Friends of
Ocmulgee Old Fields
|
Alert - Immediate, Continuous Action is needed to counter efforts to Extend |
The Friends of Ocmulgee Old Fields is a group of neighbors,
volunteers and community activitists who are working to support and
promote Ocmulgee National Monument,
one of America's crown jewels attracting more than 120,000 visitors a
year. The park's primary mission is
to protect, preserve, and interpret the 12,000-year legacy of the
Ocmulgee Old Fields and the Southeast’s indigenous people. Though
American Indians were forcibly removed from Georgia and are now, for
the most part, "out of sight; out of mind," their ancient ties and
sacred places are symbolized and memorialized by Ocmulgee National
Monument. How wonderful it would be if Macon/Bibb County's leadership
could recognize, embrace and enhance the unique and fascinating shared
heritage of the Ocmulgee Old Fields!!
 |
What are we all about
Our group, the Friends of Ocmulgee Old Fields, was formed to help the park, the unprotected portions of the Old Fields, and surrounding resources maintain the high quality of their cultural and natural integrity. We do this by developing and accomplishing projects for the park. Some of the projects our members have undertaken include:
· Providing additional staffing for the park visitor center/museum.
· Building a new maintenance equipment storage shed.
· Maintaining park trails.
· Participating in fundraising efforts.
· Providing assistance during special events.
· Advocating protection of the area’s natural and cultural resources.
Enhéssë, the name of our newsletter, is defined in the Muscogee
(Creek) language dictionary as "Friend". To us, Enhéssë means a friend
of the land, a friend of the park, a friend to each other, and a friend
to the spirit of the people who inhabited this land before us. We
invite you join us.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!
For several years, we and other concerned organizations and
individuals, including the Creek and Seminole people, have engaged in
an effort to prevent a four-lane, divided highway from desecrating the
Ocmulgee Old Fields Traditional Cultural Property (District), the first
listing of its kind on the National Register of Historic Places east of
the Mississippi River. The TCP encompasses:
Ocmulgee National
Monument
Bond Swamp National
Wildlife Refuge
Browns Mount
Scott-McCall
Archaeological Preserve
Most of Macon’s
Central City Park
Much of the Ocmulgee
River Heritage Greenway
The proposed Eisenhower Parkway Extension would bisect wetlands
between Ocmulgee National Monument’s Macon Plateau Unit and its Lamar
Mounds and Village Unit; the highway’s interchange with I-16 would be
partially constructed on the Scott-McCall Archaeological Preserve; the
road would sever the wildlife corridor linking the National Monument to
Bond Swamp National Wildlife just downstream. This “Longest Bridge in
Georgia” is the Georgia Department of Transportation’s preferred
cross-Macon connector for the Fall Line Freeway. Construction
costs for this four-mile-long strip of concrete are currently estimated
at $130-million. Local proponents of this
route refuse to consider prudent and feasible alternatives that would
save massive expeditures of precious public funds and preserve Macon’s
nationally significant cultural and natural heritage. For more
information:
Threats from unnecessary Road
Building
National Parks Conservation Association
You can reach me, Lindsay Holliday, by e-mail at: Teeth@MindSpring.com