The Tri-County Journal
& Chattahoochee Chronicle
PO Box 850, 71 Webb Lane
Buena Vista, GA 31803
229-649-6397
tjournal@alltel.net

By RICHARD HARRIS
(From the Nov. 15, 2006 issue)
   Marion County officials are working with the Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and other groups including the Georgia Wildlife Federation (GWF), to revise the county’s hunting camp ordinance.
   The WRD had recently expressed concerns about the hunting camp ordinance, but Director Dan Forster now says he feels the county “has and will continue to make significant progress toward addressing our concerns.”
   One major change expected is the removal of the requirement that hunting stands not be within 100 feet of property lines.
   The local Commission is also expected to take the DNR’s advice to totally do away with the hunting camp ordinance – at least by name – and replace it with a similar ordinance regulating “outdoor recreation camps.” That way, the county won’t be singling out hunters for regulations that don’t apply to others who may have outdoor camps.
   “I appreciate the improvements that Marion County is making to the

ordinance,” said Forster. “I would like to continue offering WRD’s assistance to the county in hopes of avoiding the county taking any steps that discourage hunting, either directly or as an unintended consequence.”
   Local Commission Chairman George Neal Jr. says the county has no intention of discouraging hunting.
   “The intent of coming up with the Hunting Camp Ordinance was in no way an attempt to

infringe on anyone’s right to hunt or enjoy the beautiful outdoors of Marion County,” he said. “Our only intent was to insure a safe, clean and environmentally friendly atmosphere that will protect the integrity of hunting for years to come.”
   Some local residents and others, including the president of the Georgia Outdoor Network, had voiced objections to the hunting camp ordinance, saying that it placed needless regulations on hunting, which when combined with the $50 permit could cause some of the people who choose to operate hunting camps in the county to leave.
   Others, however, like Benson Skinner and Richard Rakestraw of the Cobb Vista Hunting Camp, didn’t see the ordinance as imposing any overbearing regulations. They said the ordinance would do nothing to lessen their enjoyment of their hunting camp and they view the $50 permit fee as a mere token.
   Steve White, the county’s building code and zoning administrator, also points out that the $50 annual fee is a bargain, especially if compared to another option the county could have chosen to pursue – imposing property taxes on the structures located inside hunting camps.
   “Some of these hunting camps have cabins that are worth more than a lot of people’s homes,” White observed.
   White, who points out that he’s not speaking for the commissioners, also voiced his personal difference of opinion with those who have suggested that “modest regulations” on hunting and outdoor recreation camps could drive the industry out of Marion County and harm the local economy.
   “Steve Burch (president of Georgia Outdoor Network) is right about one thing – Marion County is paradise,” said White. “That’s why we have hunters coming here from all over the place. They know it’s paradise and if one hunting camp operator leaves, there are plenty of people who would love to take his place.”
   White also stated his belief that hunting camp owners could go a long way toward solving any potential friction with local residents and the local government by simply using some good, old-fashioned courtesy and common sense – quickly adding that the vast majority of them already do. However, he noted a few exceptions, such as one camp that had unappealing structures in plain view of nearby homes, which prompted the homeowners to complain.

   One suggestion the DNR is making for the revised ordinance seems to address that concern. While the DNR suggests clarifying the wording of the ordinance so that structures, including “game processing areas”, located in the interior of camps do not have to be screened from view, it does not object to a visual screening requirement if it is worded similar to “from public roads and property lines by natural vegetation or other visual barriers.”
   Glen Dowling, executive vice president of the Georgia Wildlife Federation, said he was pleased to learn that the county was seeking the advise of the state’s largest conservation organization. He said the GWF has provided “positive and proactive input into the policy formation process.”
   Dowling also said he sees no problem with the county’s objectives.
   “As a political subdivision of the State of Georgia, Marion County and its elected commissioners are dedicated and committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of 100 percent of its citizens,” said Dowling. “Knowing that only the state has the authority to regulate hunting, GWF made suggestions that would lessen the burden on Marion County’s citizens and its visiting hunters.