How
You Can Help
There are so many different ways you can help save the hemlocks, and every effort by every individual is important. These wonderful trees are a valuable natural resource that belongs to all of us and hopefully to future generations as well. So it doesn't matter if you're young or not so young, own property in the mountains or just appreciate their beauty, have lots of time and talent and resources or just a little. Your interest, participation, and support are welcome and greatly appreciated, so please join us in our efforts to save the hemlocks and be part of the solution!
Join us. We're a 100% volunteer organization of individuals with diverse backgrounds, interests, ages, and origins, united by a common commitment to preserving the hemlocks and the valuable role they play in our north Georgia mountains. 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 to download a membership form you can mail.
Take care of your own hemlocks. Be alert
for the first signs of the woolly adelgid. If even one of the hemlocks
on your property is infested or if a neighbor's trees are infested, go ahead and
plan to take care of all your hemlocks that you want to save as soon as
possible. Visit the HWA
Controls page to learn about your options or call the Hemlock Help Line
706-429-8010 for advice.
Please take action early!
Spread the word. Be an ambassador for the hemlocks, using e-mail lists, newsletters, web sites, and word of mouth to share the message with neighborhood associations, conservation and recreation organizations, schools, churches, and other community groups. You are welcome to reproduce any of the materials on this web site and share them freely.
Also
invite your friends to visit us on Facebook and
join the hemlock
cause!
Sponsor a Hemlock Help Clinic. Help us
identify local groups that would be interested in having a hemlock help
presentation
in your community and provide
contact information so we can offer to make the necessary arrangements.
For anyone interested in sponsoring a Clinic (which just means helping us
publicize the meeting and maybe providing light refreshments), we'll be happy to give public recognition
to your organization.
Develop a neighborhood plan. Work with your friends and neighbors to develop a neighborhood hemlock help plan to suppress the woolly adelgid over the widest possible area. We can meet with your property owners association or its board to provide guidance on scoping the project, determining the best treatment option, estimating the effort and cost, anticipating the challenges, and building community support. For an overview of the process, please see the Neighborhood Hemlock Help Planning Guide.
Become
a Volunteer Facilitator in your community. We would like to identify several
individuals in each county who would be willing to take a short training course
(4 hours) to learn more about the HWA problem and solutions and then be
available to help their neighbors understand the issues and take appropriate
actions. To see what's involved, please review the
Volunteer Facilitator
Job Description.
Become a professional. Consider getting trained and licensed to treat trees professionally. There is a critical need for more licensed professionals to help save our hemlocks. And in these difficult economic times, this could be a good and timely choice! To learn more, click on Becoming a Professional.
Help
our public lands. There are two key ways you can help the hemlocks on
our public lands. One is to donate money directly to any of the
university-based research labs that are raising predatory beetles for
release on public lands in Georgia. The other is to become a volunteer
with our
public land
managers for the U. S. Forest Service, Georgia Forestry Commission, or
Georgia State Parks and Historical Sites. Click on the links for names and
contact information.
Support SGH's efforts. Save Georgia's Hemlocks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and we need your financial support. We don't engage in any extraordinary fund-raising activities and depend entirely on the generosity of individuals' and groups' donations. We promise to use the resources you provide carefully and completely within our stated mission, and our books are open for inspection.
You can make your tax-deductible 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. You'll receive a thank-you letter that can be used for tax purposes along with the offer of a free baby hemlock.
Save Georgia's Hemlocks
37 Woody Bend
Dahlonega, GA 30533