The following appeared in The Northeast Georgian December 23, 2003.  Reprinted with permission by The Northeast Georgian. 

Everyone who lives in Habersham County should at some point get a chance to see Chastain Branch, even if only for a moment. It is a tucked away jewel of a stream that to its great fortune begins and ends completely on National Forest lands.

The branch is named after the Chastain family that settled the area during the original land lotteries back in the 1820’s.

We know that historically Chastain Branch harbored populations of native Brook Trout. Brook Trout are the most rare and threatened fish in the entire Soque Watershed Basin. They are also Georgia’s only native trout. They require crystal clear cold water and have a hard time competing with Rainbow Trout which are an introduced species. In areas where Rainbow Trout have been introduced, Brook Trout populations are often eliminated. The only remaining habitats for Brook Trout in the Soque Basin are at higher elevations where the water is cold and there is a natural barrier, such as a waterfall, that prevents rainbow trout from swimming upstream.

Native Brook Trout were known to inhabit Chastain Branch in the late 1970’s. Since that time forest management around Chastain Branch allowed for one clear-cut in the early eighties, and then around 1985-’86 the Forest Service began identifying areas for the burgeoning sport of ATV riding, which stands for All-Terrain Vehicles. ATV’s consist of vehicles like four-wheelers and dirt bikes.

Chastain Branch emanates from the steep slopes of Oaky Mountain. The ridgeline of Oaky Mountain is also the county line between Habersham and Rabun Counties. When standing atop the mountain, if you look west everything you see below flows into the Soque River and into Habersham County. If you look east everything below flows to the Tallulah River and into Rabun County.

As the Forest Service sought to identify areas for new ATV trails, the Oaky Mountain ridgeline was chosen and plans made for a trail system. The main challenge with this location was how to create a loop so that the trail didn’t simply travel in a straight line and back. Many, many years earlier there had been a timber road that paralleled Chastain Branch all the way to its beginnings. At the time it seemed like a good idea to have ATV traffic come down off of Oaky Mountain and loop up this timber road, creating a circle.

Two problems have ensued as a result of this trail. The dirt trail is in steep terrain and every time it rains, the road washes sediment into the branch, leaving a rutted road in its wake. To eliminate these ruts the Forest Service must then regrade the road, which loosens more dirt, which then is subject to additional erosion. The trail also closely parallels the branch for over a mile with a narrow forest buffer of only 15 to 50 feet.

The problem cannot be blamed purely on ATVs. Any disturbed area, on steep terrain, within feet of a small and delicate branch would have a negative effect. Trail placement was perhaps the biggest mistake, and the Forest Service has been talking about repairing the mistake for several years.

Chastain Branch has become an opportunity for many groups to work together. In October of 2002 a diverse group of citizens organized a Restoration Workday to repair some of the eroded areas of the trail. They reinforced areas where water left the trail making sure as little dirt as possible entered the stream. The volunteers included trout fisherman, conservationists, ATV users, college professors, extension agents, DNR biologists, and Forest Service staff.

Since the problem is chronic and not correctable due to the trails location, the Forest Service has committed to permanently fix the erosion problems by completely rerouting the ATV trail away from Chastain Branch. The plan calls for re-routing the ATV trail back onto the Oaky Mountain ridgeline and allowing the existing trail to be restored to a healthy forest. Action on this plan should occur within the next three months.

Chastain Branch has gone through many evolutions in its long history. Today the stream relies on our attention and care in order to flow clean and clear enough that native brook trout can survive. Learning from our mistakes, working together, and restoring our shared natural resources to their intended splendor is something that could and should make Habersham County stand apart from other counties in Georgia.

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Justin Ellis was the Executive Director of the SRWA from 2002-2004.  As of 2009, he was enrolled in a PhD program in Ecology at the University of Georgia.