NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



425 



and north-central Georgia consisted 

 originally of hardwoods, while at pres- 

 ent pines predominate. Probably the 

 nearest approach to primitive conditions 

 is to be found in the mountainous north- 

 eastern part of the State and in the 

 flat, poorly drained lands of the south- 

 eastern part. In the Blue Ridge there 

 are extensive hardwood forests, some 

 of which, according to government 

 reports, have never been lumbered. 

 Certain of these are now included in the 

 Cherokee and Nantahala National For- 

 ests. In the southeast the sandy soils 

 support dense stands of longleaf and 

 slash pine, while the extensive swamp- 

 lands are occupied with a heavy growth 

 of cypress, gums, bays and other trees. 

 In this section is situated the Okefenokee 

 Swamp a natural wonderland which, 

 it is hoped, may be preserved unchanged 

 for future generations. The Altamaha 

 upland is predominantly a sandy dis- 

 trict, at one time covered with a wonder- 

 ful forest of longleaf pine, which, accord- 

 ing to reports from various sources, 

 appears to have been almost completely 

 destroyed. This region has the reputa- 

 tion of being a botanical paradise, 

 similar to, and in many particulars 

 agreeing with, typical pine barrens 

 country. On the coast, according to 

 information furnished by Dr. George R. 

 White, of Savannah, certain of the sea 

 islands (Little Tybee, Wassaw, Ossabaw, 

 St. Catharine's, and Black Beard) are 

 said to be almost uninhabited and to 

 have an interesting flora and fauna. 

 With the growing popularity of the sea- 

 shore resorts there is constant danger 

 of the natural features on these islands 

 being destroyed, and efforts should be 

 made to preserve them before it is too 

 late. There is said to be a private 

 game preserve on one of the islands, 

 but at the present writing particulars 

 are lacking. According to the same 

 informant there is also considerable 

 wild land on the mainland opposite the 

 islands. Between the two are the salt 

 marshes, bays and lagoons in which a 

 typical halophytic flora is developed. 

 In other parts of Georgia, especially 



in the Appalachian Valley, Piedmont 

 Region and the upper and western 

 portions of the Coastal Plain the forests 

 are represented only by scattered groves, 

 except locally in the bottomlands where, 

 at least in the Coastal Plain, extensive 

 alluvial forests are frequently repre- 

 sented. 



Faunal conditions in Georgia vary 

 according to the character of the coun- 

 try. The larger animals, as deer and 

 black bear, are confined to the more 

 heavily forested sections in the north- 

 east and south. The bob-cat, raccoon, 

 fox, opossum and gray squirrel are said 

 to be rather generally distributed, 

 though becoming scarce in the more 

 thickly settled districts. Snakes are 

 common, especially in the swamps and 

 remote country districts. The rattle- 

 snake and copperhead are of frequent 

 occurrence, and the moccasin abounds 

 in the swamps of the Coastal Plain. 

 Alligators still occur in the Okefenokee 

 and other swamps in the lowlands of the 

 coast. Small birds appear to be abun- 

 dant, but the larger ones are for the 

 most part scarce. Water-fowl congre- 

 gate in large numbers in the marshes 

 and tidal lagoons on the coast. Forms 

 closely dependent on forested condi- 

 tions, as the pileated and ivory-billed 

 woodpeckers, the wood duck, and the 

 wild turkey, have either been exter- 

 minated or driven to seek refuge in the 

 wilder and more remote sections. 



III. STREAM POLLUTION 



Very little information appears to be 

 available on this subject. The general 

 impression is that, for the greater part 

 of their course, all the larger and more 

 important rivers of Georgia are con- 

 taminated by refuse from the cities and 

 towns of the surrounding country. All 

 the streams which have their sources 

 north of the Fall Line are heavily 

 charged with silt. Typical mountain 

 streams of clear water occur in the 

 mountainous sections in the north- 

 eastern part of the state and many of 

 those in the National Forests are pro- 

 tected from pollution. Certain of the 



