserving and protecting.

Click the link below to register!
https://bit.ly/4fPFJKw

09/02/2026

We hope to see you there!

08/31/2026

Attention Lake Winfield Scott Community

Lake Winfield Scott Campground will be closed starting September 1, 2026 for construction and renovations funded through the Great American Outdoors Act. This closure will affect the remainder of this season and continue into next season.

FAQ

How long will the campground be closed?
We don't have firm dates yet, but plan for the closure to run through the rest of this season and most, if not all, of next season.

Can I still access the day use area?
No. The campground and lake will be an active construction zone, and no entry will be permitted.

Can I still kayak, swim, or fish?
No. The campground and lake will be an active construction zone, and no entry will be permitted.

What will be renovated?
The project will focus on upgraded amenities and structures, along with road/ pathway improvements throughout the campground. Specific details will be shared as the project progresses.

We'll miss our wonderful campers and visitors, but we can't wait to open up as soon as we are able!

08/28/2026

Submit your comments by September 21!
https://www.regulations.gov/document/FS-2025-0001-223869

We strongly oppose the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. For more than two decades, the Roadless Rule has protected some of the most intact, ecologically valuable, and publicly cherished national forest lands in the country.

Removing these safeguards would put more than 44 million acres of National Forest System lands at risk of new road construction, expanded logging, habitat fragmentation, and long-term damage to clean water, wildlife, recreation, and climate resilience. Our own Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest includes over 867,000 acres of the USFS system.

The USDA’s announcement frames rescission as a wildfire-risk solution, but opening roadless areas to more roads and development is not a substitute for science-based forest stewardship. Roads can increase human-caused ignitions, fragment habitat, introduce invasive species, destabilize slopes, and degrade streams.

Effective wildfire mitigation should focus on protecting communities, improving defensible space, supporting prescribed fire and ecological restoration where appropriate, and prioritizing treatments near homes and infrastructure, not weakening national protections for remote public lands that provide irreplaceable benefits.

What Is at Risk?
Clean drinking water: Roadless areas protect headwaters, streams, and watersheds that supply communities, farms, fisheries, and wildlife. The Chattahoochee River provides drinking water for millions.
Wildlife habitat and biodiversity: Intact forests provide refuge, migration corridors, and breeding habitat for native fish and wildlife, including sensitive and threatened species.
Old-growth and mature forests: These forests store carbon, support complex ecosystems, moderate stream temperatures, and often provide natural resilience that cannot be quickly replaced once disturbed.

Public lands and recreation: Roadless areas support hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, backcountry travel, and quiet recreation that depend on healthy, undeveloped landscapes.

Climate resilience: Undisturbed forests store carbon, buffer floods, protect soils, and help landscapes recover from drought, storms, and wildfire.

Fire safety: More roads can bring more human access and more ignition sources into remote areas, potentially increasing, not reducing, wildfire risk.

Fiscal responsibility: Expanding road networks can create long-term maintenance burdens for the Forest Service, diverting limited resources away from existing road repairs, watershed restoration, and community-focused fire preparedness.

Rescinding the Roadless Rule would trade durable, nationwide conservation protections for fragmented, case-by-case decision-making that could leave public lands vulnerable to political pressure and short-term extractive interests. Local knowledge is important, but it should strengthen, not replace, baseline protections for the last best undeveloped national forest lands.

GAFW maintains our mission of preserving and protecting Georgia’s national forest by continuing to monitor sustainable forest management practices at a local level.

We urge the USDA and the USFS to withdraw this proposal and keep the Roadless Rule in place. Protecting roadless areas is not inaction; it is a proven, practical, and broadly supported commitment to clean water, healthy forests, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and resilient public lands for future generations.

In addition, to submitting your comments, please contact your representatives today to express your concerns over this detrimental policy shift. 5calls.org also offers telephone scripts to guide users in calls. We need your help in our mission to preserve and protect Georgia's national forest.
https://www.regulations.gov/document/FS-2025-0001-223869

08/27/2026

Time to collect them all. 🌲

The National Forests and Grasslands Passport is a free way to turn every visit to a National Forest or Grassland into something you can keep in three easy steps:

🗺️ Join the passport at https://ow.ly/9yLT50ZCIgF
✅ Check in on your next visit to a National Forest or Grassland
🏞️ Earn a unique, collectible badge

All 154 National Forests. All 20 National Grasslands. One passport to hold it all. Already visited a few? Add them to your passport today and start your collection now!

Your journey starts now. Which forest or grassland will you visit first?

U.S. Forest Service

08/26/2026

For decades, some of the South’s wildest public lands have been safeguarded by a critical Forest Service policy called the Roadless Rule. These roadless areas boast world-famous hiking and mountain biking trails, contribute clean drinking water for downstream communities, ...

08/25/2026

Lights Out! 🐦‍⬛

Fall migration is about to begin, and millions of birds will soon be traveling through Georgia overnight (yes, most birds migrate at night! 🌙 ).

Artificial lighting can disorient migrating birds, increasing their risk of colliding with buildings. By turning off non-essential outdoor lights between midnight and sunrise during peak migration, you can help make the night sky safer for birds traveling through our state.

Small actions can make a big difference!

Join Birds Georgia in protecting migrating birds this season by participating in Lights Out Georgia. We’ll share Lights Out Alerts when peak migration is expected, letting you know when it’s especially important to turn off non-essential lights.

Don’t rely on the algorithm to deliver our alerts! Sign up for email alerts so you’ll know when it’s time to take action.

Learn more and sign up for Lights Out Alerts at the link in the comments ➡️

08/21/2026

08/21/2026

For decades, some of the South’s wildest public lands have been safeguarded by a critical Forest Service policy called the Roadless Rule. These roadless areas boast world-famous hiking and mountain biking trails, contribute clean drinking water for downstream communities, provide habitat for wildlife, and support local economies that depend on our public lands.

But now, the U.S. Forest Service is finalizing a proposal to get rid the Roadless Rule — a reckless move that would open these iconic places up to unnecessary roadbuilding, harmful development, and destructive logging.

Rescinding the Roadless Rule would do long-term damage to communities that rely on public lands, leave permanent scars on our landscapes, and rob future generations of the opportunity to hike, mountain bike, fish, and enjoy the South’s natural treasures.

Help us fight for our wildest forests by telling the Forest Service to drop its misguided effort to get rid of the Roadless Rule.