Tony Mills, of the Savannah River Ecology Lab, shows off an American alligator during Earth Day festivities at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park. Visitors learned about the Savannah River. Chris Thelen/Staff

Staff talks about river's importance

The games, coloring books and reptile exhibits at Saturday's Earth Day celebrations at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park were more than just to keep children occupied.

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Organizers hoped the hundreds of youngsters who passed through got a new appreciation for the natural environment around them.

"I hope they gain an awareness of the environment and an appreciation of our natural resources," said Dana Putnam, a public relations and events coordinator for the park and the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy.

The Earth Day celebration highlighted the importance of the Savannah River and how it should be protected.

After all, without Augusta's mother river, "Augusta would just be another small town off of I-20," Augusta Commissioner Don Grantham said during Saturday's activities.

Dr. Gene Eidson, the CEO of the academy and its interim research director, outlined the strains the river faces from development in the Augusta area and potentially from the Savannah River basin, as Atlanta and Greenville, S.C., grow and seek more water.

That could affect the river's quality and quantity of water.

This summer, the academy is embarking on a study, funded primarily with local and private money, to monitor water temperature, flow, quality and other factors.

Representatives from one of the area's other large wildlife habitats, Fort Gordon, were at Saturday's event, too.

The more than 50,000-acre Army post is home to forested habitats with animal and plant species that have remained relatively undisturbed since the 1930s, said Steve Willard, the head of the fort's Environmental and Natural Resource Management Office.

Reach Jeremy Craig at (706) 823-3409 or jeremy.craig@augustachronicle.com.

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--From the Sunday, April 24, 2005 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle