OKEFENOKEE II

OKEFENOKEE II - The Return
by Steven A. Ellis, Kennesaw, GA
and Chip Rinehart, West Columbia, SC
photos by Steven, except where noted

Steven begins:
The weekend of 3/28-3/30/03, a number of us traveled to the Okefenokee Swamp, repeating a successful visit from March of last year. A split squad of campers and motel dwellers worked out of Folkston, GA, on the east side of the swamp, including two father and son teams.

The crew this year numbered 18 from seven different states:
AL - Charles Ray (Auburn) & David Smith (Mobile)
FL - Jim & Nancy Capelle (Gainesville), Doug Dame (Interlachen), and Paul & Jerome Sachs (St. Augustine)
GA - Steven Ellis (Kennesaw), Harvey Langabeer (Lawrenceville), Henry Wolfe (Bethlehem), and Michael
& Andrew Wolfe (Statham)
KY - Geoff Kimber (Lexington)
MI - Philip Kukulski (Detroit), winning the distance award!
OH - Klaus "Dead Man Walking" Schoening (Cincinnati)
SC - Dan Hagley (Columbia), Chip Rinehart (West Columbia), and Dustin Smith (Newberry).

Rather than just repeat the itinerary from last year (out of Waycross, GA), we researched a whole new area that included the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and its periphery. So, on 3/1/03 Chip Rinehart and Paul Harney (Clermont, GA) joined me for the scouting run.

During the course of the day, we completely circled the swamp, locating several promising sites. Even in a near-constant downpour we were able to do some pre-trip sampling with excellent results. We encountered so much high water it was often difficult to determine where normal shorelines were. We were delighted to find banded topminnows (Fundulus cingulatus), a species that eluded us last year.

Torrential rains during the scouting run hampered us slightly. This is
Tatum Creek, near Fargo, GA.

On Friday morning (3/28/03) I rolled into Folkston to find that Philip Kukulski and Klaus Schoening were there ahead of me. I was more than a little impressed that Philip made the long drive down from the University of Michigan.

If the entire rest of the weekend had turned out to be a total flop (it didn't!), I would still have counted it worthwhile just to see Klaus back in the game. His near-fatal illness last summer gave many of us quite a scare. Though still not 100%, he handled the strain of the trip quite well. Welcome back to the land of the living, Klaus!

As one might expect, a NWR is not normally accessible to fish collectors. An advance written request is required and carefully scrutinized before permission is considered. Although I had tendered such a request two weeks prior to the trip, I didn't know until I arrived that it had been approved under strict guidelines.

NWR biologist Sara Aicher met with me to issue the special permit and to go over the limitations. She was an extremely helpful professional, providing us with topographical prints of the immediate area, and granting us 500' on either side of the navigable waterways in which to work. It turned out to be more than adequate.

Elated by this rare opportunity, I returned to the motel for a 3PM rendezvous with the first wave of collectors. Doug Dame, Paul Sachs & his son Jerome, and David Smith soon joined Klaus, Philip, and me. We sampled a small pond on the motel property, but it yielded nothing. Charles Ray and Harvey Langabeer rolled in next and we were off to the first stop of the trip.

Doug Dame (Interlachen, FL) working the pond behind the motel.

Klaus Schoening (Cincinnati, OH) also at the motel pond.

St. Marys River, US Highway 1, south of Folkston at the FL line:

As with many of the streams we encountered, high water from recent flooding covered the normal banks, creating steep, sudden drop-offs. This black water river winds past a state park on the FL side. We collected/observed:
Pygmy killifish (Leptolucania ommata)
Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)
Least killifish (Heterandria formosa)
Swamp darter (Etheostoma fusiforme)
Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
Bluespotted sunfish (Enneacanthus gloriosus)
Everglades pygmy sunfish (Elassoma evergladei)
Chain pickerel (Esox niger)
Redfin pickerel (E. americanus americanus)

At the St. Marys River we were right at the border with FL. L-R - Doug &
Klaus

At St. Marys River, L-R - Charles Ray (Auburn, AL), Harvey Langabeer
(Lawrenceville, GA), Paul Sachs (St. Augustine, FL), & Philip Kukulski
(Detroit, MI)

Paul's son Jerome Sachs (St. Augustine, FL) at St. Marys River
Mack Island Creek, US Highway 1, 5 miles NW of Folkston

Philip found a drop-off at St. Marys River.

Mack Island Creek, US Highway 1, 5 miles NW of Folkston

Mack Island Creek was vegetation-choked and spread out along side of Highway 1 due to the high water. The brush was thickest near the bridge, so we had better success working ditches just north of it. We saw:
Banded topminnow (Fundulus cingulatus)
Pygmy killifish (L. ommata)
Mosquitofish (G. affinis)
Bluegill (L. macrochirus)
Bluespotted sunfish (E. gloriosus)
Juvenile pickerel (Esox sp.)
Okefenokee pygmy sunfish (Elassoma okefenokee)

One of our father & son teams, Paul (left) & Jerome at Mack Island Creek

Spanish Creek, US Highway 1, 4 miles NW of Folkston

What a difference a half-mile makes! Doug offered to speak his excellent mock Spanish to the fish. It must have worked. We did much better there. The creek was a lot easier to work, and the fish less displaced. We observed/collected:
Golden topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus)
Pygmy killifish (L. ommata)
Mosquitofish (G. affinis)
Least killifish (H. formosa)
Flier (Centrarchus macropterus)
Bluegill (L. macrochirus)
Banded sunfish (Enneacanthus obesus)
Bluespotted sunfish (E. gloriosus)
Everglades pygmy sunfish (E. evergladei)
Okefenokee pygmy sunfish (E. okefenokee)
Chain pickerel (E. niger)
Black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)

At Spanish Creek, L-R - Klaus, Jerome, Paul, David Smith (Mobile, AL), &
Charles

Bluespotted sunfish (Enneacanthus gloriosus)

Least killifish (Heterandria formosa)

Golden topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus)

With the sunlight fading, and the mosquitoes forming attack squadrons, we returned to the motel to find three generations of the Wolfe family waiting for us. That brought our total to twelve for the customary group meal.

Earlier in the day, I had located a little mom 'n pop barbecue place (C&M Barbecue) just off Folkston's town square. If I hadn't been there in the daytime, I never would have found it after dark! We arrived just 30 minutes before closing time, causing the couple who ran the place to really scramble to accommodate a dozen hungry fish folk. They were very kind to us, and the barbecue was good enough to rank within my top five choices for barbecue in GA.

The BBQ was great! L-R (facing) - David Smith & Steven Ellis (Photo by Michael Wolfe)

L-R - Henry Wolfe & Klaus Schoening (Photo by Michael Wolfe)

L-R - Doug Dame & Jerome Sachs (Photo by Michael Wolfe)

Back at the motel, we were greeted by Jim & Nancy Capelle, Geoff Kimber, and those wild-eyed SC boys: Dan Hagley, Chip Rinehart, & Dustin Smith.

On Saturday morning, many of us met for breakfast before taking to the pursuit of fish. Soon afterward, our original plan for the day took on new options. Making just a day trip out of it, the SC gang chose to skip the Okefenokee NWR in favor of a trip to the Waycross area. Several others joined them. Another group opted to work some of the local sites, intending to link up with us later.

With that matter sorted out, seven of us (the Wolfe guys, Nancy, Geoff, Philip, and myself) drove down to the NWR and boarded a flat-bottom boat. After seeing our collecting gear, one of the park attendants asked to see our special permit before letting us pass. Henry Wolfe agreed to drive the boat for us.

"Cap'n" Henry Wolfe (Bethlehem, GA) was kind enough to guide our boat
through the Okefenokee NWR.

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, East entrance, Chesser & Grand Prairies

We traveled only a short distance down the main channel before we spotted a 7-8' alligator absorbing sunlight on the bank. Unlike the ones we saw later, this one stuck around long enough for photos. (Yes, Chip, there are 'gators outside SC!)

This bad boy greeted us as we went up the main channel from the boat dock.

The main channel leading into the NWR

Turning left at the first opportunity, we began descending the narrow waterway into Chesser Prairie. It was immediately evident that we were at ground zero of the food chain. We visited at least five spots inside the swamp, trying to vary the type of habitat.

Chesser Prairie, NWR

Getting out of the boat for the first time was a bit unnerving, knowing that the 'gators were all around. Not being able to see them was the spooky part. However, when the others plunged in without apparent reservation, I reminded myself that this is what we came for, and followed. As long as we didn't step off into the channel, the water was usually less than waist deep.

This is the boat we used in the NWR. L-R - Cap'n Henry, Nancy Capelle
(Gainesville, FL), & Andrew Wolfe (Statham, GA, Henry's grandson, Michael's
son)

There is plenty of solid ground to be seen we just couldn't reach it. Every "true" landmass was ringed around the edges with impenetrable brush. Philip made a gallant effort to break through, but fifteen feet in about as many minutes was the best he could manage. The ever shifting waterlogged peat beneath the surface bore our weight well most of the time.

The "floating earth" was very interesting. It doesn't look as though it would support the weight of a man, but Philip proved to us that it would. We got photos of him kneeling on a patch of it.

Philip on a stretch of "floating earth" in the NWR

View of the NWR from the boat. L-R - Andrew, Michael Wolfe (Andrew's dad,
Statham, GA), & Geoff

L-R - Steven Ellis & Nancy Capelle (Photo by Michael Wolfe)

Cap'n Wolfe was patient with us and our navigational directions, often raising the motor to allow us to tow the boat into fields of lily pads without fouling the propeller. He and Miss Nancy used the field glasses to locate wading birds. Although the birds would not allow us to approach them very closely, we did get a fair look at a pair of ibis and a large white crane.

A pair of ibis in a dead tree in the NWR

We passed them again later as they were feeding.


We followed a large white crane (center) in the NWR, but this is as close as he let us get before flying away.		The crane did give us a fly-by as it circled past our boat.

Philip in the middle of Grand Prairie, NWR

Geoff Kimber (Lexington, KY) at the NWR

Steven Ellis (Kennesaw, GA) in the NWR (Photo by Michael Wolfe)

Another father & son team, Michael (left) & Andrew in the NWR

Although the NWR boasts 37 snake species and 14 turtle species, we didn't find any. Of the fishes, we collected/observed:
Banded topminnow (F. cingulatus)
Pygmy killifish (L. ommata)
Mosquitofish (G. affinis)
Many hybrid sunfish
Dollar sunfish (Lepomis marginatus)
Bluegill (L. macrochirus)
Bluespotted sunfish (E. gloriosus)
Banded sunfish (E. obesus)
Flier (C. macropterus)
Black crappie (P. nigromaculatus)
Everglades pygmy sunfish (E. evergladei)
Okefenokee pygmy sunfish (E. okefenokee)
Chain pickerel (E. niger)
Redfin pickerel (E. americanus americanus)

While we were enjoying this vast, untamed wilderness, the Carolina renegades were thrashing the waters around Waycross. Chip was kind enough to submit the following report of their activities.

***************

Chip continues the story:

Dan Hagley, Dustin Smith and I arrived in Folkston about 10:30pm Friday night and checked into our motel. As Dustin was checking us in, I walked over to the motel next door where I knew Steven and some of the other guys were staying. We talked about what they had done that day and what their plans for the next day were. We arranged to meet at a nearby diner for breakfast the next morning around 7:30am to talk about where we would be visiting.

Saturday morning we all enjoyed a nice breakfast with some of the best company a person could ask for. Due to Dan's and Dustin's need to be back in SC that night (honey-do list?), and the species they wanted, we had to pass on Steven's Swamp Tour. David Smith, Klaus Schoening, Charles Ray and Harvey Langabeer opted to follow us as well. Doug Dame, Paul Sachs, his son Jerome, and Jim Capelle also followed us to the first site but split apart for awhile until again meeting, much later in the day, at our final collection site.

Our first stop was at Spanish Creek; a site visited the previous day by some of our group. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, the water tannin-stained to the color of strong tea, a perfect day for collecting. We stopped here to get some Okefenokee pygmy sunfish. These were found along with several other species. Here's what we saw:

Site 1: Spanish Creek @ US 1/US 23
Elassoma evergladei - Everglades pygmy sunfish
E. okefenokee - Okefenokee pygmy sunfish
Aphrododerus sayanus - Pirate perch
Enneacanthus gloriosus - Bluespotted sunfish
E. obesus - Banded sunfish
Leptolucania ommata - Pygmy killifish
Gambusia holbrooki - Eastern mosquitofish

At this time, Doug, Paul, Jerome, and Jim headed off on their own. After leaving here, we dipped into Florida then back up into Georgia to a spot on the western side of the swamp that Steven and I had visited on our scouting trip several weeks earlier. This area was basically ditches alongside the road heading into the NWR but outside of the park boundaries.

On our scouting trip it was raining most of the time keeping the insect population grounded. We weren't so lucky this time, as it appeared every mosquito from the state was here. At least we found many fish that prey on the larvae of this blood-sucking hoard. I guess this means that, since mosquitoes don't lay eggs until they've had a meal of blood, we were providing the food for the next generation of fish here, at least in a roundabout sort of way.

We found some really nice banded topminnows with blood-red fins as well as nicely colored pygmy killies and everglades pygmy sunfish. Eastern mosquitofish were very abundant here as well. Klaus found some nice aquatic plants here as well as several male Gambusia with black spotting on them. Also found were a ribbon or garter snake, small siren, some cool water insects, and many frogs and tadpoles. Here's our list from this site:

Site 2: Roadside ditch @ GA 177 approx. 7 miles from intersection with GA 94
Elassoma evergladei - Everglades pygmy sunfish
Enneacanthus obesus - Banded sunfish
E. gloriosus - Bluespotted sunfish
Leptolucania ommata - Pygmy killifish
Fundulus cingulatus - Banded topminnow
F. lineolatus - Lined topminnow
Gambusia holbrooki - Eastern mosquitofish

We turned our vehicles around and drove a short way back out to a stream that we had seen on the way in. The bloodsuckers were even worse here and it was getting pretty warm in the sun so we didn't spend a lot of time at
this spot. Klaus also found some more plants here.

Site 3: GA 177@ Sweetwater Creek
L. ommata - Pygmy killifish
F. cingulatus - Banded topminnow
G. holbrooki - Eastern mosquitofish
Esox sp. juv. - pickerel

On the way to the next site, we stopped in Fargo to eat lunch at the Sportsman's Cafe operated by Ima Jean Knowles. This was a small place but it was apparently the only "eatin' joint" in Fargo. The food on the buffet was pretty good if a little on the expensive side. We must have been charged the "tourist price". The waitress was a young girl with a
distinctly south Georgian accent, a "tb" tattoo on her wrist (I'm not sure I want to know what it stood for), and a belly button visible to all (no lint was seen).

Uh, at least the sweet tea was good. We were unsuccessful in our attempts to get Dan to eat collards, a southern dish that he has never tried. Somebody needs to do something with this boy!

After eating, we headed up towards Homerville. Along the way, we stopped at Tatum Creek, another spot Steven and I had visited. This time the water was much lower than before. The crayfish from this spot were very interesting. Several blue crayfish were found along with dwarf crayfish and some other variety with red lines and spots on them. Also found were several F. cingulatus as well as one red spotted F.chrysotus.

Site 4: US 441/GA 89 @ Tatum Creek
Elassoma evergladei - Everglades pygmy sunfish
Leptolucania ommata - Pygmy killifish
Fundulus chrysotus - Golden topminnow
F. cingulatus - Banded topminnow
Gambusia holbrooki - Eastern mosquitofish
Esox niger - Chain pickerel

Tatum Creek (Photo by Klaus Schoening)

After leaving here we headed towards a site that we had visited last year that was loaded with L. ommata. Upon arriving, we immediately noticed the water level was much higher than the previous year with very little vegetation to be seen. Nevertheless, we started working our dipnets and soon found the ommata we were after. We also found F.cingulatus, a species that we didn't find here last year.

Charles at Tatum Creek (Photo by Klaus Schoening)

Chip Rinehart (West Columbia, SC) examines his catch at Tatum Creek. (Photo
by Klaus Schoening)

Chip exercising his navigational skills at Tatum Creek. (Photo by Klaus
Schoening)

Dustin Smith (Newberry, SC), at left, and Charles at Tatum Creek. (Photo by
Klaus Schoening)

Dustin (left) & Dan working between the bridges at Tatum Creek. (Photo by
Klaus Schoening)

Dan Hagley (Columbia, SC) at Tatum Creek. Can you guess what the tattoo is?
(Photo by Klaus Schoening)

As we were preparing to leave, a young boy and his father pulled up to do some fishing. We showed the boy some of the fish we were keeping and he goes running to his father yelling, "Dad, look at these fish!" Maybe a seed was planted for a new generation of fish collectors. Across the road, Klaus and Charles started dipping in a ditch, looking for daphnia. They found an ample amount to take home and start new cultures with.

Site 5: Swamp Rd @ pond at intersection with 12-Mile Post
Leptolucania ommata - Pygmy killifish
Fundulus cingulatus - Banded topminnow
Lepomis auritus - Redbreast
Enneacanthus gloriosus - Bluespotted sunfish
Elassoma evergladei - Everglades pygmy sunfish
Esox niger - Chain pickerel
Etheostoma fusiforme - Swamp darter
Lepomis macrochirus - Bluegill
Gambusia holbrooki - Eastern mosquitofish

The last spot we visited was also one sampled last year. As we were pulling in, just ahead of us was the group that split off from us earlier in the day. Talk about timing!

On the previous trip, the water level was so low (due to the drought) we could walk across the river. This year the water was about 15 to 20 feet higher so we had very little luck getting the much desired taillight shiners that were so numerous last year. We did find some nicely colored brook silversides again as well as a few new species, including a very small bowfin of about 1 inch in length.

Site 6: US 1/US 23 @ Satilla River
Cyprinella leedsi - Bannerfin shiner
Notropis maculatus - Taillight shiner
Gambusia holbrooki - Eastern mosquitofish
Enneacanthus gloriosus - Bluespotted sunfish
Lepomis auritus - Redbreast
L. macrochirus - Bluegill
L. marginatus - Dollar sunfish
Erimyzon sucetta - Lake chubsucker
Amia calva - Bowfin
Esox niger - Chain pickerel
Labidesthes sicculus - Brook silverside
Pomoxis nigromaculatus - Black crappie
Another shiner

Jim was helping Doug pull a seine and had a neat "over the waders" experience. Actually, it appeared to be more of an "over the head" experience. I still haven't figured out how his hat stayed dry. I hope the pictures turn out on those shots! After a while we all decided it was time to call it a day. We all said our good-byes (at least the ones of us who had to leave) and headed on our way.

Thanks to Steven Ellis, our awesome NANFA GA representative, for hosting Okeefest II.

Chip Rinehart

*****************

Steven continues his account:

Although collecting in the NWR was anything but easy, it was still difficult to leave. Nevertheless, we had other sites to hit before nightfall. Heading north, we returned to Folkston for lunch at the Huddle House about 3PM. Miss Nancy bailed out right after the meal. We let her out at the motel and proceeded to the next stop.

Double Run Creek, US Highway 94, 5 miles SE of Fargo, GA

Since there is no road directly across the Okefenokee NWR (that's a good thing), we had to circle around the lower end of it to reach the next location. This required taking a stretch of highway across the top edge of Florida before re-entering GA just SE of Council.

Double Run Creek was not on the original itinerary, but it looked promising as we approached. True to the name, a long bridge spans twin channels of the same creek. Once again, high water blended the two into one and swelled the ditches on either side.

The fishes seemed badly displaced, as we only found a few near the edge of what might have been their original territory. Thus, we didn't stay long. We saw:
Banded topminnow (F. cingulatus)
Pygmy killifish (L. ommata)
Mosquitofish (G. affinis)
Banded sunfish (E. obesus)
Juvenile pickerel (Esox sp.)

Chain pickerel (Esox niger) from Double Run Creek

Geoff at Double Run Creek

Michael (left) and Henry at Double Run Creek

By the time we left, the mosquitoes were growing more aggressive. The repellent slowed them down a bit, but as they continued to fly "touch 'n go" passes on us, it was clear we hadn't heard the last of them.

Cypress Creek, US Highway 94, 3 miles SE of Fargo, GA
Cypress Creek was a much better stream, but we found mostly the same fishes:
Banded topminnow (F. cingulatus)
Pygmy killifish (L. ommata)
Mosquitofish (G. affinis)
Dollar sunfish (L. marginatus)
Bluegill (L. macrochirus)
Bluespotted sunfish (E. gloriosus)
Banded sunfish (E. obesus)
Chain pickerel (E. niger)

Pygmy killifish (Leptolucania ommata) from Cypress Creek

Sweetwater Creek, GA Highway 177, 4 miles NE of Edith, GA

We made a fairly brief stop at Sweetwater Creek. The mosquitoes began to ignore the repellent, and we found few fishes. We saw:
Banded topminnow (F. cingulatus)
Pygmy killifish (L. ommata)
Mosquitofish (G. affinis)
Juvenile pickerel (Esox sp.)

Banded topminnow (Fundulus cingulatus) from Sweetwater Creek

Suwannee River, US Highway 94, 1 mile SE of Fargo, GA

At the final site of the day, we pulled up at the wide overflow that ran the entire distance between the bridge over the Suwannee River and the junction with GA Highway 177 leading to Stephen Foster State Park. Since sport fishermen and boaters occupied the area north of the bridge, we chose the south side.

Once again, the original shoreline was not even visible, but dropped off treacherously into very deep water. The boldness of the mosquitoes increased in proportion with the approach of nightfall. We rapidly went from test dummies for West Nile virus to bait.

In spite of that, the collecting was good. We even found the much sought lined topminnows. A mystery shiner caught in near-darkness turned out to be a taillight shiner! We collected/observed:
Lined topminnow (Fundulus lineolatus)
Banded topminnow (F. cingulatus)
Pygmy killifish (L. ommata)
Mosquitofish (G. affinis)
Bluegill (L. macrochirus)
Bluespotted sunfish (E. gloriosus)
Banded sunfish (E. obesus)
Chain pickerel (E. niger)
Taillight shiner (Notropis maculatus)
Brook silverside (Labidesthes sicculus)

Lined topminnow, female (Fundulus lineolatus) from the Suwannee River

Taillight shiner (Notropis maculatus) from Suwannee River

After that, the bugs were at absolute swarm stage. I let dozens of them in the car just getting seated, and had to drive at top speed with the windows down just to clear them. We risked anemia if we stayed any longer! So, we made the long trek back to Folkston to find the other fishheads.

Once everyone was cleaned up and fed, the fish swap began. Bags of fish, stories, plants, and assorted foods from around the country changed hands. Everybody involved seemed pleased with what they got. It was a hoot to watch!

These next three pix are from the Saturday night fish swap. Here, Doug uses
a high-tech method to select his goods

L-R - Geoff & Paul

L-R - Geoff, Doug, & Paul

On Sunday morning, after picture-perfect weather the previous two days, it was a bit of a shock to awaken to a cold rain driven by strong winds. Many of the fish folk had already taken their leave to begin the long drive home. The ugly weather reduced that number to four (Doug, Klaus, Philip, & me) for the final assault.

Perch Creek, US Highway 82, 17 miles west of Waycross, GA

Perch Creek was one of the most productive sites of the 2002 trip. It is fairly small, but deep, running under the bridges of a divided highway. The woods on either side are beautiful, conjuring up images of fairy tales. I thought about this place a lot during recent cold winter days.

I already knew that the SC boys had passed this one up on Saturday, and I wanted to take advantage of the abundance of lined topminnows living there. We found plenty, but it took awhile.

Three of the final four collectors at Perch Creek, the last real site of
the trip. L-R - Klaus, Philip, & Doug

Similar in behavior to blackspotted topminnows (Fundulus olivaceus), adult lined topminnows will swim just out of reach of dipnets and hover just beneath the surface. Longer-handled dipnets provide only a slightly greater advantage, because they are also very quick. By the time we had our fill, only Philip and I remained. The sun had broken through once again,
prolonging the urge to explore. We observed/collected:
Lined topminnow F. lineolatus)
Pygmy killifish (L. ommata)
Mosquitofish (G. affinis)
Bluegill (L. macrochirus)
Bluespotted sunfish (E. gloriosus)
Banded sunfish (E. obesus)
Chain pickerel (E. niger)
1 red ear slider

Lined topminnow, male (Fundulus lineolatus) from Perch Creek

Red ear slider from Perch Creek

The "enchanted" woods at Perch Creek. Memories of this spot help me make it
through the winter!

We decided to try an alternate approach to the nearby Satilla River than the one used by the SC boys the day before, still seeking the elusive taillight shiners. In that respect, we fared no better. The water was swift and deep. Unwilling to risk drowning, we passed on the attempt and called it a day, finally putting a lid on Okefenokee II. Thanks to all of you who participated!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Special thanks are due to Fritz Rohde and Dr. Bud Freeman for technical
assistance, Chip Rinehart and Paul Harney for accompanying me on the
scouting run, Sara Aicher of the USFWS for facilitating our sampling inside
the NWR, and Klaus "Miracle Man" Schoening for not dying!

I'd also like to take this opportunity to call Casper Cox a horse's patoot for bailing out at the last minute! (-;

All The Best,

Steven A. Ellis
NANFA GA Regional Representative