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GA 3. Altamaha Bottoms. Acreage: 12,800 estimated. 



Location: Montgomery, Wheeler, Jeff Davis counties; Waycross 1:250,000 

 Quadrangle; 10 miles NE of Hazelhurst; reached via U.S. 221 . 



Description: This area is situated at the junction of the Oconee and Ocmulgee 

 rivers. It is the source of the Altamaha River which empties into the Atlantic 

 Ocean near Brunswick. This is one of the most extensive wetlands in the state. A 

 wide range of habitats occurs between the dry, scrub-oak uplands and the 

 broad, flat cvpress-gum bottomlands. This Coastal Plain site contains alluvium 

 that originated in the northern Piedmont 300-350 miles away. It differs from the 

 Okefenokee Swamp in a variety of ways, but principally from the standpoint of 

 edaphic conditions. Indian history permeates the region. 



References: Harper, R. 1906. A phytographic sketch of the Altamaha Grit Re- 

 gion of the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 17:1-415. 



Encroachments: No major problems occur at the present time. However, the 

 paper pulp industry is actively involved with tree culture in the area, sand and 

 gravel pits are becoming more numerous with industrial expansion of the whole 

 area; lakes and impoundments are becoming more abundant. 



Ownership: Unknown. 



Data source: Gayther L. Plummer, Botany Department, University of Georgia, 

 Athens, Ga. 30601. 



Other knowledgeable persons: Local Soil Conservation Service representatives. 



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