Freedom to Float Live Stream Series

 

Media contact: Andrea White | andrea@garivers.org | 615-482-5570

 

Hear how river recreation on South and West Chickamauga Creek boosts tourism in Ringgold

Our latest panel conversation discussed the culture and commerce around river recreation in Ringgold, and provided an update on the latest legislative study committee meeting on navigable streams.

ATHENS, GA, August 21, 2024 – This summer, a new Georgia House Study Committee on Navigable Streams has been charged with determining where citizens can recreate on Georgia’s rivers and streams. This has opened up a conversation about the ways river recreation connects communities to the outdoors and boosts their tourism economy. 

South and West Chickamauga Creek

Flowing through Ringgold in northwest Georgia are South and West Chickamauga Creek. The newly constructed Creek Walk and creek access points along South Chickamauga Creek are the heart of the city. And West Chickamauga Creek boasts battlefield tours and serene paddling options, as well.

Ringgold Mayor Nick Millwood said the city has invested in kayak launch sites on the creek,  built a safe portage around a sewer line pipe that stretches across the creek, and has more improvements on the way.  Just this year, the City of Ringgold is in the process of purchasing more land to upgrade the existing take out point on South Chickamauga Creek to match the new launch site up the creek.  

“We are excited to see the progress we’ve made already being capitalized on by people like Kayak Ringgold and Julie coming in and bringing people into our city, and the most beautiful part of our city,” Mayor Millwood said. 

Mayor Millwood is referring to Julie Phy, owner of kayak outfitter Kayak Ringgold. Not long ago, the city invested in infrastructure for river recreation, but previously controlled all aspects of outdoor recreation for residents and visitors. Mayor Millwood now sees the value in supporting entrepreneurs eager to run independent businesses that revolve around outdoor recreation. “We’ve started to look outward and bring in organizations that are passionate about these things,” Mayor Millwood said. “She’s created a tourism industry on our creek for us that’s really just beginning.” 

Kayak Ringgold is a great example of an independent outfitter that draws visitors to rural cities with outstanding outdoor recreation. Not only is Julie Phy passionate about paddling, she did extensive research on the paddlesports industry across the nation to grow her outfitter business. According to Phy, the average paddler will spend $40 in the town they are paddling in, aside from the fee to paddle with an outfitter or rent a boat. Kayak Ringgold brought in 1,424 visitors to Ringgold so far in 2024 who stayed an average of 2.4 nights in the area. Out of those visitors, 87.3% did not have a Ringgold zip code. South Chickamauga Creek draws people from far and wide. 

The Threat

If Georgia’s legislation changes and South and West Chickamauga Creek are not deemed navigable, private property owners along the creek could limit access down the creek. Kayak Ringgold and similar outfitters in the area would likely be forced to close. 

“Not allowing public access to the creeks will limit the essential growth we need. Our community is a very outdoor community,” Phy said. “The economic growth would be shot. But not only that, but it would limit the outdoor aspects of health and leisure in our community, which make our community what it is.”

Mayor Nick Millwood said there is a lot of opportunity in Ringgold for private property owners to prevent a paddler’s passage on the creek. His own property is on the creek. 

“The overall life experience of being able to float the creek is something that is entrenched in the culture of this area because we have such beautiful creeks throughout the area,” Mayor Millwood said. “It feels crushing to take that away from people.” Millwood added,“Nature is such a beautiful thing. To find ways to start denying people access is the wrong direction and I hope we can keep our creeks open.” 

Diverse Tourism Opportunities, Lower Taxes

Andrea White, Georgia River Network community programs coordinator and ACA Southeast Chair  said that over the course of the Freedom to Float series, we’ve heard several visitors bureaus across the state emphasize the importance of hosting a diversity of tourism offerings in an area. “River recreation is a really important anchor in that formula or algorithm of all the things you can offer people who visit your area so you are spreading the traffic, spreading the wealth and investment. The whole community benefits because of the visitors,” White said.

Another theme we’ve noticed throughout the series is the power of tourist dollars decreasing local property owner taxes. It’s simple math that works: local property taxes are lower when you have a higher tourism investment in the area. Different counties all over the state have numbers that show a range of $300 – $600 savings in property tax per homeowner per year. “Homeowners in the county have something at stake in their property tax dollars if [the creek] were to become non navigable for river recreation,” White added.

Recap: First Meeting for the House Study Committee on Navigable Streams and Related Matters

The first House Study Committee on Navigable Streams and Related Matters met at the Capitol on August 15. Chairwoman Lynn Smith organized the meeting to offer education on Georgia’s rivers and invited experts for different agencies related to water to present. Attorney and former EPD director Judd Turner provided a legal history of water law, EPD Watershed Director Anna Truszczynski discussed designated uses for a body of water, and DNR’s Scott Robinson covered fishing and boat ramps in Georgia. 

There was a suggestion at the meeting by DNR that navigable streams could be determined using mean annual flow as a standard and start at 400 cfs. Any river or creek with a mean annual flow of 400 cfs or higher would be deemed navigable. According to Andrea White, this standard would limit river recreation on rivers and creeks all over the state. 

“If South and West Chickamauga Creek had to hit 400 cfs to be considered navigable for river recreation, a lot of businesses will be shut down, and that’s true all over the state,” White said, and listed the Upper Chattahoochee and tubing businesses in nearby Helen, Ebenezer Creek near Savannah, and river runs in Dahlonega as just a few of the places with thriving river recreation economies that would have to shut down if the study committee deemed navigable rivers to require a mean annual flow over 400 cfs. 

During the legal history, Turner referred to the historic Georgia precedent of a right of passage – a right to float past someone’s property – that is separate from a right of fishing. White would like to hear more conversations about right of passage with a special focus on floating past someone’s property. “I believe there will be a middle ground, so to speak, that we can find in the course of this conversation if we talk about the right to float down the river,” White said.

Todd Rehm, editor of GA Pundit and moderator of the episode, attended the house study committee meeting and heard former EPD Director Turner say a single landowner strategically placed on the Chattahoochee could shut down tubing in Helen. “For [Helen] that is their major industry. Not just tubing, but all the tourism it brings in. One person could effectively deny the livelihoods of everyone who lives there,” Rehm said. “It hits different when somebody who has held office says that.” 

As always, Georgia River Network advocates for protecting access to Georgia’s rivers as a shared natural resource. “I don’t think anyone wants to take rights away from private property owners, we just want to be able to sustain the current uses of our rivers,” White added. 

In closing, Mayor Millwood emphasized the value South and West Chickamauga Creek bring to Ringgold. “Our creek is the jewel of our city,” he said. “It’s worthwhile to fight for access to our creeks for everyone.” 

The stories we tell of river recreation tourism on  South and West Chickamauga Creek will be used as part of the Freedom to Float campaign to urge legislators to support the state’s robust outdoor recreation economy and protect existing river recreation uses. The Georgia House Study Committee on Navigable Streams will soon collect data and testimony from Georgia citizens, residents and municipal officials about the role that river recreation plays in local communities and make recommendations for future legislation. 

As we’ve heard here, river recreation boosts tourism and impacts local economies, but more importantly increases our quality of life. The freedom to create memories and explore Georgia’s rivers is priceless!

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A Georgia River Network Paddle Georgia trip explored 13 miles of beautiful paddling on the South Chickamauga Creek Water Trail highlighted by playful shoals, soaring limestone bluffs, underground sinks, creekside springs and abundant wildlife. The route paddled from Ringgold to historic Graysville. Photo Credit: Joe Cook

 

Interview Contacts:

• Rena Ann Peck, Executive Director Georgia River Network, rena@garivers.org
• Andrea White, Community Programs Coordinator, andrea@garivers.org, 615-482-5570

 

Recording from 8-19: Episode 5: River Recreation on South and West Chickamauga Creek in Ringgold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L56GJL90Orw

 

About Georgia River Network:

Georgia River Network is a statewide 501c3 organization with the mission to protect and connect people with Georgia’s rivers. Georgia River Network serves as Georgia DNR’s non-profit partner running the Georgia Water Trails Network and works to map rivers on the free Georgia River Guide mobile app. Georgia River Network connects people to Georgia rivers by hosting paddle trips across the state, including the signature week-long Paddle Georgia camping adventure hosted on a different Georgia river each year, and  kayak training and safety classes. Georgia River Network also serves as fiscal sponsor of the Okefenokee Protection Alliance, Georgia Outdoor Recreation Coalition and Georgia Water Coalition.

Visit garivers.org to learn more about paddle trips, water trails and ways you can protect Georgia rivers. 

About the Freedom to Float Coalition:

Georgia River Network is advocating for legislation that will protect the public’s right of passage on streams capable of supporting small, person-powered watercraft, and a “recreational boat test” to give everyone the freedom to enjoy Georgia’s rivers. We are working in collaboration with the Freedom to Float Coalition including: American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, Georgia Canoeing Association, and the Tennessee Valley Canoe Club.

Learn how you can take action to protect the freedom to float by visiting garivers.org/protect-our-freedom-to-float-georgia-rivers/

About Freedom to Float Livestream Series:

The Georgia Freedom to Float Live Stream Series seeks to highlight the businesses and communities that will be most affected by the policy debate over navigable streams and start a statewide conversation about what is at stake when our access to Georgia rivers is at risk.

Hear more panel conversations with Georgia entrepreneurs and river advocates in LIVE panel conversations each Monday in July and August at 6:00 pm broadcast on the Georgia River Network Facebook page, the GRN YouTube channel and the ACA Georgia Facebook page. The broadcast will also be recorded on each of these pages for on demand viewing later.