ML20093C522

Natural Landmark Site Evaluations - Ga:Ebenezer Creek Swamp,Effingham County

ML20093C522
Person / Time
Site:	Vogtle
Issue date:	12/31/1975
From:	Bozeman J GEORGIA SOUTHERN COLLEGE, STATESBORO, GA
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ML20093C512	List: ML20093C509 ML20093C522
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Download: ML20093C522 (34)

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NATURAL LANDMARK SITE EVALUATIONS - GEORGIA

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1975 EBENEZER CREEK SWAMP Effingham County

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CX 500050186 John R. Bozeman, Ph.D.

Evaluator Department of Biology l Georgia Southern College ,

Statesboro, Georgia 30458

(.' 8410100583 840924 PDR ADOCK 05000 g (912) 681-5494 A

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[ [ EBENEZER CREEK SWAMP: ,

( . GENERAL BACKGROUND

' Evaluator: John R. Bozeman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology,

. Department of Biology, Georgia Southern College, Statesboro,

~ Georgia 30458. (912) 681-5494.

These Source: Survey of Natural Areas of the. Atlantic Coastal Plain -

Ecological Themes. Center for Natural Areas, Office of International and Environmental Programs, Smithsonian Institution. Vols I-II, p..

194-280 (p. 227-229).

informationSources: Dr. Charles H. . Wharton

., Department of Biology Georgia State University-

- 33 Gilmer Street, S.E.

Atlanta, Georgia 30303 (404) 658-3100 or (2260)

Mr. Herschel L. Paulk, Soil Scientist

. USDA-Soil Conservation Service

' Regional Office Statesboro, Georgia 30458 (912) 764-5449 Mr. David Bozeman, Soil Conservationist

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USDA-Soil Conservation Service Treutlen Building Springfield, Georgia 31329.

Mr. A. E. (Ed) Norton, Tax Assessor Ms. Sheila Saxon, Clerk Tax Assessors Office P. O. Box 307 Springfield, Georgia 31329 (912) 754-3027.

Collaborator: Dr. Bill P. Lovejoy, Associate Professor of Biology, Department of Biology, Georgia Southern College, Statesboro, Georgia 30458. (912) 681-5437.

Visits: July 9-10, 1975. Float trip July 9; aerial reconnaissance July 10. ,

Other Names for Site: None for creek swamp. Ebenezer (Creek) Church and settlement are historical sites of early Salzburger Colony. Historical 3

Salzburger Museum located at church site, now known as Evangelical Luth-eran Congregation, c/o Rev. F. R. Helmey, Route 1, Clyo, Georgia 31303.

. LOCATION Political: Georgia, East-central section of Effingham County; East-Southeast

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of Spr!,gfield.

' Directions: East-Southeast from Springfield on State Road f S1131 ca. four (4) miles to Stillwell Community, South from Stillwell on S953 road ca.

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1.5 mil;s to Ebtnazar Cre;k. Also ecc:ssible via Gesrgia Highw y 275 ,

Southeast of Springfield to Ebenezer Landing on the Savannah River.

Mouth of Creek just north of landing. Creek accessible by several y private roads. l

'Lat. 6 Long. Coordinates: 320 21'-23' North; 81 11'-14' Wer.t.

USGS Quadrangle

Reference:

Rincon, Georgia and Hardeville NW, S.C., 7.5 minute topographic. Savannah, Georgia, 1:250,000.

SIZE ,

Acreage: Approximately 2,500 acres, or four (4) square miles. Area approx-imately 0.4 mile wide and five. (5) miles long.

BOUNDARIES Site recommended extends from State Road S953 on the west boundary

-to the Savannah River on the east boundary. The 15' elevation line delimits the deep-water swamp boundary of Ebenezer Creek (Map #1).

Maps: Map #1 is a copy of 7.5 minute series (topographic) . Map #2 locates area on Effingham County General liighway Map. Map #3 represents a re-plication of the soil field worksheets for Effingham County, based upon USDA-SCS flight 3-3-1949, sheet nos. BQG-1F-36, 38, and 68. Map #4 represents the land ownership boundaries alolig Ebenezer Creek, prepared from Tax Office, aerial photographic sheet numbers 6,18,19, and 26-28, dated 1968. New property maps, which were unavailable at time of eval-uation, are numbers 107, 118, 119, and 128.,

OWNERSIIIP Private: (Principal owners with land adjacent to Ebenezer Creek, see Map #4) .

Tract Owner Total Acreage 1 Mrs. Pauline G. Seckinger, et al. 818 2 Laura Fall 85 2A Charles Exley 22 8 T. O. Long 1,432 12 J. W. Tebeau Estate 103 13 Lee 11. 4 Wm. Morgan Lancaster 80 14 M. H. Rahn 80 15 Mrs. Mary Hutto 176 16 H. C. Gnann 87 17 Effie C. Williams 98 18 Ola M. Kessler, et al. 80 19 Emma Lancaster 86 20 Carolyn G Allen Kieffer 153 21 Alvin O. Gnann 60 22 Shearouse 6 Marchman 25 23 James J. 6 Jose Heagarty 97 24 Olive G. Griffin, et al. 159 25 E. A. Gnann 193 26 Miriam Gnann 86 27 W. S. Gnann 57 28 Cecil Gnann 65 29 A. O. Gnann (Alvin) 217 33 Jack E. Ramsey 260

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Maps /P1nts-Ownership Bsundaries: See Map #4.

. CORRESPONDENTS

_ Principal Owners: The seven (7) largest creek swamp tracts are numbers 1, 8, 12, 20, 24, 29, and 33. Correspondence concerning the registration of tracts should be directed to the following persons:

Tract 1 Mrs. Pauline G. Seekinger Springfield, Ga. 31329 Charles F. Gnann Route 2 Springfield, Ga. 31329 y Tract 8 Mr. T. O. Long Long Acres Route 1 Rincon, Ga. 31326

>(Tract 12 J. W. Tebeau Estate

, c/o Mr. Troy P. Tebeau Springfield, Ga. 31329 Tract 20 Carolyn 6 Allen Kieffer Route 1, Box 258 Springfield, Ga. 31329

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Tract 24 Mr. Olive G. Griffin '

1290 LaVista Rd., N.E.

Atlanta, Ga.

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Mr. A. O. (Alvin) Gnann '

8 Varnedo Ave.

, Garden City, Ga. 31408 y' Tract 33 Mr. Jack E. Ramsey Route 1, Box 127 Guyton, Ga.

Other Tracts as follows:

y Tract 2 Ms. Laura Fail {

c/o Gordon F. Fail '

P. O. Box 132 Rincon, Ga. 31326 Tract 2A Mr. Charles M. Exley 90 Varnedoe Ave.

Garden City, Ga. 31408 .

Tract 13 Lee H. 6 William Morgan Lancaster c/o W. K. Lancaster Route 1 Rincon, Ga. 31326 I

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ILAND:USE AND INTEGRITY

' Past 4 Present Use: The upland soils surrounding Ebenezer Creek are

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( used for row-crop' cultivation, pasture and timber production. Very  :

little selective logging has occurred in the deepwater Cypress-Gum 1 forest. Occasional stumps of Bald Cypress were observed on the lower five-mile reach of creek swamp.

Ebenezer Creek Swamp is utilized primarily for recreational- fishing and boating. Limited areas have built up week-end cottages. Three such subdivisions occur on the south bank, these are the Half Moon, High Bluff and Fall subdivisions. These subdivisions occur on bluffs overlooking the creek. The majority of the creek swamp is natural and undisturbed.

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Future Use The construction of additional cottages can be anticipated.on

.the north bank. There are three to four high areas with access by pri-vate roads on the north side.

'n!REATS TO THE AREA Existing: Existing threats to the area are improper solid waste (garbage and trash) disposal and probable seepage of sewage from cottages along the creek bank. Many of the cottages (shacks) are aesthetically dis-pleasing.

( Potential: Additional construction as outlined above will distract from

. the natural beauty of the area. Logging would destroy the aesthetic L ..

values of the swamp. .

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h. g/[! :q's' General Character: Ebenezer Creek is a black-water coastal stream that drains N'DESCRIPTIONOFNATURALVALUES

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the northeastern quarter of Effingham County. The upper watershed in-

, cludes Devils Branch, Runs Branch and Turkey Branch as the principal tri-butaries. The vegetational cover of the central and upper sections are

typical for this type of coastal stream. The lower section of Ebenezer

, Creek is unique in its physical and biological features. Since the last Pleistocene inundation, Ebenezer Creek has eroded the south or right bank L of the Savannah river to form a broad-flattened basin overlying residual

, clays. This basin is topographically uniform in elevation (15 feet abovo mean sea level) with the Savannah River floodplain for the last 4-5 miles -

l above its junction with the Savannah River. The Savannah River acts as a

" water-dam" or " slack-water-dam" on Ebenezer Creek. Any fluctuations, j such as normal winter flooding or tidal backwater, in the water level of

the Savannah' River directly influences the water level in Ebenezer Creek.

, The winter flood waters from the Savannah River inundate Ebenezer Creek and raise the water level by 4-5 feet, as indicated by the water-marks

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on the bases of tree-trunks throughout. Additional sediments of a less acidic nature are transported into Ebenezer Creek from the Savannah River.

! It is for this reason, and because of an abundant source of seed, that j Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) and Tupelo Gum dominate the forest cover of the lower Ebenezer Creek Swamp. l 1

Ebenezer Creek meanders through the creek basin forming a series of i

{ elongated lakes. Monospecific stands (forests) dominated by Bald Cy-  !

i press or Tupelo Gum, and mixed stands of both species occur along these

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1aka perimetsrs. During th2 summer months tha water color is' vary darkly

. stained, -reminding the observer of lakes and s-loughs in Okefenokee Swamp.

[(I Specific- Natural Values: Near climax forests of Bald Cypress-Tupelo Gum with extreme buttressing of stem bases. Extended hydroperiods probably ac--

count for the stunted nature of these trees. The creek swamp is believed

? to be an important spawning area for Striped Bass. Two large specimens

. (greater than 10') of the American Alligator were observed in the lakes.

Ecological / Geological Type Category:

Vegetative Subthemes 6 Phases

, Subtheme Phase E. Cypress-Gun Swamp Forest

a. deepwater (Bald Cypress-Water Tupelo)

P. Aquatic Fauna a. rare, endangered or unique species of wildlife (American Alligator)

c. seasonal concentrations (Striped Bass)

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT i

Location: Savannah River basin in Southeast Georgia. East-central section of Effingham County. Access by state roads at two points.

Vegetation Types / Unique Floral Components: Generally undisturbed section of creek swamp approximately five (5) miles in length. Mature deep-water phase of Cypress-Gum Swamp Forest in unique physical setting.

Creek, natural lakes, and swamp forests have very high visual, photo-graphic, and aesthetic values.

Fauna: Lakes and swamp provide habitat for American Alligator, River Otter, and Striped Bass. Birds include Wood Duck, Pileated Woodpecker, Green Heron, Little Blue Heron, White Ibis, and Warblers - Parula, and Pro-thonotary.

Education /Research: High educational /research potential. Creek suitable for year-around canoeing.

Comparison: This site is the best remaining Cypress-Gum Forest in the i Savannah River Basin. The physical relationship and interactions i between the river and the creek are unique to this system. The evaluator knows of.no other area with these exact qualities.

SIGNIFICANCE SOURCES Persons Consulted: Dr. Charles H. Wharton Department of Biology Georgia' State University 33 Gilmer St., SE Atlanta, Ga. 30303 (404) 658-3100 (-2260)

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,' E Public3ticns:

Wharton, C. H. 1975. The Natural Environments of Georgia. A

{ Special Report to the Department of Natural Resources, Atlanta, Georgia (unpublished manuscript) .

PUBLICITY SENSITIVITY None RECO M NDATION In my opinion, the site appears to be nationally significant and I recommend that it be designated a natural landmark.

PMA I) p John R. Bozeman, Ph. p

'(sed) David D. Thompson, Jr. OCT 6 193 4

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