Eufaula, city with a past by C. F. Lyle Project coordinator, SCS Ozark, Ala. Eufaula is a historic city that appreciates the past but is building for the future. This old river city in Barbour County, Alabama, has a beautiful 45,000-acre lake that serves as the catalyst for new developments. The lake is behind a huge dam on the Chattahoochee River. It is known as Lake Eufaula in Alabama and Lake Chattahoochee in Georgia. Like many other cities in the old South, Eufaula was a bustling river town in the "plantation era." When the agricultural economy changed, so did Eufaula. Business declined, and people moved away. But today, Eufaula is a thriving city of 11,000 people. Its appearance and the attitude of the townspeople have brought in more than 30 manufacturers which employ about 3,000 workers. Two mining companies-bauxite and brown iron ore are both abundant in the area -employ about 200 people and add more than $1 million every year to the economy of the Eufaula area. Because of the new industries and an almost unlimited potential for recreation developments, young former residents have begun to return to Eufaula. When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers moved into town and began planning the giant reservoir that would make Eufaula a seaport town, a few enterprising individuals saw an opportunity for the town to grow and develop. Where cotton had been king, they saw recreation and industry as masters of the economy. The Soil Conservation Service, in cooperation with other USDA agencies in the county and the Barbour County Soil and Water Conservation District, appraised Barbour County's recreation potential. Eufaula and the Barbour County area were shown to have excellent potential for several types of recreation enterprises. Of 11 types of recreation appraised, five were rated "high potential." Also, the appraisal listed 13 natural scenic and historic areas and identified 11 sites where lakes could be built ranging in size from 300 to 5,000 acres. When the Wiregrass Resource Conservation and Development Project began operations in 1967, Eufaula asked for help in developing a major recreation complex on Lake Eufaula. The project sponsors endorsed the application and assisted in locating technical and financial help. Today, a major regional state park is under construction on Lake Eufaula, just 5 miles north of town. It will be known as the Albert P. Brewer Lake Point Resort and is one of only four such parks planned for the state. The master plan for the park includes an 18-hole championship golf course, a marina, beach, lodge, cabins, nature trails, and camping and picnicking areas. The park is estimated to cost more than $8 million; it will be financed. by state and federal funds. SCS provided soils information for the park site. The Barbour County area already boasts of a wide array of recreation activity, including all forms of water sports. The fisherman can find some of the best bass and crappie fishing in the South. Fishing is also good for bluegill, shellcracker, and catfish. Three major events highlight activities on Lake Eufaula every year. In May there is the Alabama Fresh Water Fishing Rodeo-it takes at least an 8 pounder to place. In July, Tom Mann, Eufaula's own professional bass fisherman, serves as one of the hosts for the Lake Eufaula National Bass Tourney. Not only is Mann a nationally recognized fisherman, but he is also a nationally recognized manufacturer of artificial fishing lures. And, there is the Lake Eufaula Festival in August, which features international boat races, a sidewalk art show, square dancing, and a beauty pageant. Last year the festival drew more than 50,000 visitors from 22 states. Thousands of dollars in prizes are up for grabs each year during the Lake Eufaula activities. For the heritage-conscious, the annual antebellum house tour and antique show in April is a highlight. Held amid the beautiful dogwoods and azaleas that line the city's broad streets, this event attracts thousands of visitors from throughout the United States and foreign countries. The house tour developed somewhat by accident. In 1965, Eufaulians became concerned about the many historic old landmarks that were being destroyed to make way for new buildings. When their most impressive residential showplace went on the auction block, they deIcided it was time for action. Interested citizens bought the old house, known locally as the Shorter Mansion, for $33,000 and pledged $50,000 toward preserving it. Today it houses the Eufaula Historical Museum and is the headquarters of the Eufaula Heritage Association. The beautifully furnished house-museum is now debt free, reports Joel Smith, president of the Heritage Association and editor of the Eufaula Tribune. Although Eufaula is rapidly becoming an industrial and resort city, its economy is still greatly influenced by the agricultural output of the surrounding rural areas. More than 50 landowners in the Eufaula area have developed conservation plans, covering almost 35,000 acres, with the Barbour County Soil and Water Conservation District. According to Ed Grant, district chairman, these farmers have applied more than 275 conservation practices during the last 8 years. "Planning, cooperation, determination, and action put Eufaula on the move," says John Dismukes, a county commissioner and member of the RC&D steering committee. "The combined preservation of some old historic manmade resources and the development of our natural resources proved to be a winning combination." lowa passes erosion-control law by Wilson T. Moon State conservationist, SCS Des Moines, Iowa Iowa landowners who don't take steps to prevent erosion may face contempt-of-court charges. A new law-described as the most far-reaching soil conservation law in the country-went into effect on July 1. It requires that landowners, urban and rural, whose soil loss exceeds certain limits employ erosion-control measures. Landowners are to be given time to reduce erosion to an acceptable level. According to William Greiner, director of the State Department of Soil Conservation, there are not likely to be any test cases until soilloss limits are established. A provision that state or federal funds must be available to pay 75 percent of the cost of permanent soil and water conservation practices, such as terraces, may also delay enforcement. But proponents of the law, including Dale Cochran, a member of the Iowa House of Representatives who has pushed for the law since 1965, are enthusiastic and expect to get needed funds. Another reason backers of the law are confident it will be enforced is the near-unanimous approval it got in the Iowa legislature after being turned down twice in previous years. The bill passed the House 92 to 4 and the Senate 41 to 5. In signing the bill, Gov. Robert Ray praised it as a strictly nonpartisan act and commended Iowa lawmakers for their concern for the environment. Governor Ray had: backed the bill from the beginning. Farm organizations had strongly opposed original drafts of the bill but did not fight the bill in its final form. Harold Higgins, farmer and president of the Iowa Association of Soil Conservation District Commissioners, gives a Wallaces Farmer poll much of the credit for the unanimous approval of the bill. "Many people think of Iowa farmers as the most conservative people there are," Higgins says, "but in that magazine survey three-fourths of the farmers contacted were in favor of this bill.” Cochran says that the bill came about as a result of the legislature's appointing a 10-member committee to study existing drainage laws and recommend changes. The committee, after holding hearings throughout the state, concluded that (1) existing drainage laws needed to be amended and (2) a new law was needed to coordinate drainage, flood control, and soil erosion problems within the entire area drained by a stream. The idea of mandatory conserva tion which the committee recommended to the 1969 and 1970 legislatures was strongly opposed. Provisions that were protested most were (1) too little cost-sharing from state and federal governments, (2) tough penalties (a farmer could be jailed immediately, or the district could apply conservation measures and put a lien on the land if the farmer did not pay), and (3) a 1mill tax levy to administer the program. The law is called a conservancy district law. It sets up six conservancy districts, which take in the entire state, on a watershed basis to coordinate efforts of drainage districts and soil conservation districts and to help put into effect the comprehensive statewide water-resources plan. Soil conservation districts are required to adopt regulations setting soil-loss limits. Because Iowa cities and towns are included in soil conservation districts, sediment and erosion from urban property and highway construction sites as well as from agricultural land will be subject to district regulations. Fred Cherry, chairman of the State Soil Conservation Committee, thinks that the law will encourage much more voluntary soil conservation. "I don't expect too many neigh bors to bring action against each other," Cherry says. Anyone whose land is damaged by sediment can file a complaint. This means that the State Conservation Commission, for example, can file complaints to keep state lakes from filling with sediment. House majority leader Andrew Varley doesn't expect many people to be brought to court either. "But the law does point out that more and more we are realizing everyone has a responsibility to stop erosion," he says. The law is new, and most backers agree that it is only a start. But it's a move that will materially strengthen Iowa's going conservation program. |