Georgia Magazine - July 2010 - (Page 9)

New library enriches Whitesburg COURTESY OF THE RURAL LIBRARY PROJECT INC. The Rural Library Project provided assistance in creating Whitesburg’s public library for area residents. Until two years ago, the West Georgia town of Whitesburg had never had a library. Residents in the town of 600 had to drive more than 10 miles to use a library. On March 31, 2008, all that changed. The Whitesburg Public Library opened its doors and began serving area residents. Typically, small communities do not attempt to build libraries, as the costs are simply too daunting. But Whitesburg residents were inspired by Yatesville, a town of 400 near Macon, which opened a library in 2002 with assistance from the Rural Library Project, an organization that helps small communities plan and build libraries. Whitesburg raised $211,000 to build its own 2,700-square-foot library. It opened with 3,000 books and seven computers with high-speed Internet. While the city and state provided $115,000, individuals, companies and organizations raised the rest. One donor, the Carroll EMC Foundation, donated $5,000 in both 2004 and 2005; and in 2009, it awarded a $3,000 grant for the purchase of children’s books. In 2009, 126 area children participated in the library’s summer reading program, and adults patronize the new library as well. More than 800 new library cards have been issued to Whitesburg-area patrons so far. See www.rurallibraryproject.org for other Georgia success stories. —Jim Jess Georgia battlefield named to ‘10 most endangered’ list Pickett’s Mill Battlefield (May 27, 1864) was recently named as one of the 10 most threatened Civil War sites in the United States by the Civil War Preservation Trust as part of their annual listing of endangered battlefields. Sites were chosen based on geographic location, military significance and the immediacy of current threats. “All across the country, our nation’s irreplaceable battlefields— these tangible links to our shared history—are threatened by inappropriate development, misguided public policy, limited financial resources and, in some cases, simple apathy,” says CWPT President James Lighthizer. “Next year marks the sesquicentennial of the bloodiest conflict in our nation’s history, and as we prepare for that moment, it is an opportune time to shine a spotlight on the places that tell America’s story.” Budget cuts resulting in significantly reduced hours of operation for Pickett’s Mill Battlefield State Historic Site, plus autumn floodwaters that destroyed footbridges and a portion of the historic mill, were factors that played into the battlefield’s nomination to the “most endangered” list. The Battle of Pickett’s Mill, a part of the 1864 Atlanta Campaign, was one of the most stinging Union defeats and the first serious check on Maj. Gen. Wiliam T. Sherman’s campaign against this Confederate transportation center. The CWPT is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving endangered Civil War battlefields through education and heritage tourism. For more on them, visit www.civilwar.org/historyundersiege. 9 Specialized wildlife hospital coming soon The Georgia Rehabilitation of Wildlife Center, or GROW, plans to construct the Southeast’s first specialized wildlife veterinary hospital early next year in Chattahoochee Hills, just south of Atlanta. With the help of the University of Georgia and Riverdale’s South Regional Health System, the goal of the GROW Wildlife Hospital Project is to assist injured wildlife from all over Georgia by taking in animals from the general public, animal control and wildlife rehabilitators and educate the public about wildlife conservation. The projected 11,000-square-foot facility will include a hospital and research wing, July 2010 an animal ward, a visitors center and a veterinary school. Licensed wildlife rehabilitators in Georgia will have access to hands-on training and free care for their wildlife patients, too. The GROW Wildlife Hospital Project is currently raising $3.5 million for its construction costs and plans to have the funds by its deadline of Dec. 31. For more information or to donate, visit the growcenter.org. —Sarah Bakhtiari www.georgiamagazine.org KENNY SHACKELFORD / COURTESY OF CWPT http://www.rurallibraryproject.org http://www.thegrowcenter.org http://www.thegrowcenter.org http://www.civilwar.org/historyundersiege http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - July 2010

Georgia Magazine - July 2010
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar
Currents
Special Energy Report
Where the Wild Things Are
Still Going Strong
Reliving History and Exploring Nature
Around Georgia
Georgia@Home
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Cookbook of the Month
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - July 2010