Oconee River Land Trust

Thank you all so much for the amazing turnout at our 3rd Annual Oconee River Belles Benefit Concert! It was so special sharing the night with you all, thank you to Alison Brown, Beth Nielsen Chapman, and Cicada Rhythm for partnering with us to put this concert on! We also would like to send a huge thanks to the Classic Center for hosting the stream for us, the Riverview Foundation for underwriting the concert, as well as our sponsors for making this night happen:... Carson Advisory, Five Arrow Farms, Shiraz Wines, Half Shepherd Market, Walt Cook. Mark Huber, Madeline VanDyck, Dan and Ann Hope, Ken Jarrett and Joan Jackson, Richard and Susan Field, Ferdinand Seefried, Kathy and Al Parker, Smith Wilson, John and Judy Willis, John Pickering, Harriet and Dave Ike, Roger and Pat Nielsen, Larry Dendy, and Nat and Helen Kuykendall.

We hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving weekend! In light of the holidays we’d like to wish everyone a happy Giving Tuesday! If you are feeling generous on this lovely afternoon, the ORLT staff would greatly appreciate a financial donation so that we may continue the everyday work we do! We have attached our Paypal below! If not able to make a financial donation, the ORLT is also in need of a few items that would be extremely beneficial to the work that we do! ... These items include 2 New Computers Some snake boots for easement work A new first aid kit! We hope everyone continues to have a great week and any items donated would be greatly appreciated, thanks! https://www.paypal.com/donate

Happy Friday everyone! Here are some breathtaking photos from our Ellis Lake conservation easement in Newton County. Here we have a forest along the edge of the wetland with native river cane (a native species of bamboo), a wetland and Gum Creek.

Tossing pumpkins in the landfill generates methane gas, which is much more harmful to the atmosphere than CO2. Here is how you can compost at home without a bin!

Happy Tuesday everyone, let us introduce you to the Joro spider! The novel Joro spider was first spotted in North America in 2015 about 33 miles west of Athens in the city of Hoschton, Georgia. Normally native to East Asia, the Joro spider, or Nephila clavate belongs to a group of spiders known for their massive, complex and sturdy webs that radiate a brilliant golden-hue known as orb-weavers. These hard to miss spiders have bright yellow bodies and can be up to 3 inches long... with fully extended legs! In the orb-weaver family lies the Joros’ close relative: the banana spider, which can also be found in regions of Eastern Asia. Like the banana spider, Joro spiders display a distinctive striped yellow pattern on the back. Yet unlike the banana spider, Joros have a bluish-green striped mixed in with their yellow back and a vibrant red pattern located on their underside - two features distinctive from the banana spider. Joro spiders can be found scattered across regions of North Georgia, and even some parts of South Carolina. They reside in various places including urban regions, riparian areas, deep woods, and yes, around houses as well. They most likely arrived in North America via trade between an Eastern Asia country and some destination not too far away, most likely via shipping container. According to UGA entomologist E. Richard Hoebeke, There’s no indication that it will be invasive to the extent that it would be disruptive or economically costly. And no, the spider is neither venemous. Fun Fact: In Japanese mythology, this species is considered a deceptive shape-shifter that preys on young, handsome men. In Korea, the arachnid's name is mudang gumi, which translates to "shaman" or "fortune-teller" spider. Pictured: (left) A Joro spider at our Tallasee Forest easement (right) A Joro spider at an easement near Perry, GA.

Good afternoon, we hope everyone is having a great day! We wanted to fill you all in on some awesome volunteer events the ORLT hosted this past weekend alongside some wonderful organizations. On Saturday, we partnered with our good friends of CaribSA and the Stello Initiative to remove both elaeagnus and privet plants off of some of our protected land. Although both plants are utilized for their qualities in different parts of the world, they are quite invasive here in the state of Georgia. CaribSA was at our Orange Twin easement and Stello served at our Tallassee easement. Both CaribSA and the Stello Initiative have been working with the ORLT since last year and we want to give a huge thanks to both organizations for their continuous help!