Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 22

Bittersweet consequences of
success

Bringing trout and deer back
to the mountains

ISTOCK.COM / PHOTOGRAPHER3431

Shortly after being sworn in as a
By 1940, deer numbers in and
forest ranger in 1918, Woody ordered
around the refuge had increased to an
several shipments of non-native rainestimated 2,000 animals. Despite his
bow and brown trout from fish hatchervigorous objections, a managed deer
ies in Colorado. He placed these
hunt was held on the Blue Ridge WMA
Woody also began to
fingerling trout in streams inside the
that year. In all, 22 bucks were killed
restore native brook
Rock Creek Refuge. He also began to
during that highly publicized event.
trout populations whose
restore native brook trout populations
Woody had to turn his head and try to
numbers had plummeted
whose numbers had plummeted due to
hide his tears as individual bucks he
due to overfishing and
overfishing and the pollution of streams
knew by name were brought to the
the pollution of streams
by logging operations.
check station after the hunt.
by logging operations.
In 1927, Woody began implementWoody's work restoring deer and
ing his lifelong dream of restoring deer
trout populations catapulted him into the
to the mountains. Traveling to the
national limelight. He was one of the
Pisgah Game Reserve in North Carolina, he purchased
nation's most talked-about forest rangers and a celebrity
five young white-tail fawns for $20 apiece. These five
within the state. Numerous newspaper and magazine
deer became the basis for a fledgling deer herd in Rock
articles were written about him by his good friend
Creek Refuge that would expand and populate the entire Charlie Elliott, a man he had been mentoring since the
mountain region.
mid-1920s, and who was destined to become the first
By the early 1930s, the Forest Service realized what
director of both Georgia State Parks and the Game and
a positive impact Woody's trout and deer programs were Fish Commission.
having within the forest, and the wildlife programs were
Woody's health began to fail in the mid-1940s. He
accelerated. After years of prodding his superiors to have suffered a stroke in 1944 and died at home in June 1946.
Rock Creek Refuge made into a combination forest and
Some 20 years after his death, several news stories
wildlife preserve, it officially became the Blue Ridge
referred to him as "the barefoot ranger of Suches."
Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in 1936. This was the
Although no one was quite sure how that nickname
first wildlife refuge of its kind in the nation. Several more originated, it stuck.
WMAs were quickly established in the mountain region,
Arthur Woody dedicated his life to restoring the
and other states soon copied the Georgia model.
forests of North Georgia and the wildlife that lived in
In 1937, the Forest Service established the Chattathose forests. He was one of America's great conservahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery inside the Blue
tion pioneers.
Ridge WMA, near the same spot where Woody had
Duncan Dobie is a freelance writer in Marietta and
constructed several primitive trout-rearing pools back in
author of "Arthur Woody and the Legend of the Barefoot
the early 1920s.
Ranger."

Then and now ...
Arthur Woody's legacy lives on through the efforts of the conservation organizations he helped pioneer.

stocked into North Georgia streams and lakes, providing recreational fishing opportunities for more than 160,000 anglers.

The U.S. Forest Service purchased its first, 31,000-acre tract of
land near Suches in 1912. Today the Forest Service oversees the
865,855-acre Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in North and
Central Georgia, providing public outdoor recreation opportunities in
26 counties. For more information, visit fs.usda.gov/conf.

Annual fishing events are held at the hatchery to promote recreational fishing and to introduce the public to the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and its mission. This year's events include:

Since the Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area was founded in
1936, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has expanded
the program. There are now 32 wildlife management areas, supporting wildlife conservation and allowing public access to hunting,
fishing and other outdoor activities. To find out more, visit
georgiawildlife.com/blue-ridge-wma.
The Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, founded in
1937, distributes more than a million trout each year. These fish are
22

* Veterans' Fishing Rodeo, May 4, 9 a.m. - noon. Open to veterans
and active-duty members of the U.S. armed forces.
* Seniors' Fishing Rodeo, June 1, 9 a.m. - noon. Open to adults age
55 and older.
* Kids' Fishing Rodeo, June 2, 9 a.m. - noon. Open to youths age 16
and younger.
For more information about the hatchery and events, visit fws.gov/
chattahoocheeforest.

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

http://www.ISTOCK.COM http://www.fs.usda.gov/conf http://www.georgiawildlife.com/blue-ridge-wma http://www.fws.gov/chattahoocheeforest http://www.fws.gov/chattahoocheeforest http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - May 2018