2/5: Sugar Hill named most active city; Political outlook after Iowa

GwinnettForum | Issue 15.83 | Feb. 5, 2016

16.0205.SHEPicenter

The City of Sugar Hill has been named the state’s most active city. (See story below) Sugar Hill will get even more active as The Epicenter at Sugar Hill is anticipated to begin construction in March. City Manager Paul Radford says that the selection of company to build the $35 million facility will be selected within the month. Included in Epicenter is a 326 seat performing arts center, a 32,000 square feet recreation center, a 100 space parking garage and 43,000 square feet of commercial space. It is to be owned by the Sugar Hill Downtown Development Authority.
IN THIS EDITION
TODAY’S FOCUS: Georgia Municipal Association Names Sugar Hill State’s Most Active City
EEB PERSPECTIVE: The Political Outlook after the Iowa Voting
SPOTLIGHT: Precision Planning Inc.
FEEDBACK: Several Views Concerning Norcross Community Garden
UPCOMING: 15th Annual NE Georgia Boy Scouts To Honor Three from Gwinnett
NOTABLE: George Pearce Park in Suwanee To Get New Gymnasium
RECOMMENDED READ: The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman.
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Several Individuals Contribute to History of Birds in Georgia
TODAY’S QUOTE: Church Bulletin Board Finds Way To Show Allegiance
MYSTERY PHOTO: Try to Figure Out Where This Guy Is Fishing       
LAGNIAPPE: Gwinnett Wildlife: One Beautiful Red Shouldered Hawk
TODAY’S FOCUS

City of Sugar Hill named most active Georgia city by GMA

By Vanessa Butts

SUGAR HILL, Ga., Feb. 5, 2016 | The City of Sugar Hill has been named by the Georgia Municipal Association as the Most Active City among Georgia’s 530 cities. This honor comes on the heels of another distinction.  Sugar Hill was also awarded the American Heart Association’s award for worksite Innovation and is a “Gold Fit-Friendly Worksite.”

Edwards

Edwards

Mayor Steve Edwards says: “This recognition is largely due to initiatives that city staff members have put in place throughout 2015. It’s really a new day in Sugar Hill. We are no squeaky little town, and will be competitive with other cities in the future as we build the downtown. We have a great staff, we work hard, play hard and have fun.”

Edwards also points out: “We try to do things that the other cities do not do. This includes our ice skating rink, our Gary Pirkle Park, which is an all synthetic turf field, and there’s no other amphitheatre in Gwinnett like we have behind our City Hall. The residents really enjoy it and the events there. We’re trying to be innovative, have good services and provide good government at the same time.”

Twice a week during the warmer months, the city hosts free Fitness Bootcamps that are open to both city employees as well as residents of Sugar Hill.  This program has been very successful, with attendees losing significant amounts of weight. One inspirational city employee has lost 100 pounds through exercise and lifestyle changes. Sugar Hill will soon be opening doors to an employee fitness center where city employees can use equipment for free after business hours.

logo_sugarhill_2014Mayor Pro-Tem Brandon Hembree believes these distinctions are among the many reasons he is proud to call Sugar Hill home. He says: “Sugar Hill’s status as ‘Most Active City’ in Georgia and our American Heart Association awards for Worksite Innovation and the Gold Fit-Friendly Worksite reflects our community’s commitment to being active and healthy. This is just another reason why Sugar Hill is the best place to live, and we should be proud to call this sweet city our home.”

Dan Popovic is founder of cMEcompete of Sugar Hill. This firm hosts the platform  in which participants log their daily activity for the Active Georgia campaign.

He says: “Sugar Hill is an inspiration to other communities when it comes to community health and citizen engagement based on all the redevelopment initiatives occurring in the City. Their wellness endeavors recently won Active Georgia for being the most Active City in the Peach State.”

The city of Sugar Hill is looking for residents and businesses to get involved as it hopes to defend the title of Most Active City in 2016. The Fitness Bootcamps will be free to local residents and are held in front of City Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting  on March 1.  Sessions are instructed by a certified trainer. All residents, regardless of age and physical abilities, are encouraged to be a part of this Fit-tatstic community initiative.

EEB PERSPECTIVE

The political outlook after the Iowa voting in caucus

By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher

FEB. 4, 2016 | After all the concentration on Iowa, the presidential candidates have moved on, and now are campaigning in other early-round states.

15.elliottbrackWhat can we take away from the Iowa results? Several things.

  • The Iowa caucuses took some of the bluster out of Donald Trump. He did less than expected here, though remains very much the person to watch. He may take New Hampshire, and should do well in South Carolina. Yet a little of the shine has diminished.
  • Marco Rubio came through in a good position. He very well could end up the favorite of the GOP insiders, since these party leaders have nothing good to say about either Trump or Ted Cruz. Like many times when voting, you pick the lesser of evils.
  • The Democratic side is turning into a two-person “hoss race.” Though most don’t feel that Bernie Sanders can really prevail, many are still concerned of what might could fall out to injure Hillary Clinton.
  • What happened to the candidate who has the most Super Pac money, that is, Jeb Bush? Why don’t all those bundles of cash not translate into votes? Does he have bad advisers? Is the money not being spent well? Or is it simply that no matter what happens, Jeb (or that is, Jeb!) just doesn’t cut the mustard?
  • How about the other governors in the race? John Kasich and Chris Christie have both been working New Hampshire hard. Can they survive the next round? And others with low standings in Iowa: is it time for them to “retire?”
  • Iowa also killed the presidential hopes for another former governor, Democrat Martin O’Malley. Does he seek another high-level governmental appointment so that he can return in four, or even eight, years?

2016Give credit to one guy. Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp came up with the idea for several Southern states to hold the presidential primaries at an earlier date, to give the region more clout. It’s looking more like the so-called “SEC primaries” on March 1 will do just that. Voting the same day will be Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. This combined voting day may take out candidates who show no strength in the region. Winnowing the crowd will allow voters in other states to make easier choices with the diminished field.

Or perhaps one candidate can come out of the SEC primaries so strong that their victory would be assured. Or, if the March 1 results keep several strong GOP candidates still running, it could result in a down-to-the-wire race, as some have suggested (including here), possibly pushing the race all the way to the convention floor. We doubt it, but this year has already seen several twists and turns.

Not only that, but should the Democratic race continue to be neck-and-neck, and with Sanders saying he is in the race to the end, and it appears that Hillary is too, could this party find that it might, too, end up in a convention floor fight?

We suspect both parties will eventually choose a nominee before their conventions. Yet right now, down-to-the-wire seems a possibility, though not a probability.

Diehard party onlookers are concerned just watching these political races. All the talk can be good for the country. Thanks, Iowa, for opening your doors to electrify the early politics of this year. From now on, politics will move fast. Enjoy it.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Precision Planning Inc.

00_new_precisionplannersThe public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriter is Precision Planning, Inc., a multi-disciplined design firm based in Lawrenceville, Georgia with a 33-year history of successful projects. In-house capabilities include Architecture; LEED® Project Management; Civil, Transportation and Structural Engineering; Water Resources Engineering; Landscape Architecture; Interior Design; Land and City Planning; Land Surveying; and Grant Administration. PPI has worked diligently to improve the quality of life for Georgia communities through creative, innovative planned developments, through the design of essential infrastructure and public buildings, and through promoting good planning and development principles. Employees and principals are involved in numerous civic, charitable and community based efforts in and around Gwinnett County.

  • For more information, visit our website at www.ppi.us or call 770-338-8103.
  • For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: Our sponsors.
FEEDBACK

Here’s an outline of activities around Norcross Discovery Garden Park

Editor, the Forum:

In response to the article running in the Gwinnett Forum this morning, let me share with your readers some of the work that the Norcross Discovery Garden Park (DPG) began two years ago.

00_lettersAt the DGP, we are committed to providing educational programs around themes of organic gardening, nature study, sustainability, and more. As a public garden, we serve all members of the public, all ages and abilities, through our programs, for example:

For the past two years, twice a month residents of Annandale Village, adults with developmental disabilities, visit the DGP to participate in our garden therapy program. Benefits of this program include social interaction, sensory stimulation, physical activity and enjoyment.

The North Metro Academy of Performing Arts is a charter school located within walking distance of the DGP. The school is partnering with us to offer students hands-on nature and STEM-based programming in this outdoor classroom.

The DGP also offers many learning opportunities for adults, including an assortment of workshops and lectures on everything from gardening, to beekeeping, to canning vegetables. On May 14, we have a speaker from Monarchs Across Georgia and Fernbank Science Center presenting a class on monarch butterflies – watch for our flyer closer to May.

The Norcross Service Unit of Girl Scouts consists of 46 troops and over 600 girls and their families, have adopted the DGP as their on-going service project. Here the Scouts can participate in fun, outdoor educational activities designed to help them advance through scouting levels, and work towards earning their badges.

In partnering with the Norcross Cooperative Ministry, we will be able to provide underserved families with garden beds, garden classes, and assistance acquiring low-cost seeds and seedlings.

The DGP will also have 36 plots available for people from the community to organically grow vegetables and flowers.

We are so excited about the opportunities that the new location offers the DGP in bringing people of all ages, incomes and abilities together, strengthening the bonds of our community. This is much more than a community garden – it’s an outdoor classroom.

Deb Harris, Norcross

Feels Discovery Garden Park has commercial advantages, too

Editor, the Forum:

Please let me express my STRONG support for the Norcross Garden project (Discovery Garden Park).  There are so many groups who have already given their support and have adopted the garden as a service project, and their excitement is clear.

Also, educational opportunities at the Garden bring many children and families to our city, adding to the commercial advantage to the city since they will eat and shop in our downtown.

I personally am not a gardener, but I am excited about the opportunities for my neighbors to have garden plots, and to buy their produce, and especially for my grandchildren to be able to use the garden to expand their knowledge and have fun!

Nancy McGarrah, Norcross

Likes the idea of Norcross Discovery Garden; good community project

Editor, the Forum:

I was made aware this a.m. of a negative campaign regarding our Norcross Discovery Garden and wanted to let you know that Mike and I are very much in support of this project.  While we have not been actively involved in the Discovery Garden, to this point we are impressed with the numerous benefits to so many people.  We believe that this is a positive, community-enhancing project.

— Mary P. Ebinger, Norcross

Raises similarities between Snellville and Norcross community gardens 

Editor, the Forum:

16.0205.norcrossparkToday I write as a member of the planning board for the Discovery Garden Park. I would like to address the concerns Ross Kaul has voiced in the GwinnettForum regarding the park. The community has been well informed, although I think Mr. Kaul has some facts wrong.

Mr. Kaul’s statements regarding the difference between DGP and Snellville’s plan:

  • They (referring to Snellville) formed a committee….as have we;
  • They drew up a master plan….as have we;
  • They are progressing one stage at a time…as we plan; and
  • Norcross funding with tax payers money….the funds are to come from SPLOST and future fundraising.

Fundraising has been on a limited basis thus far as the City has asked for us to take it slow; however corporate funds have been promised (one donation already has been presented and deposited in a designated City account).

About leased land…I’m not involved with this however at our last DBP meeting this was addressed and we were informed legal council is working on it.

 — Beth R. Tynan, Norcross

Project is much more than just a community garden, says Riehm

Editor, the Forum:

It’s not “just a community garden” for Norcross.

Ross Kaul had some misperceptions about the Discovery Garden Park that Norcross is planning. Ross likens it to “just a community garden,” but it will be much more. The “Discovery” connotes a park providing educational programs around themes of organic gardening, nature study, sustainability, and more. It will serve people of all ages and abilities. The park will also have 36 garden plots available.

This will be paid for from SPLOST funds, which are to be used specifically for parks projects.  Finally, the park will be on land surrounding the Welcome Center. This land has been leased from the county for 25 years, and the city is trying to extend that lease to 50 years and longer to assure permanency.

This new concept in parks was conceived and planned by a committee of volunteers in Norcross, which had three community input meetings and several discussions with city council in order to create this lifelong communities venue. Ross did not attend any of the public hearings.

Charlie Riehm, Norcross

Dear Deb, Nancy, Mary, Beth and Charlie: Thanks for contributing to the discussion on this topic. That’s why we publish GwinnettForum. But let me ask…are SPLOST funds still not tax dollars?

A few facts: This question will be under discussion at 6:30 p.m. at the February 15 Policy Agenda meeting. The land in question, about ¾ acre, is behind the Welcome Center on Lawrenceville Street. The city currently pays to the county $1 a year for the land, and has a 25-year lease, but now seeks a 50-year lease. Earlier the city purchased land beyond the Welcome Center (from City Hall), for possible use if the Discovery Park is ever expanded. The $350,000 figure being tossed around is for all potential construction and facilities at the Park.–eeb

Commendation from one gardener to Snellville Community Garden

Editor, the Forum:

Let me add my comments to the ones published in your letters to editor February 2 edition of GwinnettForum concerning area community gardens. I would like to commend the board of directors of the Snellville Community Garden for their forethought and initiative in creating a wonderful garden that is accessible to all and is not a burden to taxpayers.

As a founding board member of the Lilburn Community Garden, I would like to draw attention to our garden as well. The Lilburn Community Garden was an idea of our Mayor Johnny Crist. He formed a group of interested individuals who would eventually become the first gardeners and board of directors. The garden became a 501-C3 non-profit and has asked for no money from the city of Lilburn besides a small space rental.

Our construction of the garden plots and shade structures have been completed primarily by Boy Scouts earning their Eagle Scout Awards. This is a win-win for our community as this area needs infrastructures and the boys get a chance to see their final projects as Scouts become a lasting and sustainable part of the Garden. The Lilburn Community Garden is located just past the Lilburn City Park, on Main Street in downtown Lilburn. Read more about the garden or download the application to rent a plot at www.lilburncommunitygarden.org.

Mandy McManus, Lilburn

More on proposed bridge on Peachtree Parkway in Peachtree Corners

Editor, the Forum:

Byron Gilbert, in his comments about Peachtree Parkway and the proposed pedestrian bridge, only scratched the surface of the problem.  Currently, Peachtree Parkway, particularly between East Jones Bridge Road and Holcomb Bridge Road, should be renamed “Peachtree Parking Lot,” because of its congestion.

Now, the City of Peachtree Corners has planned significant new development in the Forum area, and to the best of my knowledge, nobody has taken the traffic situation into account.  Widening the road is inevitable, so it seems like that should be part of the planning, rather than an afterthought.  Failure to plan for this properly will lead to a huge mess when the inevitable happens.  I recognize that this is a state highway, but we should not be moving forward until a coordinated solution to the traffic congestion is found.

— Robert C. Covington, Peachtree Corners

UPCOMING

15th annual NE Georgia Boy Scouts to honor three from Gwinnett

The Northeast Georgia Council, Boy Scouts of America will hold the 15th annual American Values Dinner on Tuesday, March 1, 6:30 p.m., at the Infinite Energy Center.   The event will honor David McCleskey, Judge Emily Brantley-Circelli, and Tommy Hughes with the Scott Hudgens Distinguished Citizen Award for their contributions to Gwinnett County. Keynote remarks will be made by Michael Thurmond.

The Host Committee is made up of 23 community leaders and is chaired by Dr. Frances Davis of Gwinnett Schools and Perry Tindol of Allgood Pest Control.

Tables of ten may be sponsored for $2,500, while individual seats are $250. Reservations may be made by calling (770) 962-2105 or emailing rodney.brundidge@scouting.org. Proceeds from the event benefit over 12,000 Scouts and Scout leaders who are part of the Northeast Georgia Council in Gwinnett County.

Time to register for Feb. 13 Suwanee Sweetheart Sprint

The Rotary Club of Buford/North Gwinnett invites all runners to the Suwanee Sweetheart Sprint on Saturday, February 13.  The 5k sprint is a Peachtree Road Race qualifier that begins and ends at Suwanee’s Town Center Park, taking runners through the Suwanee Creek Greenway.

Advance registration is $28 per individual or $45 per couple/pair.  On-site race day registration is $35 per individual or $55 per couple/pair.  Awards will go to the top male and female overall, top male and female masters and top three male and female finishers in 15 age groups.  All runners will receive a long-sleeve, Dri-fit style official race shirt and goodie bag, which includes a special chocolate treat.  Hot chocolate and cookies will be available after the race.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the event begins at 10 a.m.  Participants are encouraged to wear a Valentine’s-themed costume for a contest. Everyone is invited to attend this family-friendly event. Strollers and dogs are welcomed and allowed at the back of the start. Proceeds are used to support a variety of local community organizations.  For more information or to register, visit www.suwaneesweetheartsprint.com/home.html.

Tannery Row Artist Colony seeking entries for Feb. 27 show

The Tannery Row Artist Colony of Buford is calling all artists to participate in the Spring Juried Exhibit 2016. First place prize will be $300, with second and third place prizes also being offered.

Accepted media include oil, watercolour, acrylic, charcoal, pastel, coloured pencil, pen and ink, mixed media, digital art, printmaking, fibre arts, photography, three dimensional art, including ceramics, pottery, metal and found object sculpture.

The opening reception will be on February 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through April 8.

Snellville department offers Feb. 13 kids’ party to parents

Need a night out with your spouse to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Now you can have one thanks to Snellville’s Parks and Recreation Department.

logo_snellvilleSince Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, a lot of couples will be celebrating the night before. That’s why the Kids’ Park Party is being offered from 6 to 10 p.m. February 13.

For $25 per child ($20 for an additional sibling), kids ages 5 – 12 attending the event will be treated to arts and crafts, pizza and a movie at Briscoe Park on Lenora Church Road.

NOTABLE

George Pierce Park in Suwanee to get new gymnasium

A new gymnasium with a full-size basketball court and an elevated indoor track is coming to George Pierce Park, located at 55 Buford Highway in Suwanee. Gwinnett commissioners approved a $3.2 million construction contract with Headley Construction Company on Tuesday using funds from the SPLOST program.

The 18,212-square-foot facility is an addition to the existing Community Recreation Center that provides year-round recreational programming and includes the Prime Timers Pointe wing that supports recreational programs and services for senior citizens. The basketball court will have two overlay courts for volleyball and badminton. The indoor walking/running track will be the county’s second. The first one was built at Lucky Shoals Park in the Norcross area.

The popular 304-acre park already features a football field, five soccer fields, nine baseball/softball fields and more than three miles of trails.

Duluth trio of winners show off Fall Festival awards

16.0205.DuluthWinnerHolding awards from the Southeast Festivals and Events Association’s Kaleidoscope Awards program that the Duluth Fall Festival won recently are Alana Moss, Kay Montgomery and Annette McIntosh. Sugar Hill and Suwanee also won awards in this competition, which was featured in the last edition of GwinnettForum. Recent email technical difficulties delayed this photo from the last edition.

Nonprofits get $92,4450 from Jackson EMC Foundation in grants

The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total $92,450 in grants during their December meeting, including $59,650 to agencies serving Gwinnett County residents. Among them:

Jackson EMC Foundation board member Jim Puckett presents a $15,000 Foundation grant check to Habitat for Humanity of Gwinnett County’s Executive Director Brent Bohanan.

Jackson EMC Foundation board member Jim Puckett presents a $15,000 Foundation grant check to Habitat for Humanity of Gwinnett County’s Executive Director Brent Bohanan.

  • $15,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Gwinnett County for the “A Brush With Kindness” program.
  • $15,000 to the Lawrenceville Cooperative Ministry for its Emergency Food Assistance Program.
  • $10,000 to the C.O.R.E. (Confidence, Ownership, Responsibility, Exercise) Program, a community health initiative covering Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett, Jackson and Madison counties that engages underprivileged adolescents at risk for chronic conditions related to obesity and overweight conditions.
  • $10,000 to the Eyes of Love Lighthouse Mission in Buford, a grassroots ministry that collects and distributes clothes, food and furniture to those in need in Gwinnett, Hall, Barrow counties.
  • $9,650 to Choices Pregnancy Care Center in Gainesville for ultrasound services to check for a pregnancy’s viability and ectopic pregnancy, in Gwinnett, Hall and Jackson counties.
RECOMMENDED

The Billion Dollar Spy

A book by David E. Hoffman

00_recommendedJust finished reading The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman. After much reluctance and bumbling on the CIA’s part, Adolf Tolkachev became the most effective spy to ever work for them. A painting of him hangs at CIA headquarters. Thanks to him we knew all about Soviet plans for decades to come. He gave us what was to be the F-15’s most compelling features, saved the US $billions in R&D and was betrayed by a revenge- seeking former CIA trainee.

— Hoyt Tuggle, Lawrenceville

An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb

GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBIT

Several individuals contribute to history of birds in Georgia

Since the early 1700s, many people have tallied and studied the birds of Georgia. Mark Catesby, the first ornithologist in Georgia, arrived in 1723 on the Savannah River below present-day Augusta. He traveled throughout Georgia and the Carolinas, collecting plants and studying birds. From 1730 to 1748 Catesby published records and illustrations of 109 birds from Georgia in The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands.

From 1773 to 1777 the naturalist William Bartram, traveling the same trails in Georgia as had his father, John Bartram, listed 215 birds, which were later published in his book Travels in 1791. The artist and naturalist John James Audubon studied Georgia’s birds in the 19th century while completing the seven-volume Birds of America, which included drawings and paintings of the various species he encountered in Georgia. John Abbot of Bulloch County and Alexander Wilson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, produced or published important descriptions and paintings of Georgia’s birds, some of which were newly discovered species, from 1790 to 1814.

Painted bunting.

Painted bunting.

The LeContes of Liberty County contributed the first list of birds in Georgia (273 species), which was published in Statistics of the State of Georgia by George White (1849). In 1892 Vernon Bailey of the U.S. Biological Survey (now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) conducted the first field project for his agency in Georgia by collecting birds for ten days on the old LeConte plantation in Liberty County.

By the late 1880s resident, skilled amateur ornithologists of Georgia became active in field studies. Eugene Murphy, of the middle Savannah River valley, studied birds from 1890 to 1952 and published an extensive paper in 1937 on the birds in that valley. Also at that time, Robert Windsor Smith, of Kirkwood, began to study and collect birds. Much of his collection is housed at the Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta. Another large collection of birds, numbering nearly 2,000, was completed by William LaPrade Jr., a Methodist minister from north Georgia.

In modern times Thomas Burleigh is recognized as the Georgia ornithologist who contributed above all others. Burleigh arrived in Athens in 1920 and taught on the faculty of the University of Georgia‘s forestry school until 1930.

He returned to Athens in 1945 to complete fieldwork and writing on birds in the state. His collection of prepared bird skins totaled more than 3,000. The culmination of his work produced Georgia Birds, the first comprehensive state bird book, in 1958. Many others, both professionals and skilled amateurs, including J. Fred Denton (north Georgia birds), Earle Greene Jr. (Okefenokee Swamp birds), William Griffin (Atlanta birds), Frederick Hebard (Okefenokee Swamp birds), Milton Hopkins (southwest Georgia birds), David Johnston (breeding birds and habit changes), Brooke Meanley (Swainson’s warblers near Macon), Robert Norris (southwest Georgia birds), Eugene Odum (ecology of birds), Herbert L. Stoddard (quail studies), and Ivan Tomkins (Savannah birds), have contributed a wealth of knowledge about the state’s birds. In 1936 Norman Giles Jr. and Don Eyles of Atlanta founded the state bird journal The Oriole, a publication of the Georgia Ornithological Society. The society maintains a library at the University of Georgia.

MYSTERY PHOTO

Where’s that guy fishing?

16.0205.mystery

Casting for fish in the sea is enjoyed by many. But just where is this guy doing his fishing? If you figure it out, send your answer to elliott@brack.net, but be sure to include your hometown.

16.0202.mysteryTwo readers recognized last edition’s mystery photo. Heather Sawyer of Johns Creek writes: “Today’s mystery photo is Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. I took a boat ride there last fall with my parents and husband. We were visiting my nephew who lives in Jackson Hole.” The photo was sent in by Beverly Lougher of Lawrenceville.

George Graf of Palmyra, Va. also recognized the scene. He adds:”Jenny Lake is named after a Shoshone Indian woman who married an Englishman, Richard “Beaver Dick” Leigh.  Jenny, and their six children, died of smallpox in 1876.  The lake was formed approximately 12,000 years ago by glaciers pushing rock debris.  In 1929 Grand Teton National Park was established, protecting the major peaks of the Teton Range. The valley of Jackson Hole remained in private ownership until the 1930s, when conservationists led by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. began purchasing land in Jackson Hole to be added to the existing national park.”

LAGNIAPPE

Gwinnett wildlife: One beautiful red-shouldered hawk

16.0205.Hawk

Roving Photographer Frank Sharp enjoys regular trips to Rhodes Jordan Park in Lawrenceville, where he from time-to-time finds new subjects. This view of a red-shoulder hawk shows how wildlife live comfortably among us. Frank reports that the hawks nest in the park each year. It’s another example of the birds of Georgia.

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