GEORGIA Canoes open area to public

In an area dominated by private hunting preserves, other forms of outdoor recreation are beginning to take root.
By ELLIOTT MINOR
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEESBURG, Ga. -- John Singletary has committed himself to making the Flint River available to ordinary people, not just the rich and powerful plantation owners with property bordering much of the river in southwestern Georgia.
Since he began operating his Flint River Outpost 2 1/2 years ago, hundreds have signed on for canoe and kayak trips lasting from 2 1/2 hours to two days.
Floating down the Flint, they are following the same path that American Indians traveled before the arrival of white settlers in the 1600s. They see centuries-old cypress trees and varied wildlife, including alligators, deer and great blue herons.
"They have a great time," says Singletary, 52, a former bass angler who started the business to escape burnout from 30 years as a heating and air-conditioning technician.
"They fish or swim. They take their cameras and picnics and most will stop on a shoal or sandbar and have a picnic."
River's history
In the 17th century, the river was a transportation route as well as a major source of flint for arrowheads and tools. Later, paddle-wheelers steamed up and down the lower Flint, dropping off supplies to river towns such as Bainbridge and delivering bales of cotton to ports along the Gulf of Mexico.
"It was the I-75 of the Native Americans," says Singletary, whose canoe livery service provides canoes and kayaks for people who don't have their own. He drives them to the boat ramps and then picks them up downstream.
The Flint, which stretches southwest about 260 miles from just below Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport to Lake Seminole, where Georgia, Alabama and Florida converge, is a historical river and a refuge for large catfish and bass, turtles, snakes, alligators and a multitude of aquatic plants.
Trips
Singletary's all-day trips start at public boat ramps near Lake Blackshear and end 14 miles downstream near Leesburg. His half-day trips start at a ramp closer to Albany and end five miles downstream at a private dock, sandwiched between two plantations.
(The half-day trip is $35 per canoe, which can hold two adults and a child, and the all-day trip is $45. The two-day trip, which includes a campsite along the river, is $125 per canoe.)
David Jenkins, a spokesman for the American Canoe Association in Springfield, Va., says canoeing and kayaking are among the fastest growing outdoor activities.
"It has to do with people wanting more recreational activities that are thrilling and relaxing," he says. "Canoeing and kayaking can be both. You're talking about being very close to the water. The only way you can get closer is by swimming. People like the fact that canoes and kayaks are human powered."
Hunting is dominant
Outdoor recreation in southwest Georgia has traditionally been geared to hunting, which doesn't appeal to some, says Tim Barker, a recreational coordinator at Darton College in Albany.
"I think with the variety of outdoor recreation, Georgia has more opportunities than Florida -- trails, white water, mountains, rivers, the ocean. We're just not telling people what's here," Barker says.
"I don't think John understands how much impact he's having as a pure recreation provider," Barker says.
Catching on
But Singletary's vision seems to be catching on. There's a growing awareness of the importance of the Flint River and its tributaries.
Darton is considering teaching a canoe course. An Albany revitalization project will include a river walk and an aquarium featuring native fish. The 800-acre Parks at Chehaw, an Albany nature center, plans a new focus on wetlands, streams and native species.
Allen Hedden, editor of the Georgia Canoeing Association's newsletter, says the access service provided by Singletary is particularly valuable.
With plantations and hunting preserves stretching from the Albany area to Tallahassee, Fla., much of the land adjoining the Flint is off-limits to the public. CEOs, entertainers and sports figures -- even Vice President Dick Cheney -- slip in quietly for a few days of quail or dove hunting on the vast estates, which are ringed with no-trespassing signs and often patrolled by security guards.
There are about 700 boating access sites around the state, including 112 either owned or controlled by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, says Mike Spencer, an assistant fisheries chief. Still, there are only two DNR sites along the 70-mile stretch of the Flint in southwest Georgia from Lake Blackshear to Lake Seminole.
"We're always looking for new moneys and ways to increase the number of boating access sites," Spencer says. "We realize that it's very important for fishermen, bird-watchers and other boaters to have access to the state's rivers and lakes."
XFor more information, visit the Flint River Outpost at www.flintriveroutpost.com; the American Canoe Association at www.acanet.org/acanet.htm; and the American Rivers at www.americanrivers.org/.