About Us
Hello! We are a rapidly growing grassroots group of energetic individuals with diverse backgrounds, interests, ages, and origins, united by a common goal to save the hemlocks. With some of our leadership having participated in initiating a successful hemlock helping effort in Lumpkin County in February 2009, we soon recognized the urgent need for similar efforts in the rest of north Georgia. So we decided to branch out and, with the help of many partners and volunteers, founded a new organization -- Save Georgia's Hemlocks -- to implement the Hemlock Help Program in all Georgia counties where the woolly adelgid is a threat. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Please join us! There are many different ways to get involved -- a little or a lot -- so come join us, share the fun, and find your special role in this important cause! Just contact us by e-mail or call the Hemlock Help LineSM 706-429-8010 to let us know of your interest. Click here for a membership form you can print and mail.
Also
check out our Facebook page to meet other members and join the cause!
Our Mission
SAVE GEORGIA'S HEMLOCKS is a 100% volunteer,
nonprofit organization of concerned citizens dedicated to saving endangered
hemlocks through education and charitable service.
It is our vision that through our efforts of
preservation, conservation, and restoration, there will be a healthy population
of hemlocks in Georgia for future generations. To
achieve this, our Hemlock Help Program focuses on three goals:
n Educate -- Enhance public awareness of the hemlock woolly adelgid crisis, current practical solutions, and emerging control technologies.
n Enable -- Ensure easy access to information, advice regarding economical solutions, and direct assistance for property owners.
n Encourage -- Establish a clear understanding of the aesthetic, economic, and environmental reasons for property owners to take timely and effective action to save their hemlocks.
To learn about the features of the program, how to use the services, and how to participate as an individual or group, please visit on the Hemlock Help page.
Our Guiding Principles
Our Program Description sets forth the problem statement, program goal and objectives, services and scope, and implementation plan, as well as the following guiding principles:
n Do all for the benefit of property owners and their hemlocks with no benefit accruing to any participant.
n Operate in the most efficient, cost-effective manner, adhering to nonprofit standards of excellence and best practices.
n Do all with simplicity, transparency, and the spirit of charitable service.
It is our intention to keep the organization lean, proactive, community-based, and uncomplicated. We welcome all individuals and groups who share our vision to save north Georgia's hemlocks for this and future generations. Click here to meet our Board of Directors.
Progress and Financial Performance
Since our bold beginnings in July of 2009, it's been an exciting and productive journey with the level of awareness about our threatened hemlocks rising to an all-time high and so many wonderful people coming forward to join the battle to save them. Click here to see the full 2009 Year-End Report of our accomplishments and financial condition.
And so far in 2010, our momentum and membership have continued to grow. Here's a snapshot of our activities to date for this fiscal year (12/1/09 - 8/20/10). Click here to see the full Current Activity Report including financial information.
n Murray and Lumpkin Counties added to Hemlock Help Program, bringing the total to 9 counties served
n Final approval of 501(c)(3) nonprofit status from IRS (rec'd 4-1-10, effective 12-8-09)
n 24 Hemlock Help Clinics or presentations – 975 attendees/contacts
n 4 Volunteer Facilitator Training Workshops, 26 new GA Volunteer Facilitators and 13 TN Volunteer Facilitators
n 4 Neighborhood Hemlock Help Planning Workshops – 25 attendees
n Hemlock Lessons and tree planting for 3 schools or children's groups – 75 students and 7 teachers
n 2 Mentoring Workshops – 16 participants
n 5 Volunteer Hemlock Help projects by special request – 12 participants
n Approximately 25 Volunteer Hemlock Help projects by Facilitator initiative – 16 participants contributing 270 hours, treating 1500+ trees on 375 private property parcels
n 625 calls on Hemlock Help Line
n 5 published articles
n 4 radio interviews
n Over 1,400 volunteer hours, including Board members and Facilitators
n 44 hemlock partners and 950 hemlock friends
Proactive Plans for the Future
The next two years are likely to be the “tipping point” years for the hemlocks in Georgia, and there is much to do! With the adelgid’s prolific reproduction rate and the limited financial and manpower resources facing our public land managers, the hemlocks are at a major disadvantage, and private property owners will be an important key to their very survival. Here are the highlights of our 2010 plans.
n More counties -- In the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011, the Hemlock Help Program will be implemented in more north Georgia counties with the goal of staying on the leading edge of the HWA infestation as it spreads. Click here to see a coverage map with roll-out dates.
n More clinics -- We will continue to raise awareness and advocate for action through Hemlock Help Clinics in both new and currently implemented counties. We will also actively seek opportunities to present the HWA issue to groups that are non-resident but have an interest in preserving the hemlock as a key factor in the aesthetic quality, environmental balance, and economic health of the north Georgia area. Check the Hemlock Help Clinic Schedule for upcoming Clinics and other activities.
n More enabling -- We will place, or facilitate placement of, additional soil injectors in north Georgia counties as demand rises, will encourage and assist more retail outlets to carry HWA treatment products in order to increase availability, and will train more Volunteer Facilitators (see job description below) in each county to assist individuals and groups in managing the health of their hemlocks.
n More education -- We will continue to do research on the HWA problem and solutions, participate in citizen science initiatives, publish timely information from a wide variety of serious sources as it becomes available, and encourage citizens to become more knowledgeable of (and exercise greater stewardship over) the natural environment.
n More service -- We will work to foster partnerships to advocate for and support community action, build a strong core of volunteers and provide meaningful opportunities through which they may become involved, and serve as an organizational structure for assisting private land owners and public land managers in special hemlock help projects. We will also assist property owner associations and other neighborhood groups to develop customized plans for their hemlock help projects.
n More sharing -- We will implement a funding strategy that draws functional and financial support from a broad community base of individuals and partner organizations, enables us to carry out specific hemlock help objectives, and allows us to share our resources charitably with others in support of our common goals. Part of this sharing will take the form of mentoring groups in other states to implement their own Hemlock Help Programs and offering healthy hemlock saplings for landscape planting and reforestation.
n More outreach -- We will actively seek to provide or identify opportunities for north Georgia residents and non-residents alike to participate in volunteers projects to preserve, protect, and enhance the hemlock population. Special outreach programs will be designed to encourage the involvement of young people and help develop the environmental leaders of tomorrow.
To achieve these vital tasks for 2010, we need more Hemlock Friends to help spread the word, more Volunteer Facilitators and other volunteers, and more support. If the hemlock is near and dear to your heart, please join the efforts of Save Georgia’s Hemlocks.
Our
Needs
Spreading the word -- Please share these three key messages with your friends, neighbors, and business associates through word of mouth and any e-mail lists, newsletters, bulletin boards, or web sites you have access to:
n The hemlocks are in trouble and will die unless effective action is taken soon.
n Property owners can save as many of their hemlocks as they want, and it's easy and inexpensive.
n Save Georgia's Hemlocks can provide a great deal of free, practical help.
Helping others -- Consider becoming a Volunteer Facilitator by learning more about the HWA problem and solutions and then being available to help your neighbors identify/assess HWA infestations, understand/choose appropriate control options, and find the right resources to get started. The training only takes a few hours and is provided at no cost; click here to visit the Volunteer Facilitators page and read the Volunteer Facilitator Job Description.
Supporting the effort -- Please help by making a tax-deductible donation to support the efforts of Save Georgia's Hemlocks. We are fiscally conservative and use your gifts very carefully. Our budgetary goal is to keep overhead expenses to 20% or less in order to devote 80% or more of our resources to clearly defined program activities, and our books are open to public inspection.
You can make your contribution by check payable to Save Georgia's Hemlocks and mail it to the address below or make a secure on-line donation through Paypal. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and will provide a thank-you letter that can be used for tax purposes, along with the offer of a free hemlock seedling.
Save Georgia's Hemlocks
37 Woody Bend
Dahlonega, GA 30533
Meetings
Board meetings are held quarterly. They may include both Board business and general information, and we welcome the participation of all interested parties.
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On Saturday, July 10 Save Georgia's Hemlocks celebrated its first-year anniversary with a wonderful evening around a great cause. Following a quarterly Board meeting, new and old friends came together to meet other good folks with a passion for saving the hemlocks. During the discussion of our first year's progress and second year's ambitious plans, the collective energy was almost electric as individuals began to find their special interests and opportunities to volunteer. And the covered dish dinner was bountiful spread of fabulous food. Thanks so much to everyone who came. We look forward to working (and playing) together as we strive to save the hemlocks and have every confidence that WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! To those who weren't able to be with us this time, we missed you and hope to see you in the very near future. Please stay tuned to the schedule of events on the Hemlock Help page and come out to help. Trees are everyone's treasure! |
Organizing Documents
n Bylaws as amended 7-10-10
n IRS 501(c)(3) Letter of Determination (tax-exempt status)
Note: Many documents on this site are in Adobe PDF format. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat installed, you may download it here.